Archive: March 2010 (71-80 of 604)

Mar 28 2010 10:32 AM ET

Jennifer Love Hewitt suffering from 'love-aholicism': Dating memoir recommends spray tans, Spanx, and tiaras

Jennifer-Love-Hewitt_240.jpg Image Credit: Rob Kim/Retna LtdI’m increasingly unsure if Jennifer Love Hewitt is simply harmless and corny — a big-boobed Bambi with nothing but heart-shaped intentions — or if she is in fact some kind of evil genius.

The young woman, a favorite punching bag on blogs and in rags over her unremarkable weight and dating history, has what appears to be a thriving TV show even if I don’t know anyone who has ever caught an episode. She gets work, even if it often is in direct response to her romantic woes. Now she’s gone and capitalized on all those splattered shots at love and poured them into a new Hallmark card-sized book, The Day I Shot Cupid: Hello, My Name is Jennifer Love Hewitt and I’m a Love-aholic. The book is pocket-sized, possibly 350 words in length, with a busty cartoon caricature of the young author on the front and a Harlequin romance-style head shot of her on the back. In the photo she is all blushing cheeks in a field of flowers, wearing what appears to be a Danielle Steele creation of pink wispy negligee. The writing itself feels ripped straight from any high school girl’s binder, lots of hearts and P.S.’s. There is an awkward example of sex-texting that doesn’t bear repeating. There is an unfortunate ode from her now ex-boyfriend Jamie Kennedy to the marvels of a shapely woman’s rear. (“Ladies, ladies, ladies, let me tell you something. Stop trippin’ on yo’ butt.”) There is even a chapter on what to do when you find skid marks on your fella’s under shorts. (“I have been introduced to Mr. Brown before and I didn’t handle it well at first,” she confesses. Her giggles jump right off the page!) And of course, as you may have already seen on her promotional rounds for her debut book, there is the sincere recommendation of self-crystallization.

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Mar 28 2010 10:23 AM ET

Matt Damon gets 'mid-career' achievement award

Filed under: Television and tagged: ,

matt-damonImage Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Le Studio/WireimageFor a guy known for being a serious actor, Matt Damon is pretty funny — or at least he seems to be when the room is filled with his longtime pals and colleagues, such as Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Don Cheadle, Clint Eastwood, Charlize Theron, Greg Kinnear, Casey Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Jimmy Kimmel, and Sarah Silverman.

Last night they all gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in L.A. to honor Damon for his film and philanthropic work. A taped version of the event, “Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute,” will air in April on ABC.

So, a lifetime achievement award for an actor who hasn’t even turned 40? READ FULL STORY »

Mar 27 2010 04:00 PM ET

White House gatecrashers cast on 'Real Housewives'? Code Gross

Michaele-SalahiImage Credit: Patsy Lynch / Retna Ltd. Bring your own beer production crew. According to a report from the Daily Beast, White House gatecrasher Michaele Salahi — she of the Coca-Cola Can Red sari and chemically straightened platinum locks — has been cast on Bravo’s upcoming Real Housewives of D.C. (The Daily Beast report notes Bravo declined to comment on casting, quoting a rep who said the network had “absolutely no announcement beyond the fact that we’re doing the show and the production process continues.”) You may recall the Virginia-based woman, on the arm of her husband Tareq, swanned into President Obama’s first state dinner in November, having been in the company of a camera team for the Bravo show’s producers that day. They were nabbed as uninvited guests only after Michaele posted a gleeful photo album on her Facebook page showing her mugging with the likes of Katie Couric and Vice President Joe Biden. If you want to be a reality star, what better way to announce your ambition than publicly humiliating the Secret Service and then writing a status update about it?

I used to love me some Housewives. Remember the good old days when the highlight of an episode was watching Vicki blow her top over her family van? I’m not suggesting it was ever high-caliber TV but there was something satisfying and even modest about the show’s ambitions. These were overprivileged, silly, mostly harmless women who tended to behave badly. Viewers at home could sit in benign judgment while secretly admiring the nice pool or granite tops. When did this series jump the shark? I think giving any of these ladies a Season 2 was a mistake. The hiatus gives them too much time to cynically retool their public and physical images. But things really got dicey when Housewives became a chain, setting up franchises in New York, then Atlanta, New Jersey, and now here comes D.C. and Beverly Hills. (Okay, I’m actually looking forward to Beverly Hills.) Now everybody has a product to hawk, a makeup line to launch, an unnecessary book to shill, a regrettable single to record. (Oh LuAnn. Elegance is lear-er-ERNEDDDD!)

