Archive: September 2010 (41-50 of 588)

Sep 29 2010 02:25 PM ET

'American Idol': Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler take their seats at the judges' table

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Filed under: American Idol, Reality TV, Television, TV and tagged: , , , ,

american-idolNewly minted American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler took their seats at the judges’ table on Tuesday, joining longtime judge Randy Jackson on the Idol audition set in New Jersey. It looks like Jackson is being rewarded for his nine seasons of Idol duty, nabbing the coveted seat of ex-judge Simon Cowell. Lopez will sit in between Tyler and Jackson, keeping the what’s-a-girl-to-do-when-surrounded-by-a-bunch-of-crazy-boys? vibe going. (10 seasons and counting!)

Tell me Idoloonies: Does this new feng shui work? Or are you crying at the sight of a Kara-, Ellen-, and Simon-less judges’ table? [MTV via dizzyfeet]

Read more:
‘American Idol’ announcement: On the scene with Steve Tyler, Randy Jackson, and Jennifer Lopez’s sparkly jumpsuit
Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson on ‘American Idol’ season 10

Sep 29 2010 01:55 PM ET

Arthur Penn: A tribute to the 'Bonnie and Clyde' director

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: , ,

Arthur-Penn-Bonnie-and-ClydeImage Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Everett CollectionVirtually every obituary and appreciation of director Arthur Penn that will appear in tomorrow’s newspapers will lead off by talking about the film that he’s best remembered for: 1967′s Bonnie and Clyde. And I suppose this one’s no different — after all, it’s a classic, a psychologically rich and bullet-riddled movie that revolutionized the depiction of sex and violence in Hollywood at a time when the movie industry was trying to figure out what it could and couldn’t get away with. But Penn’s influence isn’t primarily on cinema or the stage or television (all mediums he worked in during his long and brilliant career). Penn’s greatest legacy is his impact on acting. He was an alchemist who studied the Method at the Actors Studio and conjured magic from his actors (and sometimes non-actors like President Kennedy, whom he coached for the presidential candidate’s famous 1960 TV debates with Richard Nixon). Penn, who died last night at age 88, began his career behind the camera in the mid-’50s, making his name directing live television during the golden-age of Playhouse 90 — the influential drama series that served as a hot house for future auteurs like Sidney Lumet and John Frankenheimer. From there, he segued into the theater, winning a Tony for his legendary 1959 production of The Miracle Worker, starring Anne Bancroft. And he completed his cycle as a triple threat in Hollywood, where he adapted that hit play into an Oscar-winning film in 1962.

Still, it was Penn’s groundbreaking, revisionist 1967 biopic of bank-robbing outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow that shook Hollywood to its core. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 01:40 PM ET

'The Good Wife': Describe your behavior watching last night's steamy premiere

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Filed under: About Last Night, Television, TV and tagged: , , , ,

the-good-wifeKen Tucker has your critical take on last night’s season 2 premiere of CBS’ The Good Wife. I would like to zero in on your emotional — and physical — responses to two key scenes: The voicemail and the sex. (Watch both below. You’re welcome! UPDATE: Co-creator Robert King talks to us about the latter after the jump.)

Now, I’d read that Eli was going to erase a “swoon-worthy” voicemail from Will on Alicia’s cell.* That little bitty spoiler meant that I was slightly confused when Will left a message saying they should just drop it — she’s married, he’s her boss. But when Will dialed again, I knew it was going to be good. It wasn’t as lengthy a speech as the one Josh Charles delivered on Sports Night when Dan finally got Rebecca (Teri Polo) to go out with him, but that’s what was so disarming. He came right out and said, “I love you.” He admitted he’s probably loved her since Georgetown(!). With that confidence and conviction that was sexy on Dan and sexier on Will, he told her to call him and he’d meet her anywhere to make a plan. Then — and this is when that spoiler had me literally kicking the blanket I was laying under on the couch three times — Will told her to ignore this message if she didn’t feel the same way. They’d pretend it never happened. They’d go back to the way things were. Eli heard the voicemail while Alicia was onstage at the press conference with Peter and deleted it. So all Alicia heard was Will backing down. When I watched that scene again after the episode, I did another three kicks. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 01:15 PM ET

