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Archive: September 2010 (221-230 of 588)

Sep 20 2010 08:00 PM ET

'Dancing With the Stars': Season 11 is liiiiiiiiiiiive!

Categories: Dancing With the Stars, Reality TV

DWTS-judges Image Credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABCWelcome back, DANCMSTRs! Season 11 has officially kicked off on ABC. These people must be freaking out — they haven’t been able to tweet for minutes! And Hidden Gem Hoff is very uncomfortable not being the center of attention in that crazy glass house! Anyway, I need to go focus on the show. Come back in the morning (a little sooner, if you’re an insomniac or simply insane) for my full recap.

Update: Recap is liiiiiiiiiiive! Discuss the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars here and nominate your Hidden Gems of the Week in the comments. And don’t miss Derek’s first EW.com blog!

Sep 20 2010 07:04 PM ET

Ida Blankenship speaks! Actress Randee Heller on the 'Mad Men' loopy secretary

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: In Memoriam, Mad Men, Television

Image Credit: AMCIda Blankenship, we hardly knew ye. Dotty secretary, “queen of perversions,” crossword puzzler, and now, permanently enshrined in Mad Men great character hall of fame. We caught up with actress Randee Heller to discuss the tragically short reign of Miss Blankenship.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did the role of Miss Blankenship come to be? What was the evolution of Ida Blankenship?
RANDEE HELLER: It’s a hard question. We never know what’s going to happen [on the show], so every week, she evolved by surprise…It was just me and my persona, my abilities to interpret something — an essence of a character — and the brilliance of the writing [that helped the character] evolve week to week. When I first read [the part], I thought, “I think they’re gonna killer her off.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 20 2010 06:59 PM ET

Hayden Panettiere cast as Amanda Knox in Lifetime TV movie

by Breia Brissey

Categories: Casting, Have You Seen This?, HeadScratcher, Movie Casting, News You Can Use, Things That Are Criminal

Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; Franco Origlia/Getty ImagesAccording to Variety, Hayden Panettiere will play Amanda Knox, the girl accused by Italian authorities of killing her then-roommate in an upcoming Lifetime TV movie. The Amanda Knox Story will air sometime next year.

The real Knox is currently serving a 26-year jail sentence for murder, sexual assault, and obstruction of justice in the death of Meredith Kercher, a British woman who shared an apartment with Knox and two others in Perugia, Italy. The case remains controversial because many believe the media frenzy in Italy led to Knox’s unfair trial. Although definitely an interesting story, I find it odd that they’re trying to make a TV movie out of this case, especially since there’s still so much speculation about what exactly occurred the night of Kercher’s murder. But Lifetime also greenlit The Pregnancy Pact, so I guess this really isn’t that strange. (No judgment! I definitely DVR’d that Lifetime movie.)

More strange, however, is seeing Panettiere cast in a made-for-TV movies. It might be just me, but I feel like she’s better than that. I remember a promising up-and-comer in Remember The Titans. But now, she’s been limited to the teen comedy genre — Bring It On: All Or Nothing and I Love You, Beth Cooper. (Okay, so maybe a Lifetime movie is a step in the right direction.) Next up on her plate is a role in Scream 4 — should be a welcome change of pace for the starlet. (Even if her character will inevitably end up in a body bag, right?)

Sep 20 2010 06:27 PM ET

Kanye West to (awkwardly?) guest on 'Saturday Night Live'

by Breia Brissey

Categories: Casting, Celebrity Feuds, Have You Seen This?, Late Night, Made Us Think, Music, News You Can Use, Ridiculata, Saturday Night Live, Shenanigans!, The Bad Man Scares Me!, Video Music Awards

Image Credit: Will Ragozzino/Getty ImagesWell, this could be interesting: EW has confirmed that rapper Kanye West will return to SNL on Oct. 2. (West will serve as musical guest; Bryan Cranston will be the host.)

Funny that West agreed to make an appearance on the show he so blatantly dissed (“F— SNL and the whole cast”) in his song “Power.” (The variety show poked fun at the rapper after his memorable interruption at the 2009 Video Music Awards — West wasn’t too happy about it. Hence the choice language in the song.)

I can only imagine the possible shenanigans of mixing West with live TV. That said, do you think he’ll be down with whatever SNL throws his way? Or will he provide us with the next “Kanye said WHAT?” post on EW.com?

Sep 20 2010 06:15 PM ET

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kim Zolciak releases sneak peek of new single, wants you to Google her

by Emily Exton

Categories: Advance Advancement, Horrifying But Hypnotic, Ouch! That Was My Ear!, Real Housewives, Reality TV, Television, To Care or Not to Care

Image Credit: Wilford Harewood/BravoBecause we live in a strange, strange world, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak has released a follow-up single to last year’s ridiculous “Tardy for the Party.” This time, she’s preaching the benefits of the Internet, encouraging all of her adoring fans, possible suitors, and reality show creators to “Google Me” (Not to be mistaken with former My Super Sweet Sixteen subject Teyana Taylor‘s 2008 single). But lest you forget who Ms. Zolciak is amidst the sea of horrifying but hypnotic Housewives‘ singles, she reminds you: “I’m not the same as them (the same as them), my name is Kim!” Check out a sneak peek at Gawker.TV.

