Archive: May 2009 (111-120 of 467)

May 21 2009 06:51 PM ET

'Medium's' jump to CBS has us wondering: What's 'your network'?

by
Categories: Medium, Television

Medium_lMedium jumping ship to CBS makes so much sense it’s scary. As CBS chief Nina Tassler suggested, the show is practically the spiritual lovechild to the Eye’s own Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs. NBC offered the somewhat dubious reasoning that the network wants to go younger, and just didn’t think people cared enough about Medium. Even though, you know, it gets higher ratings than Chuck. (Surprising, right? Chuck fans must be just very vocal. And also hungry.) With Medium switching networks, and folks rallying for My Name Is Earl to find a new home somewhere not run by Ben Silverman, loyalty seems to lie with the shows, not the networks. Of course, whether fans follow the Patricia Arquette whodunit to CBS remains to be seen, but I bet it’ll be just as popular, if not more so.

Confession time: The only show I watch on CBS is The Amazing Race. That’s all. I’ve caught a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, but have yet to fully commit. Yet, out of all the networks, CBS seems to be the most focused, offering procedurals, traditional sitcoms and reality shows for the masses. As Time magazine put it, the network’s audience is "sometimes older, sometimes not, but generally more conservative in its taste." There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. The network has some of the highest-rated shows on TV in The Mentalist, NCIS and CSI and its brood of stepchildren. But does liking CBS make you less cool? And, uh, boring?

PopWatchers: What is YOUR network? Given NBC’s identity crisis and ABC’s propensity to cancel shows in their first or second seasons, do you even hold any loyalty to one network in particular anymore? Which channel is home to most of your favorites? Sharing is caring, so speak up!

May 21 2009 06:24 PM ET

'American Idol': Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz and Queen Latifah talk about performing on last night's finale

by
Categories: American Idol

Idolmrazlatifahlauper_lThe American Idol winner and runner-up weren’t the only bold-faced names to appear backstage at the Nokia Theater last night. EW also caught up with singers Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, and Queen Latifah as they made their press rounds during the live telecast. Here are the highlights of what they had to say:

Cyndi Lauper, who performed "Time After Time" with Allison Iraheta: I tried to create a little band. I rocked it a little for [Allison], becauseshe has that rock-and-roll voice and it’s a really neat voice. Youknow, it’s hard to do that [show]. I probably would never been anybody if Ihad to come through Idol. I don’t think Bob Dylan would’ve either! It’sreally hard what they’re doing, so I give them all props. [Allison's] aterrific little singer. She should have a record deal, that’s a nobrainer. Oh, I shouldn’t say ‘no brainer.’ I hate that expression!

Jason Mraz, who performed "I’m Yours" with Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace, backed by their fellow Idols: I did see the [Top 36] group performance of "I’m Yours." I didn’t think my song could be embraced in this forum, and at that scale. I was really moved. It was inspiring! I haven’t really seen this season. Last week, I saw a Kris Allen performance, because, you know, he keeps getting referred to as Jason Mraz-y. So I checked it out; I thought he was fantastic. He holds his instruments well; he’s really with them.

Luckily, I’m not a contestant, because these kids go through some serious stuff here…. I felt judged [while performing], first of all. Simon was looking down. I said, Oh man, this is hell for these kids. What if your life depended on the outcome of what these judges say? Also, for me, that version of "I’m Yours" was the most amped, energetic version I’ve ever been a part of. We do it a little more laid back; the key’s a lot lower. So to be up there without my own instrument, just get into it, it was actually quite freeing. My favorite part, though? Coming down the steps. Never in my life have I had a chance to do that.

addCredit(“Ray Mickshaw/Fox(2); Kevin Winter/American Idol/Getty Images”)

READ FULL STORY »

May 21 2009 05:45 PM ET

Harvey Weinstein moving forward with 'The Alchemist' adaptation: Who should direct?

by
Categories: Books, Do My Job For Me!, Movies

Alchemist_lWhen I first read Laurence Fishburne, of all people, was set to direct the film adaptation of Paul Coelho’s beloved bestseller The Alchemist, my eyebrows raised so high they nearly flew off my face. (Clearly, I should seek medical attention for having such malleable brows.) But Variety is now reporting Fishburne is no longer attached, and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has now latched himself fully to the project and will pick a new director shortly. Coelho flew to Cannes to discuss the project, and said he has no doubt Weinstein is the right person to get the long-in-the-works film to theaters. Like, duh. When Weinstein wants something, he gets it. And usually the thing he wants is a shiny gold toy called Oscar.

