Archive: February 2010 (171-180 of 489)

Feb 18 2010 11:18 AM ET

Olympic Studs of the Day: Lindsey Vonn, Shani Davis, and Shaun White

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Day 6’s Olympic Stud(/ette): It’s a three-way tie! Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, speed skater Shani Davis, and snowboarder Shaun White. The PopWatch Olympic Committee has ruled that last night’s American gold medalists were too good NOT to honor – and co-Chairperson Annie Barrett lobbied hard for someone with two X chromosomes to be featured in a Stud of the Day image. Let’s break down the action:

Lindsey ”What injury?” Vonn: I got the spoiler tweet about Vonn’s victory several hours before watching it on TV, but it surprisingly didn’t take too much away from it. Vonn’s bruised shin was a matter of major concern before the race, but the potential new icon of girl power (sorry, Spice Girls) pulled out a tough victory that has surely silenced naysayers. One commentator even said going down the treacherous course was ”like carrying a piano on your back.” Ouch! But if that’s truly the case, I’m hiring Lindsey for my next moving day. That aside, Lindsey’s tearful interview after her win, when ironically enough the interviewer complimented her on how well she controlled her emotions, was almost as good as to watch as the race itself. I must admit that Vonn’s lengthy embrace with husband Thomas made my stone of a heart twinge just a little.

Shani ”See what I did there?” Davis: His narrow win over Mo Tae-bum of South Korea was both smooth and a big ole ”take that!” to his critics (Davis got flack earlier this week for skipping out on the 500-meter). Sports aside, Davis gets full-fledged stud status for his physique (after three not-appropriate-for-reading expressions, that’s the term I settled on) and his white-as-the-ice teeth. His good-natured ribbing with a fellow competitor, which he discussed in a post-win interview with NBC, also made him a strong candidate for this honorable PopWatch distinction. Good sportsmanship = very studly.

Shaun ”Too awesome to look at directly” White: While White is not my cup of stud tea (of which I try to consume at least one cup every day), a man who can jump that high on a snowboard and perform a Double McTwist 1260 just because he feels like it deserves some kudos. After seeing his awful fall at the X Games, I was hoping he wouldn’t try (and fail) to do a Double McTwist during his first run. When he aced it, though, I wanted to see him pull one out during his second run. He delivered. Both of White’s awe-inspiring performances have earned him three things: a gold medal (duh!), a spot on the Stud of the Day, and enough cool points for me to forgive him for not Tweeting since September.

What say you, PopWatchers? Did we miss anyone last night?

More Olympics coverage:
Olympic Stud of the Day 5: Evan Lysacek
Olympic Stud of Day 4: Seth Wescott
Olympic Stud of Day 3: Canadian men’s moguls gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau
Olympic Stud of Day 2: U.S. speed skater Apolo Ohno
Olympic Stud of Day 1: U.S. curler Chris Plys
PopWatch on Ice: Mandi’s figure skating recaps, Scott Hamilton interviews, and more!

Feb 18 2010 10:42 AM ET

Women's Downhill Skiing telecast: So Cruel

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According to USA Today, the final jump on the Women’s Olympic ski course will be changed for safety reasons after all of the devastating crashes we saw in Day 6′s downhill event. Well, good, because Things That Made Me Die Inside Last Night = Watching Female Skiers Crash. A few days ago, those bouncy mogul competitions made my rickety bum knees tingle pretty badly and I thought okay, this sucks but I can handle it, selective pain, it’s psychosomatic, stop imagining your body has anything to do with sculpted Olympian physiques, you lunatic, etc.. But it turns out I wasn’t even READY because the total wipeouts endured during last night’s Women’s Downhill finals threw Olympics viewers into a full-fledged WORLD OF PAIN. Once they crashed, the Energizer ski bunnies just kept going and going and going and going and eventually they just sat up (like Italy’s Daniela Merighetti, pictured), defeated, shoulders slumped all George Michael Bluth/Snoopy-like, and still they kept sliding and sliding and sliding downhill and then finally, FINALLY there were tears at the end. And throughout. In my living room. I am aware that crashes happen during ski events, but did anyone else feel guilty watching this mess?

