It's fair to say that I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I have one, like most folks, and I'm familiar with concept of heating food to kill the bad-for-you bacteria. I've even used a microwave with varying degrees of success. So when I got an e-mail last week announcing that GenderPAC, a nonprofit that works towards gender equality, was holding the first of four celebrity cook-off fundraisers this summer — the kickoff event was held last Friday at New York's Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), with two former Top Chef winners and Queer Eye'sfood and wine expert Ted Allen as one of the judges — I coaxed a foodie friend to help me divine this strange culture, and to parse such terms as "haute" (literally "high" in French; fancy, high-end food), "plated" (food made to look pretty on the plate) and "in the weeds" (behind schedule, screwing up the menu) into proper apple-pie, mom-and-pop-shop English.
Comedian Kate Clinton opened the competition with some warmed-over jokes about G-spots, a nod to GenderPAC's bright orange G-shaped logo. But the action really heated up (okay, last food pun, I promise) when Ilan Hall, the winner of Top Chef season 2, and Hung Huynh, the season 3 winner, were presented with their ingredient "baskets" and, à la Iron Chef, were told they had 30 minutes to prepare a drink, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert, using every single item they had in their baskets.
You can watch video from the event below. After the jump, read more about what it was like to watch these Top Chefs compete and to taste their creations.
How much do you love the cast of CMT's Gone Country 2 (shooting now in Nashville, for an August premiere)? This time, Big & Rich's John Rich will attempt to make country artists out of:
• Sean Young (pictured, left): Actress and heckler! • Sebastian Bach (pictured, right): Already a genre-bender, many times over. (Eternal bonus points for his highly entertaining Cribs episode.) • Irene Cara: If this "Fame" performance is any indication, she'll embrace the flamboyant side of country stage style. • Jermaine Jackson: I used to love his song "Dynamite," I'll admit it. • Lorenzo Lamas: Most recently seen accusing his daughter Shayne of going on The Bachelor just for screen time. (Did we know he sings cabaret?) • Chris Kirkpatrick: Formerly of 'N Sync and VH1's Mission: Man Band. Rascal Flatts fans should like him! • Mikalah Gordon: From American Idol's fourth season. The token reality star that no one remembers. Every show needs one.
Who's your early money on? I'll tune in for Sean Young, but I'll bet on Sebastian Bach.
It's the Bachelor episode host Chris Harrison looks forward to all season, because he finally gets to do something. Only, this time, he didn't do enough.
After the women were introduced — and Amanda and Noelle received the loudest applause — Harrison focused his attention on Stacey, the Human Muppet who gave Bachelor Matt her panties on the first evening. Were Harrison Jeff Probst, she would've been forced to say why she did that — was it a premeditated attempt to secure screen time or a spontaneous decision fueled by alcohol (a substance that curiously, was never mentioned, even though Stacey passed out on a bed before the rose ceremony). All Stacey said is that she's actually a sweet person, who wanted to stand out from the other 25 women (actually, that's the other 24). Yes, she's embarrassed to watch the footage of pantygate and of her never-before-seen smiling threats against the other ladies and their loved ones: "They're all whores. I'll f---in' kill 'em all and their whole families." Does it make it laughable or more disturbing that she'd apparently repeated that sentiment throughout the night?
Stacey eventually issued a blanket apology to anyone she may have offended, which is something Marshana (pictured, with Harrison) would never do. I've always wondered what happens when a Mean Girl watches a teen movie that portrays her kind as evil — does she get it? The answer is no. I do think Marshana believes what's she saying: she's not intentionally setting out to hurt others, she's just being herself and they can choose to love her or leave her. But the bottom line is, if you respect other people, you do what you can to get along with them. Marshana's uncompromising nature is just as condescending as Robin saying "I'm not there to make friends." Just be decent no matter where you are.
Ever since I wrote a PopWatch post about the Three's Company episode that I still can't discuss without getting misty -- and 998 comments followed naming the TV moments that made others cry -- I've respected the power television has over my body. It's really a beautiful thing, the way good or "good" TV can move us physically.
Take Paulagate. Our Idol expert Michael Slezak said he immediately pressed pauseon his remote after Paula Abdul critiqued a song that Jason Castro hadn't actually sung yet. Time had to literally stop while he processed what he'd just seen. (I, myself, opted to hit mute, as I tend to do when anyone on a reality show says something mortifying and my instinct for self-preservation kicks in. As I've mentioned before, I practically wear out my remote during the first episode of any Bachelor season, when the ladies attempt to make "memorable" first impressions by singing or reciting an original poem.)
What visceral responses has TV provoked in you, and in what moments? In addition to the standard talking back to the television when a plot line doesn't go my way (oh, don't even pretend like you've never yelled a belligerent, "No!"), I've also been known to:
-- burst out inaspontaneous, two-second fit of rapid applause when a scene is so emotionally satisfying that it makes me
appreciate the television medium as a whole. (I did that yesterday, in fact, while watching the final moments of this Sunday's Brothers & Sisters. You won't want to miss it, that's all I'm saying.) -- forget to breathe when my mind apparently can't allow anything to distract it from watching how a scene plays out. (That's rare, but the best Buffy and Angel episodes still have their way with me.) -- force myself not to close my eyes or look away when a crucial moment of a sporting event is about to unfold live. Why? Because I'm making a deal with God that IF I experience this excruciating tension head-on, my suffering will help earn the team or individual I'm rooting for the win. (I believe this is in direct response to my mother, who gets so nervous that she has to leave the room.)
Matt has chickens, he has eggs; he has chicks that beg. The 29-year-old buff, bronze country boy (pictured) is likable and seemingly genuinely sweet in the series premiere of the CW's Farmer Wants a Wife (read EW critic Gillian Flynn's official review here), but the show is messier than the cow pie that caused Stephanie, the first eliminated bride-to-be, to have a Britney-esque breakdown after she accidentally stepped in it. The program tries so hard to smash together the two opposing worlds of rural and urban through embarrassing stereotypes (bumpkins wearing pumps), but the problem really begins with the Billy Ray-meets-Dr. Dre countrified rap theme song that starts,
Now gather 'round and lend yer ear I've got a tale of a man I want you to hear. His land and his cattle and his chickens abound But this ol' boy ain't got no lady around.
In Hicksville, Missouri born and raised In a cornfield is where he spends most of his days, Chillin' on a bench swing, sippin' lemonade all cool And maybe shootin' some animals to fill his ripped-ab stomach with food. But then a bus full of women tired of superficial guys Traded them along with their privileged city lives. These broads broadened their horizons and got into several catty fights, but I didn't care; I just kept wondering how this show made it onto the air.
"We all love the fact that [American Idol] is live," said Ryan Seacrest by way of introducing Paula Abdul's appearance on his morning radio show on Los Angeles' KIIS FM. The Idol judge was calling in, of course, to explain what happened during last night's telecast, when she critiqued both of Jason Castro's songs after he had only sung just one. Here's a breakdown of what we learned:
Before Paula explained her side of the story, Ryan gave a detailed explanation of what happened in the moments leading up to what's now been dubbed Paulagate. He said that:
1) The judges first learned they were only going to give their critiques after the Idol contestants' second songs when Ryan said as much live on air at the top of the show.
