Archive: January 2010 (81-90 of 461)

Jan 26 2010 02:44 PM ET

Description of ABBA theme park reads like an exclusive preview of an upcoming nightmare

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Filed under: To Care or Not to Care and tagged: , , , , , ,

ABBA makes me very happy in theory — like, the concept of ABBA and, in the right setting, their music — but I’ve been reading about ABBAWORLD, the new museum/theme park opening in London tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t handle it. You wander through 25 rooms (spread over 30,000 square feet) of memorabilia, replicas of a studio and a cabin, and “glass cases filled with spangly costumes in silk, satin, and spandex.” According to this story, “One corner holds the helicopter pictured on the cover of the 1976 album Arrival.” This is like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse for Swedish people. There are also…don’t click this if you are not interested in nightmares…FIGURINES. Particularly horrifying-but-hypnotic is the Live With ABBA On Stage! attraction, which features “a holographic illusion of the group for the audience to interact with.” Apparently it’s the world’s first live motion-capture interactive hologram in the form of a live karaoke concert. Cool! Creepy! I can picture myself getting on stage (pictured) and then, out of nowhere, suddenly acquiring a sense of pride and screaming “Illusions, Björn Ulvaeus! I don’t have time for your illusions!”

Oh who am I kidding? I watch Dancing With the Stars; I could totally handle ABBAWORLD. Could you?

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Jan 26 2010 02:42 PM ET

Clip du jour: 'The Price Is Right' bloopers

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After the woman on Wheel of Fortune guessed “self potato” a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a long time until another awesome gameshow clip surfaced. Wrong! Two wonderful Price is Right showcase showdowns are on the brink of memedom. First, this woman is really excited about the car:

And second, this is what happens when you know almost exactly how much a Porsche costs: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 01:58 PM ET

James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff -- cutest parents ever?

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: , , ,

I’m not usually gaga for celebrity baby news but I’m officially excited that James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff are expecting their first baby. CUTEST. PARENTS. EVER.

First of all, I think they are amazingly talented actors. And I met them once in person and they were 1,000 percent adorable together (even though, yes, it’s hard sometimes not to wish “Crackavoy” was single). I first watched them in Shameless, the British TV series in which they played Steve and Fiona, a charming car thief and the daughter of an alcoholic trying to raise her brothers and sisters. (See clips here.) Sounds like grim stuff but this show is hilarious, and their chemistry together was truly stunning. No wonder they got married after meeting on the show!

What on-screen pair has so much chemistry on screen that you knew they had to be a real couple? Brad and Ange in Mr. and Mrs. Smith?

Jan 26 2010 01:22 PM ET

Clint Eastwood is America's Favorite Movie Star, Meryl Streep finally shown some love

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: ,

Clint Eastwood is America’s Favorite Movie Star, according to the annual Harris Poll. Between December 7 and 14, 2,276 adults took part in an online survey that awarded the Gran Torino star and Invictus director the title he’d previously held in 1994, 1997, and 2006. Below, your Top 10. After the jump, the favorites broken down by sex, generation, political slant, and geography.

1. Clint Eastwood (was No. 2 last year after dropping off the list in 2007)
2. Johnny Depp (up from No. 8 last year; No. 1 among women, Echo Boomers (18-32) and in the South)
3. Denzel Washington (down from No. 1, a spot he’d held since 2006; No. 1 among Democrats)
4. Sandra Bullock (the Golden Globe winner’s previous best was No. 9 in 2007, last year she didn’t make the cut; No. 1 among Gen X (33-44) and in the South)
5. Tom Hanks (the former three-time champ is up from No. 7 last year)
6. George Clooney (his highest finish, the last time he was on the list was 2006 when he was No. 9)
7. John Wayne (only person in the Top 10 to be on the countdown every year since 1994)
8. Meryl Streep (15 Oscar nominations, including two wins, and it’s her first year on the list!)
9. Morgan Freeman (holds at No. 9 from last year, his first on the countdown)
10. Julia Roberts (her lowest spot on the list since the 2001 title holder made her debut in 1999)

Names that dropped off this year’s list: Will Smith (tied for No. 3 last year), Harrison Ford (No. 5 last year), and Angelina Jolie (tied for No. 9 last year).

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 12:09 PM ET

Miss America 2010: Already loving Miss Kentucky

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Filed under: Television and tagged: ,

Miss America 2010, hosted by Mario Lopez and What Not To Wear’s Clinton Kelly, airs live Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on TLC. Below is an interview reel featuring a few of the contestants speaking about the scholarship program. Early favorite: Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin. For starters, her name is Mallory, which, of course, makes you think of Family Ties. Then, you’ve got her non-pageant posture — she’s almost hunching in her director’s chair. Then, she somehow manages to explain how nice all the contestants are in a way that doesn’t make you want to slap her. “I know you all watch the pageant, and think Ohmygosh, I wonder what’s goin’ on when they walk off the stage. But I’ll tell you what, everyone is so nice, it’s surprising. But I think at this level of competition, because everyone’s so accomplished and everyone’s so comfortable in their own skin, that that’s all they need to be is nice and kind to other people — like compete with themselves rather than each other, I think. That’s a great thing.” Her talent is vocal, her platform is Autism Awareness — good. Her career ambition is “to pursue a career in the entertainment field” — eye roll. Might be time to move on…

You can peruse the contestant profiles here. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 12:06 PM ET

'Greek' premiere: Coming out at the Fairytale Ball and burning down the house

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Filed under: About Last Night, Mini TV Watch, Television and tagged: , , , ,

Sure, all kinds of secrets were revealed on Greek‘s season premiere Monday, but one trumped all others for me: We got to see the store where they apparently all go to get their constant array of fabulous costumes for various theme parties! (Cappie and Casey went there to discuss their couple costume for the Fairytale Ball. He suggested the Big Bad Wolf and Grandma, causing Casey to scoff, “The whole reason sororities throw parties is so girls can look hot and slutty.” Another secret revealed!)

