Archive: June 2009 (271-280 of 438)

Jun 10 2009 07:05 PM ET

Can 'Real World: Washington, D.C.' really follow 'Real World: Cancun'?

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Filed under: Television, Those Crazy Kids! and tagged: , , ,

The Real World: Cancun debuts at the end of this month, with drinking, crying, screaming, and tepid bisexuality. Sure, you can see that at, oh, any bar on a Saturday night, but you can also see it on MTV. But I guess I'm not the only one who's getting too old for tired of these party-only seasons, because up next, MTV will be taking its eight strangers to Washington, D.C. Jeeze louise, even reality television has Obama fever.

Yes, the 23rd* season of the show will be filmed in our nation's capital, and MTV is claiming it will depict a "different lifestyle." Hmm. I say "hmm" to you, MTV, because despite all that tepid bisexuality I've witnessed on your network, I'm really not sure you can have it both ways. Can you go from a season whose entire function is as a spring break product placement (check out the Cancun teaser below) to one even vaguely about politics? I'm getting youth culture whiplash here, MTV.

I know even the most shallow and predictable Real World cast members contain multitudes, and boozing and voting are hardly mutually exclusive (surely I'm not the only person to participate in a debate-geared drinking game). But can The Real World change its stripes…again? It already transitioned from its 1990s crunchiness into its current, less earnest format. Do viewers even want it to go back?

What do you think, PopWatchers? Will The Real World: Washington, DC look like all the other recent seasons, or might there be actual politics in play?

*OMG I am so old

Jun 10 2009 06:54 PM ET

Contessa Brewer vs. John Ziegler re: Sarah Palin -- 'Cut the mic, please'

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Filed under: Television and tagged: , , ,

In an MSNBC interview today, Contessa Brewer ferociously batted cat toys around via satellite with radio host John Ziegler, whose on-camera presence is strongly reminiscent of SNL-era Norm MacDonald. Ziegler had interviewed Gov. Sarah Palin in response to a recent Late Show with David Letterman Top Ten List that mocked her typical “slutty flight attendant” attire. (Palin called Letterman “pathetic”; you can listen to the Ziegler/Palin radio chat here.) Right off the bat, Ziegler thanked Brewer for having him on “Barack Obama’s Official Network.” Zing! “Do you even want to do the interview?” Brewer wondered. Oh, he sure did. Watch the sparks fly in this very special episode of Adventures in Talking Over Each Other. Cut the mic, please! Someone. Anyone.

Jun 10 2009 05:20 PM ET

'Futurama': Bender should be allowed on TV after all

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Filed under: Television and tagged: , ,

Yesterday, wrote the old wiseman Ausiello, Comedy Central announced the official 26-episode rebirth of Futurama! A few hours later, the network aired the classic episode Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV. "Oh, the irony!" cried thousands of fans lazily snacking their way through the middle of the night. I can't find the clip of that episode where the network president suggests that "bite my shiny metal ass" could become a catchphrase (if you can locate it, please include in comments below), so instead here's the 2008 Adult Swim promo song that got me to start regularly watching Futurama reruns. I figured at the time that if the "Shaken, not stirred / Futur-a-a-a-a-ma…." lyric was going to float through my head all day anyway, I should at least have a decent visual to back it up.

How psyched are we for more Futurama in 2010?!!!!!! Let's all have some cake. And you smell like one, too.

Jun 10 2009 04:56 PM ET

'American Idol' alum Danny Noriega's new single '24/7': Too much to handle...ish

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Filed under: American Idol and tagged: , , ,

American Idol has seen flamboyance, pre-Adam Lambert. Remember season 7's polarizing Danny Noriega? Well, he's back. He was the guy who famously responded with a sassy "ish" to Simon Cowell's question of, "So you agree with me?" "Ish" — representing "sort of" or "maybe" — quickly became his catchphrase. He was also BFF with contestant Ramiele Malubay and botched "Jailhouse Rock" and "Tainted Love" during the semi-finals round. Remember him yet? He swung his ample head of hair around a lot, too.

Anyway, he just released a equal-parts hilarious and tragic single called "24/7," as well as an accompanying video, and it's definitely flamboyant. The whole crazy production sounds and looks like he made it himself, although the video credits the thing to Diamond Cuts Productionz (yes, Productionz!). And there's some lady named Diamonique rapping part way through the song. Noriega actually starts off the song by summing up the whole situation rather well: "This is gonna be…" he intones, amid synthesizers and with a glowing purple body outline, "T…M…T…H!" Too much to handle, certainly. In the worst way.

