Archive: October 2009 (71-80 of 472)

Oct 27 2009 06:05 PM ET

Jonathan Jackson's 'General Hospital' return: Everything you hoped for?

On his first day back in Port Charles, Jonathan Jackson found himself squarely in the middle of all the drama, thanks to a love triangle and parental strife. The star’s return to his role as Lucky Spencer today probably gave some longtime fans comfort as they witnessed his easy rapport and familiarity with Rebecca Herbst, who plays Lucky’s childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth. Liz and Lucky are planning to remarry after a decade marked with betrayals, breakups, and longing. The big hiccup is that Liz is pining for Lucky’s half brother Nicholas.

But Jackson’s reprisal might also make some start looking at whether his chemistry works for these now-adult characters who, let’s remember, are supposed to be parents of two children. There’s no fighting it — Jackson brings an entirely different dynamic to the role than the previous (older) actor, Greg Vaughn, did. Today, Lucky is a police officer with a major ax to grind against his father — he’s no longer the little “cowboy”  Jackson played originally. It might be too soon to ask, but how do you think Jackson will do back in the role he originated?

Oct 27 2009 05:41 PM ET

Taylor Lautner makes us ponder a world without the Taylor Lautner Bicep Watch

taylor-lautner_lThe Internet is abuzz with reports that Taylor Lautner will be choosing films in the future that showcase his acting over his abs. “I worked hard to get in shape for this role,” the Twilight Saga: New Moon star is quoted as saying to Showbiz Spy. “My motivation was the movie and the fans, but I don’t want to become known as just a body. If I had to choose, I would never take my shirt off again in a movie, but I guess that’s not very realistic. I certainly won’t be asking to do it, though.”

I think that’s a solid plan: Don’t go begging to bare all, but be flexible if a good role — like that Gymkata remake I keep pitching him publicly — requires some skin. To prove that we’re not all about his body,* we offer the following poll that, fingers crossed!, Lautner’s agents can forward to directors to demonstrate that their client will have an audience even when clothed.

Photo credit: Kimberley French

* Just because his PopWatch category name focuses on it, doesn’t mean that we can’t see past it. (See also: Skarsgard Your Loins.)

Oct 27 2009 04:02 PM ET

Paparazzi faulted for Hollywood break-ins (poor fashion sense clearly also to blame)

hilton-lohan_lWe don’t want to make light of teens being arrested for allegedly breaking into the homes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan — even if this LA Times summary of events is begging for it: “According to Los Angeles police detectives, the group studied television shows, celebrity magazines and websites picking out clothing and jewelry they wanted.” (Hilton and Lohan would not be on our “wanted” list. Rachel Bilson, whose home was also broken into? Okay, slightly more aspirational.)

Naturally, an attorney who represents some of the celebrity victims has blamed the paparazzi for photographing stars’ homes and magazines for covering their whereabouts, daily rituals, and possessions: “There are only so many shots of a star’s back gate before someone, be it a stalker or burglar, goes through it.” I’d buy that quicker than you could sell me on this defense from an attorney for one of the accused: ”It would be fun to do capers. It was all about fun…. It was one of those cases of you get bored, and it was something to do with a little technology.”

Shouldn’t 18- and 19-year-old girls (and one boy) — even those who’ve presumably seen Ocean’s Eleven, which, let’s face it, made us all want to plot a caper for approximately 60 seconds after the credits rolled — know that breaking into someone’s home and stealing is wrong? Even if at that age I’d had that much time on my hands and an all-access pass to celebrities’ lives (instead of just Teen Beat and Bop), I can promise you that I would never have attempted a break-in. Is the thrill of a drive-by sighting not enough to satisfy kids today?

Who do you think is to blame? The paparazzi/tabloids or the teens? Or all of the above?

Photo credit: Hilton: PRN/PR Photos; Lohan: Janet Mayer/PR Photos

Oct 27 2009 03:35 PM ET

Matt Damon's 'Green Zone': Bad title, awesome trailer

I’ve never been in a war’s green zone myself, and on first blush, this title made me think of either a lame sports term or a superheroic recycling initiative. But I do know that the trailer for this au courant thriller from the boys behind the two best Bourne films, star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, is full of kick-ass (trailer embedded after the jump).

We’ve got Damon as an army warrant officer in a battle-vest, Amy Ryan as a hardened reporter, Greg Kinnear as a government jerkwad, Brendan Gleeson as Rambo‘s Col. Trautman (a.k.a., the dude who tells the people after an on-the-lam Damon,”You have no idea who you’re dealing with here”) — man, sign me up. Greengrass has yet to make a bad film, and Damon is rapidly becoming the only star in Hollywood who can convincingly do real-world action. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 27 2009 03:16 PM ET

Elizabeth Taylor tweets her review of 'This Is It': 'I wept from pure joy'

liz-taylor-tweets_lElizabeth Taylor saw This Is It, the Michael Jackson concert film that opens tonight, and she loved it. No, she really, really loved it. Behold these tweets, which are pasted here in chronological order:

“I was honored with the great privilege of seeing “This Is It” last week. I was sworn to secrecy, but now I can let you know about it.

