Archive: October 2009 (201-210 of 472)

Oct 19 2009 05:54 PM ET

Clip du jour: 'Pencil Face'

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Categories: Clip du Jour, The Bad Man Scares Me!, Viral Video!!!

The short film “Pencil Face” has been around for a little while (including a showing at Sundance last January), but it was new to me. New and creepy as hell.

Luckily muttering “WTF” is a renewable resource, because that’s what I’ve been doing, oh, all day. Congrats, “Pencil Face”! Sometimes I think I can’t be surprised anymore, and then, miraculously, something wonderful and strange and new goes ahead and does it.

PopWatchers, I’ve watched this a few times now and it just keeps getting creepier and more interesting. But it’s definitely going to haunt my nightmares. How about yours?

Oct 19 2009 04:53 PM ET

Dubai polar bear: Best 'Amazing Race' clue keeper ever?

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Categories: Animals, Awwwwww So Cuuuuuute, Television, The Amazing Race

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One of the upsides to Amazing Race challenges being super-lame lately is that the dramatic pans from the challenge to the “silent local character holding the next clue” have seemed much more hilarious than usual. I can’t stop thinking about the native-to-Dubai polar bear who had to wait around during the Find/Build a Snowman Detour on last night’s show. His startled expression contrasted so beautifully with his immobility and Mt. Tedium’s near-total lack of suspense. Look at his baby blue scarf! Does anyone else have almost too-fond memories of this guy? Or which other international oddities have made an impression on you during Amazing Race? I smell a Colorful Local Characters EW.com photo gallery! (Not really.)

Read more: Josh Wolk’s ‘Amazing Race’ recap: Dubai Bye Bye

Oct 19 2009 04:19 PM ET

'Black Lightning' trailer: A boy and his car fight Russian crime

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Categories: I'm Just a Geek, Movie Trailers, Movies, Ninjas, Sci-Fi, Transformers

When I first saw the phrase “Timur Bekmambetov’s Black Lightning,” I wondered to myself, “Did I miss the announcement that the director of Wanted was taking on one of DC Comics’ most prominent African-American superheroes?” And then I watched the trailer. Now, while my Russian is a little rusty — what little I know, I gleaned from Chris Claremont’s X-Men comics and The Hunt for Red October — I’m pretty sure I don’t see any black people here:

What I do see is a boy and his super-powered car righting wrongs and getting chicks. Kind of like Herbie the Love Bug meets Christine, with a wee bit of Transformers. A little research also reveals that Black Lightning isn’t directed by Bekmambetov; rather he’s only producing. But it looks like fun, in a Speed Racer kind of way. (I’ll get into my love for Speed Racer another time.)

What do you think? Worth enduring the painful dubbing job to check out?

Oct 19 2009 03:30 PM ET

Who needs 'Saw VI' or 'Paranormal Activity' when Boost Mobile keeps running the 'pigs eating ham' ad?

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Categories: Advertising, Animals, Horrifying But Hypnotic, Horror

“Enjoying the flavors of a fallen friend”? That’s like biting the inside of your mouth during lunch and deciding your own blood is the new must-have sandwich spread! I know, I know, this Boost Mobile ad isn’t new, but it seems to be making an airplay resurgence the last week or two on network TV — and in my waking nightmares. How do you feel about these verrrry realistic oinkers chowing down on one of their own? Vote in our poll below!


Oct 19 2009 02:34 PM ET

'Mad Men': Is Miss Farrell crazy?

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Categories: Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Is Miss Farrell on Mad Men nuts/about to go nuts? Let’s examine the evidence. (SPOILER ALERT: This post contains stuff from last night’s episode.)

YES, SHE IS CRAZY
She sometimes looks crazy Look how buttoned up and proper everyone else is as this maypole event. And look at the barefoot Miss Farrell:

She jogs – Uuuugh, exercise. Only for the loonybirds. (Kidding! Exercising’s the best! That’s why people who are exercising always look so happy!)
She has the crazy eyes — She really, really does. The way she looks at Don is just one notch below the zombie-sex-mutant eyes on True Blood.
She doesn’t notice when stickers are on her face — I’m not a doctor, but I believe face numbness is a sure sign of the crazies.
That scene on the train — Lady, just ask Betty: Anyone who thinks Don Draper is “with [them]” has another thing comin’. Also, stalkery.

HUSH, SHE’S THE ONLY SANE ONE IN THAT NUTTY WORLD
She has curly hair — Represent!
She thinks people want to eat date bread — Wait, sorry, that goes in the other column….
She seemed so nice in that parent/teacher conference — She’s one of the few characters on this show to display empathy and warmth. I want her to meet Bert Cooper.

Okay, I’m a bit biased, PopWatchers: Miss Farrell and her drunk-dialing have screamed bad idea jeans to me since the get-go. (My kingdom for the return of Rachel Menken!) What do you think? Are you hot for teacher, or is Miss Farrell aboard the crazy train?