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Mar 27 2010 12:06 PM ET

Jeff Garlin on Jesse James cheating scandal: Straight out of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

bill-maherImage Credit: Janet Van Ham/HBOJeff Garlin’s visit to HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher last night began with, of all things, a discussion of Jesse James’ alleged cheating on Sandra Bullock. “This is straight out of Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Garlin chortled regarding certain sordid gossip-reported tales involving a possible neo-Nazi connection. “The only person I know who could think of this is Larry David!”

True that. Hey, speaking of Curb Your Enthusiasm, any more word on David’s tantalizing revelation that there’s a “pretty good chance” they’ll do an eighth season? Of course not. The subject of Curb didn’t even come up again after that initial LOL, which is probably because right now no one outside of Larry David’s head has any clue what lies in the show’s future. (I knew this, and yet I tuned in anyway hoping for another crumb of Curb information. My fault.)

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Mar 27 2010 09:15 AM ET

This Week on Stage: Frank Sinatra on the dance floor in 'Come Fly Away'

fly_away_homeImage Credit: Joan MarcusStarting yesterday, Frank Sinatra made a grand return to New York City. Well, his undeniable influence truly never really left the city, but the stage musical by famed choreographer Twyla Tharp (Movin’ Out) that uses all of his songs opened at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre to much fanfare. And strong reviews! Including mine, where I gave it an A– and said that the dance-infused show was “escapism at its best” and, overall, “a delicious love note to Ol’ Blue Eyes.” If you like dance and Sinatra — and who doesn’t? — this is the show for you.

Also opening this week were two plays. First was the revival a Tennessee Williams’ classic The Glass Menagerie that struck EW’s Jeff Labrecque so well that he awarded it an A and called it a “crafty Off Broadway revival that probes the nerves of its characters so mercilessly that the audience can inhale their desperation and remorse.” Jennifer Armstrong saw Frances McDormand and former ER star Maura Tierney in North Atlantic, her return to work after fighting cancer and dropping out of NBC’s new Parenthood. She gave the comedic play a B– and commented, specifically, that Tierney “is at her sexy-cool best as the unlucky nurse who’s caught a visiting general’s eye.”

Besides the week’s openings and a smattering of announcements (which you can find after the jump), the other big news of the week was Will & Grace alum Megan Mullally’s exit from the upcoming Broadway production Lips Together, Teeth Apart. The play’s producers initially alluded to looking for a replacement, but quickly announced the show’s indefinite postponement.

If you’re looking for some live theater, check out the EW.com Stage hub for up-to-date news and reviews; or consult this handy guide, which includes links to all of our stage reviews of current shows. (Note: The reviews are typically of performances with the show’s original cast.)

BROADWAY

The Addams Family — Musical; opens 4/8/2010

All About Me —– Musical Revue starring Dame Edna Everage and Michael Feinstein; opened 3/18/10; EW grade: B-

American Idiot — Musical; opens 4/20/2010

A Behanding in Spokane — Comedy starring Christopher Walken; opened 3/4/10; EW grade: B+

Billy Elliot — Musical; opened 11/13/08; EW grade: B+

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Mar 27 2010 04:53 AM ET

'Caprica' recap: 'Wanna be a terrorist? Let's see some terror.'

Tagged: ,

I never watched Battlestar Galactica on real live television. I got into the show when a roommate loaned me the season 1 DVD. That was summer, 2005. In early 2006, a classmate sent me a link to a (vaguely) legal website that was hosting all the season 2 episodes. I became an honest citizen for season 3: I suffered the commercial breaks watching episodes on the official network website. (Back then, Sci-Fi was spelled correctly). By the time the back half of season four finally started in 2008, I was tired of pixelated video. So I went show-crazy and paid real money to download every episode from iTunes. You do crazy things for love.

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Mar 26 2010 07:01 PM ET

Theaters raising ticket prices: How much extra will you be willing to pay?

