Archive: December 2010 (1-10 of 304)

Dec 31 2010 01:19 PM ET

'Blue Valentine' sounds like 'Blue Velvet' only backwards: PopWatch Rewind Goes Lynchian

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Categories: PopWatch Rewind

Blue Velvet is a film directed by David Lynch. It is about a young boy’s journey into manhood. It features such spectacles as a severed ear, Al from Quantum Leap creepily lip-syncing “In Dreams”, some incredible Oedipal sex, Isabella Rossellini in various states of undress and mental health, and young love. Golly!

Keith Staskiewicz: Hey, Darren, what’s that you’re chewing?

Darren Franich: That chewing gum I like is coming back in style. Hey, Keith, what’s that you’re drinking?

KS: Heineken!

DF: Heineken? F— that s—! Pabst! Blue! Ribbon! Now let’s talk about Blue Velvet,  David Lynch’s fourth feature film, after Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, and, of course, Dune, which is widely recognized as being the only terrible movie that no one has even enjoyed ironically. My question for you, Keith, is: Is Blue Velvet the most Lynchian movie David Lynch has ever made? Or is it one of the least Lynchian movies David Lynch ever made? READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2010 07:54 PM ET

North Koreans see 'Bend it Like Beckham': What do they now know about Western culture?

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Categories: Movies, Things That Are Awesome!

bend-it-beckham_240.jpg Image Credit: Everett Collection North Koreans got a special treat last Sunday when their state-run television broadcasted an edited version of Bend it Like Beckham. Soccer is big in North Korea, and considering the message of the film, it’s a nice choice. In a tweet, British Ambassador to South Korea Martin Uden claimed the broadcast was the “1st ever western-made film to air on TV” in the country. The British Embassy, according to the BBC, arranged it to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between North Korea and the UK. So, what have North Koreans now learned about Western culture? I’ll start: They probably think Keira Knightley isn’t the kind of actress who’d be caught dead in a corset, and that British films always have happy endings. (Did you know in the original draft of Beckham, Jess’s father died and she had to come home and give up her dream? Crowd-pleaser!) Your turn.

Dec 30 2010 05:58 PM ET

'Extreme Couponing': Please, sir, I want some more

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Categories: Reality TV, Television, Things That Are Awesome!, Why Wasn't This a Huge Hit?

extreme-couponingImage Credit: TLCMy expectations for Extreme Couponing were, to say the least, extremely high. As every child raised watching Supermarket Sweep and the less-superior-but-still-notable Shop Til You Drop, I have a great appreciation for retail-based programming.

I have to admit, however, that my initial impression of Extreme Couponing led me to believe it was a competitive show — a one-episode special of sorts. Incorrect. It was actually a profile of four individuals who had firm grasp on the art of grocery savings to an inspiring extent. (One woman filled her cart with more than $600 in merchandise and paid only $2.64 after coupons. A true American hero.) I even found myself running to grab this week’s circular out of the trash where I had just placed it, hoping to find a deal like those I’d just seen taken advantage of on the special. I found no such deal and was uninspired as quickly as I had found my desire to coupon, leading me to toss the dirty paper back into the receptacle with a “pfft” for good measure.

But the failure also gave me an idea: I want to learn how to do this.  READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2010 05:40 PM ET

'Man in a Blizzard': Roger Ebert thinks this NYC snowpocalypse video deserves an Oscar

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Categories: Documentaries, Movies, Things That Are Awesome!, Things That Are Classy, Viral Video!!!

Oh, Internet, you’re the best friend ever. Thanks to you, the cosmically destructive blizzard that shut down the Northeast earlier this week already has a comprehensive Wikipedia page. And now, the storm has its own definitive movie: Man in a Blizzard (a.k.a. Idiot with a Tripod), a short video shot mid-storm by Jamie Stuart, a New York City filmmaker. Roger Ebert is already championing the film for a short-subject Oscar, not least because because the film doubles as a wonderful homage to Man with a Movie Camera, the 1929 film by Russian director Dziga Vertov that invented and/or perfected basically every cool cinematic technique. It’s difficult to describe the appeal of Man in a Blizzard – it initially seems like a series of random shots, but Stuart’s technical precision elevate it into something more: rapturous, joyful, even funny. Check it out below! READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2010 05:02 PM ET

'30 Rock' named biggest violator of workplace ethics

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Categories: 30 Rock, News You Can Use, Shenanigans!, Television

30rock-Tracy-Alec-therapyImage Credit: Anne Joyce/NBCA recent study conducted by Global Compliance found 30 Rock to be the biggest violator of Diversity, Equal Opportunity, and Respect in the Workplace. It averaged 11 violations per episode; Grey’s Anatomy placed second, with 7. The Office and NCIS averaged 5.

Naturally, watching and mimicking shows like 30 Rock can be extremely dangerous for us lowly viewers who troll the real world. Why, in just 2010 alone, I’ve:

• Allowed people to believe I’d slept with Paul Giamatti (in the interest of expediting my edits)
• Asked my boss to role-play my droopy-lipped father from funky North Philly (after he refused to play the matador) so I could try to get to the root of my daddy issues
• Burned a hole in an intern’s shirt, then challenged all of them to an “intern-off”: a savage contest of physical stamina, EW trivia, and to throw my personal twist on it, nudity

And the list goes on! So it all makes sense.

Have you ever changed your workplace ethics because TV made you think it was okay? Do share.

