Archive: January 2009 (171-180 of 354)

Jan 18 2009 06:00 AM ET

'Flight of the Conchords' season 2 online premiere. Holy flip!

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Categories: Television

Funny Or Die has the first episode of New Zealand’s fourth-most popular comedy-folk duo’s upcoming second season (debuts on HBO Jan. 18), and it seems things pick up where we left off, with Murray rocking expensive suits from his Crazy Doggz bankroll and Bret and Jemaine feeling neglected. After a heated band meeting, the guys fire Murray (prompting the dejected manager to break into operatic rooftop song) and sign on to write a jingle for a new organic toothpaste for women (one early iteration: "Some women like men, some are lesbians…Femident toothpaaaaste"). Naturally, toothpaste-headwear hilarity ensues, and by the end, things are back to normal again for the three pals. Good episode. SO psyched for new Conchords — it has been way too long. Who’s with me? 

More Flight of the Conchords:
Flight of the Conchords gets some Emmy love
The quirky charms of Flight of the Conchords
Q&A with Brett and Jemaine
Something special for all the ‘Ladies of the World’

Read next item:
What’s the TV show you’re surprised you watched as a kid?

Jan 17 2009 06:30 PM ET

My (VERY) fond farewell to the 'L Word' theme song

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Categories: The L Word

This is it, people! Tomorrow night, the countdown to the last-ever episode of The L Word shall commence! Yes, the best little only American lesbian drama series in all the land is packing up its U-Haul and driving into TV history in just a few short months. Longtime fans are, I think, especially excited about the series’ final big story arc, because hi? They’re killing off Jenny Schecter!!!! Personally, I’ve long secretly loved Mia Kirshner’s completely off-the-wall, totally bonkers performance. That is, if you believe she’s really acting. Having met and interviewed her twice, I can assure you that jury is very much out.

But enough with the storylines and on to the real reason for this post: That theme song. When The L Word debuted, its theme song wasn’t much of a "song" at all — it was about 10 crisp seconds of synthesized club noise that worked perfectly with the groundbreaking show it was introducing. Then…then…then came season 2, when the godawful girl group Betty recorded a godawful new intro that quickly earned a reputation as THE WORST TV THEME SONG IN THE HISTORY OF EVER. (Sorry, Just the Ten of Us!) This atonal ode to, um, women ("Chicks drivin’ fast/Ingenuuuues with long lashes!") is every self-respecting L Word fan’s bete noire, and because it’s really that bad, I force myself to sit through the opening credits every time I watch an episode. There’s just something about the way the women of Betty hit — or rather, don’t come one bit close to hitting — the song’s treacherous final note that truly makes life worth living. It hurts so good. So very, very good, in fact, that I feel compelled to share it with you now.

So! PopWatchers, are you slowly bleeding to death from your ears, or are you still lucid enough to share your opinion of the song below? Furthermore, are you sad to see The L Word sign off? What would you like to see happen in the final season? And which character will you miss the most? Please don’t say Kit.

Jan 17 2009 05:29 PM ET

How happy are you to see those 'Friday Night Lights' again?

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Categories: Friday Night Lights, Television

Fridaynightlights_lNow that the high school football drama has returned to free network television, my Friday night television schedule seems to be vastly improved (especially because other faves of mine, like Lipstick Jungle, are no longer on).

Last night’s season 3 premiere was raw, emotional, and captivating—basically, it was everything and then some that we’ve grown to expect from FNL (you know, the kind of stuff that makes you want to scream, "How the heck have NONE of these actors ever been nominated for an Emmy??").

I am so pleased to see that Tami (Connie Britton,  pictured left) has been promoted to school principal. Her new power role is sure to provide lots of conflict— and head-butting— with Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler, right), a.k.a. her husband. I think it’s safe to say that there will also be lots of opportunity for conflict with the new superstar quarterback, freshman J.D. McCoy, and his uptight, controlling father.

For more recap and commentary on last night’s episode, be sure check out Ken Tucker’s TV Watch. And in the meantime, share your thoughts below on the series’ return to NBC. Were you able to hold off on reading spoilers from when the season aired on DirecTV? Finally, "Does anyone else out here feel like you deserve a smoothie?" Because I think you totally do.

Jan 17 2009 04:35 AM ET

'Battlestar Galactica': What the FRAK just happened?

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Categories: Battlestar Galactica, I'm Just a Geek, Ninjas, Sci-Fi, Snap Judgment, Television

I’m gonna get into this more in my TV Watch — which’ll go live tomorrow morning — but WHAT THE FRAK JUST HAPPENED? Don’t bounce to the jump if you haven’t seen the season premiere yet, but…

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 16 2009 10:45 PM ET

'Idolatry': We're back...with a whole new look!

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Categories: American Idol, Idolatry

Week one of American Idol‘s eighth season is over, which means your trusty Idolatry crew is back to dish the proceedings. Somebody’s got a theory about where Bikini Girl bought her two-piece. Somebody’s fuming that Danny Gokey shared B-roll of his recently deceased wife during his audition package. And somebody — specifically, a particularly awesome contestant from season 6 — makes a very special appearance. Press play below, then weigh in with your own thoughts about Idol‘s first two audition episodes of the season!

