In my next life, I want to be Stephen Colbert. In addition to his many other career achievements, he’s a personal hero of mine for hexing Larry David, telling a sitting president that he essentially had no clothes, and being knighted by the queen of Jordan (with Aragorn’s sword, no less). But last night, he raised the bar — and the roof. His duet with Alicia Keys was both hilarious and somewhat legit.
Johnny Carson may have sung a bar with Bette Midler once, but what late-night-show host has the sack to take Jay-Z’s mic and rap “Empire State of Mind”? True, I already knew he could rhyme, but I simply can’t shake the Colbert-ian lyrics: “Shopping mall is close, my community is gated; my shorties are all private-school educated…M&M Store, Disney Store, I’m in heaven; I own this town from 41st to 47.”
For me, this performance was even a great Christmas gift than last’s year’s duet with Elvis Costello. Did you watch Colbert last night? What was your favorite rhyme?
All this poster is missing is Waldo. Tied to the DVD release of The Simpsons‘ 20th season (out Jan. 12), Fox has created an updated poster of their famous shot from 2007′s The Simpsons Movie. Because, clearly, they did not fit enough characters on their first poster. Slackers. (You can only enjoy this new and improved poster in larger form here—this shot is exclusive to EW!)
Springfield folks I’m glad made the cut this time around? The Golem from “Treehouse of Horror XVII,” the angel skeleton from “Lisa the Skeptic,” and Ray Romano’s Ray Magini from “Don’t Fear the Roofer.” But I’m absolutely stoked to see one of my favorite characters, Eleanor Abernathy (a.k.a. Crazy Cat Lady), if only because she reminds me of who I will be in 30 years’ time.
Personally, I could study this poster and soak up warm feelings of nostalgia for hours. But do you love the new poster, PopWatchers? Have Matt Groening & Co., missed anyone?
We’re in the Semifinals of our Guilty Pleasures Reality TV Showdown (see full bracket here). Now we’re into the Competition category.
Semifinals, Competition: Celebrity Mole vs. Paris Hilton’s My New BFF
Here’s what some fans had to say during the first round of voting:
MyLisa on Celebrity Mole: “Celebrity Mole (Hawaii), hands down. Corbin Bernsen and Stephen Baldwin were hilarious together, and Kathy Griffin was right there with the snarky commentary. What I love with both Celebrity Mole editions is that they’re all actually having FUN! I recently saw the Yucatan re-run — Dennis Rodman *is* the Mole of Moleville.”
In a shocker, nobody commented on Paris Hilton’s My New BFF so if that’s your show please comment in this round about why you love it!
Relive some classic moments on video — and vote — after the jump. READ FULL STORY »
This could not be any easier. Leonardo DiCaprio + Christopher Nolan + Mess-With-Your-Mind Thriller Genre = GIVE ME THIS MOVIE NOW. The film is called Inception. It arrives next summer. The teaser poster has hit. My initial reaction: Between this and DiCaprio’s other psychological thriller Shutter Island, I think Leo has made it his mission to drive us insane next year.
I have two words for Gordon Ramsay: Yes, chef! Even after I volunteered to try to follow along with Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live on Fox Tuesday night, I was a bit skeptical. I have no TV in my kitchen (thank you, DVR pause button!), the ingredients list was daunting (at least $100 in groceries to feed a family of four), and the menu sounded dated (in 2009, does anyone eat red meat in cream and brandy sauce!?).
But despite all my fears, I found the experience a huge amount of fun, I had a smile on my face watching the show, and I certainly had a great meal to show for it. This Steak Diane was so yummy I might even make it again — if only to use the rest of that brandy I had to buy for the Cookalong. READ FULL STORY »
In my Doc Jensen column that posted today, I told you all about “The Lost Underground Art Project” and how the final poster in the fan appreciation campaign will include two teases about season six. I also said that I would Tweet the web address for the poster when it became available tonight at an exhibition of all the posters at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. Well, guess what? You don’t have to wait that long: the address is nothingsforever.com. Now, if you click there right now, you’ll find… nothing. But you won’t have to wait… forever. I have no idea when the new poster will be unveiled in that space, but I do know that it will be there by tomorrow–and I’m sure it will sell out fast. Still, I’m confident the image will be online for all to see. So after you examine it and spot the teases, please come back here and share what you think you see, as well as email me at docjensenew@gmail.com. I’m still going to be going to the opening tonight–look for some Tweets at twitter.com/ewdocjensen. READ FULL STORY »
Wasn’t the Internet’s fascination with Snuggies/Slanklets bad enough? Now we have to endure the ever-tighter clutches of this putrid scrap of polar fleece all in the name of ironically enjoying infomercials? A-sigh.
Alex O’Loughlin couldn’t very well be shirtless on a poster for The Back-Up Plan, his April 2010 romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez. Could he? And his 50-50 split of the frame with Lopez, who returns to the genre for the first time since 2005′s Monster-in-Law, is actually quite impressive and a fine testament to his loyal female fan base.But would it have been asking too much to see his entire face?
Paging all Withnail & I fans – here’s a trailer for Cuckoo, a new British thriller starring Richard E. Grant as a professor with a dangerous obsession for one of his students. The cast also includes Laura Fraser, who played the mom in The Boys Are Back in Town.
Cuckoo is due out in spring 2010. You can spend your days until then quoting Withnail at every possible chance. This one is always good for the holidays: “We want the finest wines available to humanity. And we want them here, and we want them now!”
I’ve seen a lot of scary things on television. Including, for example, this Sunday’s amazingly chilling Dexter finale. But I can say with full confidence that last night’s HBO documentary Every F—ing Day of My Life was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen on television. (See the trailer below.)
The documentary, brought to us by filmmaker Tommy Davis, follows domestic abuse victim Wendy Maldonado while she prepares to check into prison for ten years. And just why is she going to jail? Because she and her son killed her abuser — who happens to be her husband — with a hammer and hatchet.
It’s a brutal crime, but one that you can’t help but put in quotes. For Maldonado’s husband, Aaron, spent years physically abusing his wife and four children, continually taunting them with threats of killing them. (The title of the documentary comes from Wendy’s 911 call; when the dispatcher asked if Aaron tried to hurt her before she murdered him, she responds, “Every f—ing day of my life.”) And, sadly, you can understand why they felt those threats would come true: Stunning home video footage shot by Aaron clearly captures the fear in Wendy and her sons’ eyes. (For example, when Aaron softly calls her name in one video, Wendy flinches to attention and sends him an emotionally detached air kiss.) And the video footage of Aaron rough-housing a dead deer is even more haunting, if only because it makes you imagine what he did to his living family.
The film brought up the inevitable question: Is it right that Wendy and her son have been forced to spend ten years in prison for their actions—they agreed to a plea bargain—or should their actions have been considered self-defense? Either way, it’s impossible not to feel emotionally moved in several different directions upon seeing the documentary. (The documentary will air again tomorrow at 8 p.m. See here for all future airtimes.)
Did you catch the documentary, PopWatchers? Were you also terrified? And what was the scariest thing you’ve ever seen on television?