Oct 19 2009 02:05 PM ET

'V' gets cloudy promotion

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Categories: Advertising, Sci-Fi

ABC is taking to the skies to hype its upcoming alien invasion series V: Skywriting! It’s true. ABC will be clouding blue skies with big ole Vs to generate buzz for the series and confuse fans of True Blood. It’s a fine way to promote something, especially if you subscribe to the belief “If it’s good enough for Tori and Dean, it’s good enough for [my product].” I can only assume this was the first draft of the skywriting pitch (I watch Mad Men, I know how “pitches” work):

Skywriting_lI guess it makes sense then that they settled on just “V,” especially because ABC has impressively nabbed the first Google hit for the 22nd letter — which had been V for Vendetta for ages. Luckily there are no constants edging it out, unlike for C (speed of light) or K (Boltzmann constant).

Anyway, this raises the (inevitable?) question: What are the greatest moments in skywriting pop history? “Surrender Dorothy” has to take top honors, but I’d put Big Fish‘s swoon-worthy writing next, followed by Celebrity, and then by the Simpsons episode “I’m with Cupid.”

Are there clouds in your coffee, PopWatchers? What great moments in skywriting did I leave off my list?

Oct 19 2009 12:43 PM ET

Whitney Houston wardrobe malfunction: Yikes, she really didn't need that...

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Categories: British Things, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Music, Ooops!, Reality TV, Things That Are Classy

Whitney Houston suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction on Sunday night’s most-watched episode ever of British talent competition X-Factor when the strap on the back of her dress popped open (about 2:20 in the video below) midway through her performance. At first she seems genuinely surprised and even gives an embarrassing shrug. But it’s at about 2:30 in the clip that rage rears its head — likely the moment her stylist packed up and quietly left the building rather than wait backstage for the imminent beatdown that surely awaited (notice the “Who will answer for this?!” glance around the stage at the end). If the stylist is still alive and well today, it’s only because Ms. Houston hadn’t also tripped over the long train on that gown, but I’d venture a guess that his or her days of working for Whitney are Oh-Oh-Ooooh-Oh-ver.

Oct 19 2009 09:42 AM ET

The 'Storm Chasers' give us their Top 5 closest calls

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Categories: Reality TV

In my mind you would have to be either totally crazy, Bill Paxton, or both in order to drive head-on towards an incoming tornado. But Reed Timmer and Chris Chittick do it all the time and, what’s more, they do it on television. As part of Team TVN on the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers, these two riders on the storm put themselves in harm’s way daily, all for the sake of scientific research, adrenaline and good TV. So in honor of the premiere of their third season Sunday night, we asked them to give us their Top 5 list of scariest, close-call, “Oh-my-God-I-think-I’m-gonna-die!”  moments. So batten down the hatches and get the kids into the cellar, we’re in for some nasty weather. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 19 2009 08:00 AM ET

'Brothers & Sisters' recap: Chemo distractions with Sarah's French fling

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Categories: Brothers & Sisters, Television, TV Recap

brothers-sisters_lWho else just researched prices of plane tickets to France? Wow, Sarah sure did get her groove back en Francais. She was on a work trip to visit vineyards, but got sidetracked in the best possible way.

Sarah didn’t even come home bragging about her holiday romance, instead acting like a caring, rock-like support system for Kitty. As Kitty readied for her first chemotherapy session, she had family members fighting over the chance to be her “chemo buddy” (led by Nora and Robert). But she wisely wanted to reconnect with Sarah and took her along to the first appointment. As Kitty’s treatment started to become uncomfortable, she asked Sarah to tell her a story, a good story. And boy did she deliver.

We flashback to Sarah’s time in France — sunflower fields, sunshine, and Sarah’s lost en route to a vineyard. She stops at a house, where a swarthy, handsome painter (Gilles Marini) opens the door. He cutely toys with her pretending not to understand her high-school French, but then reveals that he speaks English. He’s good at analyzing people (telling Sarah she’s slow to trust), and even better at setting the mood with the world’s most romantic picnic. No wonder Sarah READ FULL STORY »

Oct 19 2009 12:03 AM ET

'Réalité' (in five parts): Tears on 'SYTYCD'; bad 'Bachelor' picks on 'DWTS'; blasphemy on 'Top Model'; Nina Garcia on 'Runway'; brilliance on 'Top Chef'

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Categories: America's Next Top Model, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, Réalité, Reality TV, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef

The last week of reality television can be boiled down to five simple mathematical equations:

So You Think You Can Dance – Mia Michaels + Paula? x married contenders + Billy Bell solo = Tears
Dancing With the Stars + Bachelor Jake x Van Amstel eyelashes = Pure Unadulterated Horror
America’s Next Top Model + “official exit theme” x “honking for God” = Express Ticket to Hell
Project Runway – Cher-style headdresses + diamond-encrusted crotches + white lace = Still not enough Nina Garcia
Top Chef + Jennifer, Kevin, and the brothers x “cat food” = Epic Win

Of course, for a less succinct, but (hopefully? possibly?) more kicky take on all of the above shows, check out an all-new episode of Réalité, embedded below — Parts 2-5 stream automatically when you’re done with Part 1. (If you have problems viewing the EW video player on the PopWatch page, you can try viewing Réalité at our Fall TV video hub). And if you want to suggest more reality shows for us to cover, holla at me (thoughtfully, please) on Twitter. I can be followed @EWMichaelSlezak.

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