2) Halfway through Syesha Mercado's first song, exec. producer Nigel Lythgoe appeared backstage. He informed Ryan and stage manager Debbie Williams that head of Fox reality programming, Mike Darnell, had just called to inform Nigel he wanted the judges to give their comments on all the contestants' first songs at the half-way point of the show.
3) Ryan told Nigel that he was under orders from Darnell to make sure Idol didn't run long, as it would eat into Fox affiliates' evening news shows -- and at that point, the show was running three-and-a-half minutes over schedule. Nigel said he understood, but the round-one recap/critique was what Fox wanted, so out Ryan went, just as Syesha was finishing her final note.
Paula then stepped in to explain, in her typically non-linear style, that (as best we can parse back into a linear timeline of events):
1) She saw Castro (and only Castro) singing his second song, "September Morn," during dress rehearsal (after she dropped off some friends and family to watch it).
2) During the live show, the judges asked for pen and paper to write down their comments as Castro sang his first song, "Forever in Blue Jeans," so they were a bit distracted from his performance.
3) When Ryan threw the second curve-ball at the judges and brought out all five Idols for the first-half recap, Paula said, "I got lost in my notes." Basically, she was confused about what she was supposed to be talking about, and since she had seen Castro sing both his songs, she went ahead and critiqued both of them.
4) She also mentioned that she had written her notes about David Cook on the same sheet of paper as her notes about Jason Castro.
5) Simon, of course, gave up on taking notes before he'd even really begun. "It was crazy for us," said Paula. "In seven years, we've never had to do that."
6) She did not once express any remorse or concern about what her comments may have done to Castro's chances in the competition, and his confidence when he finally did get to sing "September Morn" live.
Ryan then went on to state emphatically that none of the Idol judges have any of their comments pre-scripted, a comment that Paula then seconded. The two went on to commiserate over the sometimes on-the-fly nature of
the show, before Ryan tried to wrap things up with this promise to
Paula: "I'm going to hug you and squeeze you until I make you want me
tonight." But then Paula said, almost offhand, "I'm telling people, 'I was just doing what I was told, and I did see Jason Castro in the dress rehearsal sing part of his song.'"
It seemed like she meant that she thought she was told to critique the Idols' performances, not just round one. You can listen to the entire exchange on KIIS FM's website here. Check it out for yourself, PopWatchers, and then weigh in below: Does Paula's explanation hold water (especially in light of the fact that she told Entertainment Tonight, in an interview that'll air tonight, that she mixed up her critiques for Castro and Cook)? Or is it all wet?
There was so much goodness (read: awesome badness) in this episode, that I don't know where to begin. So before we get into ousted Amanda calling Matt a "douchebag" (you go, girl!), I'm gonna pretend I'm a Bachelor cameraman and go where the skin is.
Can you believe Chelsea let them film her slipping into something more comfortable at the end of her overnight date with Matt in Barbados? You didn't see anything, other than her slipping off her panties with a bedazzled "pretty" on them, but still. Ewww. That said, that long black (mesh? crochet? lace?) dress worked its charm on Matt, who needed to see that Chelsea could, indeed, stomach romance after she kept her distance from him on their afternoon dive with sea turtles. "The turtle was closer to me physically than Chelsea," Matt said. "I had better eye contact with the turtle underwater, with goggles and a mask thing on, than I did with Chelsea. I was gutted." At dinner, Chelsea explained to Matt that she was distancing herself from him because the other women, and the fear of not knowing how she'd handle rejection, were overwhelming her. And I totally get that. But I think he's totally gonna choose her. As he noted, he's almost said too much to her in regards to his feelings: we know his parents will love her, that he considers her one of his best friends, that he loves her sense of humor and believes they'd make a great couple who have a lot of fun together. And he really did look upset in his confessional, when he was dissecting what started out as the most awkward overnight date in Bachelor history. ("Matt: I think about you a lot." Chelsea: "Good.") If she does get along with Matt's parents, the ring is hers.
After the jump, Shayne enjoys being blond (since she was 12 or 13) and Amanda needs Matt to say he's just not that into her.
Thanks to The New York Post, we saw this piece in Broadcasting & Cable that suggests producers are thinking of tweaking specific components of American Idol next season. According to B&C, a recent online market research survey asks several key questions, including “Suppose the first few weeks of American Idol started in Hollywood with flashbacks of the auditions; would that increase or decrease your enjoyment of American Idol?” (My answer: Increase! Am I in the minority?)
Among the other questions, which B&C paraphrases, are: Is there too much or too little
banter between the judges? And is there too much or not enough Ryan? (Considering I fast-forward through any "banter" and any "Ryan," I'm guessingmy answer is too much. Though, full disclosure, I also fast-forward through anything that's not one of the contestants singing on stage.)
So, let's help Fox out. Answer those questions below. And feel free to mention any other areas you'd like producers to target. It's a broken record, at this point, to say that the results show needs to be overhauled... but go for it.
Fool me once, shame on Bret Michaels. Fool me twice, shame on sad, gullible me...
For some inexplicable reason, it wasn't hard for me to believe that an '80s rocker could find love on a VH1 reality show. After all, the former Poison frontman spent plenty of time waxing about not wanting a "Rock of Lust" or a "Rock of Like" but a true "Rock of Love." With sentiments like that, the bandanna aficionado had me drinking the vodka-spiked Kool Aid in no time.
Last weekend's mostly-dull-except-for-the-Heather-and-Daisy smackdown reunion special gave me little reason to question Michaels' intentions. In fact, he and winner Ambre seemed quite cozy together and even dished about secret trysts during their VH1-sanctioned separation period between the end of filming and the season finale.
But just as quickly as my rock 'n' roll love bliss marathon had begun, it came to a soul-crushing end after I stumbled upon a recent interview with Michaels. In it, he claims he never really came into the show looking for love. "I said this from day one: I went into this to have fun and maybe find someone to like," he says. "True love is not going to be found instantly on a TV show." Yes, that's probably true, but that's not what you said before! I cry foul! Michaels goes on to say that he and Ambre are not in love (they're going to see what happens), and he doesn't dismiss the possibility of a third Rock of Love installment, though he's now hoping to star in a new show called Bret Michaels Big Rock Road Show.
Who would rather watch a bus load of busted, middle-aged rockers instead of a bevy of dim-witted (but amusing) beauties? They may be vapid, but I'll take the Rock of Love girls any day over former rock gods wiggling in too-tight jeans and guyliner. What about you, Popwatchers? Bret's Big Rock Road Show or Rock of Love?
