Archive: March 2009 (221-230 of 518)

Mar 18 2009 03:45 PM ET

What's on your Must List? Phoenix's latest single is on ours

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Categories: Music, Must List

French rockers Phoenix are back with ”1901,” the delightful first single from their upcoming album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. I believe it features what is scientifically called a ”toe-tapping beat,” along with some good ol’ fashioned synth and guitar. Not only is it on my Must List this week, ”1901” is now my official it’s-almost-summer-and-if-I-owned-a-car-I’d-definitely-blast-this-with-the-windows-down song (I’m sure you all have those songs too).

What’s on your Must List this week? List up to three items from current TV/movies/music/books/games/online. Don’t forget your e-mail address, in case we decide to use your submission in the magazine. Deadline is Thursday, Mar. 19 at noon ET.

Mar 18 2009 03:27 PM ET

'The Hills': Audrina's, um, parting gift? Her own freaking show!

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Categories: Reality TV, Television, The Hills

Audrinapatridge_lFile this bit of news under "Things I find utterly annoying": Following The Hills‘ fifth (and most likely final…as it should be!) season, Audrina Patridge plans to leave the show for a bigger and better life. You see, in the reality world that usually means she’s getting her own series (to heck with Lauren!), and folks, you’ll never believe who she’s reportedly inked a deal with! (I would normally say something like, "Drum roll please…" here, but I think this info calls for more of a somber tone.) That’s right, reality guru Mark Burnett has apparently signed on to exec producer Audrina’s show. And it seems the toothy brunette herself will get a producing credit as well.

While Burnett has put some questionable shows on his resume in the past (Pirate Master, Commando Nanny, and On the Lot ring any bells?), I still hold him up in the Reality TV Genius realm. I’ve always been a gigantic fan his Survivor — practically since Jeff Probst first spit out the words, "The tribe has spoken" — and I’ll be the first to admit The Apprentice had me at "You’re Fired!" So with all of that in mind, why oh why would Burnett lend his many creative juices to a California girl who, to me, is about as fun to watch as paint drying on a wall.

Sure, some of you can argue that I am being a bit harsh, but in my many years being a fan of The Hills (and recapping it the next morning!), I’ve never really taken a liking to Audrina. Half the time I wanted to press mute when she’d talk (was she actually saying anything of importance anyway?) and the other half, I wanted to jump into my TV set, grab her shoulders, and yell, "Show some emotion woman!"

Maybe Mark Burnett will be able to help the wallflower come out of her shell, or heck, give her more of a exciting edge, but I’m not so sure I’ll even be able to make myself watch when (and if) Audrina’s show debuts. What about you, PopWatchers? Are you as perturbed as I am with Burnett? Or do you think this is actually a good idea? Spill below!

Mar 18 2009 03:13 PM ET

'Where the Wild Things Are' poster revealed: Yep, it's creepy

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Categories: Have You Seen This?, Movies, Water Cooler

Wildthingsposter_lThe movie poster for director Spike Jonze’s much-anticipated and long-gestating adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s children classic Where the Wild Things Are is out. (You’ll have to wait until Oct. 19 for the movie itself.) And no shocker here (judging from the stills we’ve already seen of the movie), the poster is pretty creepy in that slightly skin-crawling kind of way.

First there’s the big, scary Wild Thing dominating the frame — he’s so big, in fact, he can’t even fully fit on to the poster. Are you like me and dying to see his face up close? The glimpse of his lips is almost too much to handle. Are they, like, gonna maybe eat Max?

Speaking of Max… The tiny little crown-wearing guy is in the seemingly friendly clutches of the Wild Thing, yet he seems to be screaming? Why, you ask, when he and the Wild Thing seem to be coexisting so well — anyone who’s read the book knows that Max is eventually raised up as the King of All Wild Things? Your guess is as good as mine. Next, the ominous tag line: "There’s one in all of us." Oooh, provocative…

The sparse poster only makes me want to see the movie more. For most people, like myself, the Where the Wild Things story is super-familiar. So what delights me about  this poster is the intrigue that it conjures: How’s Jonze gonna turn the short, simple story into a feature? What did he add? Will the movie scare kids just as much as the book did? We’ll all certainly have a better idea starting March 27 when the movie’s trailer debuts before showings of Monsters vs. Aliens.

