Category: About Last Night (81-90 of 1284)

Nov 17 2011 01:09 PM ET

'South Park' tries to go for laughs with the Penn State scandal -- VIDEO

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South Park wasted no time in getting around to the sexual abuse scandal which has shaken the foundation of Penn State to its core. But the questions synonymous with Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s button-pushing series — “Too soon?” and “Did they go too far this time?” — will no doubt be asked again after last night’s episode.

The episode, titled “The Poor Kid,” featured (a still alive) Kenny and his siblings being taken out of their parents custody when they got in trouble with the law. (All together now: Simpsons did it!) But South Park dared to cross the line once again and attempted to make the decidedly unfunny Penn State scandal funny by skewering the very people who attempt to make light of the horrific news. In this case, it was the kids’ social worker, a wildly inappropriate jokester named Mr. Adams. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 17 2011 02:00 AM ET

'Top Chef: Texas': Hugh Acheson on rattlesnake cuisine and why you never buy frozen shrimp

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Tags: , , , , About Last Night, Food and Drink, Reality TV, Top Chef, TV
top-chef

Image Credit: Virginia Sherwood/Bravo

As told to Nuzhat Naoreen

I flew in right at the end of [the rattlesnake quickfire]. I thought it was pretty cool that they gave them such an indigenous ingredient. A lot of things are going to be very Texas. So in that way I thought it was very interesting. I bet it took a lot of people by surprise. I’ve never even had rattlesnake. I would have been a little bit flummoxed by the challenge. All [the contestants] seemed to be pretty good at getting it done in time. Nobody seemed flabbergasted. I think the only thing that took them for a loop was the possible fact that the rattlesnake was still alive.

[During a challenge], you want to look at who your judge is and what his take on things would possibly be and meet those expectations. I think a lot of the time the contestants kind of overlook that. In this case it’s Johnny Hernandez. Johnny’s a restaurateur whose cooking is very Hispanic influenced and very nuanced. He kept saying he wanted the focus to be on the rattlesnake and that’s what Dakota, the winner, did in the end.  READ FULL STORY »

Nov 16 2011 12:12 PM ET

Jon Stewart reacts to the Jerry Sandusky interview -- VIDEO

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There are certain instances when a news story can get the best of the typically poised Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Sometimes it’s when a story can hit a little too close to home (much like it did with the news of bin Laden’s death) and other times it’s when a story is so unimaginably horrific. But there are indeed times when Stewart can’t — perhaps, understandably so — keep his emotions in check. Such was the case last night when Stewart replayed Bob Costas’ interview with former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, who faces multiple counts of sexual abuses charges.

While he gave credit to Costas for not letting Sandusky — who did the interview over the phone (to which The Daily Show host quipped, “You might not want to literally phone in your defense on national television”) — off the hook by asking the tough, but necessary questions about his admission that he showered with young boys, Stewart didn’t let any of it slide either. From calling Sandusky’s bluff on the “horseplay” defense (“Are you f—ing kidding us?”) to questioning his choice in lawyer Joe Amendola (the defense attorney impregnated a teenage client in 1996, prompting Stewart to ask, “What kind of creepy guy club do you both belong to?”). But it was Stewart’s final declaration that really said it all: “Done!” Watch the video after the jump. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2011 04:35 PM ET

'How I Met Your Mother': Is this the end of Robin as we know her? Nay, knew her.

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HIMYM-Robin

Image Credit: Eric McCandless/CBS

“What do you even like about me?” That was the question Robin posed, at two different critical times to the two men who love her, Barney and Kevin, during last night’s gut-wrenching episode of How I Met Your Mother. [SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T WATCHED]

For years that was an easy question for any HIMYM fan to answer. Because, in spite of being from Canada (as Barney once cried, “Why are you guys even a country?”), Robin Scherbatsky (or Robin Sparkles/Robsy Wobsy/Scherbs, if you will) is a loyal friend, a hard worker who has paid her dues, a fun roommate (at least, if you like someone who doesn’t throw empty milk cartons away), and, depending on your feelings on her gun fixation, a damn good shot.

But many fans, myself included, had to re-examine their feelings for Robin after what she did to Barney — and let’s face it, eventually Kevin — last night. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2011 01:12 PM ET

Bob Costas kills Jerry Sandusky with kindness. Are sports keeping Costas from greater things?

