Archive: September 2009 (231-240 of 437)

Sep 15 2009 05:28 PM ET

Nick Hornby and Ben Folds immortalize Levi Johnston in song

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Filed under: To Care or Not to Care and tagged: , , , , , , ,

How long has it been since Obama won the presidency? Let’s see…one, two, three…a total of ten months, folks. So how in the world has Bristol Palin’s ex, Levi Johnston, maintained his relevance? Not only has Johnston been scrutinized in several media outlets, but now he’s also well on his way to becoming an official pop culture icon: The Alaskan dude fielded offers from Playgirl, attended the Teen Choice Awards with comedienne Kathy Griffin, and now, has become the subject of a song written by novelist Nick Hornby and musician Ben Folds, embedded below. (Some sample lyrics: “Woke up this morning/what do I see?/3,000 cameras pointing at me/Dude says, ‘You Levi?’/I’m like, ‘Yes, that’s me, sir.’/'Well you just knocked up the VP nominee’s daughter.’”)

It’s actually quite a good song, outlining the troubles of a good-ol’ boy suddenly forced into notoriety, but it’s just more proof that people are fascinated by the boy known as “Sex on Skates.” And I’m officially joining the club: For whatever reason, I’m happy to get a weekly, nay daily, dose of Levi, even if that dose comes with an unfortunate, unavoidable heaping of Sarah Palin. Are you guys in support of Levi as a pop culture icon? Or do you just wish he would stay out of your RSS feeds?

Sep 15 2009 05:09 PM ET

'Jennifer's Body' featurette: Are you sucked in yet?

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Tired of Megan Fox yet? Well, too bad: Promos for the actress’ Sept. 18 dark comedy, Jennifer’s Body, just keep on rolling in. This time, Fox (the studio, not the actress) has released a featurette that boasts commentary from the film’s stars, as well as director Karyn Kusama and screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Of course, the featurette doesn’t offer much that we haven’t seen in the film’s other 748,925 promos. But still, are you pumped for the film? Or have you seen enough of Fox’s body to last you a few months?

Sep 15 2009 04:46 PM ET

Your say: Leno's question about Kanye's mom was fair

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Made Us ThinkWelcome to the first in a series of posts in which we highlight a particularly pithy reader comment from the previous day’s news. Today’s message-board MVP comes from Rob Brunner’s Music Mix post about Kanye West’s mea culpa appearance on The Jay Leno Show. Rob asked, “Did Jay go too far?” last night when he asked Kanye what his recently deceased mother would think of his actions:

“I think the question was appropriate. Listen to the tones in Jay’s voice as he questions Kanye. Professional, yet not [confrontational] in delivery, authentic compassion in voice. I’m a professional therapist, trained in listening for subtleties. It was as if Jay became a voice for consciousness. Goosebump moment, and a star for good journalism! Bravo, Jay! (And bravo, too, Kanye for taking the consequences of your actions publicly. Who among us hasn’t made mistakes?)” –LoveVioletFlame

LoveVioletFlame’s post made us think. What about you? Discuss in the comments below.

Sep 15 2009 04:30 PM ET

'The Jay Leno Show,' night 2: You in?

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Filed under: American Idol, Television and tagged: , , , ,

leno_premiere_ewmagTyra Banks would like to weigh in on The Jay Leno Show‘s series debut! In her immortal words… “Jay Leno: Here is your best. Shot.”

It’s tough to predict how much of Leno’s massive, 18 million-viewer audience will return tonight — and for the rest of the week. We’ll never know how many of those people wanted to see Kanye West’s interview. Or how many were just curious about the program some (but not Leno himself) were calling “The Future of Television”…or, for that matter, how many had dozed off on the floor after a few too many burgers ‘n’ beers during America’s Got Talent. Tonight’s episode could be the real test.

Are you in for round 2 of Leno? And which moment stood out for you during the premiere? I’m personally hoping Jay will make the awkward-presidential-handshake routine a nightly thing. There was some major Idol-esque Swaybot action going on for a few seconds there, and the subsequent shot of the masses turning away from him to shuffle back to their seats was sort of hilarious and bizarre. Jay holding up the Seinfeld reunion issue of Entertainment Weekly (pictured) was a close second, though.

Sep 15 2009 04:08 PM ET

Patrick Swayze: The PopWatch YouTube appreciation

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Filed under: Movies, News and tagged: ,

Just because we all knew that his death was imminent, it didn’t make it any less painful when Patrick Swayze finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday at age 57. Today, you’ll no doubt read a slew of tributes to the tough-but-tender Texan’s 30-year career, ticking off his steely star turn in 1983′s The Outsiders, the smoldering, Astaire-like grace he wielded on the dance floor in 1987′s Dirty Dancing, and the heart-breaking longing from beyond that he brought to 1990′s Ghost. And don’t get me wrong, those are all great films. Any actor would love to have just one film resonate in the culture like any of those did. But to me his career was always more interesting than that trio of hit films suggested. If you dig a little deeper and look beyond the obvious, you’ll find several more indelible moments (sometimes serious, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes deliciously cheesy) that helped Swayze forge a significant and singular career over the past 30 years. Because if there’s anything we learned from a certain fiery Catskills dance instructor who could be both balletic and bareknuckle, it was this: You don’t put anyone in a corner.