It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael’s genius in every aspect of creativity.

To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality.

I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again.

And we have this piece of film to remind us forever and ever that once there was such a man. God kissed him.

God blessed him and squandered nothing, but loved it all. Michael knew how to put together every tone, every nuance to make magic. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 27 2009 01:45 PM ET

Kids watch too much TV: This just in?

Categories: Kids' Corner, Television

sesame-street_lNew Nielsen figures show that kids watch more than an entire day’s worth of television in an average week: 32 hours for kids 2 to 5 and 28 hours for kids 6 to 11. That’s an eight-year high, which is alarming pediatricians who warn that every minute spent in front of the tube is a minute not spent exercising, playing outside, or even reading books and, you know, interacting with other human beings.

While there’s absolutely no denying any of that, the increase can hardly come as a shock, given that the figures include DVR playback, DVD viewing, and video games. There’s more big-time entertainment aimed specifically at kids than ever, thanks to Disney Channel and Nickelodeon constantly competing for little eyeballs, not to mention an explosion of cross-promotional DVDs, games, and the like that tie in with kiddie-channel faves. Plus, we’ve got more ways to watch at any age than ever before — point being, we should be alarmed for all of us if we’re alarmed at all. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 27 2009 01:14 PM ET

Wendy's Bacon Deluxe ad: Further proof that violent old ladies are funny

Everyone knows everything is better with bacon. Even hurling yourself through a plate-glass window in pursuit of your coworker’s lunch.

Burning question: The old lady totally gets the Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe, yes? Also: Who’s feeling hungry?

Oct 27 2009 12:39 PM ET

'Hogwarts High': Harry Potter meets 'Back to the Future'

savedbythespell_dlAnything that includes The Neverending Story‘s Falcor the Luck Dragon is a-okay in my book (it’s a good book, too, FYI), and this comic strip about “Hogwarts High,” a cheesey ’80s version of Harry Potter, combines even more of my favorite things. Artist Lucy Knisley covers the ’80s bases — Anthony Michael Hall, Back to the Future — with eerie accuracy. Her full masterpiece after the jump… READ FULL STORY »

Oct 27 2009 12:33 PM ET

Lady Gaga's hair for sale: Okay, that crosses a line

lady-gaga_lAt what point does collecting cross into being gross? I’d say biological artifacts definitely fall into the “yikes” territory, which is why the $99.98 Lady Gaga Super Deluxe The Fame Monster Pack gives me the willies: It includes posters, zines, paper dolls, and…a lock of Lady Gaga’s hair.

Excuse me while I go boil my brain in holy water in the hopes of cleansing it of this memory.

Okay, the retching has subsided. But this is pretty gross, right PopWatchers? (And also much cheaper than I thought?) Or do you kind of want possession of the precious tresses?

Photo credit: L.Martinez/JpegFoto.com/PictureGroup

Oct 27 2009 11:59 AM ET

Bill Cosby gets Twain Prize for humor: What's your fave Cosby moment?

Categories:

Bill Cosby accepted the vaunted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Lincoln Center last night, complete with two hours of highlights from the 72-year-old’s career: his standup on The Jack Paar Show, his breakthrough role on I Spy, and of course, The Cosby Show, among others. In accepting honor, and joining the likes of previous winners Richard Pryor and George Carlin, it marked a relaxing of Cosby’s own strict standards: He’d turned down the honor twice before because of objections to the profanity-laced ceremony, the prize’s first, for Pryor in 1998. (“Too much foul mouth,” he said. “Too much N-word.”)

Luminaries paying homage to the iconic humorist last night cited their own defining Cosby moments: Comedian Dick Gregory noted the importance of I Spy to aspiring black comics, Seinfeld mentioned his 1965 album Why Is There Air as a major inspiration, and Phylicia Rashad was there to represent for the Huxtables. For me, the Cosby moment came with his 1983 comedy special Bill Cosby: Himself, in which he memorably skewered everything from dentist visits (a bit he still kills with even these days) to — my personal favorite — his own lack of breakfast-making ability. (As I read of his honor, I was instantly humming the “Dad is great…he gives us chocolate cake” song to myself.)

It’s truly amazing how well his stuff holds up, not unlike reruns of The Cosby Show (which would be just as timeless, if not for the sweaters!):

How about you, PopWatchers? What is your defining Cosby moment?

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