Archive: August 2009 (241-250 of 386)

Aug 12 2009 03:45 PM ET

Congratulations, Jennifer Hudson! (Here's a lullaby for you!)

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jennifer-hudson_lAfter months of speculation about whether or not she was pregnant,  Jennifer Hudson indeed gave birth on Monday to a healthy baby boy named David Daniel Otunga, Jr., her rep confirmed to People.com. As a gift for the new mom (and her fiance, David Otunga), I thought I’d take a crack at writing a lullaby to the tune of  “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” the Dreamgirls showstopper that helped Hudson win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar back in 2007. Hey, you never know when she’ll need new material to help quell a crying jag from her brand new bundle of joy!

And I am telling you
You are napping
You’re the best tot I’ll ever know
So I’ll rock you to sleep for sure
No, no, there’s no way
No, no, no, no way you’re gonna keep fussing
No there’s no need for fussing
‘Cause your diaper is clean
You’re swaddled
And bottled
Now you, oh you, you’re gonna get sleep
Ooh, you’re gonna get sleep!

Aug 12 2009 03:22 PM ET

'Better Off Ted': Veronica really undoes her bun

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Filed under: Television and tagged: , , ,

portia_gob_magicWas anyone else dying for “The Final Countdown” to start playing during last night’s season finale of Better Off Ted? In a weird, inconsistent-with-her-character twist, Veronica (Portia de Rossi)’s secret life as a magician’s assistant was trotted out thanks to, appropriately, a Veridian Dynamics initiative called “Magic Box technology.” A dazzling magic show ensued, and all I could think of was Arrested Development — specifically Lucille Bluth’s pearl-clutching wail: “Ew, don’t look now, but G.O.B.’s about to start his magic show!” (But, you know, directed at de Rossi’s AD character, Lindsay, instead.) I thought maybe the BOT writers would throw in a Alliance of Magicians joke at some point, but at least there was a dove. And as a general rule, I do need to just accept that not every show is Arrested Development.

Nice of ABC to finally air Better Off Ted‘s penultimate episode, “Jabberwocky,” in addition to the finale, “Secrets and Lives.” (Two weeks ago, “Jabberwocky” was preempted by a rerun of The Bachelorette finale that zero people needed to see.) Ted has been renewed, so at least we’ve got more ridiculata to anticipate in the fall. For me, honestly, this show is all about Veronica. From random outbursts like “This must be how a bee sees me…” during the Magic Box presentation, to adventures in wordplay — “Yes, Ted. I shouldn’t hit people on the staff. I’ve been hearing that since grade school.” — the combination of this absurd character and Portia de Rossi playing her has been consistently divine.

What did you think of Better Off Ted‘s last two season 1 episodes?

Aug 12 2009 02:30 PM ET

'Walking Dead' and AMC: The best-idea-ever of the day

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

Walking-Dead_lIn case you’ve been living under a rock in J.D. Salinger’s yard, zombies are like the bacon of pop culture: They make everything better. Even, apparently, Jane Austen. But with apologies to Shaun of the Dead and World War Z, the best piece of zombie fiction of the past 10 years has been The Walking Dead, an ongoing comic book series written by Robert Kirkman. Following police officer Rick Grimes, who wakes up in the hospital after a zombie apocalypse, Walking Dead is a harrowing look and what humans will do to each other in the harsh face of armageddon. It is, as they say, about character. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 12 2009 02:10 PM ET

Happy Birthday, Michael Ian Black!

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The star of Comedy Central’s Michael & Michael Have Issues turns 38 today, and the best present we can think to give  — besides that reference to him as “the star” of the show and a link to his Twitter page — is a plug for tonight’s new episode. Tune in at 10: 30 p.m. ET. In the meantime, enjoy this NSFW clip of Black confronting his mortality by explaining his “F#*k-it List.” What’s on yours? Mine’s shockingly similar to his, though I would also add “visit Asia.”

Aug 12 2009 02:00 PM ET

There's no such thing as too much Jon Hamm...right?

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Filed under: Mad Men and tagged: ,

Is there nothing Jon Hamm wouldn’t do for us, PopWatchers? Recall the promo poster for the upcoming season of Mad Men, in which Hamm as Don Draper sits in a flooded office. He tells the AV Club that “I sat in a giant tank of water for a solid Saturday, and it was kind of fun, actually. I mean, once you’re wet, you’re wet. You don’t get any more wet. So you’re just kind of like, ‘All right, here we are.’ And it was a bunch of crewmembers and waiters and an incredibly skillfully constructed set, and I think a pretty cool image that they got out of it as well. I’m sure they could have done some kind of photo trickery, but this makes for a better story, and it’s way cooler to go build it and do it for reals. I think online, there’s a time-lapse image of it filling up, too.’”

