Archive: March 2009 (91-100 of 518)

Mar 26 2009 04:01 PM ET

Melissa McCarthy: The EW Pop Culture Personality Test

Melissamccarthy_l_2 A funny thing happened when PopWatch praised Samantha Who?‘s unsung hero Melissa McCarthy, many of you followed suit. To celebrate the show’s return (Thursdays, 8:30 p.m., starting tonight), we phoned the former Gilmore Girls star and administered an EW Pop Culture Personality Test. How much will you love her now?

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When do you yell at the TV?

MELISSA McCARTHY: It will probably sound so crazy, bad design shows. I watch HGTV like a maniac, and when it’s bad, it’s like some crazy college guy watching a football game. My poor husband [actor Ben Falcone] is always like, "Really? Are you really yelling about a wallpaper?" And like, any time someone says, "Tuscan. I want it to look like Tuscany!" I want to rip my head off my neck. It’s like an epidemic in this country.

Your worst DVR mishap?

My daughter is 22 months, and oh god, it still literally makes me shiver. There’s an episode of Sesame Street with this crazy kind of ’70s song, "That’s Not Homer." Strangely, we all dance to it quite often. And at some point, someone in the house erased it, which no one will take blame for. To this day, it’s still a hot topic of who erased "That’s Not Homer." She always is like, "Homer… Homer… Homer." I just point at Ben, and he just points at me. I’m sure he blames me in secret, because I blame him. If anyone in the world has a copy of that, we’re talkin’ big money to get that.

Did you write a fan letter to anyone when you were young?

You know what, I loved Wonder Woman so much that Lynda Carter made me crazy. I loved her. I wrote her a letter and drew her a picture of her. I was always mystified by the whisper-thin Lasso of Truth. I was completely bonkers for her. It was my first girl-crush.

Did you get a response?

No. Because I basically may as well have buried it in my yard. I put it in a mailbox with no address. I’m pretty sure I labeled it, like, "To: Wonder Woman."

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 26 2009 02:00 PM ET

Candy Spelling's 'Stories from Candyland': I read it, so you don't have to!

Candyspellingbook_lRemember sTori Telling? The incredibly addictive memoir from Tori Spelling that not only spilled oh-so-juicy stories from the set of 90210, but also from the Spelling manor? Well, Candy Spelling has delivered a subtle strike back to her daughter with this month’s Stories from Candyland (on stands March 31). So who bags the win in the mother-daughter battle of the (written) words? Well, Tori, obviously. Candyland is hardly more than an ode to the famous mum’s own sophistication and beauty. In other words, it’s quite boring. In fact, one chapter is even named, "My Mother’s Gloves Were Off-White." I’m not joking. Here are other reasons why you should be glad I read Candyland, so you don’t have to…

1. Candy is always the victim, except when she isn’t.  Although Candy claims she wants peace with her daughter — she writes, "It’s fine if [Tori] wants her own reality show or wants to write books about her childhood. I just wish she’d leave me out of it" — Mrs. Spelling constantly rags on Tori in the book. It starts with her painting a picture of where she was while Tori was promoting her memoir: in the hospital, preparing to undergo surgery on her arm. And when doctors and nurses questioned her about Tori’s comments, Candy only responded with words of love for her daughter. Right. Her nice words would be a lot easier to believe if she didn’t splice subtle digs at Tori into Candyland‘s text. One example: She writes that Tori stole her recipe notebooks and demands, in the book, that she "Give them back." Instead of, you know, just calling her. 

2. As previously mentioned, the memoir is boring. Want to hear about Candy’s courtship with her future husband, Aaron Spelling? Want to read about her upbringing? Well, too bad. Instead, you’ll have to settle for inane stories about how she hailed a limo in New York City, and what the L.A. Times wrote about the size of Aaron’s office. Oh, and her mother’s off-white gloves.

