Archive: November 2009 (61-70 of 429)

Nov 25 2009 12:30 PM ET

Adrien Brody goes midnight toker in 'High School'

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Categories: Dude, THAT's Your Plot?, Movies

Adrien Brody’s post-Oscar career has been marked by, oh, let’s call it variety, and his upcoming film High School adds “teen stoner comedy” to his resume. Behold him in all his weirdo glory.

Brody plays, yes, a drug dealer who becomes part of a high school valedictorian’s cockamamie quest to get the entire graduating class high in order to beat a mandatory drug test. I cannot imagine what could possibly go wrong!

I sound down on this, but I’m really not — a good teen comedy can be a beautiful thing, and this has most of the required ingredients: an outrageous quest, a looming deadline, the last-minute reversal of proscribed roles, etc. Bring it, High School!

Are you as predisposed to liking teen comedies as I am, PopWatchers, or have you been burned too many times?

Nov 25 2009 11:57 AM ET

Charles Barkley brings laughter to 'Jay Leno Show'

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Categories: Late Night, Sports, Television

Charles Barkley should have his own line of greeting cards or fortune cookies. The basketball legend and current NBA studio analyst has a unique verbosity that is occasionally wise but always entertaining. (He’s like a super-hybrid of Muhammad Ali and Tom Arnold.) On last night’s Jay Leno Show, he took aim at his “friend” Sammy Sosa, the former baseball player whose skin has noticeably lightened in recent photographs. “If you saw one of your friends and they were a different color, you’d be like, ‘Damn, dude, you a different color,’” Barkley said.

READ FULL STORY »

Nov 25 2009 11:46 AM ET

'The Last Station' and other movie trailers that screamed Oscar nod

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Categories: Movie Trailers, Movies

EW movie critic Lisa Schwarzbaum dubs Helen Mirren an Oscar contender for her role as Leo Tolstoy’s frustrated wife Sofya, struggling against her husband’s renouncement of wealth and sex, in the adaption of the novel The Last Station. The desperation and determination she conveys in the trailer alone has me concurring. Some performances are like that: In two minutes, you know.

How great is the trailer for The Last Station? (It’s nice to see a preview go all out and feel this complete because all the actors are on the same level — Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, and James McAvoy costar.) Which trailers in the past have screamed Best Actor or Actress Oscar nom?

Nov 25 2009 10:00 AM ET

'Prep & Landing': Yes, it's as cute as it looks

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Categories: Animation, Happy Holidays, Television

Keep seeing ads for ABC’s new Christmas special Prep & Landing, premiering Dec. 1, and find yourself hoping (more than an adult has a right to) that it’s as cute as it looks? Good news: It is. It’s got the heart and charm you’d expect from exec producer John Lasseter and a pitch-perfect voice cast: Dave Foley is an elf named Wayne who, after 227 years on the elite team that prepares homes for Santa’s arrival, gets passed over for a promotion and finds it hard to show the same enthusiasm as his new rookie partner, Lanny (Men in Trees‘ Patrick, Derek Richardson). Scrubs‘ Sarah Chalke is the high-strung North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator, who earns her egg nog on a night when Wayne’s attitude and a snowstorm threaten to ruin one child’s holiday.

You can watch the trailer, but I’d like to draw your attention to this clip of Lasseter selling the special. Honestly, if ABC had sat that man in front of a camera and had him tell me why I should keep watching Eastwick, I would have.

Nov 25 2009 09:32 AM ET

'Survivor: Samoa': Thanksgiving episode actually worth watching!

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Categories: Reality TV, Survivor

The dreaded Survivor recap episodes have long been thought of as, well, turkeys, by fans. But last season’s Tocantins recap turned out to be a decent watch, crammed with new footage and storylines that shed light on some major moves in the game. And tomorrow’s recap episode of Survivor: Samoa (titled “The First 27 Days”) follows that same script. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near as satisfying as an original episode (especially considering there is no fresh torch-snuffing to be had), but for hardcore fans, there are definitely some interesting deleted tidbits sprinkled throughout. Among the things revealed in the episode: We find out what happened to Daisy, the chicken that Shambo let slip out of the coop; a contestant threatens another player after a rough-and-tumble challenge; and there’s even more sneaky sabotage from Russell. All that, plus this genius quote: “Don’t make me throw up on your face.” (You’ll have to tune in to see who delivers that gem.) Check back on PopWatch right after the episode tomorrow for my mini-recap of the recap. In the meantime, let us know if you plan to watch tomorrow night, and make sure to see Tocantins runner-up Stephen Fishbach and me grill Laura, the most recent snuffed Survivor, on the latest edition of Survivor Talk below. Plus, to get all the Survivor scoop delivered right to ya, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.

