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Archive: March 2011 (181-190 of 379)

Mar 17 2011 09:00 AM ET

This Week's Cover: Geek God Nathan Fillion goes mainstream

Categories: Castle, Firefly, Geekery, I'm Just a Geek, Television, This Week's Cover

There’s only one guy we know of who could get mobbed by the hordes at Comic-Con and the moms at Costco: Nathan Fillion. A card-carrying member of the Whedonverse since Firefly debuted (and was canceled) in 2002, his rugged handsomeness and quick wit have been favorite topics of conversation among geeks for nearly a decade. But now, we’re having chats with our 63-year-old mothers about his smile, usually around 11 p.m. on Mondays. How did that happen?

To find out, we stopped by the set of ABC’s Castle this week, woke Fillion from a sound sleep in his trailer (he’d worked all last weekend), and asked the actor starring as crime novelist Richard Castle — who’s partnered with NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) for “book research” — to recount his whereabouts from 1994 to today. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 17 2011 07:00 AM ET

Jeff Probst on episode 5 of 'Survivor: Redemption Island'

by Dalton Ross

Categories: Jeff Probst, Reality TV, Survivor, Television

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, Survivor host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Redemption Island.

So, how many donuts would it take for you to give Phillip a massage?
Start diggin my plot as I will soon be dead from starvation.

Part of what you try to do when you ask players questions is to draw them out in the hope that their comments will create drama with other players, but Rob never, ever takes the bait. Like at Redemption Island, when you asked him about Matt, “Why’d you vote him out, Rob?” When he answers that “It doesn’t take one person to vote someone out, Jeff, you know that,” are you simultaneously impressed by his ability to stay above the fray while frustrated that he won’t bite on the fishing line you’ve just reeled out?
I always tell contestants if you want to keep me off your back just give me an answer to my question. Any answer. I don’t care if you tell the truth or lie. Give me something usable. It’s when they give me answers like “I dunno” that I get frustrated and often that frustration leads me right back to them with an even more pressing question. Rob has become a master of the “no-answer answer.” When you’re that good at tribal, it does make my job much harder, but that’s my problem, not theirs. I never get frustrated with good game play. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 17 2011 06:31 AM ET

'American Idol' on the scene for Top 12 performance night: Casey plays his bassy

by John Young

Categories: American Idol, On the Scene, Reality TV, Television

Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox/PictureGroup

The squealing, oh for the love of my cochleae, the squealing! For what amounted to a rather middling Top 12 performance show, the Idoldome was nonetheless Kathy Griffin-with-a-vuvuzela loud. I knew something was up when Ryan Seacrest was greeted with the same enthusiasm as that kid who received a Nintendo 64 on Christmas morning. So, yes, the audience was pumped. Cory Almeida, Idol‘s go-to warm-up guy, took advantage of the electricity in the Idoldome by… doing the same warm-up routine he always does. And Debbie the Stage Manager informed everyone that this was the season’s first live performance show — the prior two had been taped. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 17 2011 02:30 AM ET

Gail Simmons blogs 'Top Chef: All-Stars': Episode 14

by Archana Ram

Categories: About Last Night, An EW Exclusive!, Food and Drink, Reality TV, Television, Top Chef, Top Chef All-Stars

As told to Archana Ram.

For the Quickfire, I actually think Antonia and Tiffany had a better plan than Richard and Mike gave them credit for. Padma never told them they had to make something incredibly complicated. Obviously, there needs to be some thought and cooking, but they just wanted it to taste good. But both teams were smart to cook in large batches. Everything was the same, and that’s really important. Otherwise, you risk consistency.

Richard and Mike’s dish was more complex in terms of the cooking process. They needed to cook the vegetables and meat, which perhaps takes a little more finesse. On the other hand, Tiffany and Antonia’s dish had several more plating components. Richard and Mike, all they had to do once the sauce was made, was make the pasta, toss it all together and dump a spoonful onto the plate. There was no garnish, plating or presentation. Tiffany and Antonia, as much as theirs might’ve been a simpler plate from a cooking standpoint, it was a more complicated plate from a presentation standpoint. They had a dressing, a salad, which involved prepping the vegetables, and the meat placed on top. That took time and operational skill. I think they did a good job. I can see why they won. It was appealing as a small plate and a smart way to go about the challenge. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 16 2011 08:00 PM ET

'American Idol': Discuss the Top 12 performances!

by Annie Barrett

Categories: American Idol, Reality TV

Image Credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Update: Annie’s recap is live

They’re singing Birth Year Songs tonight. That old chestnut. Tastes like…water. The Fountain of Youth! You know the drill: Chat here about American Idol‘s two-hour performance show, then come back later for my full recap and a detailed on-the-scene report from John Young.

I’ll be posting my Idol Power List every Wednesday morning — ranking the remaining contestants based on recent performances, judges’ critiques, fan support, my own humble opinions, fashion sense, and hair. Just kidding on the last two. Yeah, right. Check out my ranking, then fulfill the purpose of the internet and leave your own Power Lists below.

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Mar 16 2011 06:30 PM ET

'Glee' costume designer talks regionals dresses. Plus: Will the Warblers' uniform change?

by Stephan Lee

Categories: Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Glee, Television

Image Credit: Adam Rose/Fox

Last night’s Glee unveiled not only three original songs, but also some highly original costume choices. When it comes to deciding the New Directions girls’ outfits for regionals, Glee costume designer Lou Eyrich asks, “Is it youthful, is it pretty and soft, and does it fit Ryan Murphy’s vision?”

