Archive: September 2009 (351-360 of 437)

Sep 5 2009 05:36 PM ET

'Melrose Place' apartments: A complex complex

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Categories: Fall TV, Melrose Place

Have we got a great apartment deal for you, PopWatchers. There is a vacancy at 4616 Melrose Place. Or at least there is in this cooler-than-your-average-promotional website from the CW touting Melrose Place Apartments. The “real estate site” comes complete with cheesy real estate broker who proclaims, “I don’t just aim to lease, I aim to please!” (You can follow him on Twitter — @kingofmelrose). The unit up for grabs features eclectic, Pottery Barn-esque accents, a retro refrigerator, and a claw-foot bathtub. And, of course, use of the infamous courtyard, pool and fire-pit BBQ. But the neighbors might be a problem — the rental application warns the complex might occasionally get loud with “cries of passion, gunshots, explosions, screams, hauntings and catfights.” Sounds like the steamiest address in L.A. outside of Heidi and Spencer’s bedroom.

What about you, PopWatchers, would this panoramic tour convince you move into Melrose? Will you be watching on Tuesday?

Sep 5 2009 04:27 PM ET

'All About Steve': I Saw It, So You Don't Have To!

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Categories: I Saw It, So You Don't Have To!, Movies

If there was ever anyone built to tolerate the romantic “comedy” All About Steve, it was me (EW critic Lisa Schwarzbaum also saw it — and gave it a D-). I am, after all, the person who ordered Renée Zellweger’s New in Town off pay-per-view having full knowledge of the reviews. I’m also someone who once seriously considered roadtripping back to Niagara Falls to track down the nice, handsome tour guide I’d had at a winery. But even I can’t get behind this Sandra Bullock flick. (And thank god, have you seen what Best Week Ever did to the one movie critic who enjoyed it?)

So Bullock plays Mary, the crossword constructor for The Sacramento Herald. She works, she wears red boots, she thinks crosswords are the most fun you can have without passing out. (Literally, she says that.) She also lives with her parents, who set her up on a blind date with their friends’ son, news cameraman Steve (Bradley Cooper). Mary attacks him immediately, and Steve is all for it until he realizes that she will not stop talking and that he will have to listen to lines like, “Now, I’m going to eat you like a mountain lion.” He fakes a phone call, tells her there’s breaking news, and that he must hit the road. To be nice, he adds that he wishes she could come along, because he knows that she can’t — she has a job. That is, until she does an entire crossword puzzle titled All About Steve (the color of Steve’s eyes, what Steve smells like, etc.) and no one at the paper manages to catch it before it goes to press. She’s fired, but after an almost funny tub scene in which she sinks lower and lower in the water, she realizes it’s a sign — she’s now free to be with Steve! To the bus station we go! READ FULL STORY »

Sep 5 2009 02:26 PM ET

'American Idol': Simon Cowell misses Paula Abdul. Will you?

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Categories: American Idol, Reality TV, Television

cowell-abdul_lSimon Cowell has broken his silence on the departure of Paula Abdul from American Idol‘s judges table, telling Extra, “I miss her, of course I miss her,” and that the chemistry between he, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi is “different… It’s like comparing a carrot to a banana.” If we had to guess, the threesome would be the hard carrot, and the banana would be the foursome with notoriously soft Paula in the center.

When Abdul’s exit was first announced, EW’s Idol expert Michael Slezak asked readers how it would affect their relationship with the show: 51 percent said they’d be less inclined to watch next season; 42 percent said it would make no difference to them; and six percent said they’d be more inclined to tune in. How will those results differ now that we know guest judges on Idol will include Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Victoria Beckham, and Avril Lavigne? Let’s find out.

More Idol:
Exclusive: Neil Patrick Harris on judging American Idol and bringing So You Think You Can Dance to the Emmys
Micheal Slezak takes Idolatry on the road with the American Idol tour
Latest American Idol news on our Hollywood Insider blog

Photo Credit: Cowell: Steve Finn/Capital Pictures/Retna Ltd; Abdul: Sara De Boer/Retna Ltd.

Sep 4 2009 07:41 PM ET

'Big Brother 11': Jeff is served up piping hot, with only a dash of bitter

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Categories: Big Brother

Was it the way he cuddled up next to Jordan? Or how he joked about her popping a boob? Or when he teased a drunken Lydia by quipping, “Take it easy, Mrs. Roper, you look real classy”? No matter how or when it started, my astute colleague Ken Tucker was right when he said Jeff Schroeder — the 31-year-old advertising salesman from Norridge, Ill. — gave us nonstop pleasure in the Big Brother house this summer. Here, Schroeder reflects on his decision to forgo an early alliance with Jessie, his faux-fight with Russell, and the momentary panic he felt when he first saw the phrase “coup d’etat” written on a card.