Here’s a video tribute to some of our favorite Swayze moments:

In 1979, Swayze landed his first major film role in the unspectacular Skatetown, U.S.A. opposite a strange star-studded cast that included Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Billy Barty, Marcia from The Brady Bunch, and Welcome Back, Kotter‘s Horshack. Looking way younger than his 27 years, Swayze delighted in the chance to show off his dance moves long before Dirty Dancing in this roller-disco number.

READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2009 04:06 PM ET

Zachary Levi blasphemes while accepting his EWwy for 'Chuck'! (Okay, not really.)

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Filed under: Chuck and tagged: , ,

The results of the second annual EWwy Awards are in, and I’m pleased to inform you that Chuck‘s Zachary Levi — tragically snubbed by Emmy, as were all the EWwy nominees — was a handy winner in the race for Best Leading Actor in a Comedy.  We caught up with the dashing super-spy while he took a break from shooting the third season of his NBC cult favorite, so press play below to watch him do goofy things with his coveted Golden Ewe. When you’re done, be sure to click here to see Levi accept Chuck’s Best Comedy Series trophy and offer season 3 scoop, then check out a gallery of all of the 2009 EWwy winners!

Sep 15 2009 03:47 PM ET

Google's latest: Are you flipping for Fast Flip?

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google-newstand_lGoogle unveiled a new toy/product/interface today: Fast Flip, for when you want to surf the whoooole Internet all at once, but you cannot be bothered actually to read or absorb anything. Cool!

Fast Flip presents thumbnails of Google News items, sortable by category — politics, business — or topic — tennis, bankruptcy. The format rewards websites that have big, clear headlines and dominant photos; in this shrunken format, even display text can be tough to read.

Fast Flip isn’t customizable yet, but the smooth visual browsing is weirdly hypnotic. The thumbnail-filled front page is a bit busy, but click through on any story and then use the arrow buttons to “flip” from site to site. And…kiss your afternoon goodbye.

PopWatchers, I’m not sure what particular need this is meeting, but this is indeed cool. On a scale of “this is essential like oxygen” to “this is essential like tasty ice cream,” where does Fast Flip fall for you?

Sep 15 2009 03:30 PM ET

'Lost': Ian Somerhalder (Boone) en route to Hawaii!

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Filed under: Lost, News, Television, The Vampire Diaries and tagged: , , , ,

Ian-Somerhalder_l-1Ian Somerhalder phoned EW this morning to chat about his role as Damon on The CW hit The Vampire Diaries (look for his answers to reader questions on Thursday), but thanks to his apology for calling 25 minutes late due to the security at an airport in Atlanta, where the show films, being very, very thorough, we found out that he’s about to shoot Boone’s final-season return to ABC’s Lost. “I’m literally getting on a plane in 45 minutes to fly to Hawaii,” he said. “The only thing I can say is that I’m going back for several episodes….I have a script that weighs like 200 pounds, but I don’t really know what’s happening.”

Asked if he was psyched to return to Hawaii, he added, “I am, but you know what? I always have this romantic notion. Usually, when I would go back, I would have a week there, a great room at the Kahala, a convertible, a per diem, and what have you. And now, I wrapped [an episode of The Vampire Diaries] last night, I’ll fly there, I’ll work tomorrow, and then I’ll fly straight back and then come straight back to work on The Vampire Diaries. So it’s a 10-hour flight each way, and I’ll be on the ground for 24 hours….But I wouldn’t complain if you paid me.”

Photo credit: Wild1/PR Photos

Sep 15 2009 03:02 PM ET

Harry Potter theme park set for 2010: All aboard the Hogwarts Express!

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Flight-of-the-Hippogriff_lDetails are finally emerging about the long-awaited Harry Potter theme park: Universal Orlando hopes to open The Wizarding World of Harry Potter next spring. The park will include a Hogwarts Express train, lots of the shops from Hogsmeade, an owlery, and, of course, Hogwarts.

According to a press release, Ollivanders will be “an incredible interactive experience where the wand chooses the wizard” — how much does a good wand run these days? — and Zonko’s, Honeydukes, and Dervish and Banges will all sell Potterverse stuff like chocolate frogs, extendable ears, etc. The Three Broomsticks and Hog’s Head will “feature traditional British fare and drinks including Butterbeer and pumpkin juice,” because if there’s anything we know about children, it’s that they love traditional British fare. Ride-wise, there will be a “twin high-speed roller coaster” based on the Triwizard Tournament, a family coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff, and, within Hogwarts, “a thrilling new state-of-the-art attraction that uses entirely new technology to bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in ways never before experienced.”

Cool, right? I’m more of a rides person than a “hey, let’s buy stuff” person, but I can absolutely see this becoming a pilgrimage destination for Potter fans of all ages. (Hogwarts weddings, anyone?) Would you visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, PopWatchers, or can nothing ever top the Hogwarts in your head?

Sep 15 2009 02:36 PM ET

Comics and lingerie get it on, and it's not sexy...at all

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If there are two things that I love, it’s comic books and mostly nude women. So one would think that putting them together would be like bunnies and carrots (though, as the Buffy musical once asked, what do they need such good eyesight for, anyway?). But this borderline SFW promo for Agent Provocateur’s new superheroine-inspired lingerie line — and attendant comic book — defies logic:

Somehow, this manages to be insulting to comic readers and spectacularly unsexy at the same time. In a season of comic-book mergers — Disney and Marvel, Warner Bros. and DC — this is one I could’ve done without. Am I alone? Ladies, would you wear anything advertised here? On purpose?

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