Annie Barrett | Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog | PopWatch

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Author: Annie Barrett (1-10 of 1070)

Feb 9 2010 03:06 PM ET

Dolph Lundgren must have really wanted to be part of PopWatch On Ice

Categories: Horrifying But Hypnotic, Middle-Aged Butt-Kicking, Ouch! That Was My Ear!, PopWatch Dance Party, PopWatch on Ice, Ridiculata, The Bad Man Scares Me!

Here is an odd song/dance/feats of strength obstacle course, performed by Dolph Lundgren on the Swedish show Melodifestivalen. Wait, no. It would be much better if I let Lost producer (and EW confidant) Damon Lindelof introduce the following crazy in 140 characters or less: This morning, I awoke wondering what Dolph Lundgren is up to these days. Your answer, friends:

Well, Dolph, after witnessing the wonder that occurred at 3:00, we have no choice but to grant your wish. Dolph, you are now a platinum member of EW.com’s exclusive PopWatch On Ice…society clique…thing. Mandi, an overly excited Scott Hamilton, Johnny Weir, commenter Jenn, and I are happy to have you! Here is your stamp of approval. You fought to win for you, for you, and it has once again paid off!

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 9 2010 01:21 PM ET

Tame Colbert/Fallon elevator scuffle makes us long for Colbert/Conan/Stewart face-off of yore

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Late Night, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Ridiculata, Shenanigans!, Television, The Colbert Report

Before shooting his own show yesterday, Stephen Colbert dropped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to talk about the Colbert Nation-sponsored U.S. speedskating team and how well he had assimilated into Grammy culture. He also raised beef with Jimmy because Glamour magazine readers had voted they’d like to “Do” Jimmy Fallon, “Dump” Conan O’Brien, and “Marry” Stephen Colbert. “I don’t care if Jimmy Fallon is ‘totes hot,’” Colbert whined on the Report, “Marriage is a sacred trust!” Colbert also seems to have an easier rapport with his own director Jimmy than his totes hot rival Jimmy. So it only made sense that the awkward tension between the two late-night hosts would come to a slow simmer in a 30 Rock elevator. They casually work out their aggression on hidden cam with about 1:30 left in the clip below. (Part 1 of their interview is here.)

Way too tame! We loved that the elevator scuffle reminded us of the Colbert/Conan/Stewart Brawl and Dance-Off combo platter of 2008, but upon linking back to our coverage of it, realized the NBC video no longer exists. You can find it on YouTube but in bizarre user-generated “music video” formats. Here’s one, set to “Your Guts (I Hate ‘Em) by Reel Big Fish. Better than nothing, P-dubs?

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 9 2010 01:19 PM ET

'Be Good Johnny Weir': 'I was a taller girl too, once'

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Awwwwww So Cuuuuuute, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, PopWatch on Ice, Reality TV, Ridiculata

I’ve finally hopped on the Be Good Johnny Weir bandwagon/Zamboni machine, just in time for the Olympics. The Sundance Channel reality show followed Weir, a member of Vancouver’s Team U.S.A. along with Jeremy Abbott and Evan Lysacek, as he prepared for the 2009 training season. Anyone familiar with Johnny Weir knows that he is possibly the most ridiculous diva ever to be served on ice. I realized during last night’s new episode that I love him.

He truly sealed the deal as he was filmed teaching a seminar to kids in Long Island. Memories of Weir’s catty initial response to his agent, Tara: “I love children, but Long Island?” melted away as he was clearly devoted to sharing not only his skating prowess but a general love of the sport and (awwwww) confidence! This tall girl (the one who is typing and the one in the picture) almost choked up when Johnny empathized after she fell during a double axel attempt: “You’re a taller girl. Like, I was a taller girl too, once.” Ahhhh! His inspirational bent continued as he addressed a group of young girls: “Don’t be scared ever to fall down…. It’s like, you have to fall to be able to land, so just go for it.” He better take that dose of his own medicine in Vancouver!

See my other favorite (and more salacious) sound bites from last night’s BGJW — and watch a clip of Johnny on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel talking about the misconception of figure skating as a “gay sport” — after the jump. (Read full post)

Feb 9 2010 12:23 PM ET

Late Night: All the teleprompter monkeys noticed Sarah Palin's buzzword-tattooed hands

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Art, David Letterman, Late Night, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Politics as Entertainment, Shenanigans!, The 'Eh' List, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Things That Are Classy

On last night’s late-night shows (and one weird one at 10 p.m.), everyone who qualified as “a charismatic guy with a teleprompter” reacted to Sarah Palin’s address to the National Tea Party Convention. They also picked up on what Jon Stewart called Palin’s “Maverick-y note card hand-scribble buzz words” Palin had been consulting instead of a teleprompter. Politico.com compiled the best moments as Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno, and Stephen Colbert attempted to go analog themselves.

Which buzzwords are on your hands today? My left hand says “Slezak” and the right one says “Kill” but the lettering is backwards. And “look in the mirror” has been knitted into my sweater upside-down, but that’s usually the case. I don’t know what it all means because I don’t have a teleprompter. Life!

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 9 2010 09:30 AM ET

Have you ever taken karaoke too seriously?

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Hell to the No!, Is This a Rhetorical Question?, Music, Ouch! That Was My Ear!, PopWatch Dance Party, Things That Are Criminal, Unfortunate Developments

According to a widely read feature in Saturday’s New York Times, there have been at least half a dozen murders in the Philippines after people sang karaoke to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” The “My Way Killings” have occurred “after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer.” This is so sad and messed up. We at PopWatch are such losers at karaoke that it has never occurred to us that things could so easily turn violent. The most potentially violent karaoke-related scene I’ve witnessed was when a coworker who may or may not be pictured muttered an obscenity under his breath after a karaoke-bar manager politely requested that we depart the premises because our paid hours had long expired. I guess I once technically killed a pitcher of Sapporo when I fell during “I Am The Walrus,” but I don’t think that counts. Wow, we’re cool! Your stories will be better. Tell us: Have you ever had violent thoughts during karaoke? And how did you suppress them?