Last year’s regionals dresses came from Betsey Johnson, which Eyrich says makes the “perfect show choir dresses.” This year, the show needed a designer who’s used to making dresses of varying sizes on a tight turnaround, so who better than a bridal designer? Eyrich’s team ordered aqua bridesmaids dresses from Los Angeles-based Jenny Yoo (who also did the girls’ dresses for Kurt and Finn’s parents’ wedding) on a Wednesday; Yoo made them on a Thursday, and on Friday, Eyrich and her team fit the dresses on the girls — who require a wide range of sizes — and added sashes around the waists and applied jewels from deconstructed BCBG necklaces to the fronts.

The biggest twist on the ensemble, though, came below the waist. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 16 2011 06:10 PM ET

Megan Fox may join Judd Apatow's next film: Can comedy save her career?

by Darren Franich

Categories: Career 911, Judd Apatow, Megan Fox

Image Credit: Doane Gregory/Fox

Megan Fox starred in two of the biggest movies ever made, but both of those movies were called Transformers, and Fox didn’t have much to do in either one besides bare her midriff and stare blankly at special effects. Fox’s real genius was in self-promotion. She had a knack for tossing out brilliantly casual soundbites (She had a crush on a lady stripper! She compared Michael Bay to Adolf Hitler!). She talked about sex and had lots of gonzo tattoos, which made her seem like the hot-zombie-resurrection of Angelina Jolie 2001. But Fox’s first major starring role, 2009′s horror-comedy-something Jennifer’s Body, was a miserable flop, and since then she’s only appeared in the terrible Jonah Hex and the equally-terrible-but-fortunately-barely released Passion Play. Which makes the Hollywood Reporter‘s claim that Megan Fox is currently negotiating to star in Judd Apatow’s next movie seem like a true watershed moment for the actress. Since Fox is currently filming a role in Jennifer Westfeldt’s comedy Friends with Kids, it’s worth asking: Can Fox kickstart her career by moving into comedy? READ FULL STORY »

Mar 16 2011 05:50 PM ET

Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, and Eugene Levy reuniting for 'American Pie' sequel. Where do you see their characters 12 years later?

by Kate Ward

Categories: Made Us Think, Movies, Nostalgia, Things That Are Awesome!, This Could Be Interesting..., Those Crazy Kids!

Image Credit: Randy Tepper

This one time… in 1999… we all saw a movie that launched the millennium’s raunchy teen genre: American Pie. And now, 12 years later, comes news from Universal (originally reported by The Wrap) that Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, and Eugene Levy are on board for a reunion flick, titled American Reunion. Of course, it’s only been eight years since the trio shared the screen in 2003′s American Wedding (and only two years since Levy starred in the direct-to-DVD American Pie Presents: The Book of Love), but here’s where today’s news gets even more exciting: Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, and Jennifer Coolidge are all in negotiations to return to the film, which (yes, it gets better!) will be released… in theaters! (Take that American Pie: Band Camp… and American Pie: The Naked Mile… and American Pie: Beta House… and American Pie: Book of Love: Electric Boogaloo!) (UPDATE: Universal tells EW that it is indeed working to bring back all members of the original American Pie.)

Now the main question: Where do you see American Pie‘s characters 12 years later? READ FULL STORY »

Mar 16 2011 05:35 PM ET

'Glee': Anyone else think that dreamy Blaine/Kurt moment had to be a dream?

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Gay/Lesbian/Kathy Griffin, Glee, Television

There was a moment on last night’s episode of Glee that we’ve been waiting for since we — and Kurt (Chris Colfer) — first set eyes on Blaine (Darren Criss). Continue reading only if you’ve seen it because… I need to know if anyone else thought Kurt was daydreaming because it was that good. We saw the awakened look on Blaine’s face after Kurt’s moving “Blackbird” tribute to Pavarotti, but when Blaine later interrupted Kurt decorating Pavarotti’s tiny casket to rehearse their duet for regionals, and Kurt asked him why he chose him, and Blaine so quickly and simply said, “Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever’” and he’d had it with him — exactly what Kurt would want to hear — I literally turned to the person I was watching the show with and said, “This is a dream.” READ FULL STORY »

Mar 16 2011 04:10 PM ET

Rush Limbaugh thinks it's cute that Japan is still recycling

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: HeadScratcher, My Head Hurts, Politics as Entertainment

Rush Limbaugh isn’t keen on recycling. In fact, the conservative radio talk show host just thinks it’s adorable that the poor folks in Japan are still making the effort after their lives were devastated by the tsunami last week. On yesterday’s show, he ridiculed ABC World News’ Diane Sawyer, who took special notice of the recycling efforts at one of the refugee camps in Japan. A like-minded caller sarcastically asked why Gaia (Greek for Mother Earth) would so cruelly punish a people responsible for the environmentally-conscious Prius and a dynamic public transportation system, and who take recycling seriously. Limbaugh agreed, going on to say:

“The Japanese have done so much to save the planet. He’s right. They’ve given us the Prius. Even now, refugees are still recycling their garbage, and yet Gaia levels them [laughs], just wipes them out. Wipes out their nuclear plants, all kinds of radiation. What kind of payback is this? That is an excellent question. They invented the Prius. In fact, where Gaia blew up is right where they make all these electric cars. That’s where the tsunami hit. All those brand-new electric cars sitting there on the lot. I like the way this guy was thinking. It’s like — it’s like Gaia hit the Prius in [inaudible]. It’s like they were in the crosshairs, if we can use that word, it does. What is Gaia trying to tell us here? What is the mother of environmentalism trying to say with this hit? Great observation out there, Chris.” READ FULL STORY »