So, if your still-intact internal organs can handle it, watch the NBCOlympics.com Deluxe Crash Remix with the sound off and this song on instead and imagine that Bono is Whistler Mountain and his love, “like a screaming flower” with her “spirit in the air,” is the innocent lady skier who didn’t get to do enough trial runs due to inclement weather.

We crossed the line
Who pushed who over?
It doesn’t matter to you
It matters to me
We’re cut adrift
We’re still floating
I’m only hanging on
To watch you go down
My love

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 18 2010 10:15 AM ET

Don Draper, err Jon Hamm, gets angry in new thriller

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Another Jon Hamm movie alert! IFC Films will release thriller Stolen (previously titled Stolen Lives) on its VOD platform on March 3, followed by theatrical runs starting March 12 in New york and March 19 in Los Angeles.

This trailer is pretty good, although the whole thing looks a little bit like an extra-special episode of Cold Case (not necessarily a bad thing, I like Cold Case). And I’ll go see it because it will be Jon Hamm on the BIG SCREEN.

This detective character has some of the Draper rage in him, clearly. (“Don’t touch anything until there is a body” – sounds like another post-baby-Gene argument in the bedroom with Betty, no?)

Who else will Hamm it up in the theater?

Feb 18 2010 09:30 AM ET

Ewan McGregor wants to do more nudity? We say, whatever makes him happy!

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Ewan McGregor gives a great interview to Out magazine this month, and one highlight is talking about making his privates public. “I always try not to limit myself in all respects,” McGregor tells Out. “Sexuality is just one of them. I could understand saying ‘I would never do gratuitous nudity.’ Wait. No. I probably would. I’d probably be quite happy to.”

Well, Ewan, I think all of mankind – gay, straight, married, single, male, female – would agree this is probably a good idea.

So to celebrate McGregor’s willingness to shed his clothes for the right role(s), we present this PopWatch poll of the best performance by “little Ewan.” Vote now!
Feb 18 2010 09:00 AM ET

This Week's Cover: On the set with the cast of 'Lost'

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Hey Losties, if you’re still confused about this whole “Sideways world” after the first three episodes of the final season, don’t despair — turns out the cast initially had trouble understanding the time-tripping idea, too. When EW’s Totally Lost duo Jeff Jensen and Dan Snierson visited the set in Hawaii last October, Matthew Fox and company were still trying to wrap their brains around the implications of the flash-sideways device. “It completely shatters your concept of time and reality,” says Fox. “[Jack] doesn’t have any recollection of any other version of reality. And yet there’s something inside of him that feels slightly off balance and confused by the whole thing.” Evangeline Lilly, meanwhile, suggests that the Sideways conceit hinges on reincarnation mysticism, and believes that off-Island Kate “has those [castaway] years under her belt somewhere deep within her soul memory. She just doesn’t consciously remember them.” READ FULL STORY »

Feb 18 2010 12:01 AM ET

The Ultimate 'Survivor' Quiz: presented by the Heroes and Villains themselves!

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The contestants of Survivor test themselves each and every episode. They test their endurance. They test their physical limits. They test their strategy and social skills. And they always test their knowledge of the game. Well, now the tables have been turned, my friend, and they are ready to test YOU! That’s right, we have host Jeff Probst and the contestants of Heroes vs. Villains (19 of them, at least — see if you can tell who’s missing) ready to administer our own little EW.com Survivor exam covering the first 19 seasons of the show. Think you’re a big fan? Then see how you do with our Ultimate Survivor Quiz, with questions and answers provided by actual season 20 cast members. Probst and each contestant will ask a question and you’ll be given four possible answers. You’ll then be given a few seconds to choose, but don’t worry, you can pause the video if you need more time. (Also note that you’ll have to keep score yourself: No cheating!) Just click on the video below to take the 3-part quiz. See how you measure up and then let us know if you have what it takes to be considered a Survivor Grand Master.

Follow me on Twitter: @EWDaltonRoss



Feb 17 2010 11:15 PM ET

'American Idol' names its top 24 for season 9: What think ye?

