This past Saturday, NBC Late Night host Jimmy Fallon headed to the White House to emcee a Fourth of July USO concert honoring military heroes and their families. Fallon, who performed along with the Foo Fighters, Michelle Branch and "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band shared his photos and his memories of the event with EW.com, including his encounter with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.
For purely visual reasons, Ernie's quest for the perfect chocolate, strawberry, peach, vanilla, banana, pistachio, peppermint, lemon, orange, and butterscotch ice cream cone is still one of my favorite Sesame Street skits, even though I don't usually condone the mixing of fruit and dairy.
Still. stop whining, Ernie! You're about to eat 10 scoops of ice cream that miraculously haven't toppled to the floor. Mr. Bluman didn't mess up your order at all. It's not the world's job to cater to your ridiculous whims. Time to embrace an alternate perspective, man. C'mon, don't be a tool.
Whoa, what just happened? I blacked out. Time for ice cream.
Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day, and while I don't think anyone here at PWHQ will be bringing a poochie to the office (much to my dismay), I do think this is a good reason to talk about the thousands of dogs who are no strangers to the nine-to-five: service animals!
So how come guide dogs and therapy animals are so underrepresented in film and TV? I was really into the book Follow My Leader as a kid (this is totally YA week at PopWatch apparently), but the only movie featuring service dogs other than Garden State I could find was Quill, a Japanese film about the cutest freaking puppy in the history of everything.
Anyway, that supernaturally adorable pup becomes a guide dog. (Warning: that clip will make you cry.)
What did I miss, PopWatchers? Can you think of other instances of service dogs in pop culture? Begin the list in the comments section below!
In honor of Father's Day, we're naming a movie dad who had a lasting impact on us and the particular scene that affected us most. The first scene that came to my mind was the one in Sixteen Candles in which Samantha (Molly Ringwald) opens up to her father, Jim Baker (Paul Dooley), about her crush on Jake Ryan (Micheal Schoeffling). It's not because my older sister was/is a Ginny, it's because I was/am a dork.
Jim: Well, if it's any consolation, I love you. And if this guy can't see in you all the beautiful and wonderful things that I see, then he's got the problem.
Samantha: I know. It just hurts.
Jim: That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call 'em something else.
Samantha: But if I were Ginny, I'd have this guy crawling on his knees.
Jim: Well, let me tell you something about Ginny. Now, I love her as much as I love you. But she's a different person. Sometimes I worry about her. When you're given things kind of easily, you don't always appreciate them. With you, I'm not worried. When it happens to you, Samantha, it'll be forever.
Thanks, Jim. Your late-night speech got me through many a crush and made me okay with being a late-bloomer because I believed the wait was in exchange for the lasting love I would one day find being somehow sweeter.*
Your turn.
*Only my Jake Ryan didn't show up the next day, and I'm still waiting. Not that I'm bitter.
Mine is Father of the Bride, which thankfully made our list of 24 Movies To See With Dad. Awwwwwww. It's not that I would particularly like to deal with anything remotely involving a wedding. Oh hell no. It's the uber-relatable scenes of Annie Banks and George (Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Steve Martin, pictured) playing basketball in the driveway that suck me in. That was soooo me and my dad, the only glaring difference being that Annie Barrett could actually shoot the frickin' ball one-handed and had pretty amazing form all-around, whereas Annie Banks is the sorriest excuse for a student-athlete to hit theaters in the early '90s. (I smell another photo gallery!)
My runner-up dad movie is 2001: A Space Odyssey -- I remember the first time we watched it together, the normally sedated Bill Barrett nearly leapt out of his big red chair to punctuate the final fetus-meets-home plant moment with a resounding "F---in A, Ann! Did you see that? ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?" I most certainly was. Hi, dad! Happy early Father's Day.
Is your favorite watch-with-Dad movie on our list?
The Log Lady will have a bear claw. In honor of National Doughnut Day -- and Special Agent Dale Cooper's obsession with doughnuts and coffee -- here's a(n understandably) deleted scene from episode 2 of Twin Peaks, which would have taken place pre-doughnut buffet in the woods. For all the carbs that passed through the sheriff's station in each episode, it's a true non-murder mystery as to how they got away with never showing the interior of the doughnut shop in season 1. I mean what the hell.
Even though my favorite restaurant and the Merriam-Webster dictionary insist it's correct, I refuse to use "donut" in lieu of the more highfalutin and much prettier "doughnut." You're not *doing* a nut. You are a nut if you write that.
Adam Lambert must have timed his pretty pedicure perfectly with Joss Stone's favorite holiday, National Go Barefoot Day. We didn't tell you before 5:26 p.m. because it has nothing to do with entertainment. NOT TO MENTION, but I'm about to anyway: The PopWatch staff exhibits a fairly low tolerance of feet in general. I personally can't handle the thought of bare feet in any public situation. Particularly my gross feet. I'll go barefoot on the beach and that's it. They'll be burrowing into the sand with extreme and I'm sure somewhat off-putting force the entire time.
Hey, let's hear from some other P-Dubs about bare feet!
