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Archive: January 2011 (101-110 of 414)

Jan 25 2011 05:15 PM ET

James Franco and Anne Hathaway's first Oscar promo photo keeping mystery alive

Categories: James Franco, Movies, Oscars

franco-hathaway-oscars Image Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABCLet them entertain you! To your left, see Anne Hathaway and first-time Academy Award nominee James Franco posing for an official Oscar photo promoting their hosting duties on Feb. 27. And besides Hathaway looking like she stole Hilary Swank’s 2005 Oscar dress — and James Franco looking like he’s posing for a senior photo in high school — we learn… nothing from this picture. Nothing! Come on, guys — can’t you give us at least a hint of what you’ll bring to the ceremony next month? Too much to ask for you to, say, dress as Rob Lowe and Snow White to tease your future song-and-dance number? Sigh. Instead, I’ll just have to use my imagination to make the photo more interesting. I choose to believe that’s actually Neil Patrick Harris hiding in the statue, ready to burst out for another show-stopping (or show-starting?) opening number. Or that it’s a really, really big piece of chocolate. Either way: Yum.

Have any guesses as to what James Franco and Anne Hathaway will do on their big night? And could we possibly have any more Oscar content on our site today?

Jan 25 2011 04:59 PM ET

Jon Bon Jovi bon-joining the cast of 'New Year's Eve'

by Maggie Pehanick

Categories: Casting, Movies, Music, Saturday Night Live

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesBecause becoming another sardine in a can packed full of romance and comedy is en vogue as of late, guitar hero Jon Bon Jovi and actor/comedian Seth Meyers have signed on to join the cast of New Year’s Eve. (The duo will be in good company. So far, the ample cast in director Garry Marshall’s follow-up to Valentine’s Day includes Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sienna Miller, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michelle, Sofía Vergara, Zac Efron, Jessica Biel and Frankie Muniz.) READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 04:45 PM ET

Rare footage of The State singing a rousing tune

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: Apropos of Nothing, Nostalgia

If there’s anything I like more than sketch comedy from the ’90s, it’s surprisingly well-arranged folk music about erections. I guess today is my lucky day! Behold this video of The State singing “The Boner Song.” Warning, this video will make you feel very, very old: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 04:30 PM ET

'Modern Family' to add another dash of Pepper

by Stephan Lee

Categories: Gay/Lesbian/Kathy Griffin, Modern Family, Television

Image Credit: Sylvain Gaboury/PR PhotosHe’s back! According to executive producer Steve Levitan, Nathan Lane will return to Modern Family this spring as the brunch-munching, ascot-donning power-gay Pepper Saltzman. Although he had precious few minutes of screen time in his first appearance earlier this season, Pepper really shook things up: Mitch and Cam trashed their own house and Cam declared his love for Pepper, all to get out of going to one of his ridiculous — but fabulous-sounding! — theme brunches. (“Oscar Wilde-N’-Crazy Brunch” — where’s our invite?)

Apparently, Mitch and Cam have a change of heart later in the season, and we get to see them attend one of these parties in action. Hopefully Pepper didn’t learn his lesson and will come up with a theme that inspires over-the-top, high-effort costumes. Who wouldn’t want to see Cam dressed as Mario Antoinette?

What should the theme of Pepper’s party be? Are you looking forward to Nathan Lane’s return? Do you think he’s rehashing Albert from The Birdcage? Sound off in the comments below!

Follow Stephan on Twitter.

Jan 25 2011 04:06 PM ET

James Franco gets Meredith Vieira to promise to polish his statue

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Have You Seen This?, Oscars

James Franco is everywhere. He’s studying 11 different academic disciplines at 14 different Ivy League schools. He’s an Oscar nominee for 127 Hours. He’s hosting the Oscar ceremony with Anne Hathaway. And no matter where he is, he hears everything. Or so it seems to Meredith Vieira. This morning on Today, right after Matt Lauer and Meredith had congratulated Colin Firth on his nomination for Best Actor, the pair welcomed Franco via satellite. Turns out Franco had been listening in as Vieira practically endorsed Firth’s Best Actor candidacy by offering to “polish his statue” if he won. So he playfully called her on it. Watch Meredith dance. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 04:05 PM ET

'Star Trek' producer regrets lack of gay characters. What other shows have a surprising lack of diversity?

by Adam B. Vary

Categories: 90210, Friends, Gay/Lesbian/Kathy Griffin, Lost, Made Us Think, Sci-Fi, Seinfeld, Shenanigans!, Star Trek, Television, Things That Are Criminal

In an interview with AfterElton.com, Terra Nova exec. producer Brannon Braga — who cut his teeth writing and producing Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — lamented the fact that Star Trek has never once included an out gay character in a movie or TV series. “It was a shame for a lot of us,” Braga said. “It was not a forward-thinking decision.” Yes, there was the occasional episode where, say, Commander Riker falls in love with an alien from a genderless world, or Dr. Crusher falls in love with a male alien who (thanks the symbiotic organism living inside it, naturally) changes bodies to a female — who Crusher then spurns. But as far as an out-and-proud same-sex loving character, the otherwise socially progressive and diverse Star Trek universe is stuck in the closet.