I won't hold you in suspense anymore. Enjoy/laugh at the video here:

What's your favorite aspect of this trainwreck? Noriega's insistence that he's "no American Idol"? All the weird, dated usage of acronyms (FYI, LMAO, TMTH, etc.)? His gratuitous use of "bitch" repeatedly? The rap by the illustrious Diamonique? Sound off!

More on 'American Idol'
EW's American Idol HQ
'American Idol' recap: Don't be afraid of the dark horse
'American Idol': First audition dates set
Kris Allen officially signed to 19/Jive
Adam Lambert officially signed to 19, RCA

Jun 10 2009 04:51 PM ET

Bravo's 'Top Chef: Masters' premiere nabs our Must List pick: What's yours?

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Filed under: Television and tagged: ,

Let's all raise our glasses for a new season of Top Chef! (If you don't happen to have a container full of liquid in front of you, raising your eyeglasses works, too.) The culinary reality show's latest incarnation premieres tonight on Bravo, and even though it's a spin-off season (dubbed Masters) with real-life top chefs competing for their favorite charities, I'll take that over pretty much everything else on TV right now.

The best part of tonight's premiere is that it totally snuck up on me. It doesn't feel that long ago Hosea was mackin' on Leah but somehow still managed to knock off Stefan and walk away with the TC title. (Actually, it wasn't. Top Chef: New York ended in February.) Speaking of last season, check out Kate Ward's interview with Fabio, Carla, and Jeff to get an update on their post-reality TV lives. Topping Fabio's hysterical broken English, Carla's kooky life philosophies and Jeff's, well, hair will be a tall order, but here's hoping this new season can provide some personalities as colorful as those.

Your turn, PopWatchers: Top Chef: Masters tops our Must List this week. What's on yours? Kindly list your top three picks for this week in the comments below, and include your e-mail address in case we pick one of your submissions to use in the magazine.

Jun 10 2009 04:26 PM ET

Elsewhere on EW.com...

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Attention, So You Think You Can Dance fans: test your prediction skills in our SYTYCD elimination game.

Allison Iraheta has been officially signed for a record deal

We pick our favorite food shows, from Rachael Ray to America's Test Kitchen, and every taste treat in between.

Can Christina Aguilera out-electro Lady Gaga?

Futurama is back from the dead, with 26 new episodes on order for 2010. Paging the hypnotoad!

Julia Roberts is on-board with the David Letterman lovefest. Late night wars, part deux?

Las Vegas comedian Danny Gans' death has been ruled an accidental overdose.

Jun 10 2009 03:40 PM ET

Urkel fans visit 'Family Matters' house, blow our minds

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Filed under: Television and tagged: , , ,

Pilgrimage! It’s not just for religions anymore. It’s also for fans. Behold, the amazingly devout Family Matters enthusiasts who recently visited “The Urkel House.”

I am in awe. Truly. First, because even though I’ve probably seen every episode of Family Matters — TGIF 4 LIFE — I can barely remember any of the plots, (unlike for Full House, where I can rattle off specific episodes/quotes, etc.); this level of trivia knowledge is deeply impressive to me. Second, because holy crap, a group of people went to the Winslow residence and did the Urkel dance. We salute you, oh ye of dorky faith! [Via Buzzfeed]

Okay, PopWatchers: Where would you go on fan pilgrimage? Dibs on the Walsh residence from 90210.

Jun 10 2009 03:20 PM ET

What longer 'Mad Men' episodes mean: More ads, preserved creativity!

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Filed under: Mad Men, Television and tagged: , ,

According to today's Variety, episodes in Mad Men's upcoming third season are set to run past the regularly scheduled hourlong timeslot by a few minutes. (Plus: AMC announced the season's start date of Aug. 16. Woot!) Why are we getting more Mad Men? Well, it seems that AMC needed to sell more advertising to pay for the series' higher fees, as aging series tend to cost more. (Stars/producers/everyone involved can demand more because, well, you just can when you're working on an Emmy-winning series!) So, really, we're just getting more advertising.