Like legions of you, I’m sure, I adore The Alchemist. It is such an inspiring, lyrical, simply told but elegantly written tale of a Spanish shepherd on a search for his personal destiny (and his soul mate, of course), one that can be read in a single sitting and then over and over again. But I’m worried how well that will translate to film. It goes without saying the director will be crucial to the film’s success. The film needs someone who will veer away from excessive melodrama and give the adaptation some real visual and emotional gravity.

I’ve got a few suggestions: John Curran, who made the sumptuous and affecting (and underrated) Edward Norton-Naomi Watts drama The Painted Veil. Or Brit-wiz Michael Winterbottom, who lent A Mighty Heart a steely authenticity when it could have easily been manipulative and melodramatic. Finally: Babel helmer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. That film’s scenes in Morocco had such a stark, poetic beauty to them. Who do you think Weinstein should pick, PopWatchers? Do you even think a film adaptation could do The Alchemist justice?

May 21 2009 05:20 PM ET

You're not a celebrity. Get us out of here.

by
Categories: Things That Are Sad

Pattiblagojevich_l1PopWatch is such a guessing game today — first Rod Stewart’s age, now this mystery lady’s identity. Non-famous person Patti Blagojevich announced today that she’ll be joining the cast of NBC’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, which is now going to "blow on purpose" with so much more fervor than we originally thought. Patti’s husband, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, had to bow out of the cast because he broke the law so hard he’s not allowed to travel. This show gets more bizarre every time we allow the least functional sections of our brains to think about it. The spectacle airs FOUR NIGHTS A WEEK starting June 1. Are you going to watch?

More on ‘I’m a Celebrity…’
Lou Diamond Phillips on ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’? You’re better than that! (Right?)
‘I’m A Celebrity…’: The cast kinda blows on purpose. I think.

May 21 2009 04:45 PM ET

Pick the new 'Ghostbusters' girl!

by
Categories: Movie Casting, Movies

Meganfoxghostbusters_lIn a chat with the LA Times, Dan Aykroyd floated the idea that the upcoming Ghostbusters 3, still in development, could feature several new female recruits. His dream picks? Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku. Interesting — if not exactly out-of-the-box — thinking, Dan. But we’ve got a few ideas of our own…

Zoe Saldana (The Geek Queen)
Hot off of Star Trek, Saldana would would add some crackle to the cast of old-timers. And as a classically trained dancer, she’d probably look pretty great kicking ectoplasmic butt, too.

Emma Watson (The Touch of Class)
She’s had more than enough experience fighting supernatural bad guys in the Harry Potter Movies. Plus, a British accent would be the perfect foil for Aykroyd and Bill Murray’s midwestern whines.

Megan Fox (The Sexpot)
Let’s be honest — pretty much any movie in town would kill to get the foxy Transformers star (pictured). But wouldn’t we all love to see how she’d look in that brown jumpsuit?

Charlyne Yi (The Wild Card)
Michael Cera’s girlfriend — and co-star in the upcoming Paper Heart — doesn’t have a long resumé right now, but she does have just the right nerd-girl charm for the Ghostbuster crew. Hey, maybe Cera could even stop by for a cameo…

Those are our picks, PopWatchers. Yours?

May 21 2009 04:20 PM ET

Paula Deen's goat story made my morning

by
Categories: Animals, Country Y'all!, HeadScratcher, Morning Madness, Ridiculata

Paula Deen was on the Today show this morning, promoting her new book and cookin’ up a storm, y’all! Dessert with Kathy and Hoda was fine, but things took a turn for the bizarre when she and Matt tag-teamed a beet salad, which starts around 2:35….

I’m going to call this "This is how to tell a goat story, How I Met Your Mother: A play in one act."

Paula: I’m not a big fan of goat cheese… It takes me back to a day, y’all, there was a goat in my life called Thumper—

Matt: A goat in your life?

Paula: It was actually my aunt and uncle’s goat, Thumper, and he would wee wee in his beard, and it would stink so bad!

Matt: Why did you have to do that!? Did you have to tell the goat wee wee story?!

~fin~

I have watched this nine times. Seriously, Matt Lauer, 10 bonus points for hilarity.

May 21 2009 04:06 PM ET

'How old is Rod Stewart?'

by
Categories: American Idol, Music, News You Can Use

Rodstewart_lAround 8 this morning, that question for the ages was a top Google search, thanks to Stewart’s performance of "Maggie May" on last night’s American Idol finale. (Plaid-itude check!)

"How old is Rod Stewart?" What’s with the complete sentence — have people never heard of Wikipedia? There’s a special place for ages in the info box.

Quick! Without clicking for the answer, how old is Rod Stewart? This is a 30 Rock-inspired challenge — try not to make like Lemon and Pete by guessing "25?" and "50?" Both are dead wrong.

