This montage of 270 of the films that came out in 2010 is nine kinds of wonderful. I was feeling sort of blah on the year that was, but the way this is put together makes me think we had a year of solid genius. READ FULL STORY »
Archive: December 2010 (141-150 of 304)
Dec 14
2010
11:57 AM ET
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly remake David Bowie and Bing Crosby's 'Little Drummer Boy' duet
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have reimagined David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” duet, originally recorded for Crosby’s 1977 television special, Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas. (See also: Jack Black and Jason Segel’s animated version from last week, Stephen Colbert and Willie Nelson’s marijuana-inspired version from A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, and many more.) Except for their faces — can’t change a face! This isn’t Bridalplasty — the Funny or Die duo have matched the Bowie/Crosby original detail for detail, right down to the mind-blowing exchange about “modern music” and eerie, dilapidated, Christmas-don’t-live-here-anymore set. Compare the two videos after the jump…. READ FULL STORY »
Dec 14
2010
10:45 AM ET
Clip du jour: Jabba the Hutt's 'Silent Night'
The idea of Jabba the Hutt singing “Alone Bed-time” (to the tune of “Silent Night”) is enough to make me chuckle, but the bizarre lyrics to this holiday greeting (“nap time, satisfactory sleep”) really seal the deal. First-rate song indeed! READ FULL STORY »
Dec 14
2010
10:39 AM ET
'The Sing-Off' recap: Embrace the cheese, please!
Image Credit: Harper Smith/NBCSit down, boys and girls. It’s time for a lesson from a cappella legend Jerry Lawson, who offered up the wisest words on last night’s episode of The Sing-Off: “We had fun, and that’s what it’s about. We’re supposed to have fun.“ THANK YOU, Jerry! There were times during last night’s episode when I wondered whether the contestants had all forgotten that THEY SING A CAPPELLA, the most inherently cheesy form of music known to mankind. Sure, it can be a powerful format, but I can’t really get behind Ben Folds’ request for the groups to prove their “artistry” while singing cover tunes on TV. Isn’t the downright goofiness of The Sing-Off part of its appeal? Some people may call it their secret shame, but I call it my very public love! Bring on the cheese!
Unfortunately, things took a while to get going last night. Nick Lachey wasn’t immediately punning(!), and the weirdly Backbeats-focused opener, “21 Guns” by Green Day, didn’t pack the gleeful punch of other episode intros. Fortunately, by the end of the night, the energy had picked back up, thanks in large part to the irresistible fun of On The Rocks, and I was left smiling. This time around, each vocal group was asked to sing two songs: First a rock song, and then a “guilty pleasure” tune. At the end of the night, the judges would send one group home. We’ve got quite a few performances to count down, so without further ado, let’s get to the grading! READ FULL STORY »
Dec 14
2010
09:56 AM ET
Golden Globes snubs: Justin Timberlake, 'Parks and Rec,' 'True Grit'...
Image Credit: Bob Charlotte/PR Photos; David Gabber/PR Photos; Pixplanete/PR PhotosToday’s Golden Globe nominees included a few surprises — uh, Jennifer Love Hewitt was nominated for her role in The Client List? — and as with all awards shows, there are some pretty serious snubs. My first reaction: No Justin Timberlake? He blew me away in The Social Network, at once charismatic and romantic, but also chillingly power-hungry and manipulative. Better luck come Oscar season, Justin! No Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right? No Mary Elizabeth Winstead for her role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? No nominations at all for True Grit or Greenberg? Let’s all shake our fists at the heavens and grumble. Your moments will come, Hailee Steinfeld and Greta Gerwig.
On the TV side of things, I guess I should be used to Friday Night Lights being ignored, but I’m just not. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are both stunning, duh, and in a just universe, Zach Gilford would be getting a lot more credit, too. Parenthood became unmissable for me this year, and Lauren Graham and especially Mae Whitman definitely hold their own against any of the other nominees. Parks and Recreation didn’t get a single nod, which is hugely disappointing. It’s easily one of the five funniest comedies on television — for my money, it might be the actual funniest — and Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, and Chris Pratt all turn in stellar, layered performances week in and week out. The comedy offerings are so terrific right now that I knew some shows would have to be skipped, but both Cougar Town and Raising Hope deserve as much recognition as The Big C or Nurse Jackie.
The full list is right here, so read it and weep, and then let’s hear it: Who got most wrongfully snubbed by the Golden Globes this year?
Dec 14
2010
09:00 AM ET
Golden Globes: 'The King's Speech,' 'The Social Network' and 'The Fighter' reign supreme; Johnny Depp earns two nominations
Image Credit: Chris HastonThe King’s Speech grabbed seven Golden Globe nominations to lead all films, while The Social Network and The Fighter, which earned four acting nominations, followed with six nods. Black Swan, Inception and The Kids are All Right each received four honors. Johnny Depp was nominated for two acting awards in the comedy category, for Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist. Meanwhile, Oscar contenders True Grit and Toy Story 3 were basically ignored, combining for only one nomination. The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards will air on Sunday, January 16, 2011 on NBC from 5:00-8:00 p.m. (PST) /8:00-11:00 p.m. (EST) from the Beverly Hilton Hotel with host Ricky Gervais. See below for all the nominations: READ FULL STORY »
Dec 14
2010
06:11 AM ET
Oprah Down Under: Screaming Aussies, free loot, and one Hugh Jaccident!