Seriously, though, my real favorite revelation had to be Calvin and Grant coming out at the Fairytale Ball. Does it get any better than two hot princes starting the slow dancing among the twinkly lights and wishing wells? Makes that whole roommate situation easier, too, even with frat brothers now leaving pairs of tiaras at their door. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 12:00 PM ET

'Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains': Has Colby learned from his mistake with Tina?

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Filed under: Reality TV and tagged: , , ,

When he first showed up on Survivor for The Australian Outback, Colby Donaldson was a force to be reckoned with. He kicked butt in challenges, wrestled control of his own tribe away from Jerri, and then made it all the way to the finals (where he made the HORRIBLE decision to bring Tina along to beat him). So who the heck was that tentative and uninterested chump masquerading as Colby in All-Stars? That guy seemed like he would have rather been anywhere else in the world than back on an island competing for a million bucks. That’s probably because at the time Colby still had visions of acting fame and fortune dancing in his head. He appeared to be struggling with the concept of swallowing his pride to come back for a nice Survivor payday, and he didn’t hide it very well. Even Colby now sees that he came back as a shell of his former Survivor self. “I probably shouldn’t have gone,” he told me in Samoa right before Heroes Vs Villains kicked off. “I clearly wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared—physically, mentally. And as a result I didn’t do well in the game.” [Does Colby regret bringing Tina to the finals? And would he do it again in Heroes Vs. Villains? That, plus exclusive on location video, after the jump.] READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 11:49 AM ET

'American Idol' Power List: We rank (and you vote on) the top 20 singers from season 9's first two weeks

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Filed under: American Idol, Reality TV and tagged: ,

20. Katelyn Epperly (New this week): Producers inexplicably played up her divorcing-parents backstory, and (blasphemy alert!) the shaggy-maned blonde admitted she’d long been “stand-offish” about auditioning for the show. Still, Katelyn’s choice of Duffy’s “Syrup and Honey” was refreshingly left-field, and as Shania Twain noted, girlfriend has the kind of voice one might hear on a hit record.

19. Maddy Curtis (Last week No. 17): Charming 16-year-old warmed hearts and won fans thanks to a sweet package that highlighted her loving relationship with her four brothers with Down syndrome. But nerves and inexperience bubbled through her rendition of “Hallelujah.” Perhaps a better prospect for season 11?

18. Seth Rollins (New this week): Burly father of an autistic five-year-old son showed off a lovely tone on “Someone to Watch Over Me,” making the insurance adjuster a leading candidate to fill Idol‘s perennial “everyman” role. That said, which is clearer in your memory right this second: Seth’s interview package or his actual singing? Exactly.

17. Jess Wolfe (Last week No. 12): Bespectacled blond rocked a “sexy librarian” look that made her smoky, soulful rendition of ”People Get Ready” all the more enjoyable. Still, major lack of screen time devoted to her Boston audition makes us wonder if we’ll need to take out an ad on a milk carton if we want to hear her voice again.

16. Angela Martin (New this week): Brought enough heartache to her audition to pack a Lifetime movie, and everyone likes a tale of Idol perseverance (Angela scored Golden Tickets in seasons 7 and 8). Still, Angela’s rendition of Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine” possessed the sort of ho-hum competency that’s more the mark of a wedding singer than a musical superstar. And after Lil Rounds’ reign of mundane last year, is it too much to ask for a cutting-edge R&B diva this time around? READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2010 11:23 AM ET

ABC Family's (almost) new show 'Huge': 'Ugly Betty' meets 'Glee' meets weight-loss camp

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Filed under: Glee, Television, The Vampire Diaries and tagged: , , , , , ,

betty-huge-gleeImage Credit: Patrick Harbron/ABC; Colfer: Carin Baer/FoxABC Family is apparently thisclose to greenlighting a series based on Sasha Paley’s young adult novel Huge, about two roommates at a weight-loss camp who fall for the same guy. It’s being described as “Glee meets Ugly Betty.” And yes, there really will be a musical component to the proceedings, an ABC Family source tells me, and this show has plenty of other things going for it besides that: First, it’s based on a book from Alloy Entertainment, the same people who brought us Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, and the late, great Privileged. Second, the pilot script was written by My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman and her daughter, Savannah Dooley. Third, among its producers is Robin Schiff of ABC Family’s delightful TV take on 10 Things I Hate About You. And fourth — yes, fourth! — it has the opportunity to tackle body-image issues, a la Drop Dead Diva, for young girls.

But what do you think, PopWatchers? Could Huge be a hit?

Jan 26 2010 11:08 AM ET

Why don't they make a reality show called 'Charitable Cherubs'?

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I know. I know why. Adorable West London 7-year-old Charlie Simpson organized a sponsored 5-mile bike ride on Sunday and has now raised over $200,000 for UNICEF’s earthquake relief in Haiti. The press is calling him “Haiti Bike Boy.” Simon Cowell has hugged him. What have you done today?

I love the little “gentle shove” gesture he uses instead of saying “help.”

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