PopWatchers, are you intrigued by this poster? Does it make you want to see the movie more or less? Sound off!

More on Where the Wild Things Are:
Where the Wild Things Are gets long-awaited release date
First Look gallery: Where the Wild Things Are movie
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild King Is

Mar 18 2009 02:29 PM ET

'American Idol': On the scene at the Top 11 performance night -- special appearance by Carrie Underwood!

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Categories: American Idol, On the Scene

Idolscottmacintyre_lThere were barely any celebrities in the audience at last night’s American Idol Grand Ole Opry show — other than Randy Travis, in fact, I only counted Rich Sommer, i.e. the adorable bespectacled ad man in Mad Men. But that didn’t really matter, because pretty much the biggest current bold faced name at Fox was in the house: That would be Peter Rice, the newly announced head of the network (and the man behind Fox Searchlight‘s improbable top-grossing Oscar darlings Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, and Slumdog Millionaire). When I entered the Idol stage at CBS Television City, Rice was up at the judges’ table, getting a tour of the Thunderdome by Fox’s head of reality TV, Mike Darnell, like a newly crowned sovereign overseeing the most valuable duchy in his kingdom. And then, dear readers, Mr. Rice took his seat across the aisle from me. I know insider scoop about Fox executives isn’t exactly top dollar info for most Idol fans, but you gotta understand, watching the show next to Rice was a bit like getting to sit next to (mixed metaphor alert!) a Roman emperor taking in his first gladiator brawl at the coliseum. Would Peterus Ricerus give a thumbs up to Adam Lambert, or would he perhaps throw his favor to the likes of Michael Sarver?

One thing’s at least for certain: Rice, like most of us Idol show regulars, didn’t seem to know quite what to make of Cory the Warm Up Comic. He’s definitely still devoted to the exact same warm-up routine as always, and he did inadvertently pull Lil Rounds’ father onto the stage and implore him to "shake that booty" for the Idol mob — one could almost expect Cory to throw his hands up and bellow, "Are you not entertained?!" But I really can’t argue with results: The guy knows how to whip up a crowd, even if he cannot help but point out the "sparkle glitter" in a fan’s sign by speaking with a swishy lisp. Speaking of signs, there were decidedly more of them this week, from the one announcing the creation of the not-quite-there-with-the-name "Giraud squad" to the one with the giant heart with a photo of Simon inside held up by two frat boy-ish dudes in plastic green St. Paddy’s Day bowler hats — which, to his credit, caused Simon to grin with genuine amusement when he first caught glimpse of it.

addCredit(“Michael Becker/American Idol/Getty Images”)

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Mar 18 2009 02:02 PM ET

'Battlestar Galactica' at the UN: A night of geekery, human rights, and fantastic curtains

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Categories: Battlestar Galactica, I'm Just a Geek, Ninjas, On the Scene, Sci-Fi, Television, The View

Bsgun_lThe United Nations already feels like its own alternate universe — one snatched from the 1970s, with its retro-disco architectural design and Swingtown decor — but when I walked into the assembly room where Sci Fi and the UN’s Department of Public Information was holding a Battlestar Galactica retrospective, the illusion was sealed: In front of each of the 200-plus delegate seats (you know, the ones with the mics and the translator ear thingies) was a placard from each of the 12 Colonies of Kobol.

Sci Fi turned the United Nations into the Quorum of Twelve. Which may be the third coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

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Mar 18 2009 01:00 PM ET

The Joker, Maleficent the sorceress, Tony Soprano: Who's your favorite pop culture villain?

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Categories: Books, Do My Job For Me!, Movies, Sci-Fi, Television

Earlier this week, we asked you to list your favorite pop-culture heroes for an upcoming issue. But enough with that do-gooder crap, now it’s time for the fun part: Who are the greatest villains in pop culture, past and present? The Joker? Cruella De Vil? Dr. Doom? Just like with the heroes, you can pluck from movies, TV, books, or comic books. Write your dastardly picks below, even if they’ve already been suggested, because we’re going to compile the top vote-getters and announce them in the issue, along with your (and our) list of heroes. Maybe we’ll even stage a battle to the death between the groups and see who’s left standing. That could solve the good vs. evil question once and for all.

Mar 18 2009 12:00 PM ET

'Transformers': We're already talking about a third film?

