Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog | PopWatch

PopWatch Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog

Archive: October 2010 (221-230 of 590)

Oct 20 2010 11:18 AM ET

'No Ordinary Family' recap: Clear eyes, heavy hand(ed), can't lose?

Categories: Fall 2010 TV recaps, Fall TV, No Ordinary Family, Sci-Fi, Television, TV Recap

no-ordinary-family Image Credit: Michael Desmond/ABCIs it just me, or are any of you worried that No Ordinary Family wants to be the Grey’s Anatomy of superhero shows? (I’m filling in for Jeff Jensen this week, so you’ll have to settle for soapy medial drama references instead of comic-book ones.)

Think about it, though: In the halls of Seattle Grace, it seems like no medical case exists that doesn’t shed introspective light into the dark corners of the protagonist physicians’ minds. Similarly, last night’s “criminal of the week” story arc on No Ordinary Family was nothing more than an extended riff to drive home the Very Special Message to Jim that “family > work/hobbies/extracurricular crime-solving activities.” During Jim’s two conversations with the prime suspect, Tortured Vigilante Guy didn’t talk about his shooting crimes in Franklin Park, but rather, discussed his crimes of poor parenting against his late son:

* “One day you’re their hero, the next they want nothing to do with you.” (Get it? “Hero?” The subtlety didn’t slip past anyone, right?)
* “I lost him because I was so busy with work.”
* “I was his father, and I should’ve been there.”
* “I did it. I killed my son.” (Metaphorically, obvs.)
* “You love your kid so much, what the hell are you doing here with me?”

Cue lightbulb over Jim’s head: D’oh! I shouldn’t have canceled my Friday night camping trip with pint-sized, troubled, and curiously coiffed 14-year-old J.J.! (And then he wouldn’t have ended up at a boozy party for high school seniors!) READ FULL STORY »

Oct 20 2010 11:10 AM ET

Bill Murray thanks the dead at Spike's Scream Awards

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Geekery, Movies, Television

Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.comThere might be a handful of people in Hollywood who aren’t amused every time Bill Murray wraps himself in Ghostbusters glory. Probably the same people that desperately want to make the Ghostbusters 3 movie that Murray refuses to endorse. Fortunately, we’re not those people, so kudos to Spike TV for locating Murray and presenting him with the Best Cameo movie award for his work on Zombieland. No matter that the film came out more than a year ago. Rules were meant to be broken. Especially for Bill Murray, and especially-especially for Peter Venkman. Video after the jump. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 20 2010 10:00 AM ET

PopWatch Confessional: What scripted show do you DVR and routinely fast-foward?

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Mad Men, PopWatch Confessional, Sexytimes, Television

Image Credit: AMCOver a few mojitos earlier this week — it makes coming home to Hawaii Five-0 all the more fun — I may have admitted to a few colleagues that I DVR Mad Men for the sex scenes. I look for the “S” in the episode rating and then fast-forward to watch only the scene(s) that warranted it. I used to tape Mad Men to actually watch it in full like other people with good taste in television, but then I got bored during some hour last season and made the mistake of fast forwarding — slippery slope — and now, this is what I’ve been reduced to. (It may sound a bit pervy, but it’s still better than being someone who doesn’t tape Mad Men, right?)

Needless to say, I was properly ridiculed, but, having survived that, I found the strength to make this public because I’m curious: What scripted show do you DVR but routinely find yourself fast-forwarding for whatever reason? Maybe there’s one storyline you’ve lost interest in, or maybe there’s only one storyline left in which you’re invested. Or, maybe you should just break up with the show, but the “S” is good.

Oct 20 2010 09:54 AM ET

Is Heidi Klum getting meaner on 'Project Runway'?

by Jennifer Armstrong

Categories: About Last Night, Late Night, Project Runway, Reality TV

Image Credit: Barbara Nitke/Lifetime TelevisionJimmy Kimmel last night presented guest Heidi Klum with incontrovertible evidence that she’s gotten, well, quite a bit blunter with contestants this season on Project Runway. In a video montage, Klum (while rotating through a stunning variety of highlights and bang styles) tells Runway hopefuls their work is “butt-ugly,” “like two bad dresses glued together,” like a “dirty old rug,” and “inspired by your grandmother … and it shows”:

Klum seemed a bit taken aback by this presentation of her brusqueness, but what do you think, PopWatchers? Has she gotten a little more Simon Cowell this season? And is that approach helping to make this season better than the last few?

Oct 20 2010 09:00 AM ET

EW Reunions: 'Roots' stars LeVar Burton, Ben Vereen, and Louis Gossett Jr. discuss the ground-breaking miniseries

by Benjamin Svetkey

Categories: EW Exclusive Video, EW.com Video, Television

“There’s a line that goes through the Civil Rights movement, through Roots in [the] 1970s, to Barack Obama being elected,” LeVar Burton notes as he and Roots co-stars Ben Vereen and Louis Gossett Jr. reminisce about their days playing Kunta Kinte, Chicken George, and Fiddler. Thirty-three years after the miniseries first appeared on ABC (85 percent of the population tuned in for at least part of it, with the finale drawing 100 million viewers), a lot has changed in the country and the culture. But, as Vereen points out in the embedded video below, filmed at EW’s Reunion 2010 shoot in Los Angeles earlier this month, not even Roots was able to enlighten everybody. He remembers what happened when co-star Madge Sinclair (nominated for an Emmy for playing Belle) approached one of the networks with a post-Roots project. “She was told they had done their quota for the African-American community,” he says.