Is it just me, or were the home visits surprisingly tame this season, even with Shayne's mother's lipliner and Amanda's faux parents' R-rated performance? That must have been why Chris Harrison's opening voice-over was already plugging "the most romantic season finale ever!" If you play it backwards, you hear, "We know this episode is boring, but you've stuck it out this long, so we also know that you'll be back." True. You got me. Let's break this snoozefest down date-by-date:
Shayne: First of all, every time Matt says something — like meeting Shayne's famous father, Lorenzo Lamas (pictured) — is "massive," I wish he had said "major." But moving on... Matt met Shayne and her father, whom he correctly identified as "a bit of a star," at a restaurant. Seriously disappointing. Was Lorenzo afraid we'd hunt him down if we saw his home? (Oh, you surprisingly handsome, delusional man.) Shayne was nervous because she had once introduced a guy to her father, and the dude admitted that he'd met Shayne at a bar in a club. Why would this be at all shocking to Lorenzo? (Unless, maybe Shayne was underage at the time, and producers edited that part of the story out?) Anyway, I thought Lorenzo was actually a thoughtful, decent dad. He told the camera that he'd been married at 21, and didn't want Shayne to rush in to anything. So, he set her up: He told Matt that he thought she was on the show for the exposure, that "She wants to be a good actress, but she wants to be a star more. This was her opportunity to be on television, right? I mean, come on." Lorenzo wanted to give Shayne an out, or, hear her say that she was on the show for Matt — which she did. Lorenzo's conversation with Matt — about wanting him to be careful with Shayne's emotions, which he himself had toyed with by not being in her life as much as he should've been — wasn't patronizing; it was sweet.
Next came the visit to Shayne's mother's house, which Matt also correctly identified as having leopard everywhere. "I was kinda digging it," he said. And shockingly, so was I. Yes, it'd be easy to take shots at Shayne's mom for being a walking L.A. stereotype, but the fact is, you could feel her warmth, and that of her home. Serving Matt English food, showing him a video of Shayne dancing when she was younger, asking him how he'd feel watching Shayne kiss a costar — she was real. By the end of the date, Matt admitted that he had no more doubts about the Cuddle Master's motives for being on the show. We'll see if he sticks to that story...
After the jump, Chelsea, Noelle, and Amanda get their equal time.
The road to the final four was supposed to be paved with "the most shocking confrontation in Bachelor history" and the "the most dramatic rose ceremony yet." Naturally, it wasn't. I'll admit that when I realized that either Amanda or Robin would get the boot along with Marshana, I found myself saying "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." (I may have been a little tipsy.) But that's because I expected Robin (pictured, with Matt) to get the rose, and I didn't want to see Amanda go. When Amanda's name was called instead, I thought for sure Robin would ask Matt to walk her outside so she could say, "What the hell?" But she didn’t. She gave him the evil eye and said, "Bon soir." What?! On the one hand, I respect her decision to not give a man who doesn't want her anymore of her time. But Matt all but told her that she was a lock for a rose, that's why he didn't need to have a one-on-one date with her and why he was asking her about Michigan, so it'd be nice to know what changed his mind. (Maybe he, too, thought it was weird the way that she just slipped into the spot where Shayne had been laying with him in the snow in Sun Valley? Or maybe it was her intensity?) I guess we'll just have to tune in to the tell all, won't we? Damn it.
As for the confrontation between Marshana and Chelsea — it was the loudest in Bachelor history. Maybe. Chelsea said Marshana acted like she didn't want to be there; Marshana said obviously, she did. Had she not played rugby for the man and taken an elbow to the face? Had she not let him toss her in the snow (after he chased her) and put skis on her for the first time? Had she not gotten into a swimming pool? Yes, you did, Marshana. But you're keeping score ("I have risen to every occasion, taken everything he's thrown at me. I've done really well..."), which doesn't sound like you're enjoying yourself. Just because you go on a show to meet a man, doesn't mean you have to dig him.
After the jump, Shayne's packin' and Chelsea needs to be mackin'.
There is a sizable group of my colleagues here at EW who regularly send out e-mails about Lauren Conrad (pictured, right), Heidi Montag (left), and the MTV "reality" series The Hills, of which I've seen maybe a total of five minutes. Each time I've tried tuning in, I barely made it through 30 seconds before my brain was dripping out of my ears from boredom, which was even worse than the 60 seconds it took for that to happen when watching The Hills' precursor, Laguna Beach. (This was far more entertaining.) There are, however, plenty of morsels of pop-culture I don'tquiteunderstand, so I've never felt it was really worth complaining about the cult of The Hills.
Er, until now. Off the Perez "report" that Lauren and Heidi are appearing together on the cover of Rolling Stone — somehow Big Huge News since "This is the first time in two years that L.C. and Heidi have been on a photo shoot together" (OMG!!!!) — I've finally reached the limit of my patience with their fame. While they haven't approached Paris Hilton level insanity (yet), I feel the same way about these "reality" stars that I felt about the "hotel heiress" circa 2000, namely, who the bloody hell are these women, and exactly how and why have they become Big Deals?
Seriously, tell me. This specter has invaded my life to the degree that I actually would really appreciating knowing why it's there, taunting me with a vacant stare from the supermarket check-out line about how it's been "betrayed" by "Spencer," "Audrina" and "Brody."
What could possibly beat that human Muppet whose name I've already forgotten handing Matt a pair of her panties on Night 1? How about Kelly (pictured, right) opening up her dress and cupping her "very large breasts" during a conversation with Matt before last night's rose ceremony! Seriously, WHAT was that about? I guess when Matt told her that he wanted her to be as fun with him as she was around the other girls, that's all her tipsy mind could come up with. Classic.
So we know why Kelly didn't get a rose. I'm willing to bet that singer-songwriter-adequate tennis player Ashlee is gone because even though Matt found her voice "mesmerizing," the giggling after every sentence got to him. Also, judging from my own reaction, it was probably hard for him to sit through her rambling non-answer to his question about what she'd do in London if her music career didn't take off.
Holly also took the long limo ride home after her 2-on-1 date with Marshana. Like Shayne, I expected Holly to stay, but Matt made it clear that he and Holly didn't have the connection she thought they did — he told her that he'd just found their timed conversation difficult to fill. (Tip: When someone says they like "challenging questions," try to come up with at least one.) I appreciate Matt's honesty, but now I'm dying to know if their 1-on-1 date last week had been that awkward.
After the jump, we size up the remaining six ladies.
Can The Weinstein Company make Project Runway's move to Lifetime work? That's the question we're asking ourselves after we received a joint press release from TWC and the cable channel announcing a "groundbreaking agreement" that would move Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, et al from Bravo to Lifetime in Nov. 2008. Of course, buried deep in the release was an acknowledgment that NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, had filed a lawsuit today against The Weinstein Company in an effort to block the hop. Apparently, NBC believes its contract gives it the right to match any other offer Weinstein has for the show, while the Weinstein-Lifetime press release claims that NBC declined to compete for the series. The courts will have to figure out that hot mess, but there is something we can judge in the meantime: Does the network airing Runway affect whether we'll watch it? And how big of a loss would this be for Bravo?
Clearly, a move to Lifetime means that the show isn't concerned about wooing men (okay, straight men) to its fanbase. So if it's women and gay men producers are after, Lifetime is the place to be. Lifetime doesn't have the cachet that Bravo has, but Klum and Gunn do bring their cred with them. I can't imagine they'd let production values suffer, so why wouldn't we keep watching? As for Bravo, it'd still have Top Chef (and Kathy Griffin). And I'd bet on Bravo's development team coming up with another hit quicker than Lifetime could create one from scratch.
