Archive: November 2011 (241-250 of 361)

Nov 10 2011 03:08 PM ET

Rick Perry's meltdown: A solid 9.3 on the Stockdale Scale

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Filed under: About Last Night, TV and tagged: , ,
Rick-Perry

Image Credit: Paul Sancya/AP Images

“Oops.”

That’s how Gov. Rick Perry capped his 53 seconds of horror during last night’s Republican debate, when he couldn’t recall the third department of government that he intended to axe once he became president. It was painful to watch for supporters of the Texas governor, but also for anyone who’s ever blanked or fumbled for words in front of an audience. On the scale of 1 to 10 Stockdales, it was a solid 9.3.

What’s a Stockdale, you ask? READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 02:05 PM ET

'Family Circus': The best of Bil Keane

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Filed under: Books, News, Those Crazy Kids! and tagged: , , , , , , ,
Bil-Keane

Image Credit: The Arizona Republic/Jack Kurtz/AP Images

Family Circus creator Bil Keane made a lot of people’s mornings brighter with his low-key observations, subtle eye for humor, and appreciation for the innocence of children. Back in 1990, our own Ken Tucker called Family Circus “the most underrated comic strip in the country.” In light of his sad passing Tuesday, I looked through the cartoonist’s archives and picked out some of my favorites. See them below. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 01:41 PM ET

Ricky Gervais says NBC wants him back for Golden Globes

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Filed under: Golden Globe Awards, Television, TV and tagged: , , , ,

Ricky Gervais isn’t being coy. He loved hosting last year’s Golden Globes, and he’s very open to doing it again. He’s been heavily hinting at that fact for months, most recently last week when a New York Post reporter spotted him in New York with top executives from NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “Ooooooh! The plot thickens,” he blogged almost immediately.

On the red carpet at yesterday’s New York Comedy Festival, he confirmed to Access Hollywood that the possibility of returning “[is] very tempting … for three hours, I’m the most feared man in L.A., so that’s nice.”

Potentially standing in his way? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which was on the receiving end of several of Gervais’ most pointed barbs last year. “I think NBC wants me to do it, but the Hollywood Foreign Press have got to want me as well,” Gervais said. “It’s their event. It’s their party.” Watch below: READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 11:53 AM ET

Hans Zimmer wants YOU to chant on the 'Dark Knight Rises' soundtrack

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Filed under: Music and tagged: , ,
dkr

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Hans Zimmer has spent the last decade churning out an average of four soundtracks per year, scoring adventure movies, rom-coms, 3-D cartoons, Oscar-bait period pieces, videogames, and the freaking Simpsons Movie, why not. Not every soundtrack is a winner, but Zimmer has an intriguingly eccentric streak. Look at the ridiculously influential “Evil Foghorn” Inception soundtrack, which was actually composed as a kind of slow-mo remix of an Edith Piaf song. Or consider the oddball Victorian funk of his Sherlock Holmes soundtrack, which Zimmer specifically composed on an out-of-tune piano. For next year’s The Dark Knight Rises, Zimmer is back in experimental form: The composer has just written an open invitation to the internet, asking people to record their voice in an attempt to create “a worldwide chant” for the movie. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 11:20 AM ET

EW's Bite of the Night for Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011

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Filed under: News, Reality TV, Television, The X Factor, Top Chef, TV and tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We at EW scoured the TV line-up last night to find the best one-liners from your favorite shows. Wednesday’s truth resided somewhere between Horror stories, jumbled fairy tales, and whatever yarn Paul Abdul is currently spinning for her X Factor protégés these days. So what did naughty neighbor Constance, mixed-up Cheftestant Chris Jones, and the lovably loopy mentor had to say?

Image credits: American Horror Story, Ray Mickshaw/FX; The X Factor, Nina Munoz/Fox; Top Chef, Virginia Sherwood/Bravo

Want more? Unravel Doc Jensen’s latest theories about American Horror Story, salivate as Stephan Lee dishes on Top Chef deliciousness, and read through Annie Barrett’s appraisal of The X Factor‘s movie night.

Read more:
EW’s Bite of the Night for Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011
EW’s Bite of the Night for Monday, Nov. 7, 2011
EW’s Bite of the Night for Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011

Nov 10 2011 10:55 AM ET

The Muppets get a Facebook campaign to host the Oscars: A great idea or a really great idea?

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: , , , , , , ,
muppets

Image Credit: Disney Enterprises

It’s time put on makeup. Its time to dress up right. Its time to raise the curtain on the… Muppets Oscar show? At least, that’s what 19,000 Facebook users (and counting) are hoping for with their latest social media campaign titled — you guessed it — The Muppets Should Host the 2012 Oscars.