3. You might just vomit from reading her delusions of grandeur. For one, while watching an episode of Oprah about hoarders, Candy suddenly began to fear that Tori would appear on the show to talk about Candy’s hoarding addiction (remember what I said about those subtle digs?). Then, in another chapter, she writes that she actually worried about whether or not the tabloids would write about one of the Spelling Manor’s bathrooms, which she thought was smaller than the others.

4. You might just vomit once Candy begins to recruit friends to tell her story. In one of Candyland‘s final chapters, Candy reprints letters from friends she asked to help write her memoir. Among other things, we learn the exact way Candy makes sandwiches (thank you for that interesting tidbit, Randy Spelling!). Oh, and we learn how incredibly gifted and beautiful she’s always been. Just ask one of her high school friends, who writes, "There was always a line of boys waiting to talk to her or take her out. In senior year, she was voted best figure and best dressed…the school pulled her aside because she had the perfect figure and face for modeling." Candy then interrupts her friend by writing, "I don’t remember all these compliments, but I hope they’re true. Nancy wasn’t done." Of course she wasn’t. Candy couldn’t possibly cut off her friend’s words before printing the paragraph about her tenacity and politeness!

5. Candy’s love for herself is only trumped by her love for her dogs. And her pups should consider themselves lucky, because the humans in Candy’s life sure don’t seem to receive so much love and devotion. In fact, in a disgusting editorial decision, Candy decides to print a two-page letter to her grandchildren, Liam and Stella, in her memoir. I know the point of writing a memoir is to print your private thoughts, but I feel that Candy would be better served saving her loving words for when she actually visits them.

Team Tori, anyone?

Mar 26 2009 01:52 PM ET

Are you ready for Iggy Pop's new 'jazz' album?

Categories: Misc.

Iggypop_lLegend has it Lou Reed was once moved to comment that, "One chord is fine, two chords is pushing it, three chords is jazz." And I had assumed Mr Reed’s fellow rock icon Iggy Pop was of a similar disposition with regard to keeping musical matters as straightforward as possible. Apparently not! According to the NME, Pop’s forthcoming album Preliminaires will have the whiff of jazz about it. This, apparently, reflects the rockers’ recent listening which includes "New Orleans-era, Louis Armstrong Jelly Roll Morton-type jazz."

I interviewed Pop once and found him to be a funny, thoughtful, character whose mental faculties seemed entirely unimpaired by the abuse which he has put his brain through over the years. But the question remains, Popwatchers: Are you ready for Iggy Pop: Jazzbo?

Mar 26 2009 01:00 PM ET

'Grey's Anatomy' star Kevin McKidd on his character's turning point this week and other explosive revelations

Categories: Grey's Anatomy

Kevinmckiddgreys_lSince the moment Kevin McKidd walked onto Grey’s Anatomy, his swashbuckling Iraq-war medic Dr. Owen Hunt has had us swooning for him almost as much as Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) was. Their star-crossed, post-traumatic-stress-disorder-impaired love affair has kept the show afloat even as it drifted through sex-with-ghosts storylines and a barrage of ill-advised guest stars. And now, as the drama suddenly rights its course heading into the final stretch of season 5, things will get even more complicated for Seattle Grace’s hottest new couple. The Scottish actor (last seen on Journeyman) talked to us about Cristina and Owen’s tough times ahead — and what’s to come (SPOILER ALERT!!) in the season’s remaining bombshell-laden (weddings, therapy, brain surgery, etc.) weeks.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So this week features some pretty serious developments between Cristina and Owen.
KEVIN McKIDD: It’s scary, what happens. Basically it’s a night terror. He’s unconscious and asleep and he starts to hurt Cristina. That’s his rock-bottom moment. So he starts to reach out for help. He starts to go into therapy and reach out to people like Derek Shepherd [Patrick Dempsey] to solve this thing. Derek at some point says, Look, this is treatable. With the proper treatment and therapy, you’re not trapped. I think that’s so important to talk about, with so many vets now. There’s such a stigma attached to admitting to something like that, and I think it’s important to discuss it in such a high-profile way.