What do you think, PopWatchers: Is “Google Me” better than “Tardy for the Party”? Which Housewives star (if any) has the greatest chance at a legitimate singing career?

Sep 20 2010 05:46 PM ET

'Bill & Ted' 3: Keanu Reeves wants it, and so do we

by Darren Franich

Categories: Keanu Reeves, Things That Are Awesome!

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is probably the best time traveling/heavy-metal rocking/Socrates-mispronouncing high school comedy ever made. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey is definitely the best movie ever made about the Grim Reaper playing Battleship. Two decades have passed since those brave films made their way to the theaters. The world is different, but the same. Things are more moderner than before. Bigger, and yet smaller. The time has come… for Bill & Ted’s Heinous Odyssey. Or Bill & Ted’s Radical Pilgrimage. Or whatever you want to call it: a third Bill & Ted’s movie! So says Keanu Reeves, who told MTV that he’s talked to all the main people (co-star Alex Winter, writers Chris Matheson, and Ed Solomon) about making it happen. PopWatchers, this has to happen, but what should Bill & Ted’s 3 be about?

Reeves might just be joking, but his suggestion sounds incredible: a black-and-white 3-D anthology movie team-directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Werner Herzog? Yes, please! Check out Reeves’ Herzog impression after the jump: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 20 2010 05:44 PM ET

Excess Hollywood: 'Catch Me If You Can' heads to Broadway

by Kate Ward

Categories: Deals, Excess Hollywood, Television

Get ready to race to the Great White Way: The producers of stage musical Catch Me If You Can announced via press release that the show will open on Broadway April 10, 2011. Casting has not yet been announced.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will be joining the second season of ABC’s Shark Tank as a guest venture capitalist. [THR]

Sep 20 2010 05:25 PM ET

Watch, DVR, or DVD: How do you decide?

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: Television

Image Credit: Adam Taylor/Fox; Jordin Althaus/NBCAt last, premiere week is upon us. I know I speak for all TV fanatics when I sigh “finally,” with enormous relief and joy. But within that elation is a tiny little problem: a minor sense of overload, particularly on Mondays and Thursdays. What to watch? What to DVR? What to plow through that night, and what to save for quality couch time down the road? And what — gasp! — to wait for on DVD?

It all comes down to what you want to do with the TV show (and how averse to spoilers you are). Savor every single scene? I’ll probably save it for another night. Chitchat about it with my besties? I’ll watch it immediately. Devour every scrap of crazy Internet analysis and ephemera? That’s the golden candidate for time-shifting: It gives the buzzing hivemind a solid headstart, so the second I’m done watching, I can gaze upon all kinds of goodness. (For example, by the time I was done with Mad Men last night, this was already making the rounds. It brought me much joy.)

Lay it on me, PopWatchers. How do you decided what to watch and when?

Sep 20 2010 04:54 PM ET

Jennifer Aniston on 'Cougar Town': Gosh, she's funny

by Jennifer Armstrong

Categories: Advance Advancement, Cougar Town, Everything Reminds Us of 'Friends', Television

A clip of Jennifer Aniston’s guest spot on Cougar Town‘s season premiere (9:30 p.m., Wednesday, ABC) – as a flighty shrink to Courteney Cox’s Jules — hit the web today (via E! Online): READ FULL STORY »

Sep 20 2010 04:21 PM ET

Make room for 'Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition'

by Breia Brissey

Categories: Food and Drink, Made Us Think, Reality TV, The Biggest Loser

Last fall, ABC made plans to produce Obese, a show where overweight individuals would lose hundreds of pounds over the course of a year. (Sounds similar to a show over on NBC, no?) Eight one-hour episodes are scheduled to air in March 2011 — but now with a new, bigger name. Variety reported this morning the docu-series is now known as Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

Additionally, the series got an early second-season order before the first episode even airs. The early pickup was necessary for their extensive shooting schedule. Each episode follows a participant for an entire year. “It’s a unique way to tell a story,” executive producer J.D. Roth told Variety. “No show has ever attempted to tell a 365-day story in 44 minutes.”

I often get sucked into reality weight loss shows (The Biggest Loser? Yes, please!), even though it means I’m sitting on the couch for two hours eating junk food instead of being active. So I’m thinking the new show might just find its way on to my regular TV schedule, especially since it sounds like The Biggest Loser, minus the competition and plus the emotional aspect that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition brings to the table. (I still cry Every. Single. Time. I watch that show.) That said, without the game element will the stories be compelling enough to warrant two seasons? READ FULL STORY »