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Categories: Transformers

Transformer_lApparently Paramount’s decision to release the third Transformers movie in July 2011 was news to director Michael Bay, who’s currently finishing the second movie in the series, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which is due this summer. Bay said on his official website that he was under the impression that the third movie would be unleashed in July 2012, not 2011, and that he "needs a break from fighting robots." Either way, you have to wonder: Should Paramount even be committing to a release date before the script is completed, before a director is officially on board, and before the second Transformers movie has opened?

Also, if Bay ultimately opts not to direct the third Transformers movie, who should replace him? I’d love to see a filmmaker with a leaner, less oppressive style take the helm. My dream pick: Alfonso Cuarón (who has already proven that he can handle massive franchises by directing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Cuarón would lend the Transformers film a palpable sense of urgency while not sacrificing the major set pieces (the extended action scenes in Children of Men trump anything seen in Transformers).

But I’m probably speaking heresy to the legions of moviegoers who did enjoy Michael Bay’s Transformers, so what say you, PopWatchers? Should Paramount do whatever it can to keep Bay happy, even if that means pushing the third movie back a year? Or is there another director you’d rather have leading the "robots in disguise"?

Mar 18 2009 10:04 AM ET

Carrie Ann Inaba blogs 'DWTS,' week 2

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Categories: Dancing With the Stars, Reality TV, Television

Dancingjudgescarrie_l [Ed. note: Morning, DANCMSTRs! Carrie Ann has graciously volunteered to share her unique perspective of America's favorite quest for a knob of hardened glitter each week. The 'DWTS' judge and former 'In Living Color' Fly Girl emailed EW late last night. For more 'DWTS,' read today's TV Watch. --Annie Barrett]

***SPOILER ALERT*** (Duh.)

Tonight, despite the very sad departure of Belinda Carlisle (whose music I am a huge fan of — I used to choreograph numbers in my dance class to "Circle in the Sand"), I have never laughed so hard. When Bruno held up his paddle backwards, it was so funny to me. I’ve held up the wrong paddle once before, for Tia Carrere when she danced with Maks. I had to hold up an "I’m sorry" paddle the next night. It was so embarrassing, but we laughed about it, and tonight, we laughed again. We are like family up there, the three of us.

Tonight was a new format. It was a first for Dancing With The Stars to have a dance-off between the lowest scoring couples. We had to judge them again — their previous scores for that dance were tossed aside and the ones we gave tonight counted instead. However, despite the way it may have appeared, we judges do not have the final say. The audience’s and the judges’ votes are still split 50/50. What happens is that they replace our scores for the couple’s original dance with the scores they get for their dance-off performance. So it’s an opportunity for them to do better and improve their judges’ score — or sometimes lower that score, depending on how they do.

After the jump: Carrie Ann breaks down her favorite dances from week 2

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Mar 18 2009 10:00 AM ET

Quote of the Day: 'Super Troopers' edition

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Categories: PopWatch Quote of the Day

"Okay, no cream…" — Farva (Kevin Heffernan) in Super Troopers

Runner up: "Enhance."

Mar 18 2009 06:59 AM ET

Keith Urban whoops it up at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

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Categories: Country Y'all!, Music, On the Scene

KeithUrban_l

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is up and running in the ol’ hometown, and I made my traditional pre-SXSW visit to Reliant Stadium on St. Patrick’s Day, joining 60,000 green-clad Texans and my gratuitous-turquoise-jewelry-laden mother to pet cows, watch chicks hatch, eat foods God never intended (today: baked potato smothered in brisket), cheer on some steer wrestlers, and cap it all off with a performance from country music superstar Keith Urban.

First time seeing the Aussie in person, though I’ve long enjoyed his hyper style — I like how he’s always at a banjo-pickin’ clip, it’s real jaunty — and I heartily endorse his thetan-free marriage to Nicole Kidman, who we discovered was in the building tonight when he opened “Making Memories of Us” with a dedication to her. Cue gasps and heads turning left and right, as though Nicole Kidman would be just hanging out behind the bull chutes in a bedazzled vest and pink Ropers for all to see. She wasn’t. But follow me after the jump anyway, as Keith Urban did something tonight that I’ve never seen another rodeo performer try — and yes, that does include Garth Brooks, George Strait, and late-80′s-era Huey Lewis. Suspense!

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