Filed under: Movies and tagged: , ,

How-to-train-Your-Dragon_320.jpg Image Credit: DreamWorks AnimationIf you’re going to see How to Train Your Dragon this weekend, don’t be surprised if you’re paying a little extra. Wall Street analysts announced today that theaters across the country are hiking ticket prices, with 2-D screenings going up 4 percent, 3-D prices rising by 8 percent, and IMAX tickets rising by 10 percent. The average upcharge to see a 3-D movie is now $4. (Let’s all just blame the overwhelming success of 3-D smashes Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, yes?) It’s still early in the 3-D boom-let, but I can’t help wondering at what price audiences will start to rebel. Avatar and Alice set awfully high bars in terms of visual inventiveness. At some point, audiences won’t be willing to pay extra anymore for just the simple fact of an added dimension. They’re going to require something more in terms of quality, and if they don’t get it, then that $17.50 (the price of a 3-D ticket here in New York) is going to feel awfully steep. How much would be too much for you to pay, even if it’s a movie you’d like to see? And how long will 3-D tickets really be worth the extra money to you?

Mar 26 2010 04:42 PM ET

Please pass the bubbly, Hello Kitty

Filed under: Food and Drink and tagged: , ,

hello-kitty-wineWhat happens when you bring together pop culture’s favorite feline and booze? Why, you get the Hello Kitty Wines collection, of course!

The product’s tagline says it all – “Our favorite girl has grown up!” Indeed she has, as she peddles four different types of wine: the Angel and Devil Pinot Neros, Brut Rose, and a demi-sec Sweet Pink sparkling wine. Sounds to me like 375 ml of bubbly goodness!

The wines are produced and bottled in Italy, and will be available for purchase on the Hello Kitty Wines website soon. (There are currently a few stores online selling certain varieties.) The packaging is of course adorable — the corks are covered with bubblegum pink foil, and the labels feature HK in different costumes (i.e. a cupid getup for the Angel label). It appears that the Brut Rose also comes with a Hello Kitty pendant around the neck of the bottle — a fun extra perk.

I have always loved Hello Kitty — it used to take my mom forever to drag me out of the Sanrio store, and I still buy items that have her cute little mouthless face on them. (Like Tarina Tarantino’s charming Pink Head jewelry.) But I’m not sure if I’ll be running down to my local liquor store to stock up on these. They’re not cheap — prices range from $19.99 to $29.99 — and I really don’t drink much wine and…oh, who am I kidding. I’ll probably be the first person to order some. I just can’t resist the power of Hello Kitty and her marketing team.

So PopWatchers, are you planning on imbibing with some Hello Kitty approved wine? What’s a character that you’d like to see shill potent potables?

Mar 26 2010 04:34 PM ET

Weekend Box Office Poll: Are you going to see 'Dragon' this weekend? 'Hot Tub Time Machine'?

Filed under: Movies and tagged: ,

EW’s box-office expert Nicole Sperling is predicting that movie-goers are mostly going to want to see the new animated tale How to Train Your Dragon this weekend, followed by Hot Tub Time Machine, Alice in Wonderland, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and then, finally, The Bounty Hunter. In fact, Sperling is predicting that Dragon will pull in a quite-hefty $45 million. And Hot Tub Time Machine? Only $20 million, she says.

But what about you EW.com readers? Are you all really going to rush out and see Dragon before Hot Tub Time Machine? I feel like you all might be salivating more at the raunchiness that Machine surely promises. Am I right? Well, either way, prove me right or wrong in our Weekend Box Office Poll here. Tell me what you’re going to see!

More from EW.com:
Box office preview: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ to lord over the weekend
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ review
‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ review
‘Alice in Wonderland’ review
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ review
‘The Bounty Hunter’ review

Mar 26 2010 04:29 PM ET

TLC's 'Paranormal Court': 'Two parties come together and agree to be bound by the ruling enlisted from the other side'

Filed under: Television and tagged:

PARANORMAL-COURTImage Credit: TLCOh, TLC. I don’t watch you as much as I used to, but now that the C stands for Crazy, you sure are fun to blog about. Just got a sneak peek at this Saturday night’s special, Paranormal Court (10 p.m. EST). “When tragic deaths and unanswered questions push families to the breaking point, renowned psychic medium Robert Hansen steps in to settle their disputes with help from the dead.” I’m not poking fun at people who believe in mediums or that spirits can communicate with us from beyond. (I’ve admitted that every time an elevator door magically opens before I push the “up” button, I get the feeling it’s my late Pappy Groninger doing it because he knows I find it amusing and sweet.) I’m just saying that OF COURSE someone would find a way to bring “court” into it.

The three cases: “A mother and daughter battle over their loved one’s gold cross,” “a close-knit group of siblings is ripped apart after one allegedly steals their dead brother’s car,” and “a mother’s inability to let go of her deceased daughter strains her marriage to the breaking point.”

Clip after the jump. READ FULL STORY »

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