And to this news I say: Yay! Why am I cheering about more ads, you might be asking yourself? (I hate ads generally!) Plain and simple: It means that creator Matthew Weiner's genius doesn't have to be sacrificed. You see, usually more advertising means fewer minutes of drama, as the precious time is forfeited to the likes of Chase and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Mad Men already has the generous run time of 47-48 minutes per episode, while most cable series have 44-46 minutes and broadcast usually allots just 42-43 minutes. But I'd argue that in the case of Mad Men — rife with all those episode-ending, moody moments where the camera pans out as the characters quietly contemplate their predicaments — needs every minute it is given. You agree, I hope? This is one moment where Hollywood's business — and creative — interests both win.

As a preview of the upcoming season — and celebration of the preservation of creativity — I present you a little video that sort of looks forward to what may come:

Salvator may take a trip to the Village? (You know what his closeted character will be doing down there!) Betty Draper keeping things unhappy? (Yes, please!) Roger Sterling just hoping to survive? (No more heart attacks!) I'll take it all, even though all this is just random speculation by the cast. Believe me, we ain't getting any leaks about what season 3 will truly entail. Matthew Weiner just doesn't roll that way.

What say you, PopWatchers? Are you willing to endure a few more ads so that Mad Men can continue to be at its best? What intrigues you about season 3? Do you already have Aug. 16 circled in red on your TV-planning calendar?

More 'Mad Men' from EW:
'Mad Men' Season 1 review
Ausiello Files: Interview with 'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner
'Mad Men': 10 Things Viewers Need to Know
'Mad Men': Creator will stay with show
Hot Starts: 22 Summer TV Classics

Jun 10 2009 03:14 PM ET

Recommended: Falling asleep with crazy Craig Ferguson

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Filed under: Television and tagged: , , , , ,

I can think of few impromptu late-night TV treats better than a good old Late Night with Craig Ferguson-induced giggle fest. Really, try this. The moment you decide to shut your mental and actual computers down and scream "I've had it with you!" to reality, just turn on Craig's final interview of the night. The Scotsman's steady stream of unrelated nonsense will suck you down the rabbit hole — conveniently, my favorite place to sleep. His voice alone is a pleasant lullaby — albeit with no clear melody and oft-indecipherable lyrics. And with the right guest, the cacophony of two people truly delighting in each other's utter insanity is not to be missed. Part 1 of Dame Edna Everage's interview from last night is available on YouTube, but the shorter segment, embedded below, is what I caught. Maybe this hearty dose of late-night ridiculata won't come off as gem-like as I remember, if you're not in a sleepy 2 a.m. celebrities are so stupid lately stupor. You make the call. I thought this was just incredible.

It helped that I'd never seen a Dame Edna interview before. Let's make CSI: Dame Edna happen! It would be so. Fetch.

P-Dubs, what falling-asleep TV do you recommend? Clearly, the trippier, the better for me….

Jun 10 2009 02:17 PM ET

Someone's getting Will Ferrell sunscreen for Father's Day

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Ferrell_sunscreen Hi, Dad! Too bad you compulsively check this blog for posts I write. The surprise has been ruined. You'll be receiving a Will Ferrell sunscreen 3-pack — which includes the pictured Sun Stroke, Sexy Hot Tan, and Forbidden Fruit varieties — for Father's Day this month. In fact, Willpowered may (fingers crossed) be sponsoring my trip home for our family vacation at Lake Michigan. You know it pisses me off when you won't wear sunscreen. So now that your sunscreen will be so freaking hilarious, we can begin a fun ritual where you'll hold up the bottle and emit a strange sort of chuckle/cough combo in at first sincere but later feigned amusement at Will Ferrell's near-nudity, before proceeding to actually use the product. It'll be really uncomfortable for everyone involved, especially for any friends my sister and I have brought up. They will nudge each other. "Did you know Mr. Barrett was, like, really into Will Ferrell?" "I had no idea." "You think we should leave?" "Let's get drunk while floating on tubes and maybe everything weird about this trip will just melt away." And then my mom will pull one of her trademarked "Oh, Annie" expressions and reach for the Clinique Face Cream SPF 50 with SolarSmart. Summer fun!

Would you seriously use Will Ferrell sunscreen? It's on sale here. As Ferrell pointed out on last night's Late With Jimmy Fallon, all proceeds benefit the Cancer For College scholarship foundation.

Related: Is America over Will Ferrell?

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