Jan 16 2009 10:30 PM ET

Oprah: 'Mister Pres-i-dehhhhhhhnt!'

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Categories: Oprah Winfrey, Politics as Entertainment

Was there any chance Oprah wouldn’t get everyone in Hollywood to appear on her two-day inauguration special? Of course not. "It’s his-tor-i-caaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!"

Jan 16 2009 10:00 PM ET

Enter the Fray: Golden Globes, 'American Idol,' and more

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Categories: Misc.

Globestwilighthudgens_lThis week was a good one for pop music: American Idol made its triumphant return, and we got new singles from two of my favorite pop divas, Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson. Spears’ clever/inappropriate (you decide!) ”If You Seek Amy” and Clarkson’s rocking (thank goodness!) ”My Life Would Suck Without You” got you guys talking. Here’s what else did:

10. Amy Wilkinson brought us up to speed on the latest episode of The Biggest Loser. Side note: I don’t know how thrilled she is that Brit co-opted her name for a semi-vulgar pop song.

9. Oriana Schwindt told us why we shouldn’t watch awards shows with Tina Fey haters. I, for one, didn’t realize such a person existed.

8. Lynette Rice recapped Grissom’s goodbye episode of CSI.

7. Ann Coulter’s appearance on The View made Elisabeth Hasselbeck look like the calm, composed, sane one.

6. Mike Bruno will keep watching American Idol for one reason: Bikini Girl.

5. Speaking of…Idol‘s back! You shared your thoughts on the premiere here.

4. Mandi Bierly’s cool with Lost, but she’s not so cool with its sometimes-annoying fans.

3. Chris Harrison came back for round two of his weekly Bachelor recap.

2. Vanessa Hudgens was rumored to have auditioned for the role of Leah in New Moon (we later learned this wasn’t actually what you would call ”true”).

1. Awards season ’09 kicked off to an amusing start with the Golden Globes, thanks to Annie Barrett and Mandi liveblogging the whole shebang.

Jan 16 2009 09:24 PM ET

Roland Emmerich + 'Foundation' = Make the bad man stop!

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Categories: Deals, Hell to the No!, I'm Just a Geek, Movies, Ninjas, Sci-Fi

Foundationasimov_lWord slipped out today that Roland Emmerich — he of Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow fame — is Columbia’s likely candidate to direct a feature version of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. In case you’re not familiar with Foundation, it follows the evolution of a galactic empire and the role of mathematician Hari Seldon in predicting its rise and fall. It is one of science fiction’s grand masterpieces. And it has just been handed to a hack.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for some good hackery — I dug Independence Day, even though it’s laughable as sci-fi, and Doomsday made my list of the most fun flicks of last year — but I shudder to think of the guy who made 10,000 BC slicing into Foundation with all the skill and touch of a bricklayer. I’ll bet that at some point during the film, a giant wall of water will crush something, a la 2012.

What do you think? Am I being needlessly alarmist? Should I give the dude the benefit of the doubt…or am I right in hoping that, at some point, wiser heads prevail?

Jan 16 2009 09:24 PM ET

Aaliyah: Happy would-be 30th birthday

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Categories: Celebrity Birthdays, In Memoriam, Music

It seems strangely apropos that Jan. 16 marks both the nationwide opening of the Biggie biopic Notorious and what would have been the 30th birthday of Aaliyah — two artists whose outsized talents exceeded the too-short time they spent on the planet.

The R&B singer and actress, who was only 15 when she released her platinum debut album (fittingly titled Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number) in 1994, died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in August 2001, just as her career seemed to be hitting an exciting new level — her last, best album, Aaliyah, went gold within a month of its release, and she had been cast to appear in two sequels to The Matrix (the role eventually went to Nona Gaye).

Friends and collaborators like Timbaland and Missy Elliott still reference her in their work today (Timba dedicated a portion of each DJ set to her during Justin Timberlake’s 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow tour), and it’s not hard to see why. Even the nearly-decade-old songs like "Try Again," posted below, still sound as indelible today as they did then.

And after her death, a host of famous names, including Missy, Jay-Z, Rosario Dawson, Queen Latifah, Quincy Jones and Toni Braxton, gathered on both coasts to film a video for the top-5 hit "Miss You," as tribute to the singer they called "babygirl" (clip after the jump).

Popwatchers, do have a favorite Aaliyah memory? We’d love to hear about it.

More Aaliyah:
Aaliyah’s family sues Virgin over her fatal crash
A glance at Aaliyah’s brief, bright career
Review: ‘Aaliyah’

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 16 2009 09:00 PM ET

Site of the day: FACEinHOLE.com

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Categories: Site of the Day

FaceinholeFACEinHOLE.com is like the Photoshop of my laziest dreams: Pick a scenario, upload a photo (of your face, duh), tweak the placement a little, and voila. The background selections are wide-ranging — a still of Russell Crowe from 3:10 to Yuma, you + RPattz, Santa Claus in jail, you hugging a tiger (pictured) — really anything you can think of.

Create your own FACEinHOLE

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