Van Snowden: Remembering the puppeteer behind H.R. Pufnstuf, Chucky, and more

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Filed under: Movies, Television, TV and tagged: , , , , ,

hr-pufnstufYou might not know the name Van Snowden. But if you’ve ever seen Pee-wee’s Playhouse, the Child’s Play series,  or H.R. Pufnstuf, you know his work. As one of Hollywood’s foremost puppeteers, Snowden — who died of cancer at age 71 on Sept. 22 in Burbank — brought whimsical characters to life in three decades’ worth of movies and TV shows.

Born in San Francisco, Snowden’s Hollywood career launched when he donned the the famous dragon suit of H.R. Pufnstuff for the character’s 1970 feature film debut. He continued to work with children’s TV producers Sid and Marty Krofft on a variety of shows, including The Bugaloos and Land of the Lost.

Snowden soon became one of the most in-demand puppeteers in the film industry, performing characters like Chucky in the Child’s Play series and the Crypt Keeper in Tales from the Crypt. His credits include movies as diverse as Beetlejuice (1988) and Starship Troopers (1997). In 1989, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program for D.C. Follies — the first time a puppeteer received that honor. (He lost to Linda Ronstadt, who won for her episode of PBS’s Great Performances.) Recently, Snowden worked a head of Hasbro’s puppeteer division, programming toys like Furby and Gizmo.

In honor of Snowden, take a look at some clips of his work in H.R. Pufnstuf, Child’s Play 2, and Pee-wee’s Playhouse: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 12:41 PM ET

Bieber Fever to heat up the holidays...in doll form!

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Filed under: Music and tagged: , , , , , , ,

justin-bieber-dollImage Credit: Alpha/LandovIt’s never too early to start crossing items off your holiday gift list. Especially now that our yuletide dreams have been answered early in the form of Justin Bieber dolls — sorry, “collectible figures”. For somewhere in the neighborhood of $17.99 to $29.99, you can snag the perfect present for the swooning tween girl on your list, or their creepy “Team Bieber” mom, or even your lesbian pal who looks a bit too much like the pint-sized pop icon. Thanks to merchandising company Bravado and The Bridge Direct, a line of Bieber figures (hell, let’s just call them dolls…) styled in the Boy Wonder’s best-known looks will be available starting Dec. 4. (You can see them here.)

They all appear to feature the same blank, freshly blow-dried expression, though vary slightly in how he’s dressed. There’s Bieber in a miniature leather jacket with an upturned collar (natch!) and Bieber in a green hoodie nonchalantly holding an acoustic guitar (sensitive balladeer!). READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 12:36 PM ET

'Mad Men' actors cast in thriller, 'Holmes'

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Filed under: Mad Men, Movies, Television, TV and tagged: , , ,

Pete-and-LaneImage Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMCIt’s a big day in the Mad Men universe: Vincent Kartheiser and Jared Harris have each been cast in new movies. Kartheiser, a.k.a. Pete “Bitchface” Campbell, has joined Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in a still-untitled thriller “about a society where no one ages beyond 25, except for those rich enough to buy time,” according to Variety. Ooooh, concept-y.

Harris, a.k.a. Lane “Cane to the Head” Pryce, will play the evil Professor Moriarty in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes sequel with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Moriarty will be “the main villain” in this installment, sayeth Variety , so here’s hoping for a major showdown between Downey’s rat-a-tat detective and Harris’ languid, darkly brilliant version of the professor. Contrasts, you guys. Contrasts.

Go nuts, PopWatchers: What other roles would you cast these two in?

Sep 29 2010 12:09 PM ET

'Glee' showdown: Britney vs. Madonna vs. Lady Gaga

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Filed under: About Last Night, Glee, Music, Television, TV and tagged: , , , , , ,

brittnay-as-britneyImage Credit: Adam Rose/FoxLast night’s Glee rocked some dead-on Britney Spears recreations, but it wasn’t the slam-dunk I had hoped it would be. Part of me didn’t buy New Directions’ devotion to Spears — aren’t they a liiiitle young for her? “Baby One More Time” would have come out when they were in first grade or so — but mostly, the numbers just didn’t advance, explore, or heighten the storylines.

