Archive: August 2011 (81-90 of 295)

Aug 22 2011 05:30 PM ET

Bret Michaels to team with Donald Trump for reality show that's entirely too classy

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Filed under: Reality TV, Television, TV and tagged: ,
Bret-Michaels

Image Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic.com

Where’s the Bret Michaels I once knew and loved? The same guy who chose a romantic partner based on how well she maneuvered a stripper pole? The same guy who would still kiss a woman immediately after she vomited? The same guy who found this attractive? He’s gone, PopWatchers. Gone! This especially hit me after hearing this news: A rep for Donald Trump confirmed a Page Six item reporting that the Donald and Celebrity Apprentice winner Michaels are teaming together for a new reality series called Something To Believe In. For all of you fellow die-hard Rock of Love fans hoping that “something” is “STD testing,” I hate to disappoint you. The series would be all about charity. According to Page Six, Something To Believe In would follow Michaels as he travels across the country helping people in need. Yes, but, Bret: I’m in need of a gaggle of plastic women willing to trade their dignity for “backstage pass” into your bed!

Yet, I have to give the guy props for the image-180 he’s accomplished since appearing on Celebrity Apprentice and suffering a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 05:06 PM ET

'The Adventures of Pete & Pete': What guest stars did you not recognize until you were older?

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Filed under: TV and tagged: , , ,

Pete-Pete

Howard the Duck was one of my favorite movies for an embarrassingly long stretch of childhood, so I think it’s safe to say I didn’t have particularly great taste. However, one of the undoubtedly few good viewing choices I made was The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which, unlike a certain comedy starring Marty McFly’s mom and an intergalactic mallard, has only gotten better in the rear-view.

Rewatching the series as an adult, you realize two things. The first being that back in the Wild West days of cable television, Nickelodeon could get away with being both very strange and very good, especially compared to the channel’s more recent laugh-track sitcoms like iCarly and Drake & Josh, which seem to be preparing an entire generation of children to chortle until they choke at the wacky antics of Two and a Half Men. The other realization is exactly how much you missed as an unhip youngster, particularly when it comes to the series’ eclectic list of guest stars.

Everyone remembers “What We Did On Our Summer Vacation,” in which the Petes search for Mr. Tastee, a swirl-headed ice cream man who has gone missing during the dog days of summer. The episode has all of the bittersweet suburban malaise of an early Updike short story, but it also had surprise turns by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Kate Pierson of the B-52’s, of whom I was completely oblivious despite the fact that “Rock Lobster” was one of my favorite songs. (Seriously, that’s a great kids’ song, with all those narwhal sounds and whatnot.) READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 04:41 PM ET

Sean Penn offers intriguing critique of Terrence Malick's 'Tree of Life': 'I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing there!'

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Filed under: Movies and tagged:
Tree-of-Life-Penn

Image Credit: EWP

It’s rare for an actor to offer a subtle, multi-layered analysis of a movie, but Sean Penn — love him or hate him — is hardly a common actor. So it’s interesting to note that, in a recent interview with French magazine Le Figaro, Penn gripes about his role in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, but he essentially gripes about the same stuff that plenty of non-Sean Penn individuals were griping about in regards to Tree of Life. First and foremost, just what exactly was Sean Penn doing in that movie? “Frankly, I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing there!” the actor admits, while noting that even his director didn’t seem to know the answer to that: “Terry himself never managed to explain it to me clearly.” Penn also notes that the film’s overall time-hopping, free-flowing tone left him cold: “A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and impact.” In short: If you’re somebody who thinks that Tree of Life could have used fewer dinosaurs, then you and Sean Penn are in agreement. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 04:15 PM ET

My hero! Ryan Gosling (or, at least, someone that looks a lot like him) breaks up a fight in NYC

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You’d be hard-pressed to find a better analogy for life in New York City (well, other than every episode of Louie) than this new viral video, which is making the rounds today: One minute you’re getting your butt kicked in the middle of a busy downtown Manhattan street, the next Ryan Gosling (or at least someone that looks very much like him) swoops in with his bravery and handsomeness to save you. (EW contacted Gosling’s publicist, who could not be reached in time for comment.)

The incident, which was caught on camera by some very amused youths, finds two men having a physical scuffle in the middle of the street. While it appears some good Samaritans were trying to intervene and break up the altercation, a real guy — namely “the guy … from The Notebook” — was needed to get the job done. Though Alleged Gosling’s superhero garb didn’t include tights (if only) or a cape, he did have some superhero strength (who needs real guns when you’ve got those guns?) and managed to stop the fight. Whether or not this is or isn’t Gosling, it’s comforting to know that not only does the Drive star live here and could come to your rescue at any moment, his crime-fighting doppelgänger could as well. I love New York. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 03:02 PM ET

'Ghost the Musical' to head to Broadway this spring. Can it do the movie justice?

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Tagged: ,
ghost

Image Credit: Everett Collection

A piece of advice to all movie execs hell-bent on re-making beloved Patrick Swayze movies: Make them into a Broadway musicals instead! There’s no way that the news of the musical version of Ghost, which has been playing to good reviews at London’s West End and is headed to the Great White Way this spring, will upset people even half as much as the idea of an upcoming Dirty Dancing big-screen reboot did. On film, the role of the slain Sam Wheat will forever belong to Swayze, but on stage, the part can be given new life, without taking away from the magic of one of the greatest tearjerkers of all-time.