Sep 4 2009 07:24 PM ET

Celebrities vs. Gossip Columnists: Reality TV heaven?

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Categories: Celebrity Hobbies, Ripped From the Headlines!, This Could Be Interesting...

HEY GEORGE CLOONEY,

YOU ARE FAT

AND SUCK AT BASKETBALL

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE REMOVED YOUR SHIRT!

What? Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just trying a new celebrity crush-baiting technique I learned from Annette Sharp, the gossip columnist for Australia’s Daily Telegraph: After publishing a column snarking on Russell Crowe for a bicycle workout including cigarettes and a taco break (wait, is that wrong?), she suddenly found herself contacted by the star’s publicist and challenged to pistols at dawn in the form of a 20km bike ride. Her newsroom wisely videotaped much of the proceedings — in which Crowe glides smoothly through the streets of Sydney, and Sharp huffs sweatily in his wake – although they somehow missed getting footage of their coworker taking a header off said bike and into the mud. Undocumented as it may be, methinks that moment will likely live on in Russell’s memory for a long, long time.

Anyway, in addition my desire to go one-on-one with Clooney (if you know what I mean), this little story makes me think how great it would be if every time a celebrity felt wronged by the media, said celebrity decided to take out the grievance in a sporting arena. Horrifically untalented film director Uwe Boll already does this, challenging critics (and fellow directors) to boxing matches. But what if more celebs took up the charge? This could be like Battle of the Network Stars meets American Gladiators, with a side order of TMZ TV. Lindsay Lohan challenges paparazzi to a bar crawl! Kanye West goes best two out of three with anyone who didn’t think his last record was an A++! (SQUID BRAINS!!) Ryan Seacrest could host, because he is Switzerland. I smell a hit, PopWatchers!!

What celebs would you like to bait into a physical challenge? What columnists are asking for a smackdown? And would you watch this stuff if it was televised?

Sep 4 2009 07:16 PM ET

Which seldom-seen celebrity could make you tune into Leno?

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Categories: Television

jay-leno-show_lFor those of us dreading Leno’s return to NBC — and indeed, we exist — it is difficult to imagine what could turn our attention to his 10 p.m. whatever-it-is-going-to-be show. Promos seem to indicate he’ll spend a lot of time talking about cars, showing off his cars, and making other people race cars. Given that the last thing I want to think about in this economy is the nearly eradicated American auto industry, “enticing” is not the word I’d use for this theme.

Still, certain names do pique the interest, perhaps none more so than Pee-Wee Herman, a.k.a. Paul Reubens, who will join Jay on Sept 22. The erstwhile children’s television star will likely be there to discuss his role in Life During Wartime — Todd Solondz’s sequel to his own Happiness, making the film festival rounds this fall — as well as the return of his stage show in L.A. come November. Since all but vanishing after some nasty to-do’s a couple years back, it should be interesting to see how triumphant a career resurrection Reubens can stage, and this is clearly a step in that process. Interesting enough to make me put up with Leno? Eh. That remains to be seen.

What about you, PopWatchers? What wacky/seldom-seen/interesting guest could get you to tune into Leno, if you, like me, remain skeptical that he should be eating up any more of our valuable airtime?

Photo Credit: Leno: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC; Reubens: Scott Alan/PR Photos

Sep 4 2009 06:54 PM ET

'Dancing With the Stars' Health Watch: Everyone's still standing!

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Categories: Dancing With the Stars, PopWatch Dance Party, Reality TV

DWTS-donny-osmond_lThe 16 contestants for Dancing With the Stars‘ ninth season have all survived their first two weeks of rehearsal (despite this photo of Donny Osmond on the ground and Mark Dacascos’ much-publicized bruised sole). The celebs, who had various start dates from August 17 through August 21, were given training guidelines for the first time in the show’s history. Why? “When they do the show in the UK, people take it much more like it’s a bit of fun, but Americans are so competitive,” exec producer Conrad Green told us when the cast was first announced. “Everyone comes into it, ‘Oh, this is a bit of fun, it’s a bit of fun… Ohmygosh, look at his quickstep, it’s incredible! I’ve got to do better!’ We do spend most of our time encouraging people to just relax a little.”