So, will you watch if Runway moves to Lifetime? And will it feel as fierce?
This morning, after finding the first-season (uncensored!) DVD of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on my desk, I jokingly suggested to my colleague Gary Susman that I try to watch my first episode of the super-popular MTV dating series, just to see how long it would take before I got nauseated. And the answer is... around 5 minutes!
Yes, PopWatchers, within the first 300 seconds of A Shot at Love, I saw the "bisexual" "singer"/"Internet sensation" make out (with tongue) with a complete stranger, heard one dude drop the term "tea-bagging" into casual conversation, and felt my soul die a little as another one of the 16 male contestants compared dating the Asian-American reality star to eating Chinese food. And this, of course, was just an appetizer. Before the episode was over, Tila referred to herself as a "bitch" who could possibly be purchased with expensive jewelry; 16 lesbian contestants arrived on the scene and put on a lingerie fashion show ripped from the mind of a 12-year-old boy (it's a naughty nurse! and a naughty schoolgirl! and a naughty, um, construction worker!?); and Tila declared (very seriously), "I never, ever told anyone this before... I'm a bisexual." Except, of course, the dozens of producers, assorted crew members, and MTV suits it took to greenlight and churn out this televised cauldron of syrup of ipecac in the first place.
Yeah, yeah, I'm Oldie Olsen, totally losing touch with what the kids are into nowadays. But in all seriousness, as the Shot at Love DVD threatens to hit stores next week, I have to ask: Why? How? And should I go ahead and draw up a big welcome sign for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
...like the collective one at the end of this very brief clip of John McCain blatantly lying about liking The Hills in order to attract the youth vote (which will remain undecided until the youngsters find out who L.C. et al are endorsing, then proceed to not vote anyway). I'm considering singling out Joe Scarborough's hearty contribution to the group guffaw after McCain calls Heidi Montag "a very talented actress" — and using it as an incoming IM alert or something equally useless. (Though it'd be a damn shame to replace my default alert: Jay Manuel on the virtues of ice cream.)
ABC's summer lineup may look like a joke... but apparently, it isn't. You've got The Bachelorette (with DeAnna Pappas, pictured) bowing May 19 with a two-hour premiere. And then itwill stay two hours. WHAT?
The Mole returns May 26, but we can't even deal with that because of what launches on June 24: the one-two punch of Wipeout and I Survived A Japanese Game Show. Per Variety, the latter involves Americans being flown to Japan to compete in one of the country's someone's-getting-hit-in-the-nuts shows. I guess it was cheaper to fly contestants there than build their own line of spinning logs? A real-life MXC sounds fun on paper, but I don't know if the magic will translate.
The network is currently casting for the homegrown sister competition series, Wipeout. Allow me to quote from the press release:
Human cannonballs! Human pinballs! Crashes, smashes and mud splashes! Twenty-four thrillseekers will compete on an extreme obstacle course designed to provide the most crashes, face-plants and wipeouts ever seen on television... Wipeout features 24 daring contestants who attempt to conquer increasingly difficult but wildly hilarious obstacle courses. In each one-hour episode, one competitor will win the title of Wipeout Champion and $50,000.
I'm up for watching face-plants (I have no shame), but who's up for performing them?
As usual, this episode managed to have at least one "dream date" that I'd never want to go on.
Holly, on the strength of her moonwalk in last week's runway show, no doubt, was granted the first solo outing— a private screening of Patrick Dempsey's upcoming romantic comedy Made of Honor. It's not that I don't want to see that movie, or that I'm against decadent private screenings (I remember my first one, Sylvester Stallone's Rhinestone. Yeah, the "private" was not planned.) It's that I would never want to walk a red carpet — let alone a fake one (pictured). What was the point of that? At least I understood why producers had them put their handprints and "Matt + Holly" in a slab of cement— so it could be delivered to the mansion and drive the other girls crazy. After Holly cried at the film, Matt took her to a rooftop suite at the Roosevelt Hotel for some confusing conversation: He finds her really attractive, but he worries that he's too comfortable around her. Obviously, this was a dilemma that could only be solved by jumping in the hot tub, where he discovered that he was still able to make out with her. Whew!
On to the rugby group date... I had a few favorite moments. Chelsea commenting on Ashlee getting chosen last for a team was one of them: "If you wear fake eyelashes to a f---in' rugby game, you deserve to get picked last... I didn't mean that." Chelsea body-checking Ashlee was another. Marshana sucking on an ice pack and mumbling "It's fine — I'm having fun" after she got a busted lip was a moment for the highlight reel. As was winning team captain Kelly's couples massage with Matt, during which she mounted him to give his back a working over. That woman, to borrow the term Noelle coined for herself, is just a matter-of-time girl. After Robin hit the hot tub with Matt for another makeout session — and he pretended to be interested in having a conversation with Amanda while Noelle and Kristine looked on like two shy girls sitting in the bleachers during a slow song at a high school dance — Robin was awarded a rose.
After the jump, Shayne gets her one-on-one... with Holly's spray tan machine!
The Hollywood Reporter is officially calling the midseason a "muddle" for the broadcast networks. Most of the 10 comedies and dramas launched in the past month, including Internet pick-up quarterlife and Canterbury's Law, failed to gain traction with viewers (quarterlife was yanked after a single episode after garnering some of the worst ratings NBC had seen in almost two decades).
But the network with the best and the worst track record is Fox. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is the highest-rated of the midseason scripted offerings with an average of 10.8 million viewers, but most of the other new shows are doing poorly: Parker Posey vehicle The Return of Jezebel James was pulled after attracting a paltry 3.2 million viewers; Canterbury's, at 6.7 million, was moved from Monday to Friday after two eps; and Unhitched (pictured; 4.7 million viewers) is flagging.
Personally, I can't say I'm terribly invested in any of the new shows, although as a fan of Jezebel's Posey and Lauren Ambrose, I'm bummed that the show was such a mess. Perhaps that's why the networks are having problems: With ratings powerhouse Idol taking the pressure off of the performance, Fox doesn't need to worry about nurturing new scripted shows. The article also makes the point (via a quote from Fox exec VP Preston Beckman) that the glut of reality programming currently on the air has cultivated a different sort of audience — the kind that might not watch scripted shows in the first place.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Are you invested in any of the new scripted shows, or even prepping a bag of peanuts? Do you think the networks should allow more time for shows to gain fans before yanking them? Or is what happened to, say, Jezebel James, a mercy killing?
I'm not a fan of E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians (if only because I've never seen it), but I am a fan of Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard testing the show's Kim Kardashian — girlfriend of New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush — on her football knowledge. Since I know we've got some pigskin fans on PopWatch, let's see who knows more — or less — than she does...
SI.com: How many points is a touchdown? Kardashian: It's six, and then if you hit the field goal, it's seven.
SI.com: Close enough. It's actually called an extra point, but we'll give you that one. Do you know how many points a field goal is? Kardashian: That's three, right?
SI.com: Yes. Good job. Do you know the name of Reggie's position? Kardashian:
Of course. Running back. This is how I remembered his position, because
I couldn't remember it for a long time: Reggie Bush is RB. Running back
is RB.
