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Archive: May 2009 (281-290 of 467)

May 12 2009 10:15 PM ET

Hugh Laurie is almost as popular as Oprah Winfrey in charity auction

Categories: Current Affairs, News You Can Use, Politics as Entertainment, Things That Are Awesome!

Housecane_l The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights is holding its annual online auction through May 28, featuring some truly amazing items. A sampling (with current bids at press time):

• a 45-minute private singing lesson with Aretha Franklin: $5,000
• four VIP tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show and a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with Oprah: $27,500
• a private garden tour with Martha Stewart for four at Martha’s home in Bedford, N.Y.: $2,750
• access for two to watch a taping of The Office from the "video room" and a meet-and-greet with Steve Carell: $4,250
• a set visit for two to House, to watch a taping, meet the cast, and take home one of House’s canes signed by Hugh Laurie: $20,500
• Dinner for four with Bill Cosby, plus four bottles of wine from his private collection: $2,350
• two seats at Fenway Park to take in a Boston Red Sox game with Ben Affleck: $500
• a private swim lesson with Michael Phelps: $1,950
• featured extra, non-speaking role in a scene with Russell Crowe in Robin Hood: $3,200
• access for two to the set of Little Fockers to meet Ben Stiller: $5,500
• access for four to the set of Little Fockers to meet Robert De Niro: $5,500
• lunch for two with Tim Gunn in Bryant Park: $425
• two tickets to Placido Domingo’s dress rehearsal of Hamlet at the Washington National Opera plus a meet and greet: $275
• a 20-minute phone conversation with Suze Orman: $700
• a set visit for two to Larry King Live, a meet-and-greet with King, and a pair of signed suspenders: $1,500
• a day in the recording studio for two with David Foster as he works with, your choice, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé or Katherine Jenkins: $4,500
• two tickets to the Primetime Emmy Awards, plus a backstage tour prior to the telecast: $1,000
• a two-three month internship at The Huffington Post: $13,000
• a one month internship at the New York City studio of Diane von Furstenberg: $475
• a one-month internship with Lindsay Wolfington, music supervisor for One Tree Hill and Ghost Whisperer: $250
• lunch with Warren Beatty and three of your friends: $1,750
• lunch for two with Regis Philbin, Alan Alda and Charles Grodin: $950
• a 30-minute magic session for six from David Blaine: $1,100
• lunch with Bob Woodward: $1,100
• a one-hour performance by Gloria Reuben at your cocktail party: $175

May 12 2009 09:35 PM ET

'Jon & Kate Plus 8': I have no idea who these people are!

by Tim Stack

Categories: Celebrity Couples, Current Affairs, PopWatch Confessional, Reality TV, Television, The Hills, To Care or Not to Care

Jonkate_dl Confession time: I have absolutely no idea who these Jon and Kate people are or what plus eight they have. Is it eight spider monkeys? Eight chimneys? Eight copies of The Secret? All right, I’m exaggerating — I realize they have eight children. But all of a sudden Jon and Kate are everywhere and I feel like I have missed out on some kind of pop culture phenomenon.

The only hitch? I honestly don’t care. First of all, I stopped watching TLC the first time they got rid of Paige Davis on Trading Spaces; it just felt like a betrayal. Second, watching a show with this many children stresses me out and makes me feel like I’m babysitting. Third (and this one makes me a bad person, I know), I like watching TV shows with younger, attractive people, and judging from the photos of Kate, with her odd wedge cut, female-softball-player-esque hairdo, I think this show falls out of my comfort zone. I liken my avoidance of this show to that of people who stay away from The Hills, one of my personal faves. But I get that it’s not for everyone.

Am I the only one out there who doesn’t care about Jon & Kate Plus 8? Or am I missing out? Speak to me, PopWatchers!

May 12 2009 08:24 PM ET

Site of the Day: 'Star Wars' soundboard

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: I'm Just a Geek, Site of the Day, Star Wars, Tech, Things That Are Awesome!

My dreams of a Chewbacca dance party might finally be coming true! StarWars.com has unveiled an official soundboard. You can pick from a whiney Luke’s "I don’t even know what I’m doing here — we’re wasting our time!" (or 29 other choice Skywalker zingers, like "nooo!") but I’m partial to the Ewok portion of the site. "Yub yub" is a classic, or "no! grrrr!" Seriously, this is hours of fun. I am totally making my ringtone "Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder."

But the soundboard is more than just listening to hilarious Chewbaccaisms ("awrggh!" and "ahhhgh!" sound different, you guys). You can also assembled said clips into a two-line song. If only there were an autotune option, my next album would basically be ready at this point.

May 12 2009 07:53 PM ET

Mike Myers visits the CIA. Naturally.

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Apropos of Nothing, Politics as Entertainment

This is the best thing we’ve seen Mike Myers do in ages. In town for last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the naturalized U.S. citizen asked to visit CIA headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. Pictured here on the iconic seal last Friday are Myers and his girlfriend, Kelly Tisdale. According to the CIA Office of Public Affairs, which sent us that photo, he not only toured the agency’s museum, but also had lunch with CIA officials, addressed several hundred CIA officers saying how grateful he is for their service, and paid tribute to his mother — who was in the British Royal Air Force during World War II and held a security clearance. He took photos with employees and signed autographs, including a special one that read "Shagadelic congrats" to an overseas officer who is about to get married.

Anyone else suddenly have the strong desire to stand on a seal?

May 12 2009 07:17 PM ET

'Idolatry': Beware, Kris! Sabotage is nigh!

