Yay, more advice from cartoon princesses! This time, it’s Snow White, and she’s reminding us of a few important things: First, men aren’t short; second, it’s important to be fair — fair fair fairest, white white whitest!; and third, cook, clean, men. READ FULL STORY »
Archive: November 2010 (121-130 of 486)
Nov 19
2010
12:36 PM ET
Clip du jour: Some very fair advice from Snow White
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Nov 19
2010
12:35 PM ET
This Week on Stage: Holiday season kicks off with opening of 'Elf' adaptation
The stage world was rather quiet this week: The biggest news was that Dane Cook announced he’ll make his Broadway debut this spring in a new production of Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig that the playwright will also direct. (Another of LaBute’s shows, The Break of Noon starring David Duchovny, opens Off Broadway on Nov. 22.) There were, however, several openings in the past week, led by the seasonal holiday offering Elf, a musical based on the beloved 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell. A Free Man of Color, Merchant of Venice, and Mistakes Were Made also opened on New York stages, and we reviewed them all here on EW.com. Here are the highlights:
A Free Man of Color: EW stage editor Thom Geier didn’t much care for playwright John Guare’s new historical play, giving it a D grade: “A Free Man of Color,” Geier wrote in his review, “is a shrill, overstuffed two-and-a-half-hour epic that does not lack for ambition or muchness.”
Elf: Geier, however, was more enthusiastic about the stage version of Elf, which he awarded a B: “I doubt that a stage version of the 2003 movie comedy Elf was at the top of anybody’s holiday wish list, but the family-friendly new Broadway musical is a surprisingly diverting confection that’s a sleigh-length ahead of recent seasonal fare on the Great White Way (e.g., White Christmas in 2008 and 2009),” Geier wrote in his review. “Even the biggest Cotton-Headed-Ninny-Muggins is bound to lave the Al Hirschfeld Theatre with a festive glow.”
Merchant of Venice: EW film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum focused her review of Merchant on star Al Pacino and gave the production a B–: “This Pacino-plenty sampling of Shakespeare on Broadway,” Schwarzbaum wrote in her review, “undoes the lesson that high school teachers work so hard to impart—that the merchant in The Merchant of Venice is not Shylock.”
Mistakes Were Made: Reviewer Melissa Rose Bernardo raved about Boardwalk Empire star Michael Shannon in what amounts to nearly a one-man show by writer Craig Wright. Bernardo gave the production a B+ and lavished praise on Shannon, who plays a two-bit theatrical producer: “The whole thing is a preposterous, hilarious tour-de-force for Shannon, who couldn’t ask for a better vehicle to highlight his oft-unseen comic prowess.”
Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky
More Stage coverage from EW.com:
Dane Cook will make Broadway debut in ‘Fat Pig’
Nov 19
2010
12:30 PM ET
'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone': PopWatch Rewind watches the first (and worst?) Harry Potter film
By the time the Harry Potter film series is all over and done with, it will have comprised ten years, eight films, and every single British actor ever to utter a letter of the Bard. But as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 apparates into theaters this weekend, it’s almost hard to remember how it all started: An American behind the camera, a color palette approximately 16 shades brighter, and a marketing team who, never mind “hallows,” was afraid the word “philosopher” would alienate all those American readers that find thinking to be elitist. So we flipped our Time-Turners and went back to the beginning to see how the greatest (by default?) septology of all time has changed over all these years. Of course, this all just a couple of Muggles’ opinions.
Darren Franich: I feel pretty confident saying Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is unquestionably the worst Harry Potter movie. Even Chamber of Secrets, which was based on the worst book, actually turned into a decent movie. You could argue that Chris Columbus had to introduce the whole world, so Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was always going to be a difficult movie to make. But the first Star Wars did a great job of introducing a complete universe in the context of a thrilling storyline. By comparison, Sorcerer’s Stone plays like Exposition!: The Movie.