How did you feel when you first took this role, knowing you’d be dealing with such a touchy issue?
We’ve worked on making sure this isn’t sort-of a fluffy representation of somebody who has this problem. He’s a good guy. He’s just deeply damaged right now. [When I started on the show], we knew he was a great trauma surgeon, and we knew he was going to get involved with Cristina. We didn’t know how much we were going to deal with the aftermath of being in the Iraq War situation. It was going to be more romantic then. But we realized pretty quickly that there was a lot there. It’s a really interesting opportunity for acting moments, and to follow the romance into that.

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 26 2009 12:25 PM ET

'Lost': Where the heck is the recap?!

Namastesayid_lIn all my time recapping Lost, I have never encountered an episode more challenging to write about than “He’s Our You.” For starters, I’ve had an upset stomach since about 10:15 PM that’s really distracted my thought process. But even when my tummy subsides long enough to allow me to think, I find that “He’s Our You” is filled with implications within implications that aren’t easy to parse. I mean that in a good way.

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 26 2009 12:00 PM ET

Hallmark Channel to produce 35 original movies with stars like Andrew McCarthy, Lori Loughlin, and Julie Benz. Pinch. Me.

Categories: Television, Waiting

Halmark_lHallmark Channel has announced an ambitious slate of 35 original movies for the 2009-2010 TV season. That’s five more than it gave me us this year. Here’s a sampling of what’s in store, courtesy of a press release. If you had to watch one film, which would you pick?

The National Tree: "Willful Oregon teenager Rock Burdock (Evan Williams, Save the Last Dance 2) wins a national Christmas tree contest and convinces Corey (Andrew McCarthy, Lipstick Jungle), his overprotective father, to move the 15-year-old tree that commemorates Rock’s birth to Washington, D.C. Corey, in turn, persuades Rock to transport the tree on a road trip across the country so he and his son can enjoy some quality time together." Chance I’ll Tune In (CITI): 80 percent. It sounds completely ridiculous, but I have such fond memories of McCarthy in Hallmark’s 2003 original Straight From the Heart.

A Soldier’s Love Story: "A young boy’s letter to a soldier serving overseas forever changes lives. Through a series of letters, Jared Marshall and Sgt. Vince Carerra bond over a love of baseball. Jared reveals his loneliness and estrangement from his dad after his parents divorce. When Vince returns home, he meets Jared and his mother, Dana (Lori Loughlin, 90210). The two begin to fall in love. Complications arise when Vince gets his orders to deploy. CITI: 50 percent. (60 percent if Vince is hot.)

Uncorked: "Johnetta ‘Johnny’ Prentis’ (Julie Benz, Dexter) world is turned upside down in beautiful and scenic wine country. Johnny is a high-powered executive on the fast track and definitely not looking to fall in love. When a business conference takes her to wine country she meets handsome widower and Chef Andrew Browning (Scott Elrod, Men in Trees). Over the weekend, Johnny loses her job when her company is taken over by a competitor. Andrew invites Johnny home to meet his family, and in helping his parents’ winery, she begins to fall in love with him and his family. When Johnny is offered another high-powered position, she must choose between Andrew and her highly ambitious career." CITI: 110 percent. Honestly, you could not write a plot that would appeal to me more. And Scott Elrod, in you case you don’t recognize the name, played Cash on Men in Trees. CASH. I’m prepared to follow him to any cable channel that will hire him.

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 26 2009 10:24 AM ET

'American Idol': On the scene for Top 10 performance night

Iraheta_l

I wish I could say it has been too long since I’ve been back in this spot, PopWatchers, but my god, has it really been just short of a year since I last set foot in the Idoldome? Can it be true that I was but a wee youngster of 32 last time I parked my car at the Grove and stashed my assorted electronic devices/gum in the glove compartment to avoid their inevitable confiscation, then walked that agonizingly short block to the gates of CBS Television City to enter the gaping maw of our nationwide obsession? It seems like literally yesterday. And yet, I think back on the musical experiences I’ve had since last we spoke — Pearl Jam at Bonnaroo, Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza, Prince at the Avalon, Metallica at SXSW — and I…

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN BOYS AND GIRLS ARE YOU READY LET ME HEAR YOU MAKE SOME NOISE HOLLYWOOD! SOMEBODY SCREEEEEEEEAM!!!!!!

