Archive: June 2009 (101-110 of 438)

Jun 23 2009 03:13 PM ET

'Avatar: The Last Airbender' trailer: Does it make you forgive M. Night's questionable casting decisions?

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Categories: Casting, Celebrity Scandals, Movie Casting, Movie Trailers, Movies, Snap Judgment, This Could Be Interesting...

M. Night Shyamalan has yet to finish filming his adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but fans of the Nickelodeon franchise eager for a glimpse into the project can check out a new teaser trailer (embedded below) that has made its way onto the Internets. And though it’s giving me more of a Battle of Helm’s Deep feeling than an animé feeling, it doesn’t look half bad — barring the awkward fact, of course, that the sole actor featured in the trailer is a white boy playing an Asian character .

Now, it should be noted that Shyamalan has managed to atone for some of his original questionable casting decisions for the adaptation of the series, which is rooted in Asian culture — he cast Dev Patel in a role slated for Jesse McCartney, as well as non-white actors Cliff Curtis and Aasif Mandvi. And perhaps the coolness factor (CGI! Battle scene!) in the trailer allows you to forgive the director for any perceived white-washing anyway?

Either way, it is nice to see Shyamalan tackle a genre that doesn’t quite fit his formula. As long as the killer trees don’t serve as Aang’s biggest foe in the film, I’m happy. Thoughts, PopWatchers?

Jun 23 2009 10:58 AM ET

'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' recap: A new life for a new mom

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Categories: About Last Night, Television, The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Teenager ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenager returned last night with the first glimpse at 15-year-old Amy's life post-baby. Instead of hearing Amy complain about being tired and having everyone remind her how much work the baby was going to be, we heard her complain about being tired and everyone reminded her how much work the baby is. I did get a little irritated at her constant snippiness until I remembered: Oh, she's 15. Of course she's bratty. (Toss in that added new mom fatigue and it actually seems to be keeping in line with the character's development.)

Amy's relationship with Ricky seems to have improved, since the teenage lothario has stepped up and truly seems to care about and take responsibility for his newborn son. This being an ABC Family show, it's not surprising that Ricky's turned out to be a good guy after all, but it's still nice to see his character mature. Ben, on the other hand, seems to have taken a step backwards: he's extremely possessive of Amy, and is threatened by Ricky's presence in her life. Sure, he has the right to be a little nervous, and I'm sure the insecurity about being a dorky virgin isn't helping, but I thought it had already been established that Amy and Ricky weren't romantically interested in each other at all. Am I wrong? Or am I still just weirded out by Ben's desire to marry Amy/raise her baby as his own (a storyline the new 90210 totally jacked, BTW).

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Jun 23 2009 10:36 AM ET

Jon and Kate divorce: What should happen to the show?

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Categories: Jon & Kate Plus 8

Jk-413_l So Jon and Kate are getting divorced, which isn't much of a surprise for fans (or hate-fans) of their series — their relationship has seemed strained from the get-go, and in recent weeks those problems have apparently escalated. So the show now is in a strange scenario in a few ways: What kind of morbid voyeur watches a divorce show in which eight darling children cope with their parents' issues? (Um…a lot?) Can the show in its current incarnation document Jon and Kate's divorce in a meaningful, non-exploitative way? Do we as an audience even want it to try? In other words, What now?

On one hand…yeeesh. The pain and anguish inherent in most divorces are something I'd have a hard time wishing on even the most loathsome of all reality show personalities, let alone on actual human beings. On the other hand, is there something here that documentary television — or crafted drama of any kind — might and ought to strive to capture? Awful things happen, and they happen a lot, and watching people process those awful things isn't inherently depraved or unjust. There's a level on which it could be comforting, illuminating, humane, and…entertaining. Is that so wrong?

One of the things I like about the first few seasons of Jon and Kate Plus 8 is their sense of normalcy — grocery shopping, putting on shoes, eating dinner, etc. Things "normal" families do. Recently, those problems have been pushed off the series in favor of more telegenic, fame-specific endeavors, and in a twisted way, Jon and Kate's divorce re-grounds the show. A lot of American couples divorce, and plenty of well-adjusted, thoughtful, healthy kids have divorced parents. Might a series about a family dealing with divorce serve a certain kind of purpose on that front? I think it might, though I'm skeptical that J&K+8 has the depth to do so.

Okay, PopWatchers, it's your turn to weigh in. Would you rather the show call it quits, or do you think there's value to capturing and exploring the process of divorce — and can this show live up to that challenge? Do you want Jon and Kate Plus Eight to continue in light of the parents' divorce?