SI.com: Very impressive. Do you know how many yards a team needs for a first down? Kardashian: OK, I'm guessing. It's either four or 10.
SI.com: It's 10. Kardashian:
I thought it was 10. I was going to say that first. I sit in the box
and the other wives explain everything to me and I knew it was 10.
Well, dear readers, we've reached the end of the very entertaining parade of egos that was the first season of Celebrity Apprentice. And though Trump and Co. tried to maintain a level of suspense throughout the finale last night, it was pretty obvious from the get-go just who was going to take home the Celebrity Apprentice crown. Yes, after a live boardroom that featured a Japanese-speaking Gene Simmons, some sexual innuendo courtesy of Ivanka, and a performance from our finalist Trace — just think what kind of show we would have gotten had Playboy alum Tiffany Fallon cracked the top two! — Piers was awarded the title of the Celebrity Apprentice (seems Trump prefers the evil to the good after all). And in all fairness, even though we all wanted to see the ever-affable Trace win the whole shebang, there's no denying that Piers was the star of this show, obnoxious exterior and all.
Last night, we began with an image of Trump sitting in his boardroom as if he were ready to address the union, only to realize that — we're live! I'm not sure who Trump and Co., convinced to sit in that audience for two hours on a Thursday night — maybe anti-Rosie allies Bill O'Reilly, Barbara Walters and Star Jones? — but somehow, it did appear to be a pretty packed house. Of course, The Donald had to make sure that the announcer named him "the biggest celebrity of them all" ("I'm gonna be HUGE."), and told his audience that "it's been a phenomenal season." Sure, it was a decent season, what with all the Gene Simmons hijinks and Stevie B nonsense — but we all know The Donald would have called it a phenomenal season even if the final showdown was between a plunger and a rubber ducky that he found in his bathroom. It is impossible not to take this man with a grain of salt.
Tuesday night after the show, I ran into Randy Jackson at BLD, a fabulous restaurant down the road from CBS Television City, and he had this to say: "David Cook. That kid has got a future. I didn't believe it until tonight. I thought he was just one of those rockers with a good voice, but man, he could be the one."
With this endorsement still ringing in my ear, I walked into Idol's famed Stage 36 confident in the knowledge that he, for one, was definitely not going home. And neither was David Archuleta, despite his apparent song choice stumble, or Michael Johns, who gets the popular vote for hottie of the season. What I didn't expect was to see Jason Castro in the bottom three, and Ramiele safe on the couch!
It was indeed a night of surprises, albeit minor and not exactly shocking, and it all started with a surprise locked door a half hour before the show's start. Generally, the good folks at Fox who provide the audience tickets want you in your assigned seat by 35 minutes 'till. And being the diligent, responsible reporter that I am (on a good day, at least), I get there at 5:20, my ass fully prepared for another 95 minute sitting session. But after giving up my Blackberry, phone, iPod, camera, and all other worldly possessions, I'm told that we can't go in to watch the pre-tape of Kimberley Locke's (pictured) performance. Instead, we have to wait outside, cellphone-less, until 5:45. So there will be no recapping of Kimberley's "Fall," though the hum of it sounded pleasant enough from the other side of the wall.
With 15 minutes to go, and people still filing into the bleacher area, the scene on and off stage was a bit chaotic. Corey skipped the usual crowd banter and helped Debbie take control. I spotted singer Natasha Bedingfield dash for her seat, not far from Danny Noriega, who made a repeat appearance, and ex-contestants Constantine Maroulis and Gina Glocksen (hosts of Fox Reality's American Idol Extra show) who were seated together. As my luck would have it, I'm again surrounded by first-timers marveling at how the room looks bigger on TV, but they were friendly enough.
Four minutes away from show time, and there are still no judges in sight. Two minutes later, the Idols are brought on stage and positioned just so. Once again, David Archuleta summons the loudest cheers and the most signs, but Jason Castro is not far behind. Ryan takes his spot, then Debbie reminds the audience to go crazy when Kimberley Locke is mentioned. "The people in New York don't know you've been here for five hours," she jokes. The lights dim, and the judges sneak their way into the studio with seconds to spare. It's time. Cue Ryan: "Thisssssssss... is American Idol."
Two observations:
A) These really ARE the craziest girls yet. :)
B) I no longer fancy the pants off Bachelor Matt Grant. :(
This episode was all about sharpening the claws on two group dates. The first outing called for Ashlee, Kristine, Marshana, Noelle, Michelle, Amanda, Erin H., and Holly to model in Matt's own personal fashion show. "Watching my eight dates strut down the catwalk is arguably one of the best dates I've ever been on," he said. "But I didn't really get to speak to them much..." (Strike one.) Erin H. captured the general feelings of the girls when she said she was both excited and mortified. Beauty queen Marshana did a walk so fierce that it was unintentionally funny, while Holly purposely went for laughs with her moonwalk. (Well done.) Kristine said she'd rather jump out of an airplane than walk a runway, but rallied. (I'm happy she's sticking around because I genuinely look forward to the moment that she and Matt, you know, speak.) It was Leelee Ashlee, however, who earned herself the rose up for grabs because Matt felt a "connection"... and her knee as they sat on a bed and she "hinted" that she wanted to be kissed with the subtle line "I have been staring at your lips all day". (Strike two.) Ashlee's Happy Dance and exclamation of "It's mine!" upon receiving said rose was, possibly, one of the most childish things I've ever seen on The Bachelor — which is saying something. (When Marshana tells you to be humble???) We found out that Matt digs the singer-songwriter vibe when it comes in a hot, little, 22-year-old Jewel-like package (Ashlee). But is frightened by it when it sounds vaguely like Sondheim (Michelle) or opera (Carri).
Yes, I can no longer wait to get into the singing. Why do women think this is a good idea? Michelle (pictured), who played her clarinet on the first night, treated him to a song she wrote for "the Bachelor" on Day 2. Note: It took me three tries to play this scene without hitting the mute button. That's how awkward it was. "I want to find you/ I want you to find me/ I want to touch you/ I want you to touch me/ And I want to feel you/ I want you to feel me/ I want to find you, in front of me." Just... no. Matt ultimately sent Michelle packing, and she said was eager to get home and see her cat, the love of her life at the moment, because, "It'll be great to have her purr again." As EW's Kristen Baldwin e-mailed me this morning — because yes, the four of us on staff who still watch this show e-mail after every episode — "[Bachelor creator] Mike Fleiss is an evil genius. I mean he somehow finds women who are like, 'What's that, off-camera producer? You need me to have a post-rose ceremony meltdown about Fluffy so I can fully embody the single-women-are-crazy-cat-ladies stereotype? Sure!" I think Michelle is actually sane (and talented) but believed that she was put on that show for a reason, and it was to meet a man who'd be wooed by her musical ability. Same goes for "Tin Cup" Carri, the church marketing exec from Oklahoma, who tried to enchant him by singing opera before the rose ceremony but only managed to entrance me with her batting eyes and wide-open mouth (which could not have looked that pretty up-close).
After the jump... What happens in Vegas is that spoiled Shayne gets jealous.