Ah, Cory. I’ve missed you.

And I’ve missed you, too, my Idol-loving PopWatchers. So without further ado, I will now take the baton from Adam "The Beav" Vary and stride forward into three straight weeks of the unique joy that can only come from watching tweenaged girls sell their souls for iTunes gift cards.

Kind of uneventful night in the I-Dome tonight: Our celebrity weigh-in was limited to Spring Break director Ryan Shiraki (big Giraud fan), Fox weatherchick Jillian Barberie, and Olivia Newton-John. I didn’t even notice the latter until she was pointed out to me after the show. But follow along after the jump anyway, won’t you? It’s my first On the Scene report of the season and I’m not burned out yet, so I promise I will natter on until you’re questioning the meaning of life!

addCredit(“Frank Micelotta/American Idol/Getty Images”)

READ FULL STORY »

Mar 26 2009 10:00 AM ET

Quote of the Day: 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (by way of '90210') edition

"I wish I knew. Just staying on it, I guess." — Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Happy birthday, Tennessee Williams!

Mar 26 2009 02:44 AM ET

'Lost': What did you think of 'He's Our You'?

Pretty rocking episode. Dark and disturbing. I loved Sayid’s line: "You used exactly enough!" and the scary giggle that escaped him afterward. What I’m not loving right now: Sayid’s purple shirt. Lose that thing in the jungle already! Why the heck is Radzinsky so darn worried about the Hostiles learning about his precious not-yet-built Swan station? What’s the nature of the relationship between Dharma: The Island and Dharma: Ann Arbor? Did you see the ending coming? I did, but it still blew me away. What will change as a result of Sayid’s actions? Anything? Nothing? And what do you know about Carlos Castaneda, author of the newest Lost cited book, A Separate Reality? If you want an easy introduction to the writer, check out his book with the very Lost-evocative name: The Wheel of Time. I’m working on my recap with my take on all these questions. Come back here in the A.M. for the crazy!

More ‘Lost’:

‘Lost’ recap: "He’s Our You"

Mar 26 2009 02:10 AM ET

'American Idol': What did you think about Motown Night?

Categories: American Idol

Well, at least no one sang "I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," an offense punishable by immediate elimination and/or being lowered into a tank of irritable  piranhas. [West coast readers beware: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!] But unfortunately for Lil Rounds, her selection of the Idol-cursed "(Your Love Is Like a) Heatwave" — a song that nearly caused very premature exits for such standouts as Kimberley Locke and Jennifer Hudson — could lead to a flirtation with the bottom three this week. Then again, Lil looked incredibly hot tonight. And Megan (Joy) (Corkrey), Michael Saver, and Scott MacIntyre all performed abysmally enough that — if justice prevails — that trio will be flirting with the silver stools of safety doom come Thursday evening. On the flip side, Adam Lambert took one more step toward converting me into a fan; Allison Iraheta rocked the motherfrakin’ house; and Kris Allen and Matt Giraud (and to a lesser degree Anoop Desai) maintained their forward momentum in the competition with astute song selections and/or potent vocal performances. In other words, Motown Night didn’t suck nearly as much as I’d feared it might — even if guest mentor Smokey Robinson seemed almost allergic to giving constructive criticism to the top 10 contestants.

What did you all think of tonight’s telecast? Who soared with the Motown sound, and who will and should go home tomorrow. Be sure to go cast your vote at the EW.com Idol Prediction Challenge! And check out our Idolatry interview with the charming and talented Alexis Grace below.

Advertisement

TV Recaps

Powered by WordPress.com VIP