Starting with previews in March of next year, Ghost the Musical is set to open at New York City’s Nederlander Theater in April. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 02:42 PM ET

The Fall of the HP Touchpad: 'The Zune Moment' for tablets

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The HP Touchpad is having a minor zombie renaissance right now. After last week’s announcement that the tablet device was being discontinued as part of HP’s massive dark-night-of-the-soul restructuring, prices for the Touchpad descended into the double-digits over the weekend. According to this breathless Washington Post article, Best Buy wound up selling the discounted devices with a limit of one per customer. And, since the average iPad 2 currently starts retailing at $499, we now have pseudo-scientific proof that Apple’s competitors just need to sell roughly the same device for 80 percent off in order to compete in the tablet market. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 12:24 PM ET

'One Day': Should the ending have been changed?

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: , , , , , ,
One-Day

Image Credit: Giles Keyte

 To be fair, I knew it was coming. Having already read David Nicholls’ charming 2009 international best-seller One Day, about the ups and downs of friends Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew’s relationship over the span of 20 years, I knew the movie was also going to end on a major — if not pretty shocking — downer. For those of you who have not read the novel or seen the adaptation starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess (and it seems like that’s plenty of you), beware of MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 22 2011 08:00 AM ET

Barbie turns Faith Hill and Tim McGraw into dolls: See them here! -- FIRST LOOK

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Filed under: News and tagged: , , , , , , ,

This October, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. What’s one way to celebrate that milestone? By releasing the powerhouse country duo as dolls, of course — which is what Mattel is doing. EW has the exclusive first look at the pair of new Barbies — known as the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Doll Gift Set — which officially become available in September for $69.99 at BarbieCollector.com.

To get the full scoop on the creation of the dolls, EW talked to Linda Kyaw, designer for Barbie Collector. Turns out that Tim and Faith themselves were rather involved in the design process, especially from the outset. “Tim and Faith sent us photos of every detail” of their outfits for the dolls, Kyaw says, “including Tim’s complete suit, piece-by-piece; and Faith’s dress, make-up, and clear shots of her hair preference. The couple knew exactly what they wanted to see in doll form, and they helped us achieve the best possible results.”

As you can probably imagine, the design process takes time — creating the prototype alone took about two months. “It really takes an army and the process can take anywhere from a weeks to a few months,” Kyaw adds. “With real celebrity likenesses, it is definitely more challenging because there are a lot of factors to consider. Our vision is to capture the true essence of the celebrity — and I think we did just that with Tim and Faith!”

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

Read more:
Valentine’s Day Surprise! Barbie and Ken are officially back together
Mattel releases Barbie dolls of Alexis and Crystal from ‘Dynasty’: Your Christmas wish list starts now!
Happy 50th Birthday, Barbie!

Aug 20 2011 10:30 PM ET

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries tie the knot. Did you hear?!

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Filed under: News, Those Crazy Kids!, TV and tagged: , , , , ,
ris-Humphries-and-Kim-Kardashian

Image Credit: Todd Williamson/WireImage.com

Today marked the biggest event of the year. No, I’m not talking about the Super Bowl. Or the Oscars. I’m not even talking about the Royal Wedding. I’m referring, of course, to the nuptials involving America’s version of a Royal Family, the Kardashians. Who needs a dashing prince and his demure bride when you’ve got a former sex tape star and her boyfriend of less than a year? That’s the American way! Today, before family and friends (including Demi Lovato, Eva Longoria, Lindsay Lohan, and more) — and, of course, E!’s cameras — Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries finally said their “I dos,” satisfying a tabloid-obsessed nation hungry for another derrière to examine since Pippa Middleton walked the aisle in April. We’ll have to wait until Oct. 9 to watch the proceedings ourselves — and see if Bruce Jenner convinced the deejay to spin some tunes from “Can’t Stop the Music” (please!) — but, until then, let’s just all think about the fact that Kardashian and Humphries will make more money posing for one photo than we’ll ever collect in one lifetime. Say it with me Keeping Up with the Kardashians executive producer Ryan Seacrest: “Oh, hell no. Say what?“

Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWardEW

Read more:
One day before Kim Kardashian’s wedding: How to kill time until the blessed event
Kim Kardashian sends out her wedding invitations: Did you get one?
Kim Kardashian’s wedding registry: Hurry up and buy the $195 ice tongs before someone else does!

Aug 20 2011 02:40 PM ET

Fright Night (1985) vs. Fright Night (2011): Why the update's far more old-fashioned than the classic

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Image Credit: Disney/Dreamworks

Real men do not read Twilight.

That’s what high school kid Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) tells his nerdy, vampire-obsessed friend Evil Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in the 2011 update of the campy horror classic Fright Night. What he’s really saying is clear: this is not going to be one of those romantic vampire movies where some pale, skinny guy messes around with a pretty young promise-ring type but refrains from sticking it in her (his tooth, that is).

And Charley’s right. The vampire in this movie (a bloodlicker named Jerry, played by real-life nighthawk Colin Farrell) is not a moral guy. Living on the outskirts of Las Vegas, he’s a stripper-torturing, teenage-girl-perverting, Real Housewives of New Jersey-watching fang-banger who preys on single moms and brags to the cops that he’s making the local women scream every night. (Read EW’s excellent defense of Jerry’s horrible, disgusting mercilessness here.)

So what’s that bad boy doing in such a conservative movie? After the jump, we’ll discuss why this sexier, bloodier update is actually far more old-fashioned than the 1985 original. WARNING: There are tons of major spoilers below. Plus, “Edward Cullen” and “chastity belt” are used very close together. Read at your own risk.

READ FULL STORY »

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