Last week, dear readers, you'll recall I wrote this passage in my TV Watch:
I will say it's a pretty safe bet to assume that Carol and Trace will make up the final two. Unless Trump wants to turn the finals into a battle between good vs. not-so-good — I'll reserve the 'evil' stamp for our ousted Omarosa — in which case Piers might make the cut alongside Trace.
Well, I'm glad that I didn't put money on my first prediction — Carol eventually was called out of the competition — but I do want to give myself a pat on the back for divining Trump's ultimate quest for drama. Though Carol might have been a better candidate for the top two, since the supermodel was both poised and intelligent in her final interviews, Trump was far more interested in good TV, and thus greenlit a "good vs. evil" showdown between Piers and Trace. And if I'm to judge by the episode's final half hour, when the two contestants got down to work on their deal-breaking charity event, the face-off will be — as Trump noted — one hell of a fight.
The first episode of any new Bachelor season is always the most stressful for me. Twenty-five women attempting to make memorable first impressions is a recipe for great TV — and for me to pick a pillow up off my couch, bury my face in it, and scream. Repeatedly. I'm surprised I'm not hoarse this morning.
Even though I'm sure he'll hurt me eventually, I am, for now, a big fan of our FIRST INTERNATIONAL BACHELOR, 27-year-old London banker Matt Grant. And not just for his 6'5" frame (a vision, courtesy of those years rowing and playing rugby, cricket, and football at university). Also for the way he humped that phone booth. The man said he an interesting sense of humor, I hope we get to see more of it.
Since I actually believed Matt when he said he's looking for love, and that he'd be "gutted" if his 71-year-old father didn't know his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, I wish producers wouldn't have set him up with "the craziest girls yet." There really was no need for Stacey (pictured, with Matt) — what I imagine a Muppet would look and sound like it were to come to life — to be there. Had he kept her, I would have had to turn this Mini TV Watch over to someone else. She's an insult to anyone who likes bad TV, because you couldn't even pretend that she was real. Rubbing his leg? Giving him a pair of her panties? Telling him that he's boring her by talking about where he'd take a woman in London? Saying "I have my bachelor's in nutrition. And nothing and no one will ever
stop me. I want to find a pharmaceutical that will cure something that
no one has thought of"? Passing out in a bed before the rose ceremony? As Miss Earth New York Marshana put it, "I don't want to say anything negative but…. I'm sorry. She is loud, belligerent, tasteless, tacky, classless. She's riding my nerves like a pony." The only worthwhile thing that came out of having Stacey step a stiletto into that mansion was that we saw Erin H. is a Mean Girl: "If you're so into nutrition, why don't you get rid of those implants and lose a few pounds?... Stacey has nothing to offer him. Except for a bad boob job, a sequin blue dress, and her trashy tramp stamp." We'll have to remember that Matt didn't see that when he starts to really like her.
After the jump, the could-be-crazies we kinda liked, and the seemingly-sane ladies we're rooting for.
Just wanted to make sure you saw that your Q&A with Joel McHale is now live. Unfortunately, I couldn't play 85 questions with the host of The Soup, at least not on a night when he's got a show to tape. But, I think we managed to get inside his head. (I see Tyra! And Tanisha! And the cast of Big Brothers past!)
Here are a few more answers from Joel. Note to P-Dub Danielle, who asked, "If Sarah Silverman is f***ing Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel is f***ing Ben Affleck, who are you f***ing?" My editor wouldn't let me print Joel's full response, but it involved Skeet Ulrich.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: MAJIGAIL would like to know, "Who does Lou [pictured, with McHale] belong to? McHale: Lou is owned by our executive producer, whose biceps are larger than Lou. I used to not really like Chihuahuas because they were not as cute as rats. But Lou, I have fallen in love with. That dog could be 50 feet away from you, and if you say “Lou, sit,” [he] sits and waits for you to release him. It’s pretty incredible.
Other than Tyra Banks [see the main Q&A], who isn't a fan of The Soup? I know Hasselhoff didn’t want to do a bit with us, so he might not be a huge fan. But, like, we made so much fun of Charlie O’Connell [when he was on The Bachelor] and his famous, talented brother Jerry, oddly, is a huge fan of the show.
I'm gonna need to paraphrase this question: STREPSI finds you attractive, but not quite as, let's say, stimulating as Greg Kinnear. "What can you do to change that?" You need to get into tall people. And I will try to get a movie career. Maybe that’ll make me more appealing to you.
You've heard about the horror-themed reality show The CW is cooking up for us this summer: Tentatively titled 13, it will put 13 contestants in a horror-film inspired setting and weed them out one-by-one with terrifying challenges. (Spider-Man/Evil Dead director Sam Raimi is among the exec producers, so it should be more legit than it sounds.) According to Variety, producers are still debating what kind of classic setting to use: "An evil small town? A lakeside retreat with a creepy secret? An abandoned cabin in the forest?"
What would you suggest? I'd go with a Kiss the Girls-style rustic underground cell block concept myself.
It puts the comments in the comment basket, below.
Attention all loners, EW.com writer Gretchen Hansen is currently searching for a new "BFF." Just yesterday she announced plans to launch gretchenbff.com (a website where potential candidates can submit qualifications and complete friendship compatibility surveys.) Hansen denies accusations that the concept was stolen directly from Paris Hilton, whose upcoming MTV reality show will feature 20 finalists competing to be named the socialite's ''best friend forever.''
"If there are similarities, it's just a coincidence," says Hansen. "I mean, Paris is turning companionship into some kind of farce. Friendships are supposed to be meaningful and real and that's why I won't do a reality show until after I pick the first-place winner of my friendship."
What is Hansen looking for in a friend?
"Well, that's where Paris and I are different. Paris claims to want someone she can trust; someone who won't stab her back or ditch her when times are rough. I'm just looking for someone attractive to hang with so I can get into more bars. I guess I'm seeking someone good looking, but not as good looking as me. And someone to straighten my hair before we go out. Kind of like a servant, just prettier and friendlier. Yeah."
Would she consider being Hilton's "bestie"?
"Maybe. People these days are looking for love and camaraderie in all the wrong places. At least Paris and I are smart enough to know the best places to start: TV and the Internet."
I guess Omarosa is the trans fat of Apprentice, because ever since her ouster last week, NBC has been advertising the show as an "Omarosa-free Celebrity Apprentice." But unlike a box of low-fat cookies, a healthy downgrading of a harmful substance didn't make things any less tasty. In fact, last night's Celebrity Apprentice was, as our dearly departed friend would say, just as "yummy, dude" as previous shows. (Especially with that Stevie B cherry on top). Luckily for us, though last night's episode was low on drama — thanks to Omarosa's firing — there were had plenty of quotables to keep viewers at home entertained. (And I give a big thank you to the lovely Lindsay Soll, who kept you all entertained during my absence last week).
So in honor of our dear departed Stevie B (pictured), I'll start us off with a quote that so fits our preaching Hollywood mogul-wannabe to a T, it was only fitting that he said it on the night of his ouster (in response to Trace's remark that Stevie B had crabs in his pants): "Those days are over."
