After a lengthy audition round that made Transformers 2 look like a short film, America’s Got Talent has finally moved on; winging its way to the City of Sin for two “callback” episodes that will determine the Top 40 acts. Vegas, baby, Vegas! It’s screamingly appropriate that last night’s episode — so dismal for many contestants, so euphoric for others — would take place in the easy-come, easy-go capital of the United States. READ FULL STORY »
In much the same way that I can’t resist dipping into the blasted bowl of candy that sits on my colleague Annie Barrett‘s desk, I’m also a sucker for a good, old-fashioned (non VH1) reality dating show. (Once upon a time, I even endured that primetime special where Dr. Phil tried to set up a lovelorn Paula Abdul.) So I knew resistance was futile the first time I saw a promo for Fox’s More to Love and found myself tearing up shocked that a guy whose only six pack sits in his fridge was going to be the center of a reality show from Mike “The Bachelor” Fleiss. READ FULL STORY »
I knew everything was going to be alright when the bird crapped on my shoulder the day before the proposal. But let's back up a bit. We flew from Maui to Kona for the final leg of this journey. Jillian had narrowed it down to her final two, Ed and Kiptyn. Despite the emotional breakup with Reid, Jillian was feeling pretty good about the situation. Now I don't want to bore you by going back over all the details of this episode, so I'm going to give you my opinion of what went down and why. I know it might sound weird but Jillian had love for each of these guys. If life and love was purely about a physical attraction Kiptyn would've easily been the one. That's not to say they didn't have an emotional connection too, but Jillian didn't see growing old with him and that was big for her. While Ed was dancing around Hawaii in shorts that wouldn't fit my 7-year-old and Kiptyn was flexing his abs, Reid was desperately trying to get a hold of producers. As you heard him say on the Final Rose special, he felt there was something still there between he and Jillian, and he was willing to go all the way to prove it. I have to give the guy credit — this was a bold, brave move. As you could clearly see by the look on her face, Jill had absolutely no idea Reid was coming back.
Allowing Reid to come back was a very tough decision for us to make. This final day is always an emotional roller coaster for all of us. After a long haul, Jillian had mentally prepared herself to break up with Kiptyn and choose Ed. Throwing Reid back into the equation was very risky. We had no idea how Jillian would react and what this would do to her final decision. We were all really flying by the seat of our pants on this one. We knew that both Kiptyn and Ed had rings and were prepared to get down on one knee, and as far as TV goes that was more than enough to successfully wrap up this season. But just like you saw, we also felt there was just something there between Jill and Reid, and had time not been a factor there's no way she would have let him go in Maui. When I saw Jillian's reaction when Reid walked out on that platform, our suspicions were confirmed. She still had serious feelings for this guy. What followed was about an hour of emotion and confusion. Hard to believe after this many seasons we could possibly run into a situation we've never dealt with before, but that's the beauty of this show: we always do.
I’ll admit it right up front: When Tron 2.0 was first announced a couple years ago, I didn’t care that Disney was making a sequel to Tron. I’ve got fondish memories of the original Jeff Bridges-Bruce Boxleitner videogame-gladiators flick, but never once did I wonder to myself, “I wonder what Flynn and Tron are doing today.” And then I saw this footage of the newly moniker’d Tron Legacy at the San Diego Comic-Con:
Smooth, fast, wicked. I know this is just test footage that was shot more than a year ago, but seeing it in 3D — as it was projected at SDCC — I’m officially a convert.
What do you think? Is this a Tron you can get behind, or will all the svelte CG in the world not get you off the couch?
It’sofficial: We’re 100! And not looking too bad on it, even if I do say so myself! I know, as a woman , I should never discuss my age, but I’ve got to just express how happy we all are that the show is still such a success after all this time. In England you receive a telegram from the Queen when you turn 100 …. I’m still waiting for mine, Ma’am!
Tuesday’s show was made extra special due to the fact that Ellen DeGeneres joined us on the judging panel. She really was a lovely lady! She hit just the right balance between judge, comedienne, and superfan. Ellen made the show so much fun, and I know the dancers loved her being there. It’s great having a new input on the show — itjust mixes up the dynamics. Portia also came down to the studio and we wereintroduced when I was standing in the tower and she was standing on the studiofloor — not the greatest angle in the world! I had to apologize for the fact thatshe was not only introduced to me, but also to my nasal passages! Fun!
