Archive: January 2010 (101-110 of 461)

Jan 25 2010 06:54 PM ET

'Life Unexpected': Kerr Smith on his character Ryan, 'Dawson's Creek' nostalgia, and his CW face

Filed under: Television and tagged: , ,

A lot of things give Life Unexpected that long-lost ’90s feelin’ — delightfully bordering-on-insane character names like “Lux” and “Baze,” the casual use of land lines, references to Spin Doctors and Zima. But it’s the people, too. Along with Roswell‘s Shiri Appleby (pictured, right), Dawson’s Creek alum Kerr Smith is responsible for giving the show that yummy old-school WB vibe, and it could help draw viewers in. The last cast member to jump on board, Smith called EW.com last week to talk about the first season of Unexpected and sit through my awkward insistence that he has total “CW face.” Click through for Kerr’s answers on what to expect throughout Life Unexpected‘s first season, how he approached playing one of the first realistic gay characters on TV, and whether he still listens to Paula Cole. And leave your comments about tonight’s new episode, airing on The CW at 9 ET.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you have any illegitimate children?
KERR SMITH: Not that I’m aware of, no.

Does Ryan?
There’s been some talk of tackling something to that degree next year if we come back. It would be interesting to put Ryan in the same situation…  READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2010 06:47 PM ET

Hogwarts castle at Universal Orlando taking shape: I want to go... without you

Looking at this image of the Hogwarts castle under construction at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter — which opens this spring — my thought process went as follows:

1. I’ve never been so excited for an attraction.
2. This is the first time I’ve felt a need to visit Orlando since my high school band went in the early ’90s.
3. Thousands of tourists are going to ruin the illusion that I’ve stepped into this magical other world.
4. The only answer is to get in there alone…
5. The only way that would happen is if I were a terminally ill child making a wish or, possibly, Miley Cyrus celebrating a birthday.

Anyone else contemplating a return trip to Orlando for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? In addition to the Hogwarts castle, the “home of a thrilling, new, state-of-the-art attraction — Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — that uses ground-breaking technology to bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in ways never before experienced,” there’s Dragon Challenge (a twin high-speed roller coaster with iconic elements from the Triwizard Tournament), Flight of the Hippogriff (a family coaster simulating a Hippogriff training flight over the grounds at Hogwarts), and the many shops and restaurants in Hogsmeade.

In addition to letting my wand choose me at Ollivanders, I fully plan on purchasing a remote control Golden Snitch at Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods. Hmmm… Children starting wand fights and ignoring the DO NOT FLY YOUR SNITCH UNTIL YOU GET HOME, PLEASE sign could be enjoyable chaos. Okay, I’m now open to sharing.

Photo credit: Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando Resort

Jan 25 2010 06:18 PM ET

'Pants on the Ground' invades Canadian politics

There was a time when politicians resolved their differences honorably by trying to shoot each other at dawn. But apparently Canadian politician and New Brunswick legislature member TJ Burke is too fancy pants to follow the example of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Well, too “Pants on the Ground,” anyway. Yes, last Friday, Burke attempted to make a political point by performing “General” Larry Platt’s ditty. Check out the clip below and tell us what you think. Personally, I haven’t seen anything like it since Gerald Ford interrupted his 1975 State of the Union speech to perform the drum solo from Led Zep’s “Moby Dick.”

Jan 25 2010 05:24 PM ET

Oprah Winfrey is again America's Favorite Television Personality, Leno and Letterman take hits

The annual Harris Poll ranking America’s favorite television personalities has been released. Between December 7 and 14, 2,276 adults took part in an online survey that crowned Oprah Winfrey with the title she held in 1998, 2000, and 2002 – 2006. Here, your Top 10.

1. Oprah Winfrey (up from No. 4 last year)
2. Glenn Beck (enters the countdown with a bullet!)
3. Jay Leno (down from No. 1 last year; note: the poll was conducted before the late-night war at NBC, but after his primetime show bombed)
4. TIE: Ellen DeGeneres (down from No. 3 last year, and No. 1 in 2007)
4. TIE: Hugh Laurie (down from No. 2 last year)
6. Jon Stewart (held at No. 6 from last year)
7. Charlie Sheen (held at No. 7 from last year; note: the poll was conducted before his December arrest)
8. Mark Harmon (up from No. 9 last year)
9. David Letterman (down from No. 5 last year; note: the poll was conducted before he engaged in the late-night war, but after he admitted he’d had sex with female members of his staff)
10. Bill O’Reilly (returns to the countdown after being absent last year)

Names that dropped off this year’s list: Steve Carell (No. 8 last year) and Stephen Colbert (tied for No. 9 last year).

The Harris Poll also broke down the results by sex, generation, political slant, and geography: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2010 04:46 PM ET

'Greek' returns tonight! It's time to save our favorite campus comedy from cancellation

Filed under: Television and tagged: ,

greekImage Credit: Elisabeth Caren/ABC FamilyGreek returns to ABC Family tonight, and having already sneaked a peek at the season premiere, I can tell you that it’s worth tuning in. The not-so-guilty pleasure is in fine, frothy form, with its uncanny ability to wring genuine tension and high emotion from what sounds like so much fraternity/sorority silliness. In this case, that’s the aftermath of last season’s finale cliffhanger in which a joint frat prank went so wrong it got a few Kappa Taus expelled and wrecked Cappie and Evan’s fledgling friendship; and an attempt to prove cheating at Song Fest resulted in the accidental burning of Gamma Psi, with the ZBZ girls possibly responsible. All this, plus Cappie and Casey finally together!