Nov 25 2009 09:00 AM ET

'New Moon' villain Dakota Fanning talks about joining the 'Twilight' family

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Categories: New Moon, New Moon Interviews, Twilight

Compared to most of her Twilight: New Moon co-stars, 15-year-old Dakota Fanning — who plays the powerful Volturi Jane — is already an old hand at movie-making. But behind the star of hits like War of the Worlds (2005) and I Am Sam (2001) is a surprisingly normal student at an L.A. high school. On the Monday after New Moon‘s record-breaking bow, Fanning made time for a quick pre-class chat with EW about the Twilight phenomenon and the joys of playing a villain.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where are you right now?
DAKOTA FANNING: I’m at school. I’m hiding from any teacher that would see me on my phone right now. But technically it’s allowed because it’s before school has started.

What’s it like to come back to high school now that the move is out?
That’s my life. That’s what’s normal to me. I don’t really know anything different. I’m really lucky that I get to go to school and have that normal life, whatever that is, and then also get to do what I love to do and be a part of really great projects.

How do you think your classmates will react to the movie? READ FULL STORY »

Nov 25 2009 08:59 AM ET

Our Must pick is an underrated flick. What are you loving this week?

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Categories: Must List

I’m pretty convinced that what we watch as kids highly influences our TV choices later on. I’m not a scientist, but case in point: I grew up watching Monster Squad, which went on sale this week on Blu-ray. Now, as an adult, I can’t get enough of all things monster and horror.

Monster Squad – at least when you’re 6 years old – is the kid-friendly welcome mat to the horror genre. The flick, which follows a pre-teen monster club that battles classic movie monsters, taught me that wolfmen have nards, scary German guys are monster encyclopedias and you should always try to keep company with at least one virgin. It even had cool vampires pre-Twilight. 

Okay, your turn. What are you loving this week in TV/books/tech/games? Anything? Don’t be shy, and remember to leave your e-mail address in case we put your pick in the mag. Sharing time ends Thursday at noon ET.

Nov 25 2009 08:00 AM ET

'Modern Family' star Eric Stonestreet takes the EW Pop Culture Personality Test

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Categories: EW Pop Culture Personality Test, Modern Family

It’s hard to pick a favorite member of the Modern Family ensemble, but Eric Stonestreet (aka Cam), is definitely up there. Tonight’s episode, “Fizbo“ (ABC, 9 p.m ET), gives him the chance to resurrect his real-life clown character of the same name. That’s all we needed to know to know that we wanted to know more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Clowns: Scary or Misunderstood?
ERIC STONESTREET: Misunderstood. But you’re talking to someone who’s always been fascinated with clowns, so I might be biased. Growing up [in Kansas], I wanted to be a clown and run away with the circus. I created a clown character that I would do for kids’ birthday parties and stuff like that. That’s how the inspiration for “Fizbo” started. Fizbo is my real clown name from when I was kid. I have business cards printed up with it on. [The show's writers] just liked hearing the stories, so they thought it would be funny if Cameron brought back his clown character. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 24 2009 10:58 PM ET

'Dancing With the Stars': The season 9 winner is....

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Categories: Dancing With the Stars, Reality TV

Greetings, DANCMSTRs. Someone has won a disco ball. To become fully illuminated, click to read the spoiler part of this post. You will shine through the rest of your evening like a wayward strand of sequined fringe. Talk amongst yourselves about the season 9 finale here, then come back in the morning to read my full recap. UPDATE: Here it is!

READ FULL STORY »

Nov 24 2009 09:58 PM ET

Exclusive: We have the rare, alternate opening sequence to the original 'Star Trek' series!

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Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Sci-Fi, Star Trek, Television

‘Tis the season to be a Star Trek fan. JJ Abrams’ blockbuster Star Trek reboot just hit DVD. And on Dec. 15, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment will release season three of Star Trek: The Original Series on Blu-ray. One of the extras includes a piece of pretty sweet Trek arcana that hard-core Trekkers/Trekkies (pick whichever one offends you the least) are going to eat up.

As almost everyone knows, each episode of Star Trek began with William Shatner’s James T. Kirk intoning the memorable preamble:

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before…

As it happens, however, a rare, alternate version of Trek’s pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (actually the second pilot that was shot for Trek… oh, but that’s another story), began with a different opening monologue. Wanna see it, like, right now? Here you go:

For those who want a transcript:

Enterprise log, Captain James Kirk commanding. We are leaving that vast cloud of stars and planets which we call our galaxy. Behind us, Earth, Mars, Venus, even our sun are specks of dust. A question: What is out there in the black void beyond? Until now, our mission has been that of space law regulation, contact with Earth colonies and investigation of alien life. But now, a new task. A probe out into where no man has gone before.

Definitely more verbose—and a little harder to memorize. And “a probe out into where no man has gone before” is a real clunker. “Probe”? Seriously? Still, I like the strong existenstial vibe of “What is out there in the black void beyond?”

Sounds like the DVD is a must buy for Trekophiles. What do you think about the rival openings? Which one do you like better? Do you think the original series would have more or less inviting with the alternate preamble? Post your thoughts below.

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