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Archive: September 2010 (121-130 of 588)

Sep 24 2010 04:43 PM ET

Place your bets: What show will get the ax first this season?

My-Generation-Lone-Star Image Credit: Vivian Zink/ABC; Bill Matlock/FoxLast night’s premiere of the dreary My Generation brought in just 5.2 million viewers (less than half what FlashForward pulled in in the same slot last year), but it still topped Monday’s tepid premiere of the vastly superior Lone Star, which snagged just 4.1 million viewers. And yet the emotionally bankrupt $#*! My Dad Says raked in 12.4 million people. I live in a nation of strangers.

Some returning vets didn’t fare so well, either: The non-celebrity Apprentice had its lowest ratings ever. So bust out your crystal ball, PopWatchers: What show is going to get the ax first this season? Might the networks be just a little bit patient this year, and give even low-rated shows a chance to flourish? Ha, ha, ha, ha, no, they won’t. But should they?

Sep 24 2010 04:36 PM ET

'Glee' Britney Spears sneak peek: Brittany and Santana want to get their anesthesia on

by Emily Exton

Categories: Advance Advancement, Britney Spears, Glee, Television, Things That Are Awesome!

Tuesday’s episode of Glee features the music of one of pop’s biggest idols, performed by one of the show’s biggest idiots…I mean beloved characters, cheerleader Brittany. We’ve heard some of the Britney Spears songs that will be featured in “Britney/Brittany,” and now we get to see one of the infamous looks. Check out Glee‘s Brittany channeling the Britney from her “I’m a Slave for You” era:

Image Credit: Adam Rose/Fox READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2010 04:17 PM ET

'Sister Wives' opening: Let your obsession begin

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Reality TV, Television

Image Credit: TLCSister Wives, the new TLC docu-series following polygamist Kody Brown, his three wives (Meri, Janelle, and Christine), and their combined 12 children as they welcome a fourth wife and her three kids, premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. ET. I am already obsessed with the 1 minute 23 second opening. Watch it below. It begins with Kody headbanging at what may or not be his next wedding. Sold! I need to know if he’s as happy as he looks. And where they’re going to put the fourth wife’s “apartment” in the home. (Kody takes you on a tour of their house here.) And if the wives are always as supportive of each other as Christine is of “career mom” Janelle in this clip. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2010 04:07 PM ET

NBC's 'Outsourced' through the eyes of an Indian-American woman: Well, it didn't quite make me cry

by Mallika Rao

Categories: About Last Night, Dude, THAT's Your Plot?, Fall 2010 TV recaps, Fall TV, Hollywood Hate Crime, Television

Image Credit: Harper Smith/NBCI didn’t have high expectations going into Outsourced, I’ll admit, based on the universally tepid reaction of critics and the fact that a friend of mine who is brown like me, with parents who came from India like mine, said her cousin cried after watching the promo. But I tried to clear all that from my mind as I sat down to watch the pilot episode last night.

And, score a point (or maybe half a point?) for Outsourced, no tears fell from my eyes as I watched the one-dimensional quirks play out: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2010 03:50 PM ET

Lauren Conrad returning to MTV for reality series

by Tim Stack

Categories: Advance Advancement, Casting, News You Can Use, Reality TV, Television, The Hills

Image Credit: John Shearer/Getty ImagesLauren Conrad, star of MTV’s Laguna Beach and The Hills, announced on Ryan Searcrest’s radio show this morning that she would be returning to the network for a new reality show focusing on the young designer building her fashion house. (Conrad’s rep also confirmed the news; as of press time, MTV did not return EW’s calls for comment.) Conrad told Seacrest the new show “will be something very different.” The 24-year-old left The Hills on May 31, 2009 after attending frenemy Heidi Montag’s wedding to Spencer Pratt. More recently, she’s been focusing on her clothing line and her budding literary career (L.A. Candy; Sweet Little Lies).

What do you think about Lauren’s return to reality TV, PopWatchers? Will you watch this new show?

Sep 24 2010 03:47 PM ET

'Spider-Man' reboot: Who should play Mary Jane and Gwen?

by Darren Franich

Categories: Advance Advancement, Casting couch, Comic Books, Geekery, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 4

Image Credit: Tina Gill/PR Photos; Bob Charlotte/PR PhotosEven though Spider-Man 1 isn’t perfect and Spider-Man 3 is awful, you could make a decent case for the Spider-Man trilogy as the most successful adaptation of a comic book into a complete cinematic saga. The origin story isn’t changed very much. The key characters all appear. The costume is retro-fabulous. (No black leather here). But for me, the trilogy could never quite get over one hurdle: the woman thing. Kirsten Dunst was nominally playing Mary Jane Watson, but she was really more of a mash-up of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy, Spidey’s first girlfriend. Through no fault of Dunst’s, the cinematic Mary Jane became more nonsensical with each movie — especially in 3, when a personality-free Gwen Stacy herself actually appeared for a two-second love triangle. (Adding to the confusion: the on-screen Gwen Stacy was a model, just like Mary Jane in the comics.) So I was incredibly excited to read yesterday’s report by EW’s Nicole Sperling that both Mary Jane and Gwen will be front and center in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2010 03:25 PM ET