Not only is it good, sunny fun (seriously, why is the weather always so nice on this Midwestern campus?), but it’s also in some danger of being canceled. (My sources at the show, in fact, tell me they’ve shot two season-enders just in case.) Viewers are starting a red-cup campaign to let ABC Family know how much they love the show. Of course, if you’ve ever loved the show, now is the time to tune in — and to get psyched for tonight’s premiere, check out their “cram session” video to catch up on all of last season’s action.

And note to ABC Family: Consider this post my red cup.

Thanks. Love, Jennifer.

Will you watch tonight, PopWatchers? Will you rally to save Greek?

Jan 25 2010 03:00 PM ET

'Crazy Heart': Music is just as great as Jeff Bridges!

Awards season buzz finally convinced me to see Crazy Heart this weekend, and judging by the packed theater, plenty of other people are seeking out this film before the Oscars. My EW colleagues gave both the movie and the soundtrack grades of B+, but for some reason, I’d been thinking that Jeff Bridges was the only reason to see it (and, hey, that should be reason enough.) For me, it turned out to be a great movie all around, and some of the movie’s songs sounded like instant classics (just like Bridges’ character Bad Blake said about how a great new song sounds like one you’ve heard many times). “The Weary Kind” is the theme song that’s winning the awards, but I loved “Fallin’ & Flyin’,” “Hold On You,” and “I Don’t Know” even more.

Here is a fan-made video of Bridges and Colin Farrell (who was great as the pretty-boy, new-country heartthrob) taping “Fallin’ & Flyin’” at a Toby Keith concert. Awesome, right? I want tickets to a Jeff Bridges-Colin Farrell concert now! Only if they are accompanied by one of the film’s songwriters, Ryan Bingham –- who played the singer in Bad’s first opening band shown in the film.

So, who else has seen Crazy Heart and were you also blown away by the music as much as by Jeff Bridges’ performance?

More ‘Crazy Heart’:
Music Mix: ‘Crazy Heart’: T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham talk about the movie’s music
Movie review: ‘Crazy Heart’
Music review: ‘Crazy Heart’ soundtrack
Dave Karger: Jeff Bridges’ ‘Crazy Heart’ to shake up the Oscar season

Jan 25 2010 02:26 PM ET

I'd see Russell Brand and James Marsden's new movie 'I Hop' if it were retitled 'IHOP'

James Marsden clearly doesn’t want to be the star Mandi Bierly thinks he is. That’s someone who “after playing solid, decent men in Superman Returns and The Notebook, shouldn’t have to revert to a man-child who hangs out with a CGI rabbit that probably won’t be as funny in the US as he is in the UK.” You see, Marsden is signed on to co-star with Russell Brand in the live-action-CGI hybrid comedy named I Hop. Marsden plays an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny, who will of course be Russell Brand. That sounds crazy. You know it does when my proposed film centering around two IHOP employees who engage in a year-long Create-A-Face Pancake battle sounds less crazy than the real movie. Whoever whipped-creams more sublime smiles, through which you can tell that the pancake is truly happy…WINS!

Which movie would you rather see? Do you want James Marsden to be the star Mandi Bierly thinks he is?

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Image credit: Brand: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; Marsden: Sylvain Gaboury/PR Photos

Jan 25 2010 01:58 PM ET

Clip du jour: An 'epic' save the date

Suddenly regular old snail-mail save the date cards just seem so blah, you know?

Sure, it’s fun, but I like my dorky save-the-dates with a side of light saber: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2010 01:04 PM ET

Gary Coleman: Scariest mug shot ever?

What do we think: Scariest mug shot of all time or super-scariest mugshot of all time? He looks like a cross between Yoda, an evildoer in Leprechaun, and this adorable little kid we used to know named Arnold. Coleman may want to start having his Avenue Q stand-ins during upcoming appearances in mug shots. Those ladies might need work, too.

After being brought to jail for a domestic disturbance at his home in Santaquin, Utah, Coleman, 41, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court. Maybe he and wife Shannon Price should go on Divorce Court again? Would that cheer him up?

Image credit: Utah County Jail

Jan 25 2010 12:48 PM ET

PopWatch on Ice: Dick Button compares Davis & White's 'Phantom' to Torvill & Dean's 'Bolero'. Really, Dick?

Filed under: Television and tagged: , , ,

The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team is now complete. Over the weekend, Rachael Flatt earned the women’s title at the U.S. Championships and will head to Vancouver along with Mirai Nagasu. Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the ice dancing crown, defeating rivals Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the 2006 Olympic silver medalists, for the first time. They’ll be joined by a third team, Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. Let’s break this down.

I know we’re excited that the U.S. has two couples who could conceivably win the U.S.’s first gold medal in ice dancing — Scott Hamilton all but said, “Suck it, Europeans” at the exhibition skate that aired Sunday on NBC — but let’s not get carried away. Dick Button, who’d already amused/confused me with a “magical soufflé” metaphor he used earlier in the weekend, referred to Davis & White’s free skate to music from The Phantom of the Opera as “one of the iconic performances of all time…. I mean it ranked right up there with the great performances of Torvill and Dean in ’84 and with Salé and Pelletier in 2002.” Yeah, that lift that has White balancing Davis on the back of his raised calf is pretty memorable, but in no way does that number compare to “Bolero,” Dick. “Bolero” puts you in a trance. Its originality and unison are mind-numbing. Am I right? (Note: The Phantom below is not from Nationals. Those ice dancing performances don’t appear to have made their way on to YouTube yet.)

READ FULL STORY »

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