Update: What a show! If you missed it, scroll down and push Play for running commentary by Michael Slezak and Mandi Bierly. (Warning, West Coasters: Spoilers abound!) And don’t forget to tell us what you thought in the Comments section. Also, check out Kristen Baldwin’s recap of the final episode, and don’t miss Bachelorette host Chris Harrison’s final blog of the season!
SPOILER ALERT! Because some of us just aren’t ready to let go of that epic post-date volcano explosion and the best Bachelorette quote of all time — “Ed better not f—ing disappoint me” — we will be live-blogging tonight’s After the Rose special (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) right here. Please join Michael Slezak (writer/co-executive producer of The Doll Bachelorette and official member of Team Ed) and I (translator of Brad Womack’s psychobabble and last-minute convert to Teams Reid and Kiptyn) for an hour of awkward silences and host Chris Harrison earning his paycheck. (Look for Harrison’s final blog of this Bachelorette season on Wednesday morning; in the meantime, read Kristen Baldwin’s equally engrossing finale recap). The “journey” is not over, Bachelorette fans. We’ll see you tonight!
Poor Christian Bale. The guy has already gone super-method on us not once, but twice — when he essentially starved himself for roles in The Machinist and Rescue Dawn — but it looks like he's ditched the hamburgers and Ensure once again based on photos from the set of The Fighter, his new movie about a drug-addled boxer. Seriously, the Academy: How much weight does Bale have to lose before you finally award him an Oscar? What don't you f–king understand? Nicole Kidman only had to don a fake nose to nab the prize! But let's just go ahead and give him one before he slips through a crack on the street, 'mkay?
Does Bale's repeated attempts to become emaciated for the sake of his art freak you out as much as it does me? Especially when actors like Matt Damon — who lost 40 pounds to play a heroin addict in Courage Under Fire — have been told their heart health could suffer from such a rapid diet?
First she was an actress. Then she was a singer (remember "BareNaked"?). Now, Jennifer Love Hewitt is carving a path for herself as an author, with two whole books in the works. (For those of you who are keeping count, that's one less than Lauren Conrad. Really.) So what great literary works can we expect to see in bookstores under Hewitt, Jennifer Love? In 2010, she'll release a dating and relationship guide — called The Day I Shot Cupid — and this November, a ten-issue comic book series about a possessed music box called, creatively enough, Jennifer Love Hewitt's The Music Box.
Okay, I'm going to try not to judge her books before there is even a cover to judge … although it is extremely hard not to (Self-control win!). Instead, I'm going to wonder why Hewitt is choosing this new creative path. Is it because her TV and film career has, let's face it, fizzled? Yes, Ghost Whisperer attracts a good chunk of viewers, but remember when $126 million worth of viewers saw Hewitt's I Know What You Did Last Summer? (And when she graced every magazine in the aisle?) Would a few bylines really help her career status? Certainly, it worked for Tori Spelling, who enjoyed a career resurgence after she released her own best-seller, sTori Telling. But unless Cupid reveals juicy details about Hewitt's own relationships with the likes of, say, Carson Daly and John Mayer – who's probably Twittered about it already — I doubt Hewitt can expect to be reeling in the literary accolades.
Do you think a writing career will help Hewitt? Would you read her books? And can you think of any other C-lister who has enjoyed a career bump, thanks to a book?
Now that we've had a few days to digest the gloriously moronic (and NSFW) trailer for John Cusack's upcoming time-travel comedy Hot Tub Time Machine, we can't help thinking that it will either be the stupidest movie Rob Schneider never made or a so-dumb-it's-brilliant instant classic.
Well, after speaking with Cusack about it, we're more convinced than ever it will be the latter.
"We just finished shooting it a week or so ago," says Cusack, who stars in the film with Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke and succinctly describes the film as "four idiots who are thrown back into the '80s to go boldly where men have gone before." "It's a ridiculous film. You're pretty much either sold with the title, or it's not for you."
By the way, if you haven't seen the trailer, here you go…
We'll admit it. The first time we watched this thing, our immediate reaction was: What is a guy as A-list and respected as Cusack doing in a movie about a hot tub time machine called Hot Tub Time Machine? But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense — it's nothing more than a return to the kinds of movies the actor made at the beginning of his career.
In fact, just ahead, allow us to take you on a stroll down numbskull memory lane…