To hear more from Vereen, Burton, and Gossett Jr, click after the jump. And don’t forget to check out our Cast Reunions hub and pick up EW’s Reunions issue, on newsstands now. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 20 2010 12:00 AM ET

Who is the scariest big-screen Psycho Killer? Four slash their way into the quarterfinals!

by EW staff

Categories: Horror, Movies, Psycho Killers Bracket Game, The Bad Man Scares Me!

Image Credit: Everett Collection (2); Richard ForemanWith Halloween less than two weeks away, you might have already picked up your costume and bowls of candy for trick-or-treaters. But there’s still something left on the agenda: Picking the ultimate Psycho Killer! In the spirit of the spooky season, we’re asking you to celebrate by voting for who you think is Hollywood’s scariest Psycho Killer in our single-elimination tournament. The first quarterfinals round pits Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) against Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) in the HorrorVerse category, while Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs) faces off against Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men) in the DramaVerse category. So now it’s your turn to call it, Friend-O: Click the jump and vote for the Psycho Killer who has you reaching for your nightlight most. And to see our entire bracket of 32 baddies — separated into HorrorVerse and DramaVerse categories — be sure to click here. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 19 2010 11:59 PM ET

EW Exclusive: Kris Allen performs an acoustic version of his new single 'Alright With Me'

by Michael Slezak

Categories: American Idol, EW Exclusive Video, Things That Are Awesome!

Get ready for the three days of Kris-mas at EW.com! Yes, folks, earlier this week we met up with American Idol season 8 champ Kris Allen at Manhattan’s Room Mate Grace Hotel lounge, where he performed an acoustic version of his new single “Alright With Me,” talked with us about creating a TMZ-style scandal to promote it, and then delivered a bonus performance of a certain “controversial” ditty as a special treat for Idolatry viewers. Because we’re not all about instant gratification here, we’ll dole out the good stuff over the next three nights, starting with the absolutely infectious “Alright With Me” after the jump. Come back at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday for the interview segment, and at the same Idol time on Thursday evening for the encore performance. And to get all my Idol-related news and commentary, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. Enjoy! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 19 2010 10:00 PM ET

'Dancing With the Stars': Eliminated contestant is...

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Dancing With the Stars, Reality TV

Don’t click through if you don’t want to know! After an hour full of waiting, more waiting, Shakira, and waiting, the couple eliminated from Dancing With the Stars on Week 5 is….[bum-bum...bum-bum]…coming up, after the break! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 19 2010 07:04 PM ET

Mark Wahlberg in talks for 'The Crow' remake

by Keith Staskiewicz

Categories: Casting, Mark Wahlberg, Remakes

Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesBreak out the goth makeup: Mark Wahlberg may be contemplating taking on The Crow. A source has confirmed to EW that while no offer has yet been made, Wahlberg is in talks with Relativity Media to star in an upcoming remake/reboot/re-something of Alex Proyas’ 1994 comic book-based movie. He is being considered for the lead role formerly played by Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed on the set of the original film when a prop gun misfired.

I’m slightly surprised by the news, considering that Wahlberg’s similarly dark and gothic Max Payne didn’t quite live up to even its relatively low expectations. But I was even more surprised earlier when I read an e-mail from EW editor Kate Ward referring to the project as The Crowe, because I couldn’t believe they were already making a biopic about Russell Crowe. [Ed. Note: In the future, all of Keith Staskiewicz's perfectly innocent typos will be bolded instead of corrected. That is all.] Although, the more I think about it, the more I think the star of The Fighter would be great as the star of Gladiator.

What do you think of the prospect of Wahlberg as The Crow, PopWatchers? More or less exciting than The Crowe?

Oct 19 2010 06:55 PM ET

'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies': Who should direct?

by Darren Franich

Categories: Advance Advancement

Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has already inspired a wave of horror-lit mash-ups. Now, the book finds itself at the center of a Hollywood-sized tornado. Since David O. Russell decided to drop out of the proposed film adaptation, a laundry list of well-regarded directors have been rumored as potential contenders to replace him. Now TheWrap has thrown some more names into the mix, reporting that Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), Mike White (writer of School of Rock and 6th-place-finisher on The Amazing Race) and the team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) are all angling for the job. But probably the most mind-boggling name is Jonathan Demme, the journeyman director of Silence of the Lambs and Rachel Getting Married.

Add in the fact that Deadline reported directors Mike Newell, David Slade, and Neil Marshall, and it’s hard to find a director who hasn’t been rumored for the job. But PopWatchers, who do we really want to make this movie? Keep in mind that, given the nature of the material, any of these directors could really take the project in a different direction. (A Neil Marshall P&P&Z would almost certainly be bloodier than one directed by the makers of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.) After the jump, let us know which of these contenders you’d like to win out…and heck, throw some more names in the comments, while you’re at it. Christopher Nolan? Sofia Coppola? Clint Eastwood? Why not? READ FULL STORY »