Keith Staskiewicz: At a certain point you lose the wonder and gain the wondering when it’s going to end. A 2 1/2 hour running time is fine, but the first book is about 1/64 the size of the later ones. If they were able to condense Goblet of Fire into an acceptable running time, Sorcerer’s Stone didn’t have to be any more than 2 hours long. But, to be honest, I don’t dislike the movie that much. Saying that it’s the worst of the bunch really only means that the series got better over time, which is impressive in itself. Chris Columbus was a decent choice for this kind of movie. The first book is all about wide-eyed wonder and introductions, with very little dirt and grime and Cuaróniness. Columbus isn’t the director we deserve, he’s the director we need. Like his namesake, he’s discovering and mapping out new territory, but without all that killing-a-civilization-with-smallpox stuff. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 19
2010
12:25 PM ET
'Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things' part 1. Dog-colored sweaters and a cruise to mass hysteria
It’s time, you guys. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Oprah’s special, two-part orgy of largesse — her “Ultimate Favorite Things” episode — begins today. Can you hear the screaming yet? The weeping and gnashing of teeth? Oh I can. It’s going to be louder than ever before, because this year — the last year of Oprah’s syndicated daytime talker before she heads off to her OWN network in January 2011 — Oprah is stretching her “Favorite Things” gift-a-palooza out for two whole days, beginning today and concluding on Monday, November 22. Plus, it’s not just “Oprah’s Favorite Things” this year, it’s “Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things.” What could that mean? She’s already given away cars, refrigerators, iPods, and cupcakes. What’s next? A trip to the moon? Individual Hope Diamonds? A gift-wrapped selection of superpowers including invisibility and x-ray vision? I don’t know, and I don’t care. The only thing that matters is that Oprah is giving free sh– away to a bunch of “viewers who have given back to their communities, families, and around the world” (according to the Harpo press release), and that means I get a free Afternoon Cry in my office. Plus, it’s an excuse to watch possibly the funniest SNL parody ever for the 1,000th time. Uggggggg Booooooooooooooooooooooots!!!!!!!
Update: Part 1 has just finished airing, and it was quite possibly the most batsh– crazy hysterical hour of TV in broadcast history. I can’t pinpoint the most insane moment. Was it that blonde guy who was weeping openly even before ONE gift had been given away? Was it the way Oprah brandished a ceramic Kyocera knife at her frenzied minions? Was it the fact that Ralph Lauren custom-made cashmere sweaters the color of sandy beaches and Oprah’s dog? Help me decide, PopWatchers! Did you love this chaotic tribute to consumerism?? Will you be watching part 2 on Monday? Do you own anything that RETAILS FOR THIRTY-SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS????
Nov 19
2010
12:12 PM ET
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'
The clock is at zero. But if you have to get through the day before you can go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I, enjoy the final installment of our look back at the franchise by remembering Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Or, at least recall fondly how Warner Bros. announced that the film was moving from November 2008 to July 2009 to fill a hole on the studio’s summer schedule the day after EW closed its Fall Movie Preview issue featuring the film on the cover. Collector’s edition!
Half-Blood Prince marked the beginning of the end as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) investigated a sinister scheme involving Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to allow Voldemort’s Death Eaters to infiltrate Hogwarts, and played spy for Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who needed him to coax the haunted Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) to reveal a crucial memory from Voldemort’s school days and set Harry on a mission to destroy the Horcruxes containing fragments of Voldemort’s soul. Can we all agree that Frank Dillane’s performance as Tom Riddle at age 16 was creepier than anything we’ve seen Ralph Fiennes’ do as Voldemort to this point?
While the mood darkened, the hormones at Hogwarts raged, splitting moviegoers and critics like EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum and Owen Gleiberman. While Gleiberman, who still ranked the film among the Harry Potter series best, said the time spent on young love bogged the movie down, Schwarzbaum, who gave the film an A-, saw it differently: “It makes you feel that they are people that you could really understand. That actually inside, internally, there’s a magic going on in a teenager’s life, which, to each teenager, is almost as big as dealing with good and evil.” (Relive their video debate below.) READ FULL STORY »
Nov 19
2010
10:58 AM ET
Kelsey Grammer set to play Chicago mayor in 'Boss'
Image Credit: Charles Norfleet/PR PhotosKelsey Grammer is returning to TV as the mayor of Chicago in the upcoming Starz series Boss. Gus Van Sant is set to direct the pilot, and Grammer will be among the executive producers, according to Variety. It’s Grammer’s first strictly dramatic TV role, and his first cable series.
But Boss, in which Grammer’s mayor reportedly has a degenerative disease and echoes King Lear, isn’t the only Windy City-set political show kicking around. Fox’s cops-and-politics drama, newly named The Chicago Code, debuts February 7, and oh yeah, The Good Wife is also a Chicago-set, politically-informed show. Talk about the city that works. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 19
2010
09:45 AM ET
Jack Donaghy -- er, Alec Baldwin -- sells pies for Wegmans
Alec Baldwin is making his mother proud by promoting Wegmans’ wonderful assortment of cakes and pies, just in time for the holidays! I love Wegmans (for those who don’t live in mid-Atlantic states, it’s a supermarket chain), and Baldwin’s enthusiasm for $6 meals is totally reminiscent of Jack Donaghy’s “racial integration” slip during his numerous attempts at filming a GE product placement. Between these ads and Tracy Morgan’s colorful commentary at a recent Knicks game, are you thinking that NBC is actually paying these two to just show up and be themselves? Check them out: READ FULL STORY »
Nov 19
2010
12:01 AM ET
TV Insiders podcast: Maks from 'DWTS' talks smack, Brenda from 'Survivor' discusses her shocking exit, and we tell you why 'Grey's Anatomy' is back!
