Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog | PopWatch

PopWatch Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog

Archive: August 2009 (31-40 of 386)

Aug 28 2009 07:00 AM ET

Wikipedia 2009: Who and what are most viewed?

Categories: News You Can Use, Tech, Water Cooler

How much wiki would a woodchuck wiki if a woodchuck could chuck wiki? Probably not much, what with the pesky lack of opposable thumbs. But London’s Telegraph newspaper does have a list of this year’s most-viewed items on the English-language version of web-based interactive info portal Wikipedia, and the industrious little rodents are not among them.

The biggies include Wiki itself (no. 1), the Beatles (no. 2), Michael Jackson (no. 3, though nowhere to be found on 2008′s top 50), Facebook (no. 10), and sex (no. 21, beaten by the TV series Scrubs at no. 20, no less).

Other odd top-50 bedfellows? Lil Wayne (no. 16) and Hilter (no. 17); WWI (no. 35) and Vagina (no. 36); Martin Luther King Jr. (no. 39) and Miley Cyrus (no. 40). As for content death-star Twilight, its orbit pulls in three spots: one for Robert Pattinson (no. 41), one for the 2008 film (no. 43), and one for Kristen Stewart (no. 47).

Popwatchers, what do you think this list says about our current culture? Are you a Wikipedier; and if so, how do you use it?

How do the 3 million-plus entries get on the site, anyway? Watch a quickie tutorial below:

Aug 27 2009 05:57 PM ET

'Heathers' on TV: What is your damage, Hollywood?

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Hell to the No!, Television, Things That Make Me Die Inside, Unfortunate Developments, Whining

DEAR DIARY: My blogger-angst bulls— now has a body count. Everybody’s sad…but it’s kind of a weird sad. The rumors just won’t stop. First a phantom wacky ‘Heathers‘ musical starring Kristen Bell, then a hypothetical ‘Heathers’ movie remake, and now a proposed ‘Heathers’ TV series (announced by Fox today, ugh). I have no control over myself when these obnoxious fairy tales inundate my slushied-out brain. Are we going to prom or to hell?

You know what, Heather? I think I’ll just watch my ‘Heathers’ DVD instead. Forever. Yep! That’s what I’m going to do. Go ahead and make a Heathers TV show. Yeah! Great. I’ll believe it when I DON’T see it. In the meantime, I’m just going to pull up a sofa and eat some BBQ Corn Nuts and watch Christian Slater and Winona Ryder murder some teenagers. THE OLD WAY. It’ll be Big Fun. Seriously, Hollywood, why are you pulling my d—?

Photo Credit: Everett Collection

Aug 27 2009 04:50 PM ET

'New Moon' photo reveal: Cameron Bright as Alec. We like.

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Movies, New Moon, Twilight

alec-new-moon_l MTV.com nabbed the first look at Cameron Bright as Volturi guard Alec, red-eyed brother of Dakota Fanning’s Jane, in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Bright was sufficiently creepy in Birth, so I’ve been a fan of this casting from the beginning. His sleek frame and (albeit safe) wardrobe, combined with just the hint of a smirk, would appear to put him right in line with what director Chris Weitz tells MTV he admires about Michael Sheen’s performance in the upcoming film: “No matter how strange one of the characters is in a work of fantasy, I think you have to approach them as people and then so you start to think, ‘They’ve been around for 2,000 years. How would they interact with one another?’ The conclusion was that after 2,000 years, you’d probably be more than mildly insane. No matter how cultured or gracious you appear on the surface. And I think that’s what Michael Sheen managed to portray as Aro, the head of the Volturi — on the surface he’s terribly gracious, warm, a wonderful host and at the same time he’s lethal and frightening.”

Are you liking Alec’s look?

More Twilight coverage:
‘New Moon’ soundtrack hails Deathcab for Cutie
‘New Moon’: Secrets from the Set
Exclusive pics from EW’s Taylor Launter-Kristen Stewart cover shoot
New Moon cast video interviews
EW’s Twilight HQ
Designers envision Bella’s wedding gown

Aug 27 2009 04:02 PM ET

'The Big Bang Theory': Facial hair for everyone!

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: Television

big-bang-jim-parsons_l Oh man, after watching Jim Parsons on Letterman last night, I was a-dying for some Big Bang Theory fun today. And my television prayers were answered! Check out these photos from the season premiere (Sept. 21, I am counting the days), and say it with me now: Beards!

Yes, it looks like the braintrust gives in to their inner Zach Galifianakises during their North Pole trip, though predictably, Sheldon’s beard is impeccably groomed but a tiny bit strange. (I think Parsons looks better clean-shaven, but I’m not much of a goatee person.) There’s a group shot after the jump, and no, I won’t spoil anything about the plot other than scruffiness: READ FULL STORY »

Aug 27 2009 03:48 PM ET

Tim Gunn: Flip-flopper?

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Project Runway

In an interview today with Reuters, the always-impeccable Tim Gunn takes on many topics. And don’t we all love to get as many pearls from the mouth of la Gunn as we can?

Among the highlights: His lack of input in the Project Runway judges’ final decisions (“I know nothing about who wins and who loses until I hear it coming out of Heidi’s mouth,” he says. “It’s all I can do to bite my tongue and keep from running up there and saying ‘wait a minute!”), and losing his temper with season-five contestent Kenley (“In the course of 29 years of teaching, you develop a lot of resources to deal with students you’d like to smack.”).

But the most intriguing tidbit, perhaps? READ FULL STORY »

Aug 27 2009 03:45 PM ET

Fall TV: Your most eagerly awaited return?