Funny, reformed and delusional (with just a little bit of desperation thrown in for good measure), our Stevie B was made up of the perfect ingredients for a reality show contestant. (Can you tell this challenge made me hungry?). I have to say, as much as I've ribbed the guy in previous weeks for his tendency to reveal himself as a has-been actor desperate for a comeback, I'm really going to miss the Flea. Good thing we won't have to wait long to see him again — in an Apprentice twist, Trump announced that he would fire two more celebrities within minutes of re-entering the boardroom, and the two finalists will reunite with previously ousted contestants to fight for the win. (And certainly it will be a win that will "Knock you out," right Piers?). And though we have yet to discover who those two finalists will be, I will say it's a pretty safe bet to assume that Carol and Trace will make up the final two. Unless Trump wants to turn the finals into a battle between good vs. not-so-good — I'll reserve the "evil" stamp for our ousted Omarosa — in which case Piers might make the cut alongside Trace.
I know that it was more than a week ago that Simon Cowell referred to "I Drove All Night" as "just not a great song" after Carly Smithson nailed it, but it's still bugging me. Do you have to be a woman to love this track?
It was written by two men, who took it to Roy Orbison first, but Cyndi Lauper's version has become one of the great odes to female sexual empowerment. (As opposed to Celine Dion's sterile cover.) Maybe that's all men can hear now. Simon's comment got me wondering: are there songs that only one sex will "get"?
And which cut of "I Drove all Night" is best? You'll have to write-in Celine's, because your official ballot only includes:
Cyndi Lauper's
Roy Orbison's (hello, Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly!)
Last weekend, I was flipping channels and stumbled onto TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, an unscripted show that takes you inside NYC's famed Kleinfeld bridal shop. It was a marathon, and even though I'm not at all obsessed with weddings, it totally had its way with me: I wanted to know why consultant Claudia couldn't make a sale. Why some grooms didn't think it was bad luck to help shop for the gown (how common is this?!). And if the bride who'd waited hours to try on a dress she'd admired on another customer would finally get to wear it and love it. I wish I had caught this show — which debuted in October and won't return until this summer — sooner. So this doesn't happen to me again, please share the hidden cable gems that you've found below. My remote thanks you. Maybe others' will, too.
Last night's "Where are they now?" Bachelor special was full of surprises: Lorenzo was voted least-favorite Bachelor over Alex and Brad, while Andy was crowned the favorite (which, as my friend Eva might say, makes him King S--- of Turd Island). We found out which Bachelorettes are now engaged (Brad's Jenni, Jesse's Trish, and Travis' Moana) and which ones have already gotten married (Aaron's Brooke and two-time hopeful Heather). Though those happy endings are nice, I found the most inspiring story to be Travis' Kristen, who actually found a man willing to wear fake teeth with her on national TV. That's a keeper.
In the not-surprising category, the show skipped over that little physical altercation between Mary and Byron. We learned which Bachelors are still unattached (Aaron, Alex, Jesse, and Travis, to name a few). We discovered, courtesy of Andrew Firestone's fiancée, that dating a man after he's been on The Bachelor is ideal because he's gotten things-- i.e. showering with multiple bikini-clad women-- out of his system. And, we proved that yes, it is possible to hate Lorenzo's Erica even more. She's started her own line of tiaras, T-Erica.
This sounds to me like a recipe for disaster: According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC is importing a British show called Who Do You Think You Are, which puts celebrities on the spot by revealing dish from their family trees. Producing the show is a celeb who, after years spent under intense media scrutiny, should know better: Lisa Kudrow (pictured). As a Kudrow character once said, "Note to self: I don't need to see that."
“This is the biggest slaughter in the history of The Apprentice,” declared The Donald to the losing team, Empresario, just moments before the boardroom turned into a complete circus. (Hmm, that gives me an idea: what about a reality show called Celebrity Circus! Oh wait, that’s literally a show on NBC’s summer schedule. Go figure.)
So the circus came to town when a triumphant Piers, whose team won by a landslide in an art-selling challenge, decided to put his two cents in about why Omarosa never belonged on the show in the first place. “It’s called Celebrity Apprentice,” he explained. “If you are a genuine celebrity, then you do have the power to pick up the phone and get money out of people. I have believed from the start that Omarosa was here by default….” She retorted, “I’m here because Mr. Trump invited me, and if you keep saying that to him you’re going to be questioning his judgment. And I actually trust his judgment.” Is it bad that I think she had a valid point? Sometimes I wonder why Omarosa isn’t putting her money where her mouth is as a big-time lawyer grilling criminals, instead of as a reality-show contestant grilling (or whining about) her opponents. (Oh, and if you’re wondering, your regular TV Watcher, Kate, is on assignment, so instead you've got me as your commentator this week. Yay you!)
So let's get straight to business, people. The Project Runway finale party was held Wednesday night at the swanky Tribeca Grand Hotel. Though I might add that event itself wasn't all that, well, swanky (maybe that's because after two hours on the red carpet I was starving, and all I could scrounge up before the episode aired was a teeny lamb chop!).
The media was gathered in a lounge-type area on the hotel's basement floor for the red carpet arrivals, and afterward we were shuffled into a large screening room to watch the finale. All three judges were unfortunately MIA from the party, so I can't give you any deets on Heidi's hair, Michael's attitude, or Nina's outfit — but I can tell you all about Tim Gunn and the season four cast. Plus, a few oldie but goodie past Project Runway-ers showed up, like Kara Janx, Alison Kelly, and Kayne Gillaspie.
The first finalist to arrive at the event was none other than Christian looking — dare I say it? — fierce... and very, very tiny. Seriously, Christian is so small, I think he could fit in my pocket. (How funny would that be to carry around a little Christian all day? I could definitely use the fashion advice and the constant pick-me-ups, like, "You look fabulous!")
Because the red carpet took place before the finale aired, it was supposed to a secret as to who the winner was — only Christian was suspiciously toting his model, Lisa, along the carpet, in a dress he had designed only days ago. If that didn't scream, "I'M THE WINNER" than I don't know what would.
Chris March, who was adorned in leopard as usual, was as sweet as he appears on TV. He told me he does not regret his decision to use human hair in his final collection.
As you can see from the video below, Tim Gunn was almost more excited to be at the finale party than the cast members were. But I guess that's expected of the Gunn, who is always chipper and eager to shell out advice. (My prediction that Christian was the winner was again cemented by the huge hug Tim exchanged with the little guy.)
ABC's just-announced High School Musical reality competition could be the most cynically exploitative bestest-ever reality show since Kid Nation — as long as they give the youngsters a couple of valuable pointers.
Tip No. 1: Don't let your boyfriend take nude photos of you and put them on the Internet.
Tip No. 2: Make sure the doll version of you has your new nose.
While you await tomorrow's Project Runway finale, we suggest you check out the bonus clip below. The folks at Fashionista.com tipped us off to it. They like the rooftop runway walk-off between Tim Gunn and Christian; we prefer the tickle fight between Tim and Heidi Klum. Isn't it great to hear Tim giggle?