Girl power! Pixar names first female director

by Breia Brissey

Categories: Animation, Kids' Corner, News You Can Use, Pixar, Things That Are Awesome!, Water Cooler

Forget about the boy. Let’s hear it for the girl! Pixar has named its first female director, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Brenda Chapman will direct and write the animated film Brave, due out in June 2012. The story follows Merida, a tomboyish royal with a love of archery. (Sounds like we got ourselves a rival for Robin Hood?) After a fight with her mom, Merida makes a decision with some major repercussions for her father’s kingdom. Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, and Julie Walters are all expected to provide voices for the film.

So congrats to Chapman for nabbing this milestone role. Based on the little information I have about the movie, it looks like it could be a good one. But I’m admittedly a sucker for Pixar films. What do you think, PopWatchers? Will you be looking out for the trailer or passing on Brave?

Sep 24 2010 03:00 PM ET

PopWatch Rewind Week 6: 'Superman II'

by Darren Franich and Keith Staskiewicz

Categories: Comic Books, PopWatch Rewind, Smallville, Superman Returns

Image Credit: Everett CollectionSuperman II was, for the longest time, the best superhero film never made. Richard Donner, who directed the first Superman, had filmed about 3/4 of the sequel before he was fired. He was replaced by Richard Lester, best-known for A Hard Day’s Night, who turned the film into a semi-spoof of itself. Superman II in its final form is a hodge-podge of chopped-together scenes and mismatched tones. Gene Hackman refused to return for reshoots, leading to the use of a Lex Luthor body double. Stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder noticeably lose and gain weight between scenes. Serious romance mixes with goofy farce. (The Donner cut was later released on DVD, but we opted not to watch it to preserve the sanctity of the original theatrical release. Also, we were too busy.) In the end, one of us loved Superman II for all the wrong reasons, and one of us hated it for all the right ones.

Keith Staskiewicz (Hated It): Superman II was one of the VHS tapes at my babysitter’s house that originally got me into movies and pop culture in the first place. Watching it now, I don’t hate it. Hate is a strong word for such a silly movie. I just don’t see what sets this goofy, poorly plotted romp apart from any other goofy, poorly plotted romps. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 24 2010 02:40 PM ET

'Twilight' almost became a very different movie, says producer

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Movies, Things That Are Criminal, Twilight

Heads would have exploded. That’s the only reaction you can have after hearing Twilight producer Mark Morgan describe what almost became of Stephenie Meyer’s books. Chatting with HollywoodLife.com at the premiere of Twilight star Nikki Reed’s new film Last Day of Summer, Morgan recalled the struggle to get the first film made. When the project was set up at Paramount — back before the books became a phenomenon and the fans were as vocal, in the studio’s defense — it was going to be an action movie. “I mean, one of their drafts literally had a Korean FBI agent who was hunting and tracking vampires across the coast. There was SWAT in the trees and literally it was like, ‘Red leader, red leader 1′ and the vampires were picking them out of the woods. It would have been a different movie,” Gordon said, one that likely never would have fallen into the hands of director Catherine Hardwicke. Other changes: “They had Bella fighting back. They had her father dying in one of the scripts, actually, and her becoming a vampire in the first movie. There were a lot of weird things that I don’t think they understood at the time, because the books were just becoming popular. By the time [the script] got to Summit, they were smart enough to say ‘You know what? Let’s throw out all the old scripts and let’s start from scratch.”

Can you imagine?

Sep 24 2010 02:12 PM ET

Andrew Lloyd Webber casts his original Phantom of the Opera as his new Wizard of Oz

by Tanner Stransky

Categories: Advance Advancement, Bits and Bobs, British Things, Casting couch, Stage/Theater, This Week on Stage

Image Credit: Getty ImagesAndrew Lloyd Webber has finally found his Wizard of Oz: Stage legend Michael Crawford — who originated the role of the Phantom in Webber’s Phantom of the Opera 24 years ago and is familiar to legions of fans as the hapless Frank Spencer from ’70s British sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em — will assume take on the role as the ruler of Oz in the forthcoming London-based production, according to Variety. It’s an interesting and spot-on choice, but truly not so super surprisingly, considering that Webber often goes back to performers he’s had success with before. (The 68-year-old last appeared on the London stage in 2004 in The Woman in White, which was — surprise! — a Webber production.) We know Crawford can sing and act, considering he launched Phantom in London, New York, and Los Angeles, and that show has gone on to be the longest-running in Broadway history. And just look at that grandfatherly face on Crawford in the photo here: Slap something emerald green on him and — poof! — he’s in business.