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A few weeks ago, Brian Williams made a brief appearance on NBC’s Football Night in America broadcast to promote his new show, Rock Center. He and Bob Costas went back and forth about the new show, and their playful banter made me wonder if, in a slightly different world, their roles could have been reversed. I mean, this wasn’t Walter Cronkite sitting opposite Chris Berman. Both men are talented, likable, and respected, and it’s not impossible to imagine Williams in the sports field, covering Super Bowls and Olympics, and Costas anchoring the evening news. In fact, Costas is the rare television journalist who remains in sports only because he’s chosen to. The man had a great late-night talk show, Later, for seven years in the late 1980s and 1990s, and his HBO show, though sports-focused, was as thorough and provocative as any other news magazine in television.

So I was not surprised to see Costas on Rock Center last night, interviewing Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State football coach who is at the center of the sex abuse scandal. Yes, this is a sports-related story, and likely, Costas’ connections and reputation helped land the exclusive interview for NBC. But clearly, this is a huge, national story that promises to stain the front pages and the evening news for months to come. NBC was not about to give it to Costas simply because he knows what an equipment room smells like. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2011 12:25 PM ET

Gabrielle Giffords and the healing power of music: A must-watch clip from last night's '20/20'

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If you missed Diane Sawyer’s 20/20 interview with Gabrielle Giffords, you can watch it in its entirety here. But if you watch only one clip, make it the one below. Because Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, knew she would one day ask what she went through during her early recovery, he filmed it. In that footage, we see the healing power of music: Giffords, who still requires hours of daily therapy helping her recall words, sings along to Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” As one of her therapists explains of survivors of brain injuries, “Music is accessed in many different areas of the brain that aren’t designated for language, and they can retrieve the lyrics through another side of the brain to get words back.”  READ FULL STORY »

Nov 14 2011 11:49 AM ET

'Family Guy' 9/11 gag: Did they finally go too far this time?

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Image Credit: Fox

Family Guy has never been a show that’s found any subject, no matter how controversial, off-limits. So it should have been of no surprise that the animated series handled the sensitive subject of 9/11 in a provocative, if questionable, way. But, now many are wondering if the show has finally gone too far with their risky brand of humor.

During last night’s episode, while traveling through time, Stewie and Brian stop the events of 9/11 from occurring, only to find that by doing so they’ve set off a chain of events that includes a Civil War in a post-apocalyptic America. The two ultimately decide that they must go back in time once more to make sure the tragic events unfold just as they did 10 years ago. “Let it happen,” they conclude, which resulted in the two high-fiving one another. Stewie then joked that, out of context, the moment didn’t make them look very good. (Or in context, for that matter?) No argument there? Or, in the grand scheme of Family Guy — which has joked about everything from the Holocaust to domestic abuse — is this simply par for the course? READ FULL STORY »

Nov 13 2011 08:28 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' recap: No sophomore slump for Emma Stone

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emma-stone-snl

Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

For an episode of Saturday Night Live that seemed to rely heavily on recurring characters and sketches, returning host Emma Stone helped to make the whole thing feel fresh thanks to her energized, no-holds-barred approach to hosting.

There was never a shred of doubt that SNL would have their turn to poke fun at Gov. Rick Perry and his instantly infamous “oops” gaffe, but the cold opening parodying the moment felt too late to the game. (Especially after seeing Perry’s legitimately funny, self-deprecating Letterman appearance on Thursday.) Despite Bill Hader’s best efforts (I think he really just needed the help of his hula girl again), the six minute-long sketch ran uncomfortably long, even by Rick Perry standards. Eventually, Andy Samberg’s Rick Santorum cried “Somebody make it stop!” — I felt the same way. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 11 2011 10:05 AM ET

Rick Perry delivers Letterman's Top Ten List: 'Oops!' he did it again

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Who could have guessed that in this Republican GOP circus, it would be he-man Rick Perry who would deliver the comedy gem that late-night comics would come to cherish? (Herman Cain had better start singing about pizza or numbers some more if he wants to reclaim his crown.)

Alas, there’s Perry’s “oops” heard ’round the world, a moment that Jon Stewart kissed the heavens and thanked the comedy gods for. Wanting to save face (and possibly his entire campaign), the new-found comedy treasure stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman to deliver the Top Ten List. Watch the “Top Ten Rick Perry Excuses” below. Not only does the Texas governor actually have good timing (which, let’s face it, probably would have come in more handy Wednesday night), but he’s a good sport about the whole thing. Better yet, he even abides by the old comedy rule of three. Well, almost. But, hey, if this whole comedy/politics thing doesn’t pan out for Perry, it looks like he’d make a pretty good Dancing With the Stars contestant. See for yourself: READ FULL STORY »

Nov 10 2011 03:08 PM ET

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

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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 »

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