Archive: March 2011 (241-250 of 379)

Mar 10 2011 06:13 PM ET

Let's hear it for the return of '90s Nickelodeon: It's about time!

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Filed under: Television, TV and tagged: , , ,

In college, I learned a foolproof method for striking up a conversation with just about anyone between the ages of 18 and 22: Mention an old Nickelodeon show, and soon enough, nostalgia would begin flowing like green slime. Sure, every now and then I’d encounter a kid who hadn’t grown up with cable (those poor, deprived souls!), but generally speaking, people my age (I just turned 23) have a fierce, borderline obsessive attachment to the TV of our childhood — and we’re also all convinced that Nick as a network started to take a serious nosedive in quality around the turn of the millennium.  READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 05:50 PM ET

Jason Patric on 'That Champion Season' and why he initially passed on 'The Lost Boys' (twice!)

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Jason-Patric

Image Credit: RICHARD PHIBBS FOR EW

Jason Patric, 44, is known for his raw performances in indie films like Rush, After Dark, My Sweet, Narc, and Your Friends and Neighbors — not to mention his early vampy role in The Lost Boys. He’s currently starring in That Championship Season on Broadway, along with Brian Cox, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Noth and Kiefer Sutherland. The Pulitzer-winning play, about members of a winning basketball team reuniting after 20 years, was written by Patric’s late father, Jason Miller, and won a 1973 Pulitzer Prize.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was it a hard decision to be in a play that has such a personal connection for you?
JASON PATRICK: I guess there was some hesitancy, only because there were a lot of negative associations with it and my whole thing was, would I be able to see it clearly as a piece of material. When I first met [director] Gregory Mosher, it was just about whether I was going to give him the rights to the play — it wasn’t even about me being in it. But I liked what he had to say. I couldn’t ask for better hands for the play to be in — not only dramatically but as far as respect and legacy. I want this to be relaunched as the great American classic that it is.  READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 03:25 PM ET

Director-choreographer Rob Ashford, the man behind Daniel Radcliffe’s musical debut, dishes about dancing (and acting) with the stars.

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how-to-succeed-business

Image Credit: Ari Mintz

Few people have worked with as many celebrities as Rob Ashford, and even fewer have gotten A-listers to shake what their mamas gave him as often as he has. The dancer-turned-choreographer-turned-theater director — who has Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, doing jazz hands in Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, opening March 27 — has taught the toughest of dance moves (tango, anyone?) to everyone from musical theater vets like Hugh Jackman to reluctant hoofers like Ewan McGregor. He helped Anne Hathaway shimmy through a Lancôme commercial (“she’s quite a dancer,” he says), and gave Kevin Spacey midnight strutting lessons (“we ended up pushing him to his limits”) for his Bobby Darin biopic, Beyond the Sea.

Now a 20-plus year Broadway veteran and Tony winner, Ashford is also an associate director at London’s Donmar Warehouse, where he staged Rachel Weisz in A Streetcar Named Desire and will direct Jude Law in Anna Christie this summer. He’s a talented, busy guy, but he took some time off while prepping How to Succeed to chat with EW about a few of the gifted stars in his orbit — past and future. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 03:00 PM ET

'The Real World' premiere: Is this show too tame for a 'Jersey Shore' world?

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Filed under: About Last Night, TV and tagged: , , , ,
Real-World-Vegas-25

Image Credit: MTV

The 25th season of MTV’s stalwart reality series The Real World premiered last night, and while viewing, the only thing I could think was: Wow, this is so, so tame. I think that reaction stems mostly from the fact that other reality shows — namely things like network sibling Jersey Shore (which is basically a themed riff on The Real World) or even Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise — garner so much more buzz. Out of fairness to The Real World, I have to note that it was only just the first episode. The sometimes-tired introductions and casting bits must happen. (Although they were basically the same introductions we’ve seen before: The sheltered boy Adam, the hardened city girl Naomi, etc.)

There’s no doubt in my mind that things will certainly heat up as the season marches on — they always do — but you have to wonder whether a show like The Real World will ever recapture the kind of buzzy ridiculousness that its network sibling Jersey Shore has. There was a point in time where the antics of a group of strangers “picked to live in a house” garnered the kind of attention that other reality shows do now. But are three-way kisses, clubbing, and revelations about being a former porn star in Las Vegas (!) really that original anymore? READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 01:57 PM ET

'American Idol': Was Naima's 'Umbrella' performance too risky?

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Filed under: About Last Night, American Idol, Reality TV, Television and tagged: , , ,

Naima-AdedapoImage Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FoxThere were so many baffling things about Naima Adedapo’s performance of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” last night: The dance moves. The reggae. The off-key vocals. The fact that she was gifted the pimp spot. Honestly, fellow Idol friends, I’m not sure which direction to go on this one. Hell, even Naima’s shirt wasn’t sure which direction to go.

