Each day this week leading up to the opening of the Winter Olympics (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC), PopWatch on Ice presents a Top 5 list from Scott Hamilton, the 1984 men’s figure skating gold medalist who heads to Vancouver to call his sixth Games. Today’s topic: The 5 most memorable Olympic figure skating falls. Check out Hamilton’s picks after the jump (with video, to relive the pain), then offer your own. READ FULL STORY »
Maybe it’s because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Or maybe it’s because I spent a lot of yesterday watching MTV’s Jersey Shore marathon and had to relive all the nasty lip-locking of the show’s guidos and guidettes. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what pop culture’s ultimate WORST. KISS. EVER. is. Any thoughts?
From the photo here, you can quickly see a few of the ones that have grossed me out over the years: Snooki and “The Situation” making out in the Jersey Shore hot tub; Data and Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact; and Paula and Simon’s sesh during American Idol. All three want to make me curl up and die—or alternately run for the Celibate Hills.
But, honestly, there are tons—slash, millions!—more. In fact, tons that we’re not even picturing here. Others that come to mind: Any smooch between Izzie and George on Grey’s Anatomy; the time Charlotte was licked on Sex and the City; David Gest and Liza Minnelli.
Now, this is where you come in, dear PopWatchers, because I want your opinion: What is pop culture’s WORST. KISS. EVER.? And why? Sound off in the comments section, please!
Super Bowl XLIV is in the books, and while New Orleans’ come-from-behind triumph over Indianapolis was a thriller, Kim Kardashian’s team of choice was not the only winner on the evening. Indeed, the Super Bowl telecast featured more than 50 national advertisements — and at CBS’ premium prices for a 30-second spot, the need to get positive attention was more pronounced than you’d see in a week-long marathon of SuperNanny episodes. Some ads succeeded, some floundered, and some made us feel the burn of bile in our throats (combined with the distinctive flavor or cream-cheese-n-chili dip)…so without further ado, my picks for the five best and worst ads of the night. READ FULL STORY »
There’s been a lot of debate as to why certain people made the cast of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Of course, the other side of that is why certain people did not make the final cut. Why isn’t Panama‘s Shane Powers on the Villains tribe? Or Thailand champ Brian Heidik? How can you have Heroes without Ozzy, Yul, Terry Deitz, and Mike Skupin? And did they even consider bringing back bad boy-turned-quitter Jonny Fairplay? We went straight to the source for the answers: Jeff Probst. I spoke to Probst in Samoa right as season 20 began filming and he went over who couldn’t make it, who wasn’t invited, and why he hates I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! more than life itself. All that and more will be revealed in the 3-part video below. Check back every day this week for exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (and see interviews with all the players at our Survivor video hub). And to have all the Survivor scoop sent directly to you, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Super Bowl XLIV is almost upon us, with the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts facing off for football supremacy. But another kind of competish is happening tonight, too, a national championship of advertising in which companies big and bigger will premiere their advertising campaigns in front of a massive TV audience. For those of you who can’t get enough when it comes to huge-budget, high-concept commercials, our pals at Hulu have created a lovely widget (embedded below) to allow you to watch all of the 2010 Super Bowl ad action in one handy spot (it updates as new ones air)! So get that XLIV chili dip in the oven, fire up our “Everything But the Game” Live-Blog, and enjoy the big game! I’ll be back around midnight EDT or so with my rundown of the night’s best and worst ad spots, so do come back now, ya hear?
CBS is banking on a post-Bowl slot to launch its new reality series Undercover Boss, the first new show to land the plum gig since since drama Extreme in 1995. Never heard of it? Join the club.
In the last few years, networks have used the slot to boost existing shows’ profiles: The Office, House, Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy. It’s not a bad strategy — proven shows pull in big ratings. An hour-long Friends that aired after Super Bowl XXX was seen by more than 52 million people; around 45 million watched the season premiere of Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001;and 38 million watched what was probably the best Grey’s Anatomy episode ever, which aired in 2006.
Once upon a time, though, the lead-out from the Super Bowl was total pilot territory: Airwolf, MacGruder and Loud, The Last Precinct, Hard Copy (not the tabloid news one, a scripted drama), Grand Slam, and Davis Rules all debuted in the slot but then met quick deaths. (Airwolf hung on for a little while but…yeesh.) It wasn’t all bad, though: The A-Team premiered after Super Bowl XVII and became a huge hit, as did The Wonder Years, whose debut followed XXII. Most surprisingly? Homicide: Life on the Street was a post-Super Bowl pilot, too. It’s tough to imagine that happening today, but 1993 was a strange time, I guess. Fox launched both Family Guy and American Dad in post-Super Bowl slots, too, but not directly after the game; a new Simpsons aired before the Seth MacFarlane shows.
I’m partial to existing shows getting the lead-out spot: It’s a chance for a series to do something wildly special or different or huge. What about you, PopWatchers? Do you want an existing favorite to get the megaspotlight, or do you crave the unknown?
Editor’s note: Thanks for … er … not watching the game with us. Scroll down and click Play to relive our live blog, and check out the rest of our Super Bowl coverage, including clips of the Super Bowl commercials, our take on Carrie Underwood’s rendition of the National Anthem, and the behind-the-scenes scoop on the Leno/Letterman/Winfrey spot.
Hey PopWatchers! The Super Bowl begins at 6:25 ET, and we’ll be here to liveblog every important pop culture moment: great commercials, musical performances, celebrity sightings, and more! The Who will perform. Kim Kardashian will vampishly stare blankly into space. It’ll be just like the Grammys, only no one will complain when it lasts more than four hours.
Gather up your snacks, set your DVRs, and cross your fingers for Baba O’Riley. This is going to be a long day.
Kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV is set for 6:28 p.m. ET on CBS (following a pre-game show that begins at 2 p.m. ET). While our Music Mix blog will cover Carrie Underwood’s National Anthem and The Who’s halftime performance, and PopWatch will live blog the telecast riffing on everything but the game, we realize some of you may be looking for an alternative to the Saints vs. Colts. With the other broadcast networks admitting defeat in the form of repeats (or new episodes of ‘Til Death), here are some of your best cable bets. READ FULL STORY »