More on 'Jon & Kate' divorce:
Ken Tucker's Watching TV blog: 'Jon & Kate' minus a marriage: They'll divorce, and 'I will survive and they will survive'
Hollywood Insider: 'Jon & Kate' divorce: Lawyers weigh in on custody

Jun 23 2009 10:00 AM ET

Quote of the Day: 'The Natural' edition

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Categories: PopWatch Quote of the Day

"C'mon, Hobbs, you're up!" — Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) in The Natural

It's Lightning Safety Week, per the National Weather Service, so even though playing baseball in a thunderstorm looks cool, remember: "When thunder roars, go indoors."

Jun 23 2009 05:05 AM ET

Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelorette': episode 6

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Categories: Chris Harrison, Reality TV, Television, The Bachelorette, Things That Are Awesome!

6a00d8341bf6c153ef0115711741cf970b-pi[1] "She knows I've got a foot fetish, she knows I was born with a big #$%^&." This is the best quote in Bachelor/Bachelorette history you've never heard. But it happened this week and I'll explain below so keep reading. This quote is just one of a thousand things I have to talk to you about this week, so if you don't mind I'm going to jump right into this episode. We left Whistler, Vancouver and boarded the Rocky Mountaineer train to head across the Rockies to Banff. Jillian and the guys didn't actually sleep on the train. We stopped every night at a different location. I thought it was a cool idea to shoot an entire episode on and around a train trip. It’s something we've never done before and I thought it was pretty cool. The photogs that had to hold the cameras steady on a rocking train may have a different opinion but they did great as always and I thought it was very creative. Robby got the first one-on -one date. I'll make this short and sweet: they just didn't have it. Robby is young in age and experience. He and Jillian are in two completely different places in their lives right now so she decided to let him go. I do have to share one thing with you that cracked me up. Robby told us that "love doesn't have a job." I watched this episode, as I always do, with my wife, and she quickly jumped in and said "love most certainly does have a j-o-b." Thought that was funny.

What you didn't see on TV was at the end of the date the train went through the station it was supposed to stop at to let Robby off. The train had to back up and then pull into the station again. This was brutal for Jillian because she knew she was breaking up with Robby but had to wait another thirty minutes for the train to hit its mark so she could actually do it, and apparently it’s not like parking a Prius. By the way, I know it looked like we just dumped Robby in the middle of nowhere but that actually was a train station we stopped at. 

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Jun 23 2009 05:05 AM ET

'The Bachelorette' episode 6: Wes is a narcissistic fame whore

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Categories: Reality TV, The Bachelorette

But you knew that already, didn't you Bachelorette fans? This week's episode, however, really drove the point home — what with all of Wes' talk about wanting to "eat" fame, or whatever. I won't give any spoilers here, but I do think Jillian is finally, finally starting to separate the men from the boys. (Or perhaps I should say the "idiots" from the "tolerably dimwitted.") Get all the details in my full Bachelorette TV Watch recap and don't miss Chris Harrison's exclusive behind-the-scenes blog. But before that, let me know what you thought about tonight's episode in the comments section below. Were you shocked by who got eliminated? Have you ever had a date on a train? Can you believe the insanity that's coming during the final five episodes? Finally, check out the latest (and I think it's safe to say, greatest) installment of EW.com's original series The Doll Bachelorette. Tonight, the bachelors work the runway in a gratuitous swimsuit competition — and it is all kinds of wrong.

Jun 22 2009 08:30 PM ET

Kelly Osbourne's advice book: Admirable or ho-hum?

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Categories: Books, Snap Judgment

Kelly-Osbourne_l We knew that Kelly Osbourne inked a book deal late last year. That news came as no surprise, seeing as how publishers are always hungry for juicy memoirs from drug-addled starlets, even ones who spend their days trying to eke their way off the F-list. But yesterday, WWD.com received some intel from Osbourne herself regarding the theme of her book, which is titled Fierce: “It’s about all the major things girls go through before they turn 21…. It's 16 chapters where I explain what I did and where Iwent wrong, and then I offer professional advice on how to do thingsdifferently.”

First off, I have to applaud the 24-year-old Osbourne for rejecting a run-of-the-mill memoir that makes most readers question whether or not the author has lived long enough to churn out his/her life stories (or, a run-of-the-mill memoir that leaves readers thinking, "Who cares?"). Young girls coping with their own troubled times are well-served reading about the trials of those who have experienced drug addiction and rehab. And it's interesting that Osbourne is opting for some image rehab as well, seeing as her own mum devoted time hosting the first season of Rock of Love Charm School, an entire program centered around image rehab (and, let's face it, boobs and trucker hats).

