Archive: July 2010 (331-340 of 583)

Jul 15 2010 01:13 PM ET

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston: Is their goal to be the Alaskan Speidi?

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Categories: News You Can Use, Reality TV, Ripped From the Headlines!, This Could Be Interesting...

Bristol-Palin-Levi-JohnstonImage Credit: PA Photos/Landov; UPI Photo/LandovNow that Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have announced their surprise engagement, rumors are swirling that they will next reveal plans for a reality show, something like a young Republican-version of Bethenny Getting Married?. (Now there’s a million-dollar pitch!) Quite frankly, the move would not surprise me. But do these two have what it takes to become the next Heidi and Spencer? Now that The Hills has ended, there’s room for a new Speidi in the reality show landscape. And though Bristol doesn’t seem to share Heidi’s love of injectables or lucite heels, Levi has certainly shown a Spencer-esque proclivity for attention-getting quotes.

But the big question is: What will their combined name be? Brevi? Levistol? Sadly, those both kind of sound like high-cholesterol medications (faux advertisement: “Side effects for Levistol include spontaneous pregnancy, Playgirl pictorials…”).

Would you watch a Bristol/Levi reality show, PopWatchers? What should their combined name be?

Jul 15 2010 12:55 PM ET

'Blue Crush 2' currently filming, just FYI

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Categories: DVD/Video, Movies

sasha-jacksonBlue Crush 2 is now in production on the coast of South Africa and will go straight-to-DVD in Spring 2011. No, Kate Bosworth hasn’t returned. This one stars Sasha Jackson (One Tree Hill). The synopsis: “Dana [Jackson] is 18, gorgeous and a killer surfer with a shelf full of trophies to prove it. When her father pressures her to buckle down and go to college, Dana flees her Beverly Hills home for the beaches of South Africa, the site of some of the world’s most awesome surf and her late mother’s home country. With her mom’s journal in hand and a mismatched gang of surf fanatics watching her back, Dana embarks on an odyssey along the breathtaking southern coast of Africa to fulfill her mother’s dream — one long, flawless journey down the barrel of the killer waves of J-Bay.”

The “Beverly Hills home” and “mom’s journal” make me a little nervous — they sound like setups for “fish out of water” jokes and “artsy” elements. But I’m digging the South Africa setting. Maybe there could have been a recent Great White attack and the mental block Dana will have to overcome is her fear of sharks. Other suggestions for the final third of the movie?

Jul 15 2010 12:25 PM ET

'Howl' trailer: James Franco, Jon Hamm, and jazz

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Categories: James Franco, Jon Hamm, Movie Trailers, Movies

The trailer for Howl, which centers on the obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) faced after the publication of his poem of the same name, is now online. We see a lot of Franco and the performance EW critic Owen Gleiberman said nails “the poet’s winningly bombastic urban-intellectual glee; he’s like a young rabbi letting himself go in the New York beatnik underground.” (The film screened at Sundance.) Watch it below. I’m sure I should be thinking of weightier things to type, but really, all that’s going through my mind is that I’m glad all of glimpses of Jon Hamm (who plays the attorney who defends City Lights bookstore proprietor Lawrence Ferlinghetti, so he’s in a nice suit) are in color. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2010 12:19 PM ET

Captain's Log, Stardate 48732.4: The new official 'Star Trek' website launches

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Categories: Geekery, Movies, Sci-Fi, Space, Star Trek

Leonard-NimoyImage Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR PhotoSet your faces to stunned because the new, all-encompassing re-launch of StarTrek.com is upon us. The website, which went live this morning, handles all things Starfleet and is meant to be the official online destination for Trekkies everywhere. It covers all incarnations of the venerable Roddenberry franchise, including the new movie, so even if you are among the many for whom the initials TOS mean nothing, there’s still something here for you.

In a statement on the site, the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, confesses he finds the new website entirely logical, welcoming visitors, saying, “To those of you who have been with us for so long, my sincere thanks for your interest.  For those of you who are new to Star Trek, who are discovering it through the recent movie and are about to explore the franchise in its infinite diversity… welcome.  Come aboard and enjoy.”

It’s not the flashiest-looking site, but that totally works for me. I was always more into the slight cheesiness of green body paint and William Shatner’s judo chops than the shiny surfaces and lens flares of the reboot. Plus, the databases are almost mind-meldingly comprehensive. But what do you think, PopWatchers? Like the new site? Ready to surf long and prosper?

Jul 15 2010 12:03 PM ET

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Justin Bieber: There Can Be Only One!

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Categories: Celebrity Feuds, Does Anyone Really Need an Article to Answer This Headline?, Ridiculata

shaq-vs-beiberImage Credit: EPA/Tanner Maury/Landov; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicAs one of the three people who watched Shaq Vs. last summer, I’m pleased to report that the show will be back and more nonsensical than ever. According to the Associated Press, Shaquille O’Neal is no longer satisfied only losing to fellow athletes. In the new season debuting Aug. 3,  he’ll try (and almost certainly fail) to out-cook Rachael Ray, out-magic Penn and Teller, and out-eat a competitive eater. Best of all, Shaq will be facing down his oldest enemy…on the dance floor. No, not Kobe Bryant. And not that evil mummy from Shaq Fu. I’m talking Justin D. Bieber, the impish little Twitter demon your niece can’t stop talking about.