Image Credit: Don Arnold/WireImage.comJust how powerful is Oprah Winfrey? If you ask one of the 200 Harpo employees accompanying her on the big trip Down Under (specifically, the pre-show cheerleader tasked with keeping the audience peppy and shrieking for yesterday’s two 90-minute tapings at the Sydney Opera House) this is the answer you’ll get: “Our boss has a really good in with Mother Nature. We don’t do rain at The Oprah Winfrey Show!”
I think I actually believe her. After weeks of constant downpours in Sydney and devastating floods throughout the country (thanks, La Niña), the famously blazing Aussie sun came out for every one of Oprah’s eight days down under. Yesterday, her now world-famous walkabout reached its climax on the forecourt of the newly rechristened Oprah House. I was there in the morning, and I was there in the afternoon. It was, in a word, madness – an odd mix of talk show and tent revival that brought together 12,000 buoyant Australians, 302 lucky Americans, dozens of local journalists and one accident-prone actor. Hugh Jackman’s totally bodacious entrance on a zip-line for the afternoon show ended more like a total bummer when the actor – who’s made headlines for stunt troubles in the past – failed to brake quickly enough and bashed his right eye on a lighting rig. Despite trying to shake off the collision – he quickly downed a gulp of red wine that was waiting for him during his interview – Jackman was taken offstage for medical help before returning. “Ohhhh, we’re gonna hear about that,” said Oprah, clearly shaken. “Ohhhh, that’s gonna play on the news, over and over and over again.” The O knows – it was breaking news within minutes. (I told you he was drinking wine.) READ FULL STORY »
Dec 13
2010
06:58 PM ET
Which singing competition series are you most looking forward to seeing?
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Tina Gill/PR Photos; NBC; Dave M. Benett/Getty Images; Bob Charlotte/PR PhotosThis is madness! TV has so many competitive singing shows lined up that I don’t even know what to do with myself. Should I write a song and have someone else sing it? Should I spend another hour pretending I am better than the lead singer of Backbeats? Or should I attach a prosthetic goiter in the shape of huge lips to my neck in the hopes of singing my heart out in front of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and a camera? Maybe I should just tell you what I’m talking about!
As Inside TV reported, NBC is developing a singing competition series called The Voice of America (based on The Voice of Holland, or maybe the official external radio and television braodcasting services of the United States federal government?!) for spring 2011, to be produced by John de Mol (of Big Brother fame) and Mark Burnett (of Survivor fame, pictured next to Lopez). Oddly enough, NBC’s snazziest spawn, Bravo, will launch its singer-songwriter competition series Going Platinum in 2011. The shows will be different enough, of course — in The Voice of America, the celebrity judges will be blindfolded during the “blind audition” round. Intriguing, to be sure, but how will they know how talented the contestants are if they can’t tell if they’re pretty?
Over on Fox, obviously American Idol is back in January, then The X Factor (the sassy British foreign exchange student Idol is graciously hosting, who may or may not steal all of its friends) will begin in the fall. You can already watch a cappella groups “battle it out” on The Sing-Off. We’ve had Rock Star, Nashville Star, Duets, and does anyone else remember when ABC did that awful show called The One? Kara DioGuardi was a judge!
Which singing series has you most excited — or are you already gasping for breath? Vote below. READ FULL STORY »
Dec 13
2010
06:39 PM ET
New TLC show makes my heart long for 'Supermarket Sweep'
Image Credit: Everett Collection‘Tis the era of savings, PopWatchers, and TLC has spun it into a show about coupon clipping, and not just any kind: EXTREME Couponing. (Please note that it is so extreme that “coupon” has been turned into a verb, as well. Consider your mind blown.)
The idea behind the game is to get as much product as possible for the smallest amount of money using your coupon skills. (Meaning, my mother would pretty much dominate this game.) And these couponers have mad skill. One woman hasn’t paid for a toothbrush or toothpaste in 34 years and another dumpster dives to obtain coupons. Dumpster dives, people!
I’m hooked already — but mostly because (minus the crazy people) it reminds me of my favorite game show of all time: Supermarket Sweep. I know that this coupon show won’t likely have many of the things that made Sweep great — like inflated 7 Up cans or $200 cans of gravy on Manager’s Special — but my greatest hope is that they at least put the contestants in brightly colored, painfully asexual sweaters with comically large name tags. Please, please, please.
Extreme Couponing premieres on TLC Dec. 29. PopWatch post about my excitement premieres Dec. 30.
Don’t leave me hanging, PopWatchers. Will you geek out with me over the reemergence of the supermarket-themed game show?
Dec 13
2010
05:55 PM ET
Excess Hollywood: Don Cheadle to star in 'House of Lies'
- Showtime announced via press release that Iron Man 2 star Don Cheadle has signed on to topline the network’s House of Lies pilot. (When will someone greenlight Glass Case of Emotion?) The dramedy is about “a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm” who will “use any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want.”
- Neve Campbell is in talks to star in Roland Joffe’s Singularity. The story intertwines stories involving past lives; Campbell will play the wife of an archeologist (Josh Hartnett) whose past life is trying to warn him not to do Hollywood Homicide. [THR]
- Lucky girl: Jessica Chastain (The Help) will join Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy in the Prohibition period feature, The Wettest County. The actress will play a woman from a small town who found herself in the middle of gangster activity in the city. [THR]
- Adam Carolla will rev his engine for a pilot about cars for the Speed Channel, which will be co-hosted by Wall Street Journal writer Dan Neil, former NBA star John Salley, and the Smoking Tire website’s Matt Farah. The show is being described as Top Gear-meets-The Best Damn Sports Show Period. [Variety]
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