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Bones, Television, Waiting

bones-deschanel-boreanaz_l Two days ago, a colleague loaned me the screener of Bones‘ Sept. 17 season 5 premiere she’d been sent. (I got to keep the striped socks that came with it.) I procrastinated going home that night because I was obviously going to watch it, and if I didn’t like how it dealt with last season’s frustrating finale, there would be no way that the show could ever regain its status as my favorite from Burn Notice. And I wasn’t ready to deal with that possibility. Literally, I had to emotionally prepare to press play. As I finally slid the DVD into my laptop — which seemed a more fitting battleground than my flatscreen for this very personal war — I sighed “Let’s do it” aloud. Presumably, the “us” I was psyching up/putting on alert was myself and my sanity.

It’s at that moment that I realized Bones’ is the return I am most eagerly awaiting. (You won’t get spoilers from me — that’s what Ausiello’s for — but I will say that the premiere quickly explains the season 4 ender and is satisfying enough that I’m looking forward to recapping the show again on PopWatch.)

Which returning show’s premiere are you that invested in, and why? Embarrassing anecdotes about how you handled its season finale and anticipate behaving during its season premiere welcome and encouraged. We’re all friends here.

Photo Credit: Brian Bowen Smith/Fox

Aug 27 2009 03:38 PM ET

EW Picks: today's best in pop culture

by EW staff

Categories: Misc.

Movies DVD: Rudo Y Cursi
As sibling soccer players on rival teams, Y Tu Mama Tambien co-stars Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal are a kick in this Spanish-language sports comedy. Read the EW review

TV Marked series premiere (History Channel, 9 p.m. EDT)
History Channel’s take on the tattoo genre looks at how the body art has indicated extreme dedication or passion to a code, family, or set of ideals or principles for decades. How’d flame-covered roses and naked ladies become the tattoo du jour? Find out.

Music Time Flies When You’re Having Fun, Smokey Robinson
Time has flown so fast for the masterful Motown singer-songwriter that he’s just reached the 50th anniversary of his first national hit (the Miracles’ “Bad Girl”). Smokey celebrates on this reflective album, including a cover of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why.” Read a recent EW Q&A with Smokey Robinson

Books The Longshot, Katie Kitamura
Kitamura delivers a KO with her debut novel about a mixed martial artist aching for a comeback. Read our review of ‘The Longshot’

Tech Gear: Steering Wheel for iPhones
We thought this steering wheel was a joke when images of it made the rounds a few weeks ago, but unlike wizards and true love, it turns out that this is real! Driving games on your iPhone or iPod Touch take on a new level of vroom-vroom reality with this adapter. Buckle up! Buy it

Click here for more of this week’s picks, or check out an overview of more TV, movies, music and more debuting this week.

Aug 27 2009 03:14 PM ET

'America's Got Talent' recap: We have our Top 20!

by Henning Fog

Categories: America's Got Talent

I realize that I tend to do a lot of measuring in these recaps. “It’s been four/five/10 weeks since…” or “the number of Hoffisms emitted tonight…” or “300 mediocre performances later…”. All just ways that I mark time, attempting to keep myself sane on this deserted reality island we call America’s Got Talent. It’s just me and Wilson here, eating crab meat and learning to survi…hold up. Do you see that?! Out there, on the horizon!? Could it — are we being rescued?!?

Guys, the Top 20 has (finally) been selected!

Add to the roster ErIam, Drew Stevyns, Recycled Percussion, Barbara Padilla, and Erik and Rickie, all of whom emerged victorious from the last night of quarterfinal results. There were some curveballs thrown and some “shocking twists”, but barring one or two questionable nods, we got the five acts we expected. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 27 2009 02:43 PM ET

'Dollhouse': TV show, or repository for geek-hall-of-fame actors?

by Marc Bernardin

Categories: Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Dollhouse, I'm Just a Geek, Ninjas, Sci-Fi, Television

glau-whedon_l With the news today that Summer Glau — of the late Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles — will be joining Dollhouse for a few episodes, and once more going to work for Joss Whedon (who first cast her in an episode of Angel before making her the damaged heart of Firefly), something has become clear: Dollhouse is a nerd-actor oasis.

Glau will be joining Battlestar Galactica veterans Jamie Bamber and Michael Hogan, as well as Buffy/Angel alum Alexis Denisof and Dexter‘s Keith Carradine — all of whom have signed on for the second season of Dollhouse. Which begs a question: Who else should book an appointment in the Dollhouse? I mean, if we’re gonna go this route, and stud the show with all these recognizable sci-fi faces, who would you like to see? (I’ve got my fingers crossed for Buck Rogers’ Erin Gray.)

PHOTO CREDIT: Albert L. Ortega/ PR Photos (2)

More ‘Dollhouse:
‘Dollhouse’ debut gets decent ratings
Joss and Eliza dish ‘Dollhouse’ season 2
Inside Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’

Aug 27 2009 02:30 PM ET

Does Apple secretly want us to buy PCs?

by Annie Barrett

Categories: 100% Pure Cheese, Advertising, Food and Drink, Tech

I already like John Hodgman more than I like Justin Long, but the addition of Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld‘s David Puddy and Family Guy‘s Joe Swanson, among others) to the PC side in Apple’s latest commercial (embedded below) majorly tips the scale. It’s not like I’m about to buy a PC — as one of Apple’s most loyal customers, I possess the rare ability to see the iPhone 3GI — but I’d definitely rather hang out with the “PC personified” crowd right this second. It’s not just the commercial that has me all hot and bothered — I’ve also spent the better part of an hour listening to Warburton’s oral descriptions of specialty burgers and cheeses at the Cheese & Burger Society’s website. If PCs start coming equipped with Warburton’s lusty food descriptions as their startup tones, Apple could be gone for good.