Archive: August 2009 (81-90 of 386)

Aug 25 2009 12:20 PM ET

Elvis Costello: Happy 55th birthday!

Elvis Costello is 55 today. I’d sing “Happy Birthday” in his honor except (a) it’s been made abundantly clear that my vocalizing around the office is not appreciated and (b) I have no idea in what genre I should perform said tribute.

During his lengthy career the man born Declan Patrick MacManus has explored a raft of musical avenues, from his soul-infused 1979 album Get Happy!! to 1993′s The Juliet Letters, a collaboration with British classical outfit The Brodsky Quartet. One year, at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival, I even saw him perform a version of the George Michael hit “I Want Your Sex” accompanied only by something he described as “the Napoleon Dynamite beatbox.” (Okay, truthfully, my memories of that entire event are somewhat hazy. But I’m fairly sure that’s what happened.) However, my favorite live Costello memory is seeing him on the tour to support his still fabulous 1986 country-rock opus King of America, and I leave you with a clip of him performing title-ish track from that album (the song is actually called “Brilliant Mistake”), together with a smidge of Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue.”


Aug 25 2009 11:39 AM ET

'Rachel Zoe Project' premiere recap: I cry

rachel_zoe_diazOn last night’s season 2 premiere of The Rachel Zoe Project, it was a mad, catty dash to pull off head-to-toe styling for five A-list actresses for the 2009 Golden Globes. I could have lived without Taylor and Brad schlepping their desks to a more desired floor just to prove they’d not matured beyond the age of 7, not to mention the desperate-for-a-plot inanity of Rachel and Brad mercilessly ribbing Taylor for no longer being the best human clothes hanger in the studio (congrats, Jordan). But somehow, watching Debra Messing, Demi Moore, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, and Cameron Diaz stomp around that red carpet, miraculously not nude, made the rest of the show worth it! (Rachel and Rodger’s blatant Bing commercial notwithstanding.) READ FULL STORY »

Aug 25 2009 11:07 AM ET

'Bachelorette' rumors: Do you stay invested after the show stops airing?

the-bachelorette-finale_lWith all the interest in the steady stream of rumors about Ed Swiderski‘s alleged lack of commitment to Bachelorette Jillian Harris (we have NO idea if they’re true, so we’ll send you here to read about them), we’re curious as to how many viewers actually stay invested in the Bachelor/Bachelorette couples after their season ends. I watched every episode of Jillian’s “journey,” texted my sister updates throughout the finale because my eight-month-old niece refused to fall asleep that night, live-blogged the After the Final Rose special, and I couldn’t care less. Partly because I expect every couple to fail and partly because they’re off my TV, so they’re no longer entertainment. Michael Slezak, however, does care. About Ed and Jillian, anyway. “The weird thing is, I have never cared if the ‘couple’ makes it after the show…It’d be like caring what happens to my Diet Coke can after I toss it in the recycle bin! But somehow Ed and Jillian…I got sucked in, and while that is hella embarrassing, I am now stuck hoping that the rumors are false and they get their (insert vomiting sound here) fairytale ending!”

To care or not to care, that is the question…

Photo Credit: Mario Perez/ABC

Aug 25 2009 09:45 AM ET

Most Dangerous Celebrities in Cyberspace: Bad men last to hear about Robert Pattinson

Robert-Pattinson_lInternet security company McAfee has released its third annual report on the riskiest celebrities to search for on the web if you don’t want your results to include spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses or other malware. Jessica Biel tops the list: search for photos of her and you have a one in five chance of clicking on a site that could damage your computer. Which begs the question: Why are people still searching for Jessica Biel?

I think the bad men have totally lost touch: Ashley Tisdale (No. 9), Reese Witherspoon (No. 11), and Lindsay Lohan (No. 14) are more frequently targeted than Kristen Stewart (No. 20), Robert Pattinson (No. 30.), the Jonas Brothers (No. 23), Vanessa Hudgens (No. 17), Zac Efron (No. 21), and Taylor Swift (No. 16). I don’t want to tell them how to do their illegal jobs, but come on now.

The 15 Most Dangerous Celebrities in Cyberspace: READ FULL STORY »

Aug 25 2009 08:52 AM ET

Music tastes reveal, uh, tastes, says science

Categories: Music, News You Can Use

Music-study-fidelity_lA new study from the University of Cambridge has proved High Fidelity right: “What really matters is what you like, not what you are like,” says the study. I mean the movie. The study says “many of us use musical taste both as a means of expressing our own identity, and to form and refine our opinions about other people.” According to the study’s lead researcher, “Even though our assumptions may not be accurate, we get a very strong impression about someone when we ask them what music they like.” Thanks, science! A lifetime of making smalltalk and hitting on indie dudes has taught basically the same thing: Letting someone play DJ on your iPod is a weirdly revealing process.