After injuries hit an all-time high last season, producers consulted experts who recommended training limitations for the first two weeks of rehearsal to give the contestants’ bodies time to adjust. They were only allowed to train five hours a day, and they couldn’t go for longer than two hours without a half hour break. They also had to take at least one day entirely off each week. “Once the first two weeks are out of the way, there should be sufficient muscle development and muscle memory to help cope with the trauma of training,” Green said. Which means: Game on! The contestants are now on their own. It would probably be crass to do a poll asking who you think will train to the point of serious injury first… so we’ll just suggest you answer the question in the comments section. (Stay healthy, Donny. And remember: You can actually dance. Don’t sell yourself short and go for an “entertaining” number.)

Photo Credit: Jana Cruder/ABC

Sep 4 2009 06:51 PM ET

This Week in Unexpected Sequels: 'Boondock Saints 2'

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Categories: Movie Trailers, Movies

The Boondock Saints was a late-’90s cocktail of Hong Kong mega-violence, fratty blue-collar Boston pride, and steroidal Catholicism. In the film, two brothers (one played by Young Indy himself, Sean Patrick Flanery) received a message from God to clean up Beantown’s criminal underworld. Slow-mo violence ensued, as the gun-toting brothers went all Charles Bronson on the Russian and Italian mobs (that’s multi-tasking!) The film had a very tiny limited theatrical release and disappeared beneath scathing reviews, but as so often happens with weird and wonderful blood-drenched action movies, a cult following developed. Ten years later, we have a sequel:

Like every guy who went to college this decade, I watched Boondock Saints about 50 times while hanging out in friends’ dorm rooms. I didn’t like it as much as some people. As a New Yorker, I hate Boston; and as a Catholic, I hate Catholics. But there was something enjoyable and, dare I say it, charming about the movie’s heightened mock-grandiosity. And it helped that the original Boondock had Willem Dafoe in a supporting role as a cross-dressing, riverdancing FBI agent. There is no Dafoe in the sequel, but we still have Billy Connolly as the Saints’ daddy.

Count me as cautiously excited for the Oct. 30 release; any film that has Judd Nelson as a Big Bad gets bonus points. What do you think, PopWatchers? Does the world feel a bit less empty now that The Boondock Saints is a franchise?

Sep 4 2009 04:31 PM ET

Crazy s-- Megan Fox has said: Starring Michael Bay as Hitler!

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Categories: Everyone's a Critic, Hollywood, Things That Are Classy, To Care or Not to Care

megan-fox-says_lAnother day, another batch of ka-ka-karazy comments courtesy of Megan Fox. Seems like just yesterday that the starlet with an incurable case of verbal incontinence was dissing Scarlett Johansson. Well, on the eve of the release of her latest flick, Jennifer’s Body, she’s at it again. And once more, her target is her Transformers director Michael Bay. In an interview with Wonderland magazine, the screen vixen said:

“God, I really wish I could go loose on this one. He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant. Shia and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do.”

You get all that?

Yes, readers, the 23-year-old actress openly compared Michael Bay to the very definition of evil. Yep, she trash-talked the same person who helped make her career — the one she now seems hell-bent on squandering with her nonsensical rants. (Whatever you think of Bay and/or his movies, it’s a pretty ungracious move.) Obviously, Fox knows that spewing this kind of sensationalistic crap to reporters will get her lots of press. (Guilty as charged.) But really, can’t someone sit the woman down and explain just how viciously unforgiving Hollywood can be, especially for youngsters who’ve yet to prove they can do more than show cleavage and shoot at angry robots?

Even for Fox, this latest brain fart — because let’s be honest: nasty though it may be, it makes no sense — is pretty bone-headed. For comparison’s sake, let’s look at some of her previous journeys into ridiculata: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 4 2009 03:52 PM ET

Ken Tucker's Write Your Own 'True Blood' Episode contest continues...

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Categories: Skarsgard Your Loins, Television, True Blood

Jason-Eric-Trueblood_lBecause there’s no new episode of True Blood Sunday night, EW’s Ken Tucker is holding a contest on his Watching TV blog for the best fan-scripted episode. You don’t actually have to write a script, just a short outline detailing what you think should happen next. You’ve got until Sunday at 9 a.m. EST, at which point Ken will begin judging the entries for winners in categories such as: The Best Written, The Funniest, The Craziest, and maybe The Sexiest. (“But keep the language clean, you sly filthy fangsters.”)

Were I eligible to enter, my top priority would be teaming up Jason (Ryan Kwanten) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard). As we saw in the “Timebomb” episode, Eric can be amused by Jason’s childlike demeanor (“Good boy, run along”) and appreciate his militant nature (“Kill him! Kill the motherf–er!”). Plus, they could wear matching, menacing black tanks.

After perusing the early entries, I’ve noticed a few trends…

Photo Credit: John P. Johnson/HBO

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