Previously: Rod Stewart’s tankini (featuring pubes) for Things That Make Me Die Inside (Vol. 6). Thanks to commenter meg for reminding me!

addCredit(“Stewart: Kevin Winter/Getty Images”)

May 21 2009 03:56 PM ET

Movies to Cher: Welcome back!

by
Categories: Cher, Movies, Music, PopWatch Dance Party, Things That Are Classy

Yesterday, EW confirmed that everyone’s favorite Dark Lady will likely be Cher-ing the screen with Christina Aguilera in the new musical Burlesque. Directed by Steve Antin (brother of Pussycat Dolls founder Robin and former Bravo hair guru Jonathan), the film will tell the story of a small-town girl (Aguilera) who gets in touch with her inner hussy with the help of the owner of a strip — ahem, burlesque — club, played by Cher. My only problem with this casting is that they didn’t just dump Aguilera and have Cher play all the parts (something tells me Michael Slezak would agree…). But barring that, I’m just excited to have Cher back on the big screen in what could be her first real role since 2003′s Stuck On You (unless Johnny Knoxville’s The Drop-Out makes it to theaters first).

And really, would it be unreasonable of me to hope that the movie will be book-ended by an updated version of the "Vamp" song from the Sonny & Cher Show? I mean, it would fit the theme so perfectly…. "Stuck in a nowhere town/Thought she didn’t have a choice/until the day that she discovered/Little Stina had a big old voice!" (Press play below.)

Whew. I’m all gayed out for today. (but be sure to check back next week when I pitch my idea for Real Housewives of New Jersey: The Musical, starring Debi Mazar) So take it from here, PopWatchers. Are you looking forward to having Cher back on the big screen?

May 21 2009 03:18 PM ET

Last night's 'The Daily Show': Better than the other thing that was on

by
Categories: About Last Night

As someone who isn’t much interested in televised karaoke-singing (and a Brit to boot), I strike a lonely figure in the EW office during the climactic weeks of what I believe you folks refer to as The Idol of the Americas. Why, only yesterday I tried to engage some of my colleagues in a discussion about the current moat-related political crisis in my homeland. But I had barely started to explain the situation when they began blathering on about whether Probably Gay Guy was or was not going to out-croon The Other Guy. (I paraphrase, of course.) Fortunately, last night, The Daily Show tackled said political crisis in a segment that I think is the funniest Jon Stewart and crew have done in a while and also offered a great showcase for the comedic skills of my countryman John Oliver. Or Lord Chuckles of Laughingstonebridgeshire, to give him his official U.K. title. Check it out…

 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c
Scamalot
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes		 Economic Crisis Political Humor
May 21 2009 02:46 PM ET

'American Idol': On the scene for the finale!

by
Categories: American Idol, On the Scene

YayKris_l

Good morning, PopWatchers. How is everyone today? Have we all slept off our Idol hangovers? I like to picture you out there in your sleepy stupor, Kris fans conked out with lampshades on their heads and party streamers around their necks, Glambert fans just starting to rub the guyliner from their tear-stained cheeks. It’s my honor to bring you the final On the Scene report from American Idol 2009, a report that will be kept fairly direct for a variety of reasons, not least of which being the fact that my seat at the Nokia Theater last night was located somewhere just north of Fresno, resulting in my experience of the finale being something akin to watching the show on a very small television situated very far away. The people down there were so small, like ants! And the jumbotron sometimes defaulted to funny patterns instead of the onstage action! And the sound was bad, and easily overruled by the screams of thousands of euphoric teenage girls! And Cory the Warmup Comedian didn’t do anything Cory the Warmup Comedian hasn’t done thousands of times before! But what a night, PopWatchers, what a majestic, majestic night, in which, really, there were no losers, except for maybe Rod Stewart, Bikini Girl, and at least two out of the four Black Eyed Peas.

If you’ll be so kind as to follow me after the jump this one last time, I promise to share with you my thoughts on those performances and many more, as well as all the action outside the Nokia, where I’d been stationed almost literally around the clock since Monday. And then, because it is what we do, I will open the comments up to you, the Idol Nation, to share as many thoughts as you want on the broadcast and the results. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Kris Allen is Your.Next.American.Idol. The underdog! The dark horse! The kid who auditioned at Churchill Downs and, like Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby, overcame impossible odds to win! Me, I wasn’t so shocked — I’d been calling it for Kris all day. But hey, I just work here. Need a scapegoat? Might I suggest Danny Gokey? Get him!

addCredit(“Ray Mickshaw/Fox”)

READ FULL STORY »

Advertisement

TV Recaps

Powered by WordPress.com VIP