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, Idolatry

I know, I know, this week’s Idolatry is late! But better than never, no? And if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think our fearless producer Jason Averett has eaten or slept for 72 hours! (How else to explain the sheer genius of this week’s Value Initiative video…which is required viewing for discerning pop-culture addicts. Seriously, click that link, people!) And also, press play below for plenty of Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, plus BONUS ALLISON, a word of warning for Matt Giraud, and a cameo from Eloise Hawking! Warning: This episode contains new and vigorous Kara Bashing™. Apologies to her fan base, but those "early Aerosmith" references were too much for my cohost Kristen Baldwin and me.

May 12 2009 06:25 PM ET

'Lost' & Found: Station Free's orientation film

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Lost, Music, Ridiculata, Tech

Movies, music, books, TV — the cost of keeping oneself entertained can add up, especially heading into blockbuster-heavy months of the summer. Fear not! We’ve got your budget covered. Check back every day this week for more posts on how to find the best in cheap — and free! — options.

Yesterday, while planning an upcoming vacation, I unearthed the following rare — you might even say long-Lost — footage of mysterious EW.com time traveler Dr. Anne Candelabra and her gawky test subject whose real name rhymes with "Gosh Polk." I had foolishly been about to use my credit card to purchase concert tickets, DVD box sets, new tunes to absorb while gloriously offline, and more to consume during my time away. But all of that is bogus. Let’s be honest: I can barely afford coffee. I had to resort to begging for free cookies on PopWatch in order to feed myself afternoon snacks.

Now, thanks to the orientation film for The Value Initiative’s Station Free: Entertain Me, it has hit me like an electromagnetic force field: I can be constantly entertained for zero dollars without ever leaving my computer. And if this lifestyle will one day make me as well-adjusted and normal as the two winners in the video? B-O-N-U-S. Triple Word Score. I’m already playing free Scrabble.

What about you? What’s your favorite web-based freebie?

May 12 2009 06:05 PM ET

Summer music saver: Big names, small prices

by EW staff

Categories: Misc.

Seeing your favorite music acts this summer isn’t as pricey as you might expect. Not every arena show costs $50 — some are downright cheap:

Taylor Swift at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona for $20 (5/21)

Kenny Chesney at the Fargodome in Fargo for $20 (6/20)

No Doubt at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio for $10 (6/29)

Jonas Brothers at Qwest Center in Omaha for $26.50 (7/7)

May 12 2009 05:59 PM ET

'American Idol': If you were a judge, what would the Top 3 sing tonight?

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol

Americandol3_l Okay, so thanks to American Idol Spoiler Central (AKA mjsbigblog) we already know which songs Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen got paired with for the "Judges’ Pick" portion of tonight’s telecast. [SPOILERS ahead!]

Much to my (pleasant) surprise, Randy and Kara didn’t used their combined power to saddle Kris with "Cotton Eye Joe" or "The Thong Song" or an album track off the Happy Feet soundtrack, instead choosing to give the puppy-eyed crooner One Republic’s "Apologize." Paula, meanwhile, selected Terence Trent D’arby’s "Dance Little Sister" (kind of a hot track, I must say) for Danny, and Simon picked either U2′s "One" or Chris Isaak’s "Wicked Game" for Adam. (Decent choices all around, no?)

If I were a judge…even just for a day — sorry, had a Beyoncé moment there — here’s what I’d have picked for the top three:

Kris Allen: Paula Abdul’s "Straight Up" (hear it acoustically and you’ll understand this pick) or maybe Neil Young’s "Heart of Gold"

Adam Lambert: Kristine W’s "One More Try" (would be insanely good!) or Skid Row’s "Youth Gone Wild"

Danny Gokey: Sade’s "No Ordinary Love" or the Eagles’ "Lyin’ Eyes"

Those are my dream song picks for the top 3, people! Head on down the comments section below, put on your judge hat, and tell us which songs you’d pick for Adam, Kris, and Danny.

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May 12 2009 05:56 PM ET

'Lost' finale preview: 'Must List Live!' asks the big question -- Kate or Juliet?

by Dalton Ross

Categories: Lost, Survivor, The Office, Things That Are Awesome!

Were you as bummed as we were when Kate hopped in the sub with Sawyer and Juliet? Jessica Shaw and I discuss the love triangle and more as we preview the big Lost season finale. And here’s a challenge to all you experts: Think you can identify an episode of Lost after seeing only a second or two? If you can name all the episodes in our special Lost video montage, then you could win free Comic-Con passes, a hotel room, and access to our exclusive Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con party (where people from Lost were hanging out last year!). Check it out and see how you do (nitty gritty contest rules can be found here). Also on tap, we’re previewing the season finales for The Office and Survivor: Tocantins—the former of which has been totally creatively revitalized, the latter of which I still can’t pronounce properly. Plus, I try not to drool when Jennifer Love-Hewitt stops by to tell us what’s on her Must List. So who should it be for Sawyer—Kate or Juliet? Watch the video below and tell us what you think.

May 12 2009 04:11 PM ET

Simon Baker to chase Casey Affleck in 'The Killer in Me.' Oh, and Jessica Alba to play a prostitute.

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Movies, Sexytimes

Simonbaker_l Is it just me, or is the cast for The Killer in Me, an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s noir novel, a bit odd? Simon Baker, star of (say it with me) TV’s No. 1 new show, CBS’ The Mentalist, will play the county attorney who wants to out a West Texas sheriff (played by Casey Affleck) as a killer. That I could deal with. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jessica Alba has also been cast — as a prostitute — and Kate Hudson as the sheriff’s teacher girlfriend. It just went from a movie that I would happily see, to a movie that I will never see. In a sentence. What about you: Are you in or are you out?