Braga does contended that had the shows been airing today, the TNG and DS9 creative teams “wouldn’t have been squeamish” about introducing a gay Trek character. Perhaps. For one thing, I always kinda wondered if Data, in his exploration of what it means to be human, would ever get intimate with a male crew-mate the same way he did with Tasha Yar. (Slash fiction tells me I am not alone in this overshare.) I also got to thinking: What other TV series have a surprisingly specific lack of diversity? READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 03:40 PM ET

'Vampire Diaries': Um, what if Tyler tries to break the curse?

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Television, The Vampire Diaries, Vampires, Wolves? Where?

Image Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CWThe Vampire Diaries returns this Thursday (The CW, 8 p.m. ET), and if you’ve picked up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which includes teases from the cast and exec producers, you know that the vampire-werewolf showdown is officially on. Let’s let Michael Trevino, whose Tyler Lockwood just survived his first painful full moon transformation as a werewolf, break it down for you. SPOILER ALERT! “We have Tyler, who is a werewolf, who becomes very close to a vampire [Candice Accola's Caroline], who he thinks is the only vampire in town. And then he starts to actually like her. And then once he finds out the truth, he feels a little bit betrayed by her. But then he also wants to hear out Stefan [Paul Wesley], and how he’s saying we can coexist. And then you have Jules and Brady [the friend of Tyler's dearly departed Uncle Mason who Jules was chatting with on the phone in the last episode who soon arrives in town], who are like, ‘No, don’t listen to them. You don’t want any part of that. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We’re not supposed to be friends with them. You shouldn’t be this close to Caroline. Trust me, it’s not good for you.’ So after all this, all these people coming into Tyler’s head, he has to make a move: What does he want to do? Which way is he gonna live?”

Now here’s where things could get seriously interesting: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 03:15 PM ET

Justin Bieber movie poster reaction shows adults just how bitter they are

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Justin Bieber, Movie Posters, Movies, Music, PopWatch Dance Party, Things That Make Me Die Inside

The new poster for the 3-D Justin Bieber concert film Never Say Never comes with the tagline “Find out what’s possible if you never give up.” If you’re thinking that sentiment coming from a 16-YEAR-OLD MILLIONAIRE is grating, you are not alone. But, you are also a little bitter. It’s a good message for tweens/teens who are at the age when they’re just starting to realize that not all dreams come true and have to decide whether or not to follow theirs. So, let’s breathe and let Bieber have this one. And try not to say something inappropriate about the position of the sun.

Jan 25 2011 02:55 PM ET

'Jersey Shore' going to Italy for season 4. Where should they invade next?

by Darren Franich

Categories: Jersey Shore, Ridiculata, Things That Are Awesome!, Things That Make Me Die Inside, This Could Be Interesting...

Image Credit: MTVMTV announced earlier today that Jersey Shore — the highest-rated TV show to ever feature a four-foot-nine tanning addict sticking her overheated rump into a mini-fridge — will fly to Italy for its upcoming fourth season. According to the press release, the cast is “excited to trade gorillas for Italian stallions,” which is really offensive, unless you actually picture a society where gorillas and stallions are an important part of the economy. Kids, this is crazy, crazy, crazy! I can’t contain myself. This is the best news I’ve heard since I stopped caring about the future of humanity. Jersey Shore is traveling to the country of Julius Caesar, of Leonardo da Vinci, of Federico Fellini. Most importantly, Italy is the country of Silvio Berlusconi, allegedly the only prime minister with a more smush-tastic personal life than the entire Jersey Shore cast put together. This news begs two questions:

1) How will Italy react to Jersey Shore?

2) Where should Jersey Shore invade next? READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2011 02:30 PM ET

Christian Bale has an Oscar nod, so now who's the greatest working actor still emptyhanded?

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Christian Bale, Movies

Image Credit: Jojo WhildenChristian Bale, c’mon down! After dozens of dedicated, textured, surprising performances — notably Empire of the Sun, Velvet Goldmine, American Psycho, Laurel Canyon, The Machinist, Batman Begins, Rescue Dawn, The Prestige, and 3:10 to Yuma — the Academy has finally recognized the actor for his supporting performance in The Fighter. I’m not going to scream, “It’s about time,” but, well… it is.

The Oscar nod allows us to remove Bale from EW’s list of Greatest Actors Never to Receive a Nomination. Last year, Bale was planted near the top of EW’s criminally never-nominated list, which still includes the likes of Donald Sutherland, Jim Carrey, Richard Gere, and Gary Oldman. READ FULL STORY »