I’m going to go out on a limb here (not really) and say the same kinds of assumptions probably hold true for TV shows: Seeing the contents of someone’s TiVo is akin to seeing the contents of their medicine cabinet. When I see a week’s worth of Jeopardy!s saved up on someone’s DVR, I know we’re going to be pals. A season pass for, I don’t know, Brooke Knows Best probably means we’re not destined for love.

Okay, PopWatchers, I know you’ve made snap judgments based on music taste: Are you usually on the money, or are you a lousy iPod psychic?

Aug 25 2009 08:39 AM ET

Alexander Skarsgard: Happy Birthday! (And thank you, Sweden!)

True-Alex-Skarsgard_lWe know we’re teetering on Alexander Skarsgard overload (or, maybe that’s just me, someone who watched two of his Swedish films on YouTube last weekend), but with only two episodes left in True Blood‘s second season, we have to find every semi-legitimate excuse to write about him now. So, suck it up! Today, Skarsgard turns 33. Since we’ve already covered his hotness, Eric’s hotness, and why Sookie is drawn to Eric’s hotness, we thought we’d celebrate by listing the things we’re grateful to Sweden for producing. (That torso goes without saying.) READ FULL STORY »

Aug 24 2009 11:59 PM ET

'Idolatry': Danny Gokey chooses a post-'American Idol' genre (with Bonus Rocker sighting!)

For those of you wondering if I scored any Danny Gokey scoop at the American Idols Live tour stop in Albany, NY last week — aside from our “why do you like me so much?” exchange — the answer is most indubitably “yes!” Danny says he’ll be sharing some good news with his fans before month’s end, and that despite the R&B-Latin-country spread of his current tour set, he’s settled on a genre for his debut disc. Press play below to find out which musical path he’s taking, whether or not he’s planning to write his own music, and what he explains are his “two ways of singing.” And keep your eyes peeled for Bonus Rocker and Bonus Giraud sightings!


Oh, and a few housekeeping notes. Keep checking back this week at PopWatch for additional interview footage starring Lil Rounds and ANOOOOOOOOP Desai! Sadly, no Allison or Adam interviews this time around -- I showed up during their day off from the promotional grind -- but would it help if I mentioned 'Noop Dogg is looking scruffily handsome in our exclusive interview? (Of course it would!)

More 'American Idol':
Kris Allen dishes his new CD, going country
Megan Joy: Still fighting for independence on the Idol tour
Matt Giraud's 'Idolatry' exit interview
Jason Castro discusses his debut album and his hot new single

Aug 24 2009 04:15 PM ET

Super Mario makes for super popular pop fodder

When I think of all the hours I’ve spent in the various Mario environs, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the volume of Mario-related videos out there. But when this well-executed Mario Kart video surfaced this week, it was clearly time to take some kind of Internet inventory:

Let’s warp! READ FULL STORY »

Aug 24 2009 03:54 PM ET

EW Picks: Today's best in pop culture

Categories: Misc.

Movies Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino brings his signature style to this WWII thriller about a group of Nazi-killing soldiers led by a Tennessee hillbilly (Brad Pitt). Watch our critics talk over Tarantino’s latest

TV Which Way Home documentary premiere (HBO, 9 p.m. EDT)
Director Rebecca Cammisa’s doc examines the plight of young migrants who risk life and limb riding freight trains across Mexico in the hope of crossing into the United States. The heartbreaking result puts a human face on one of our most enthusiastically tossed-around political footballs.

Music Mad Men: Music From the Series, Vol. 2, Various Artists
With Season 3 of the brilliant ’60s TV drama entering its second week, enjoy some appropriately vintage tunes from artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Brenda Lee, and Chubby Checker. Read more about ‘Mad Men’ on PopWatch

Books Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater, Frank Bruni
Foodies unite! And then pick up the New York Times restaurant critic’s memoir, in which he discusses his love of food and struggle with his weight.
Read our review of ‘Born Round’

Tech Game: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
We don’t usually expect hand-held games to be this cinematic, but Diabolical Box brings a sophisticated level of dreamy animation to this narrative puzzler sequel. What a treat.

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 24 2009 02:30 PM ET

Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' teaser...Wow!

Warner Bros. and Yahoo have just premiered the new teaser for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which is due Summer 2010. Not much is known about the thriller — Variety reports the film is “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.” (Okay, sure.) The teaser doesn’t offer many answers about plot, butit does feature some crazy-ass, gravity-defying fighting a la The Matrix, and that’s really all I need. That and Leo.

What do you think of the teaser, Pop Watchers? Are you psyched for Inception?

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