Two things. One, yes, and here is the video.


Two, Jon Hamm says “for reals”?! That sound you heard was me dying. I am now deceased, writing the rest of this post from my grave.

Hamm also might be a huge liar, because he said later in the interview “I’m certainly not the best-looking person on the planet.” Psst, Jon, you’re totally in the running!

Who’s counting down the days til the new season, PopWatchers? Sunday can’t come soon enough!

Aug 12 2009 01:30 PM ET

The 'Election' of 1999

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Filed under: Food and Drink, Mini TV Watch and tagged: , , ,

“Dear Lord Jesus, I do not often speak with you and ask for things, but now, I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow because I deserve it and Paul Metzler doesn’t, as you well know. I realize that it was your divine hand that disqualified Tammy Metzler and now I’m asking that you go that one last mile and make sure to put me in office where I belong so that I may carry out your will on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.” — Tracy Flick, Election


READ FULL STORY »

Aug 12 2009 01:20 PM ET

'Astro Boy' trailer: Even in animated film, Nic Cage's hair a bit of an issue

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: ,

astro-boy-nic-cage_l The new trailer for Astro Boy — the story of a robot (voiced by Freddie Highmore), programmed with the memories of a brilliant scientist’s lost son, plus some serious superpowers — is pretty sweet. You get that moment of pause when you realize that Dr. Tenma, pictured, is voiced by Nicolas Cage. That jolt of excitement when you see Cora (Kristen Bell) come to the rescue. That giggle that confirms you’re still an eight-year-old when Astro Boy discovers his backside is packin’ (“I got some machine guns… in my butt?”). And the anticipation that, at some point, there will be a tender scene in which Highmore, who reduced you to tears on that bench with Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland, will do it again. Also, why isn’t Donald Sutherland in every animated film?

Aug 12 2009 11:42 AM ET

Is MTV looking for its 'Mad Men'?

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Filed under: Television and tagged: ,

foxx-meyers_lThe M in MTV now stands for Miscellaneous. In addition to announcing new reality programs not unlike their biggest hits, the “new and diversified” cable station also greenlit a scripted series: Hard Times, a single-camera comedy from David Katzenberg, about a teenage social pariah. They’re also developing a series based on the Michael J. Fox movie Teen Wolf, and an animated show from SNL‘s Seth Meyers about a superhero who battles the paparazzi. Throw in concrete plans for another Ashton Kutcher-produced reality show (American Idiots) and Rob Hoffman’s oddball variety show best described by this clip, as well as a proposed Jamie Foxx sketch show, and there’s something for everyone (under the age of 29). Not bad.

Wouldn’t it be great if MTV found its Weeds or Mad Men, a successful, original show that redefines our perception of a network? MTV will always aim young, and shows like The Hills are its lifeblood. But I get the feeling the network craves some respect, too.

What MTV shows are you currently watching? What would you like to see more of? And which upcoming series seems most promising? Poll after the jump.

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Aug 12 2009 11:37 AM ET

You don't do that to Minnie Mouse! (Or a person)

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A 60-year-old grandpa who groped the “chest and buttocks” of a Walt Disney World employee dressed as Minnie Mouse has been charged with misdemeanor battery (instead of sexual). There are pics; it did happen. I’m trying to move on, and just one of many reasons I’m a horrible person is that the following news segment from Local 6 Orlando is really helping me out with that.

Field reporter Mike DeForest first perked me up with his sensationalistic delivery of the line, “It happened in the TOON TOWN! area of Disney,” but the riveting performance by the straight-faced prosecutor almost seemed straight out of SNL. It’s a toss-up between “It’s not just a mouse. It’s a person” and his lament-tinged argument that “It’s not okay to go to the diner and pinch a waitress’ butt anymore” for my favorite line of what is sadly not sketch comedy. Minnie and the young woman Behind the Mouse: I am sorry.

Aug 12 2009 11:08 AM ET

The Laptop Clench: New Olympic Sport?

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Probably not, since “fancy video editing” is typically not an Olympic-level category (except, of course, at EW.com). The following viral headscratcher of a guy catching hurled laptops in his crack seems to employ the same “backwards” technology as Guy Catches Glasses With Face and other “classics.” I don’t really care if it’s fake — I’m digging the background beat, faux-ga posing, and heightened suspension of disbelief achieved via spandex. Plus, the exercise vaguely reminds me of the Pitch-N-Catch Velcro Game, which I’d like to be playing on the beach right now, in a style that does not involve my ass. Be honest: Is this the dumbest thing you’ve seen all week? Think about it.

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