But after seeing Osbourne grace the feature pages of People and other magazines discussing her rehab experience, I'm beginning to wonder if the singer is just milking her troubles a bit too much for her own good. It seems as if Osbourne's career has become intertwined with her addiction just as much as Kirstie Alley's career has become intertwined with her weight problems and, really, that isn't the best move for someone who actually had promise in another field. Granted, I can't fault Osbourne for trying to improve the lives of others — as I mentioned above, it is admirable — but do we care enough at this point to read yet another book/watch yet another interview with a member of the Osbourne family discussing drug addiction? Why doesn't she just filter her problems into song, and release one heckuva comeback album?

Thoughts, PopWatchers? Would you read Fierce? Buy it for your daughter? And do you think the celebrity rehab genre has grown tired, especially considering there's an entire VH1 series called, you know, Celebrity Rehab?

Jun 22 2009 08:26 PM ET

'Dexter' cannot come back soon enough

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Categories: Television, Waiting

Dexter-promo_l Patience may be a virtue, but when snappy posters like this one creep to the top of my RSS, I'm left feeling profoundly unvirtuous. Dexter isn't back until September! Yeargh, how am I going to wait that long?

At the end of last season, I was most excited to see how the show would explore Dexter's new role as a father: We've seen him be a surprisingly good boyfriend and brother, but we also know he's pretty freaked out by his biological family tree. Bring on baby Dex!

Now, though, I'm actually even more excited for John Lithgow to join the cast. I like the depraved camaraderie Dexter feels with some other killers.

Okay, PopWatchers, are you counting down the days til the new season of Dexter, too? Autumn seems so far away, no?

Jun 22 2009 08:00 PM ET

'Real Housewives' reunion preview clips: Teresa is no longer invited to my dinner parties

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Categories: The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Things That Are Awesome!

Get your bubbies ready, Real Housewives of New Jersey fans! Tomorrow night marks the reunion special, which I'm hoping is just as hilariously vitriolic as New York's was earlier this year. Bravo has treated us to some preview clips (embedded below), and though there isn't nearly enough table throwing for my taste, I'm betting the special will be just as satisfying as a massage at Atlantic City's The Water Club. The gals talk about those mafia rumors, and they seem to have coined a new term à la "Jumping the Shark": "Breaking Down the Table," a phrase that I'm assuming is associated with those with an unhealthy obsession with marble and hairspray who unnecessarily wig out and ruin a nice, tasty-looking meal (but then again, I'm on Team Danielle, folks). I love how Ashley called the table-tossing "a real Jersey moment," but I have to take Teresa to task for chalking her freak-out up to being Italian. Stereotype your own people much, Teresa? Because, you know, I am also Italian, and I can attest that my whole large family sits around a table for a-spaghetti and a-meatballs before beginning an argument about oregano that inspires the throwing of knock-off framed Last Supper paintings before we all hug and make up and pinch the grandchildren's cheeks.

But are you pumped for the reunion, PopWatchers? Who do you hope gets the third-degree from Andy?

Jun 22 2009 07:21 PM ET

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' trailer for 'The Pacific': Will you be watching?

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Categories: Television, This Could Be Interesting...

Yesterday, HBO debuted the new trailer for The Pacific, a massive, 10-part miniseries exec-produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, the same powerhouse trio behind 2001's Band of Brothers. This one is set in the Pacific theater during WWII and centers around three U.S. Marines played by James Badge Dale (The Departed), Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park), and Jon Seda (Kevin Hill). You can see from the trailer that, much like the six-time Emmy-winning Brothers, The Pacific won't shy away from the devastating violence of war. And, surely, I'm not the only one who was reminded of Saving Private Ryan while watching soldiers disembark onto the bomb- and bullet-ridden shores of the Pacific Ocean. 

I don't tend to flock to war movies, but given this miniseries' impeccable pedigree, I most certainly will check it out when it debuts next year. (Likely in March, according to recent remarks by Hanks.) From Ryan to Brothers to Ken Burns' The War (which Hanks helped narrate), I continue to be intrigued and impressed by Hanks' and Spielberg's passion for exploring WWII. It makes perfect sense that after Brothers they'd turn their attention to the battlegrounds of the Pacific, no?

What do you think of the trailer? Will The Pacific be as good as Band of Brothers? Should the Academy just hand the Pacific team a pile of Emmys now?

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