It didn’t hit like the Madonna episode, which brilliantly wove the songs into the narrative; the “Like a Virgin” number alone would put that episode at the top of my “most awesome” list. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 11:19 AM ET

'No Ordinary Family' premiere: Four reasons I thought it was fantastic

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Filed under: TV and tagged: , ,

Ordinary-Family-ChiklisImage Credit: Eric McCandless/ABCAn ordinary family of four travels to the Brazilian rainforest in a desperate bid to reconnect, but all they get out of the trip is a plane crash and extraordinary super powers. Such is the premise of ABC’s No Ordinary Family, which premiered last night. Most critics were pretty harsh on the show–but I rather enjoyed it. (Is it just me, or have TV critics become really cranky and wayyy too demanding lately? It’s like a TV show has to be The! Greatest! Thing! Ever! to get a positive review these days. Believe me, I wish everything could be Mad Men/Boardwalk Empire/Dexter awesome. But high-grade Chuck is just fine, too.) Back to the point: If the writers do their jobs right in the weeks to come, No Ordinary Family could be Modern Family meets Heroes, or a kinder, gentler, more expansive version of the Bruce Willis neo-superhero flick Unbreakable. My four reasons why I thought the pilot episode was so fantastic:

Because it brought its premise to life in a fun, clever and entertaining way, with relatable characters that I found myself immediately caring about. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 10:52 AM ET

Steve Carell to show off his singing pipes in 'Of All the Things'

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Filed under: Movies, News and tagged: , , , , , ,

steve-carellImage Credit: Donna Ward/Getty ImagesHe’s played clueless bosses, idiot weathermen, and 40-year-old virgins. Now Steve Carell is about to add singer-songwriter to his onscreen menagerie of characters. According to Variety, The Office star has signed on to produce and star in Warner Bros.’ feature film adaptation of the 2008 music documentary Of All the Things – the unusual and unlikely story of Dennis Lambert. In the ’70s and ’80s, Lambert achieved a sort of semi-fame in music circles as the man behind such FM radio staples as “Baby Come Back”, “Rhinestone Cowboy”, and “Ain’t No Woman Like the One I Got”. After his moment in the sun was over, Lambert moved to Florida to sell real estate, only then realizing that he was still huge in the Philippines, where he then went on tour. The Lambert documentary was shown at the South by Southwest Film Festival and AFI Fest and won the audience award at the Nantucket Film Fest in 2008. It was directed by Lambert’s son, Jody. The new script will be written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who recently penned another Carell flick, Burt Wonderstone.

While we can’t vouch for Carell’s singing ability, we do know this: the man can certainly lip sync some C+C Music Factory… READ FULL STORY »

Sep 29 2010 10:00 AM ET

Johnny Depp: Sexier in cornrows, or in rows of corn?

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Tagged: ,

johnny-depp-cornrowsImage Credit: Luca/Rodriguez/bauergriffinonline.com; Rick Lew/Riser/Getty Images; Solarpix/PR PhotosYesterday, Johnny Depp broke countless laws of logic by keeping 100 percent of his gravitas and sex appeal even while sporting family-vacation-to-Jamaica cornrows. (Somewhere, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are admitting defeat.) Apparently the new look isn’t just for fun: It’s part of Depp’s Jack Sparrow costume for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use it for a random, vaguely nonsensical poll. You know, for fun! Here goes: Is Johnny Depp sexier in cornrows, or in rows of corn?

Cornrows
Pros: Caribbean vibe, potential for beading, goes with those purple glasses he always wears
Cons: Hard to wash, potential for beading, inevitability of Bo Derek jokes

Rows of corn
Pros: Outdoorsy chic, corny (in a good way!), implication that Johnny cares about our nation’s farmland
Cons: Lack of visible scalp, potential for use as a scarecrow, photoshopped image that we made just for this post

Let’s bring it to a vote!

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