On one hand, we have to give her props for taking a risk. But, if Idol were to follow those rules, the judges would have to applaud for Kristy Lee Cook for turning “Eight Days A Week” into a knee-slapping country tune. Or cheer for Chikezie for trying out the harmonica during “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” They’d even judge Sanjaya purely on his ponyhawk. So, should we excuse Naima’s (mostly) off-key performance, purely because she brought something different to the stage than most of the other top 13? (After all, who else was ready to scream if they heard one more song with that very season 1-esque karaoke background?) READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 01:29 PM ET

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong to return to 'American Idiot', show will close April 24

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Billie-Joe-ArmstrongImage Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty ImagesProducers of the Broadway musical American Idiot announced today that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will return to the role of St. Jimmy (currently played by AFI singer Davey Havok) on April 5 for the show’s final three weeks. This will mark Armstrong’s third turn as the rocking drug pusher in the play, which is based on his band’s 2004 album of the same name. American Idiot — which experienced a drop in ticket sales after Armstrong departed in late February — will close on April 24.

Read more:
Billie Joe Armstrong boosts ‘American Idiot’ box office: Can it hold?
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong joins ‘American Idiot’ Broadway cast for a week

Mar 10 2011 12:30 PM ET

What was your first truly scary movie? 'Scream' was mine.

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Scream-barrymoreImage Credit: Everett CollectionAs an adult who only occasionally gets ID’ed for R-rated movies, I’m looking forward to Scream 4 as just another highly anticipated scary movie. But all the buzz reminds me of my experience watching the original Scream: Mostly, how it severely freaked my adolescent self out… and, yet, left me wanting more gore.

The original Scream came out when I was 10, but it wasn’t until a year or so later when it was out on VHS that seeing it became the cool thing to do — a necessity, really, on the level of showing up to school with a hickey or hanging out at the mall on Friday nights. On my 12th birthday, I had a sleepover party (I was not cool) with my friends. I’d rented Scream from Blockbuster and tried to peer-pressure my guests into watching it late at night. I think everyone was a little nervous, myself included, but we were determined to see it — until one of my friends, the real Butters of the group, had a crazy “I’m calling my mom” freakout before the movie even started. So, instead, we watched the back-up video, Liar, Liar, and I think we were all a little relieved. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 11:54 AM ET

Jerry O'Connell talks working with Mariah Carey and a giant, talking kangaroo: Who was more difficult?

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Filed under: Movies, Music, Television, TV and tagged: , , , , ,

Jerry O’Connell, currently starring on CBS’ The Defenders, recently spoke to EW about some of his greatest roles, including Stand By Me, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. But what two co-stars did EW really want O’Connell to discuss? His “Heartbreaker” video co-star Mariah Carey and … the titular character from his 2003 movie, Kangaroo Jack. That’s right, PopWatchers: We get the goods. Read below for O’Connell’s thoughts on his two very different co-stars and to see which one was hardest to handle.

“Heartbreaker” (1999) O’Connell played Carey’s cheating boyfriend in this elaborate video, directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). The actor only has great memories of Carey. “She was a trip. I don’t know anything about the music industry and I still don’t. Champagne was flowing. She had a huge trailer. There was security everywhere. That was a world I just didn’t know about. She was the best! She’s a real Long Island girl. I found her to be really sweet and funny.” READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 11:34 AM ET

Chef Charlie Sheen on FunnyorDie: 'I don't cook food, I will it'

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Filed under: News, To Care or Not to Care and tagged: , , ,

At this stage of the game, there’s plenty that could be said about the concept of Charlie Sheen appearing in a video for Funny or Die. But in contrast to his unsettling TV and web appearances of the last few weeks, this version of Charlie Sheen is funny — in a Chuck Norris-is-awesome kinda way — and the best evidence yet that he’s simply playing with our heads. In the video, Sheen dons what appears to be a Cincinnati Bengals chef’s hat (Tiger blood, duh!) and shares his Winning Recipes: “I don’t cook food. I will it.” READ FULL STORY »

Mar 10 2011 10:55 AM ET

Zach Galifianakis' 'SNL' promos: 'Got your nose!'

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Filed under: TV and tagged: ,

Zach-Galifianakis-SNLImage Credit: NBCThe first few promos for comedian Zach Galifianakis’ hosting turn on Saturday Night Live this weekend are filled with funny sight gags and Samberg snark. But the fourth promo is sheer genius. Suffice it to say, a silly game of “Got Your Nose!” goes incredibly, incredibly wrong. That Galifianakis is some kind of something. Boy, this Galifianakis is all anybody’s ever talking about. So sick and tired of hearing about how brilliant that Galifianakis is! Check out the video after the jump… READ FULL STORY »

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