PopWatch has always advocated private room karaoke, the benefits of which also include padded furniture, not subjecting strangers to the horrific sound of your voice, and the freedom to move about whenever, wherever you want.

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 9 2010 01:15 AM ET

'Dancing With the Stars' couples gyrate in swimsuits

by Annie Barrett

Categories: 100% Pure Cheese, Dancing With the Stars, Horrifying But Hypnotic, PopWatch Dance Party, Sexytimes, What's Weirder?

I realize this headline could apply to any episode of Dancing With the Stars — but this time the hard-bodied dance pros’ signature near-nudity is for a print-based cause. Luckily, there is also video. Four former Dancing With the Stars couples are featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue — Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke, Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya (pictured), Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower, and Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska. Sadly, the ripped-for-her-pleasure Alec Mazo/Natalie Coughlin Speedo pictorials are nowhere to be found.

Watching the SI.com videos, I couldn’t decide which was weirder: that the pros were choreographing such contained ballroom moves on the spot, or that Edyta was not wearing leg warmers in a behind-the-scenes type of setting. Both were horrifying but hypnotic; emphasis on the latter. I have to give Chuck the MVP for Best Effort among the former contestants — he provided the strongest lifts and quickest dips, and of course Anna Tre-BUN-skaya really sold them. Ms. BUN is so generous: “I don’t know what’s sexier here — your eyes, or me,” she teased Chuck. Anna, it’s you.

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Image credit: Sports Illustrated

Feb 8 2010 06:09 PM ET

'Top Model': Can André Leon Talley fill Miss J's puffy sleeves?*

by Annie Barrett

Categories: America's Next Top Model, Bitchery, Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Hell to the No!, Horrifying But Hypnotic, Is This a Rhetorical Question?, Ridiculata, Things That Make Me Die Inside

Physically, yes. Theoretically, NEVER. Vogue’s André Leon Talley has agreed to replace J. Alexander on the judging panel of America’s Next Top Model after a long, eight-year decision process during which he watched zero episodes. This man has never seen America’s Next Top Model. I am struggling with this. Can any of you imagine such an empty existence?

Tyra hopes Talley will steer the show in a high-fashion direction that will impress viewers. “It might go over their head, but he’s educating them about a time, bringing them back to a place when fashion was life,” she told People. As usual, Tyra is being modest about her own ability to educate. I’ve learned tons of new wordées from her spontaneous French lessons during panel. Anyway, don’t worry, Miss J. will still appear on Top Model, but exclusively in a runway-training setting. Is this okay with you? Vote below.

*For the record, no one should ever fill puffy sleeves because puffy sleeves in general should not exist.

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 8 2010 03:15 PM ET

Jin is never going to leave the Island

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Casting, Double Vision, Lost, Television, Things That Are Awesome!, Trend Watch

He doesn’t look too thrilled about it. We, on the other hand, couldn’t be happier that Daniel Dae Kim has been cast in CBS’ remake of Hawaii Five-O. He’ll play state police officer Chin Ho Kelly alongside an yet-to-be-cast Detective Steve McGarrett. Maybe the creepy new temple people on Lost can play the people they pull over. Speaking of which…

A close inspection of the Hawaii Five-O opening credits reveals that Hawaii Five-O and Lost are practically the same show already, sharing similar themes of airplanes, fire, binoculars, creepy statues, guns, and attractive people running on the beach. In fact, Lost was probably based on Hawaii Five-O. For irrefutable proof, please see below:

And duh:

Who else should star with Daniel Dae Kim in the Hawaii Five-O remake a.k.a. Lost II?

Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett

Feb 8 2010 11:36 AM ET

Super Bowl commercials: 'USA Today' Ad Meter demonstrates our love for Betty White

by Annie Barrett

Categories: 100% Pure Cheese, Advertising, Animals, Food and Drink, Super Bowl, Television

Betty White has won the Super Bowl. Commercials. According to this year’s USA Today Ad Meter, the five best-received of last night’s Super Bowl ads were Snickers, Doritos, Bud Light, Budweiser, and Coke — the African sleepwalker one, not the Simpsons one that could have used more monorail. Even though my personal favorite ads (Kia Sorrento’s “toys come to life” and Google’s “search term history affirms man’s milestone-rich life”) were left off the list, I wholeheartedly approve this message because I wholeheartedly approve of the prospected ingestion of processed crap. The Top 5 and Bottom 5 ads are listed after the jump. Two GoDaddy.com commercials in the bottom 5. That company (whatever the hell it is) must be trying to make its ads as lame as possible, right? (Read full post)

Feb 5 2010 03:39 PM ET

'Hoarders' recap: Niecy Nash excavates Lindsay Lohan from underneath temple of swag

by Annie Barrett

Categories: Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Hell to the No!, Hoarders, The 'Eh' List, Things That Are Sad

Psych! This isn’t Hoarders. It’s Lindsay Lohan pretending to be a hoarder because she’s bored. On last night’s The Insider, our favorite “not havin’ it” face-maker Niecy Nash dropped by “Lindsay’s Clothes Chaos,” ostensibly to help her deal with the “anxiety” she suffers due to the burden of a gross excess of free designer clothing. If you have better things to do than to watch this video, at least take a moment to appreciate that the word “SUN” appears exactly where the sun would be in a child’s crayon drawing.