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

Well that was more like it! After an interminable two-hour episode on Tuesday, American Idol returned to peak better form tonight, presenting a zippy 60-minute telecast in which 17(ish) hopefuls advanced to the season 9 semifinals, and several hyped contestants were sent home in tears. And while the judges made several questionable calls over the course of the evening — choosing this over this? srsly? — the good news is that starting next Tuesday, the power is back in the hands of the Idoloonie Nation. (In other words, us!) [West Coasters: There are SPOILERS ahead, so back away from the Internets if you don't want to read 'em.] READ FULL STORY »

Feb 17 2010 06:12 PM ET

Capt. Phil Harris: More great stories from, about him

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Yesterday, we spoke with Deadliest Catch executive producer Thom Beers, who told us when Capt. Phil Harris awoke from the medically-induced coma he was placed in after his Jan. 29 stroke, the skipper wanted the cameras to keep filming: They needed a great finish to the story. Harris, who died Feb. 9 at the age of 53, always knew how to tell a good tale. When EW’s Clark Collis spoke with him in 2007, he explained how he got his start in fishing: “I bulls—ted my way on a boat, and I told them I’d work for nothing for however long it took to be able to do this. I got on and I worked for two, three months for nothing and then a guy got hurt and I turned around and made like $130,000 and life was good. I was 17.” What did he do with the money?, Clark asked. “You want the honest answer? I bought a car, I bought a house, and I bought a couple of hookers.”

In that same 2007 interview, Harris was asked when he would retire. “The longer you do this, the more chances your number’s gonna come up. Most of the guys I started with have either died or got hurt or got out of it,” he said. “Maybe four, five years.” Many fans will wonder why he returned to his captain’s chair after a blood clot traveled through his heart and settled on one of his lungs in 2008 — a condition that did force him to call in a relief skipper for the Cornelia Marie. Beers admits he asked the question. “We’re sitting there behind the scenes going ‘Phil, is it really time for you to go back out there again?’ It’s not up to us. It’s up to you and your doctor.’ We were concerned. It wasn’t that he was resigned to what he was doing, he just said, ‘This is what I do. I can accept that.’ He was a man that felt that he was on a path, and it was the right path, and nobody could really take that away from him. He died doing what he loved, and that’s important.”

Harris’ 2008 illness leads into Beers’ all-time favorite story about Capt. Phil: READ FULL STORY »

Feb 17 2010 04:45 PM ET

'Lost' exclusive: Maggie Grace, a.k.a. Shannon, returns this season

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Maggie Grace, who played Shannon on Lost, will return to the ABC drama later this season, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse confirmed to EW.com. “We’re really excited about having her back on the show,” says Cuse, “and we have a good story for her.” The producers would not specify how many episodes she would appear in. An original cast member, Grace exited the show in season 2 when her character — the spoiled stepsister of Boone — was killed off, though she did resurface in a season 3 episode. Harold Perrineau, Cynthia Watros, and Rebecca Mader are among the other dearly departed who will guest-star in Lost‘s sixth and final season.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Perez/ABC

Feb 17 2010 04:13 PM ET

Lady Gaga's BRIT Awards outfit(s): Cheers or jeers?

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Filed under: About Last Night and tagged: , , , , ,

Lady Gaga picked up three trophies at last night’s Brit Awards, and in what may have been a nod to the number of nominations she received, the singer showed up on the red carpet in a three-tiered cape dress that seemed all too conservative for the style chameleon.

As expected, the cape dress was just a decoy for the flesh-baring lace number that she wore for her performance of “Telephone” and “Dance in the Dark.”

Gaga kept her lace mask on, but the outfit itself seemed like a cross between Halle Berry’s 2002 Oscar dress and something Courtney Love might wear to the grocery store. If the outfit seemed a bit subdued for the usually outrageous-dressing chanteuse, it was due in part to a tribute for the late Alexander McQueen, the designer who Gaga had often collaborated with and whom she dedicated her performance to last night.

But subdued went out the window when it came to Gaga’s lace face mask and sky-high hair, which had a Bride of Frankenstein thing going on. That may explain the wedding cake-like structure of her red carpet outfit.

What do you guys think of Gaga’s outfits? Which do you like better – red carpet or performance?

Photo: Solarpix/PR Photos; PA Photos/Landov(2)

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