While the campaign — which states “The Academy Awards are a sacred American institution. Who better to host the 2012 Oscars than another American institution: The Muppets?”– officially began all the way back in February, yesterday’s news of Eddie Murphy’s departure as Oscar host has given the movement new life. But will the new Oscars producer Brian Grazer go for it? Or will he, as Dave Karger pondered, go with Tom Hanks? Or Steve Martin? (Hey, don’t worry just yet, Muppeteers. You can never underestimate the power of a Facebook campaign. Just ask Betty White.) READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 10:27 AM ET

Eddie Murphy comeback: Do you want it more or less now? Poll!

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Filed under: Movies and tagged: ,
Tower-Heist

Image Credit: David Lee

With the release of Tower Heist and the Oscars hosting gig, Eddie Murphy was poised for a huge comeback. But now that the film opened behind Puss in Boots to lukewarm reviews (EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum gave it a C+, while CinemaScore graders scored it a B) and Murphy has exited the Academy Awards following Brett Ratner’s resignation as producer, where does it stand? It would be easy to say his comeback has taken a severe hit, but we all know what happens when an Oscar host doesn’t mesh fully with the creative team behind him (see: James Franco). Murphy was in his rights to bow out gracefully if the players changed (even if part of you wishes he’d reconsider now that Brian Grazer, who produced Tower Heist, Bowfinger, Life, The Nutty Professor films, and Boomerang has been tapped to replace Ratner). But there’s still a hunger for Murphy’s talent. Reread this part of Schwarzbaum’s review: READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 09:50 AM ET

'Harry Potter' reaches another end: See the trailer for 'LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7' -- EXCLUSIVE

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Filed under: Videogames and tagged: , , ,

One of the most delightful sideshows of the multifaceted Harry Potter entertainment franchise has been the LEGO Harry Potter videogame series, an extension of the toy maker’s license to make play sets inspired by the Harry Potter movies. Now, this part of the whole magical magilla is coming to a conclusion, too, with the release of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, on sale Friday. It’s actually three games in one, as it contains adaptations of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, albeit it in LEGO’s trademark brick-and-whimsy language. The exclusive trailer — rich, as usual, with self-deprecation and visual pizzazz — promotes in particular the games’ play-with-a-friend cooperative mode and play-any-character-you-want functionality. Neat… but we’re never playing as Dobby, no matter how made-for-LEGO he may be. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 09:00 AM ET

This week's cover: Brace yourself for 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.' Plus: The Holiday Movie Preview

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Filed under: Movies, News and tagged: , ,

When director David Fincher offered Rooney Mara the part of Lisbeth Salander, he laid out the stark reality of what she would be forced to endure. “I told Rooney, ‘You’re ­going to be emaciated, you have to be naked, you have to get raped [on screen], get pierced, smoke cigarettes, ride a motorcycle,’” Fincher recalls, in this week’s EW cover story. “‘I need you to really concentrate and tell me this is something you want.’” The actress didn’t even flinch. “There were certainly things I was scared to do, but I never thought I wasn’t up for the challenge,” she says. “The ­motorcycle was the thing I ­really didn’t want to do. You know, you’re ­going to be raped, be naked… But as soon as he was like, ‘You’re going to have to ride a motorcycle,’ I was like, ‘Oh, really?’”  READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 02:27 AM ET

'The X Factor': Flirty Astro, those 'Glee' kids, and everything else you didn't see on TV

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Filed under: Reality TV, The X Factor, TV and tagged: , ,
judgesxfactor

Image Credit: Fox

Are my ears ringing? Is my Marcus Canty-loving heart all aflutter? Am I experiencing severe Simon Cowell snark withdrawals? Yes, yes, and yes, which means that last night was most definitely X-Factor live show night. Wednesday’s powerhouse performances made last week’s show seem tame in comparison, resulting in an infectious energy that spread to the whole raucous crowd. Actually, scratch that. It was an infectious energy that spread to everybody but famed mixed martial artist Chuck Liddell, whose intimidating stone face never flinched during any of the 11 performances.

Luckily, Chuck was the only one. Most of The X Factor‘s movie night was broadcast nationwide, but, as always, there were plenty of things that you simply couldn’t see on TV. The judges were all warm, interactive, and friendly, and the audience was treated to everything from a Paula Abdul diss to a visit from McKinley High’s glee club. Read on for more from inside the studio at X Factor last night: READ FULL STORY »

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