Image Credit: Adam Rose/ABC; Monty Brinton/CBS; Adam Larkey/ABC
If you thought Maksim Chmerkovskiy was upset about not making the final three on Dancing With the Stars…well, you were right! Brandy’s butt-slapping partner called in for our latest edition of the TV Insiders podcast to discuss not making the finals (“This is bulls—”), his reaction to a verbal confrontation with a certain female judge (“Screw Carrie Ann”) and whether he was, in fact, wearing a thong during his week 8 waltz (you’ll have to listen to find out!). You have to hear it to believe it…and even then you still may not believe it. But Maks isn’t the only reality standout calling this week. The self-proclaimed king — not queen, mind you — of Survivor: Nicaragua, Brenda Lowe, also phoned in to defend not only her refusal to scramble for votes, but also the woman who backstabbed her: NaOnka. And if scripted fare is more your thing, Jennifer Armstrong joins Michael Slezak, Annie Barrett and yours truly to discuss why Grey’s Anatomy has again attained must-watch status after a rocky couple of seasons. It’s the most action-packed episode of the TV Insiders yet! You can download all the madness straight to your mp3 player, or click on the video player below to enjoy all the podcast magic right here and right now. Plus, if you have a question for the TV Insiders, you can tweet it to @EWDaltonRoss. Okay, prepare yourself for Maks and Brenda unleashed…
Nov 19
2010
12:01 AM ET
Under-appreciated Entertainer of the Year: Brandon Flowers? Katey Sagal? Mondo?
Round 2 of our Under-appreciated Entertainer of the Year bracket game continues! Up today: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead vs. Jon Anderson from The Crazies in the movies category, and Killers frontman-turned-solo artist Brandon Flowers vs. Ray LaMontagne in music. Don’t know their songs? Vote based on hair! No. Listen to the music.
Image Credit: Kerry Hayes; Saeed Adyani; Prashant Gupta/FX; Chris Haston/NBC
In the TV categories, it’s Sons of Anarchy‘s Emmy-snubbed Katey Sagal vs. Parenthood‘s Peter Krause, who’ll always be Nate Fisher — preferably in his sweat-stained all-black jogging uniform! — to me. Meanwhile, Project Runway runner-up Mondo Guerra, who admittedly may have only been under-appreciated by Nina Garrrrrrcia and Top Ameh-wican Design-uh Michael Kors, goes up against The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Kandi Burruss. Those last two should probably just start their own show. Look behind her. It’s a wacky pattern!!!
Image Credit: Prashant Gupta/FX; Chris Haston/NBC; Quantrell Colbert/Bravo; Lifetime
You gotta click it before we kick it, PopWatchers! Vote after the jump…. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 18
2010
06:55 PM ET
Excess Hollywood: Rob Riggle in talks with CBS for Robert Smigel sitcom
Rob Riggle is in talks with CBS to make us giggle in a half-hour comedy pilot from Robert Smigel about a real estate agent who pulls a Biff and ends up working for the nerd he tortured in high school. [Deadline]- When Wolverine meets Fox: Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky has signed a two-year development and production deal with the studio. The Wolverine — starring Hugh Jackman — will be the first feature under the deal. [Variety]
- Sony has moved the release date for Cameron Diaz’s Bad Teacher from April 2011 to June 17, 2011. Her dog ate the first release date. [Variety]
- Joel and Ethan Coen’s Gambit remake found a director in Michael Hoffman (One Fine Day, The Last Station). The original 1966 film centered on a cat burglar, played by Michael Caine, and not this lady. (Two days in a row!) [Deadline]
- Raven Symone will be so not Raven in an ABC Family pilot — written by best-selling author Jennifer Weiner — about a curvy actress who moves from the South to New York in an attempt to find success as an actress. [Deadline]
- More ABC Family news: Katelyn Tarver (Nick’s Big Time Rush), Valerie Tian (Juno), Ana Lucasey (Lie to Me), and Christian Serratos (Twilight) have joined the the network’s pilot from The Secret Life of the American Teenager creator Brenda Hampton that centers on a diverse group of private high schoolers. [Deadline]
- Dan Clowes will adapt his graphic novel Wilson for Fox Searchlight. The novel follows not this guy (damn) nor this guy (phew), but a loner who decides to seek out his ex-wife. [Deadline]
- NBC and comedian Dan Levy are developing Several Children, which follows a woman who lives with her much-younger husband and kids. I thought we were already watching this over Twitter. [THR]
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