Margaret Lyons: "I really, really hate other people's feet. A lot of people wear sandals on the subway in summer, oh lord. I am vehemently against mandals anywhere that's not a literal beach."
Michael Slezak: "I am fine with other people doing what they want with their feet, but I will not wear a sandal of any kind ever, except for in the shower at the gym. (Which opens a whole different bag of psychological issues.) [Editor's note: What else will you only do in the shower at the gym, you psycho? --AB] I don't like anything to touch my feet...urban "liquids," sand, other people. I just have serious issues, which is why I really don't care to go to the beach. Ever."
Mandi Bierly: "I'm okay with men wearing flip flops but not mandals."
Mike Bruno: "I have mandals for the beach, though I confess I'll wear them for a run to the grocery store too. Cuz I don't give a f---."
I think Bruno may have won this non-debate, for now. He wears mandals to the grocery store. That's so awful that's it's just a little bit fabulous.
Let's settle this, although we totally won't. Please tell us your thoughts on bare feet. Yes! We're serious!
Do you go with TLC's 16-hour Jon & Kate Plus 8marathon (which begins at 6 a.m. ET and culminates with the season 5 premiere at 9 p.m.)? Or do you settle in for SOAPnet's 10-hour tribute to Beverly Hills, 90210's Donna Martin (Tori Spelling), which begins at 9 a.m. and features her finest episodes? Decisions, decisions. (Which would I pick? See the clip below.)
Here are a few more options to make your life difficult on Memorial Day.
A&E: Intervention (8 a.m. to 10 p.m., new season premieres at 9 p.m.)
Animal Planet: Planet Earth (1 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
Discovery:Deadliest Catch (9 a.m. to 3 a.m)
History: MonsterQuest (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
Oxygen: America's Next Top Model (11 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
Technically, Cinco de Mayo isn't even a national holiday in Mexico. Meant to mark the victory of the Mexican army against the French at The Battle of
Puebla on May 5, 1862, Cinco de Mayo is arguably more recognized in the U.S as a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. What's more, for fans of Mexican cinema worldwide, there's been a great deal to celebrate these last few years. Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men), Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) have cut a cinematic path, and forged a deep and lasting friendship, as impressive and artistically vital as that of Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas and Coppola in the early 1970s. So if you'd like to augment your margarita-and-mariachi haze with some examples of terrific Mexican cinema, you'd do well to check out this trio's early work: Cuaron's Y tu mamá también, Del Toro's Cronos*, and Iñárritu's Amores Perros are all as fascinating as they are singular to their respective director's particular vision. (*Although it's set in Spain, Cronos won a boat-load of Ariel Awards, Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar. Fascinatingly, Del Toro has yet to set a film in Mexico.)
But even though all three men have gone Hollywood of late -- Del Toro, of course, is set to direct The Hobbit -- they haven't abandoned their heritage. Their production company, Cha Cha Cha, is releasing its first movie stateside this weekend after a blockbuster run in Mexico: The brothers-in-futbol dramedy Rudo y Cursireunites Y tu mamá también stars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal (pictured), and is written-and-directed by Alfonso Cuarón's younger brother Carlos, a screenwriter making his directorial debut. I don't want to steal our film critics' thunder, but I will say I saw the film at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and it was adorable. After the jump, I've embedded the trailer, along with an incredibly fun video interview I did with both Cuarón brothers, Del Toro and Bernal at the festival. And in case you've got an hour to kill, I've also included the fantastic episode of Charlie Rose featuring the elder Curaón, Del Toro and Iñárritu back in 2006. Enjoy, and feliz cinco de Mayo!
Adam Lambert must have timed his pretty pedicure perfectly with Joss Stone's favorite holiday, National Go Barefoot Day. We didn't tell you before 5:26 p.m. because it has nothing to do with entertainment. NOT TO MENTION, but I'm about to anyway: The PopWatch staff exhibits a fairly low tolerance of feet in general. I personally can't handle the thought of bare feet in any public situation. Particularly my gross feet. I'll go barefoot on the beach and that's it. They'll be burrowing into the sand with extreme and I'm sure somewhat off-putting force the entire time.
I think he might be totally serious!
Technically, Cinco de Mayo isn't even a national holiday in Mexico. Meant to mark the victory of the Mexican army against the French at The Battle of
Puebla on May 5, 1862, Cinco de Mayo is arguably more recognized in the U.S as a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. What's more, for fans of Mexican cinema worldwide, there's been a great deal to celebrate these last few years. Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men), Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) have cut a cinematic path, and forged a deep and lasting friendship, as impressive and artistically vital as that of Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas and Coppola in the early 1970s. So if you'd like to augment your margarita-and-mariachi haze with some examples of terrific Mexican cinema, you'd do well to check out this trio's early work: Cuaron's Y tu mamá también, Del Toro's Cronos*, and Iñárritu's Amores Perros are all as fascinating as they are singular to their respective director's particular vision. (*Although it's set in Spain, Cronos won a boat-load of Ariel Awards, Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar. Fascinatingly, Del Toro has yet to set a film in Mexico.)