[via Marquee Blog]

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Dec 30 2010 04:34 PM ET

Man jumps fence at 'Early Show' Plaza, which Harry Smith deems 'nutty'

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Categories: Morning Madness, Television

My first reaction to seeing a man jump the fence at The Early Show Plaza this morning and yell “C.I. Joe, Coney Island in the house!” with his arm around a very surprised Harry Smith was jealousy. You know I love Harry Smith. My second thought was wondering if Today has better security for what I assume is its larger outdoor audience. I never thought how vulnerable those morning show hosts are before. My final thought: If I was a producer of a morning show, I would do a week-long Halloween stunt in which each day, someone, at some point, would jump out to surprise the anchors. The anchors would know it was coming, but not who, when, or where. Viral video!

I love how CBS has put the video of today’s interruption up on its site and YouTube, just begging someone else to try to make it over that fence. (Don’t worry, Harry. No way I can clear it. And honestly, with your focus shifting to “hard news” as primary substitute anchor for The Evening News with Katie Couric, Face the Nation, and Sunday Morning when The Early Show gets its overhaul come Jan. 3 — which I assume means no more dancing at the summer concert series — I don’t feel much like jumping.)

More love for Harry Smith:
Harry Smith’s live colonoscopy: Good health, good sense of humor
Harry Smith dancing: The reason to watch The Early Show summer concert series
Megan Fox and Harry Smith: Our new favorite couple

Dec 30 2010 04:09 PM ET

Anderson Cooper's new glasses want YOU to name your pop culture-related New Year's Resolutions

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Categories: Happy Holidays, Movies, Music, Reality TV, Television, Things That Are Sad, Who Else Remembers This?, Why Am I Crying?

anderson-cooper-glassesWhile A.C. Four-eyes and Kathy Griffin prepare to watch the ball drop tomorrow night (watch them banter about it here), why don’t you prepare for 2011 by sharing your pop culture-related New Year’s Resolutions (That You Will Not Keep) below? Just remember to keep it relevant. No one, especially Anderson Cooper’s glasses, wants to hear about your quest for genuine self-improvement. For example: “Lose weight” = boring; “Sculpt my ass into a perfect bubble à la Maksim Chmerkovskiy” = applicable. Even though, obviously, you will fail. Okay, I’ll start. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2010 03:14 PM ET

'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' exclusive: Bono and The Edge will be in NYC next week to attend all preview performances

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Categories: Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Stage/Theater

Bono-Edge-Spiderman_320.jpg Image Credit: Insidefoto; Jill Bednar; Beth Wagner (All PR Photos)Audiences at next week’s previews of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark might spot a few familiar faces in the theater — namely director Julie Taymor and U2 rock legends Bono and The Edge, who wrote the show’s score. “Julie and Bono and Edge…will be in the theater next week and for all of the preview performances leading up to the opening night working on the show,” production spokesman Rick Miramontez tells EW exclusively. The creative team is assembling to continue the fine-tuning process as the show heads toward its new official opening date of Feb. 7, 2011. Miramontez confirms that the show will undergo changes, though he declines to specify any particular tweaks. (Unconfirmed reports have identified the show’s music and second act as target areas.)

Miramontez also spoke out against the early critiques of the show that have surfaced in a few news outlets earlier this week. “I think it’s disrespectful, especially to Julie Taymor,” he says. “And that’s what makes all of us crazy.” Despite the Dec. 20 accident that sent stunt actor Christopher Tierney to the hospital and forced the cancellation of several performances, Miramontez says both cast and crew remain enthusiastic. “They’re very upbeat. I think they were extremely proud to have given the performance they did when they came back last Thursday. If anything, this has created a [sense of] solidarity.”

More Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark:
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’: The first (unofficial) reviews are in
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ loses a lead actress: report
Exclusive: ‘Spider-Man’ musical’s new opening date set for Feb. 7
‘Spider-Man’ stunt double injured after crashing to stage

Dec 30 2010 02:42 PM ET

Oscar disqualifies 'Black Swan' and 'True Grit' music: Why does the Best Original Score category never make any sense?

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Categories: HeadScratcher, Movies, Music, Oscars, Shenanigans!

Black-Swan-True-GritImage Credit: Niko Tavernise; Lorey Sebastian The official list of Academy Award-eligible scores has been released, according to Variety. There are the usual list of big names — James Newton Howard (The Tourist, Salt) has four scores in contention, Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, The King’s Speech) has three — and newcomers. (Pray for a TRON: Legacy upset nomination: can you imagine a ceremony with Daft Punk and The Social Network‘s Trent Reznor?) But the list is just as notable for the names that aren’t on the list. The Academy disqualified Clint Mansell’s Black Swan and Carter Burwell’s True Grit because both scores were deemed to depend too much on pre-existing material. (Mansell folds in themes from Swan Lake, while Burwell built Grit‘s stirring score on 19th-century music.) Two other scores were disqualified because the film was “diluted” by having just too many darn songs on the soundtrack: Farewell to The Fighter, scored by Michael Brook, and The Kids Are All Right, scored by Carter Burwell, who clearly just can’t catch a freaking break from these people. As a film-score obsessive, I have to ask: Why do the rules for the Best Original Score category make no sense at all? READ FULL STORY »

Dec 30 2010 02:02 PM ET

Lunchtime Poll: Who wore a meat dress better?

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Categories: Animals, Art, Double Vision, EWWWWWWWWWW.com, Food and Drink, Gay/Lesbian/Kathy Griffin, Horrifying But Hypnotic, Horror, Lady Gaga, Lunchtime Poll, Things That Are Classy, This or That

WARNING: Disturbing imagery ahead. Put on your BluBlockers! Village Voice columnist Michael Musto appropriated Lady Gaga’s tasty “meat dress” look for the paper’s Year in Review issue, complete with fishnets, headpiece, and white-blond weave. If you can handle it, vote. READ FULL STORY »

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