The Biebs, of course, is an incredibly talented young dancer. It’ll be interesting to see how he matches up against O’Neal, who at last measurement weighed approximately twelve cubic Biebers. I admire Shaq for expanding his horizons beyond the realm of sports, and can actually envision him making a second career out of challenging incredible talented people from all walks of life. Who should Shaq take on next? Take a PopWatch poll after the jump… READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2010 11:42 AM ET

'Psych' season premiere: Shawn is part Chinese... now

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Categories: About Last Night, Psych, Television

Psych-RomeImage Credit: Alan Zenuk/USA NetworkPsych is back, and as much as I enjoy the endless pop culture references in Shawn and Gus’ banter, the physical comedy still gets me. While investigating the kidnapping of what ultimately became a young couple who happened to be the children of the leaders of two rival Chinese Triad gangs, Shawn took a wushu class to do some surveillance. Naturally, he thought he was awesome at it and suddenly had the skills to do things he never should have attempted. Below, a few clips.

As for actual character development, Juliet, in a desk job at City Hall while she recovered from her near-death experience in last season’s finale, got back on the horse in time to save Shawn from getting his ass kicked by the brother who’d taken his sibling and the pregnant girlfriend to start a gang war. She also darkened her hair a bit, which unlike Gus, I’ve yet to fully warm to. Oh, and she and Shawn nearly shared a hug. I’m all for seeing more of Corbin Bernsen on the show, but his new job as liaison for the police department (which means he gets to choose when to hire Shawn and Gus as consultants), has him wearing suits. I prefer Henry in casual wear. Discuss. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2010 11:35 AM ET

'Tink': Elizabeth Banks is Tinkerbell, of course

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Categories: Awwwwww So Cuuuuuute, Casting, Magic, Movies, Now That's What I Call a Face!, This Could Be Interesting...

tinkerbell-Elizabeth-BanksImage Credit: Pixplanete/PR Photos; DisneyLook at her perfect fairy face! Elizabeth Banks will play Tinkerbell in Tink, a live-action romantic comedy from Disney to be produced by Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, and McG. All we know is that the movie “plays with the mischievous nature of the Tinkerbell character,” so perhaps she’ll be playing with fart apps on her iPhone the whole time.

We’ve seen Tinkerbell in four films now — silent Peter Pan, Disney’s classic animated Peter Pan, Julia Roberts in Hook, and Ludivine Sagnier in 2003′s Peter Pan (which frankly I forgot even happened, but look at all these crazy YouTube tribute videos!). Is this fairy ready to carry her own movie? Will you be Enchanted by the liveliness of all the action? [Variety]

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Jul 15 2010 11:22 AM ET

'Kill the Ground Zero Mosque' ad rejected by CBS, NBC: Was it the right decision?

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Categories: Advertising, Ripped From the Headlines!, Television, Water Cooler

CBS and NBC have rejected an ad by the National Republican Trust PAC that seeks to rally viewers against a proposed mosque that would be built two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City. The one-minute spot (embedded below) begins with the words “the audacity of JIHAD” flashing on the screen followed shortly thereafter by the image of a plane flying into the World Trade Center; an accompanying voiceover declares that “to celebrate that murder of 3,000 Americans, they want to build a monstrous 13-story mosque at Ground Zero.”

The national spot “didn’t meet our broadcast standards,” said a spokesperson for CBS, confirming the network’s decision not to run it. An NBC spokesperson also confirmed the decision to reject the spot, but did not offer an explanation why. Nonetheless, EW obtained a letter from NBC Universal advertising standards manager Jennifer Riley to the NRT PAC explaining that: READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2010 11:07 AM ET

'America's Got Talent' picks its first four unsurprising semifinalists

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Categories: About Last Night, America's Got Talent, Reality TV, Television

nathaniel-kenyonImage Credit: Trae Patton/NBCLast night marked the first live elimination episode of America’s Got Talent, but that sounds a lot more exciting than it actually was: The night was entirely devoid of surprise, and whatever tension ostensibly built during the outrageously long pauses (“The act going through to Hollywood is…[grow beard, turn grey, sunrise, sunset] …”) was more annoying than thrilling. Our first four semifinalists: READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2010 10:00 AM ET

'Mega Python vs. Gatoroid': We were there!

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Categories: Animals, Geekery, On the Scene, Ridiculata, Sci-Fi, Television, The Bad Man Scares Me!

debbie-gibson-TiffanyImage Credit: Barry King/WireImage.comI spent last Sunday in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park watching Tiffany and Debbie Gibson getting chased by steroid-enhanced alligators. What did you guys do?

File this under why I love my job, but every once in awhile EW writers get to be eye-witnesses to pop culture history in the making. This wasn’t one of those moments, but visiting the set of Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, the latest in the Syfy network’s extra-cheesy B-movies, was a little like stepping into a vortex of super-campy pop culture nostalgia. For starters, the scene last Sunday was shot at the Griffith Park location where Adam West used to zoom into the Batcave in the Batmobile in 1960s TV series Batman. (The rock formation is actually more of a tunnel than a cave, but never mind.) For another thing, cameras were shooting a scene in which the two rival teen pop princesses from the 1980s — Tiffany plays a park ranger, Gibson an animal rights activist — huddle together in a tiny metal storage shack, surrounded by… Well, the giant alligators were a no-show, but will be added via CGI later. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been if, say, a former Monkee had turned up on the set. (Alas, Mickey Dolenz was just added to the cast yesterday.) READ FULL STORY »

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