If you haven't been watching CMT's Gone Country, in which folks like Dee Snider, Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, and Maureen McCormick write and perform country songs with the hope that theirs will be the single produced by Big & Rich's John Rich and sent to radio, you've been missing out. (The winner is revealed on this Friday's finale, 8 p.m. ET.) I recently sat down with McCormick — who you Celebrity Fit Club fans will be happy to know looks fabulous — to chat about her unlikely new friendship with Brown, her "explosive" autobiography due out this October, and the Oscar-nominated actor she knows for a fact is aBrady Bunch fan.
POPWATCH: Everyone thinks it's so strange that you're on this show. But you've actually released a country album [When You Get a Little Lonely] before. McCORMICK: It was
Home
How much do you love the cast of CMT's Gone Country 2 (shooting now in Nashville, for an August premiere)? This time, Big & Rich's John Rich will attempt to make country artists out of:
It's the 
Ever since I wrote a PopWatch post about the Three's Company episode that I still can't discuss without getting misty -- and 
Matt has chickens, he has eggs; he has chicks that beg. The 29-year-old buff, bronze country boy (pictured) is likable and seemingly genuinely sweet in the series premiere of the CW's Farmer Wants a Wife (read EW critic Gillian Flynn's official review 
"We all love the fact that [American Idol] is live," said Ryan Seacrest by way of introducing Paula Abdul's appearance on his morning radio show on Los Angeles' KIIS FM. The 
There was so much goodness (read: awesome badness) in this episode, that I don't know where to begin. So before we get into ousted Amanda calling Matt a "douchebag" (you go, girl!), I'm gonna pretend I'm a Bachelor cameraman and go where the skin is.
Thanks to The New York Post, we saw 
Fool me once, shame on Bret Michaels. Fool me twice, shame on sad, gullible me...
Is it just me, or were the home visits surprisingly tame this season, even with Shayne's mother's lipliner and Amanda's faux parents' R-rated performance? That must have been why Chris Harrison's opening voice-over was already plugging "the most romantic season finale ever!" If you play it backwards, you hear, "We know this episode is boring, but you've stuck it out this long, so we also know that you'll be back." True. You got me. Let's break this snoozefest down date-by-date:
The road to the final four was supposed to be paved with "the most shocking confrontation in 
There is a sizable group of my colleagues here at EW who regularly send out e-mails about Lauren Conrad (pictured, right), Heidi Montag (left), and the MTV "reality" series The Hills, of which I've seen maybe a total of five minutes. Each time I've tried tuning in, I barely made it through 30 seconds before my brain was dripping out of my ears from boredom, which was even worse than the 60 seconds it took for that to happen when watching The Hills' precursor, Laguna Beach. (
What could possibly beat that human Muppet whose name I've already forgotten handing Matt a pair of her panties on Night 1? How about Kelly (pictured, right) opening up her dress and cupping her "very large breasts" during a conversation with Matt before last night's rose ceremony! Seriously, WHAT was that about? I guess when Matt told her that he wanted her to be as fun with him as she was around the other girls, that's all her tipsy mind could come up with. Classic.
Can The Weinstein Company make Project Runway's move to Lifetime work? That's the question we're asking ourselves after we received a joint press release from TWC and the cable channel announcing a "groundbreaking agreement" that would move Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, et al from Bravo to Lifetime in Nov. 2008. Of course, buried deep in the release was an acknowledgment that NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, had filed a lawsuit today against The Weinstein Company in an effort to block the hop. 
This morning, after finding the first-season (uncensored!) DVD of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on my desk, I jokingly suggested to my colleague Gary Susman that I try to watch my first episode of the super-popular MTV dating series, just to see how long it would take before I got nauseated. And the answer is... around 5 minutes!
ABC's summer lineup may look like a joke... but apparently, it isn't. You've got The Bachelorette (with DeAnna Pappas, pictured) bowing May 19 with a two-hour premiere. And then it will stay two hours. WHAT?
As usual, this episode managed to have at least one "dream date" that I'd never want to go on. 
The Hollywood Reporter is officially 
I'm not a fan of E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians (if only because I've never seen it), but I am a fan of Sports Illustrated's 
Well, dear readers, we've reached the end of the very entertaining parade of egos that was the first season of Celebrity Apprentice. And though Trump and Co. tried to maintain a level of suspense throughout the finale last night, it was pretty obvious from the get-go just who was going to take home the Celebrity Apprentice crown. Yes, after a live boardroom that featured a Japanese-speaking Gene Simmons, some sexual innuendo courtesy of Ivanka, and a performance from our finalist Trace — just think what kind of show we would have gotten had Playboy alum Tiffany Fallon cracked the top two! — Piers was awarded the title of the Celebrity Apprentice (seems Trump prefers the evil to the good after all). And in all fairness, even though we all wanted to see the ever-affable Trace win the whole shebang, there's no denying that Piers was the star of this show, obnoxious exterior and all.
Tuesday night after the show, I ran into Randy Jackson at BLD, a fabulous restaurant down the road from CBS Television City, and he had this to say: "David Cook. That kid has got a future. I didn't believe it until tonight. I thought he was just one of those rockers with a good voice, but man, he could be the one." 
Two observations:
Last week
The first episode of any new 
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: MAJIGAIL would like to know, "Who does Lou [pictured, with McHale] belong to? 
I guess Omarosa is the trans fat of Apprentice, because ever since her ouster last week, NBC has been advertising the show as an "Omarosa-free Celebrity Apprentice." But unlike a box of low-fat cookies, a healthy downgrading of a harmful substance didn't make things any less tasty. In fact, last night's Celebrity Apprentice was, as our dearly departed friend would say, just as "yummy, dude" as previous shows. (Especially with that Stevie B cherry on top). Luckily for us, though last night's episode was low on drama — thanks to Omarosa's firing — there were had plenty of quotables to keep viewers at home entertained. (And I give a big thank you to the lovely Lindsay Soll, who kept you all entertained during my absence 
Last weekend, I was flipping channels and stumbled onto TLC's 
Last night's "Where are they now?" Bachelor special was full of surprises: Lorenzo was voted least-favorite Bachelor over Alex and Brad, while Andy was crowned the favorite (which, as my friend Eva might say, makes him King S--- of Turd Island). We found out which Bachelorettes are now engaged (Brad's Jenni, Jesse's Trish, and Travis' Moana) and which ones have already gotten married (Aaron's Brooke and two-time hopeful Heather). Though those happy endings are nice, I found the most inspiring story to be Travis' Kristen, who actually found a man willing to wear fake teeth with her on national TV. That's a keeper.
This sounds to me like a recipe for disaster: According to the 
“This is the biggest slaughter in the history of The Apprentice,” declared The Donald to the losing team, Empresario, just moments before the boardroom turned into a complete circus. (Hmm, that gives me an idea: what about a reality show called Celebrity Circus! Oh wait, that’s literally a show on NBC’s summer schedule. Go figure.) 
So let's get straight to business, people. The Project Runway finale party was held Wednesday night at the swanky Tribeca Grand Hotel. Though I might add that event itself wasn't all that, well, swanky (maybe that's because after two hours on the red carpet I was starving, and all I could scrounge up before the episode aired was a teeny lamb chop!). 
ABC's just-announced 
If you haven't been watching