From: Barrett, Annie To: Soll, Lindsay Subject: Liar liar crazyuncomfortableshoes on fire
I thought this would speak to you. From Page Six: "Manolo Blahnik has never seen the TV version of Sex and the City and only recently watched the movie in a hotel room."
Are you outraged? I'm merely amused.
*********************** From: Soll, Lindsay To: Barrett, Annie Subject: Re: Liar liar crazyuncomfortableshoes on fire
Hahaha not outraged but how can that be?
His name is spoken more on that show than the word "orgasm"!!!
Kim Cattrall has confirmed, on a British talk show with guest host Mel B., that a Sex and the City sequel is a go. (Watch the interview here.) While the actresses finalize their deals, Slezak and I thought we'd start the brainstorming session. First our suggestions for story lines, then yours.
• Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth): Big loses his money in the current economic crisis, and Carrie's career goes from Vogue to PopWatch a blog. They're forced to reevaluate their priorities and discover happiness isn't just a walk-in closet.
• Samantha (Cattrall): Her PR career takes a nosedive, and she tries to revive her fortunes through a Bravo-style reality show called PR Lady. (She also admits that she could've stayed in Los Angeles with Smith -- and just not worked for him -- because other people in Hollywood have, in fact, been known to need publicists.)
• Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Steve (David Eigenberg): Having seem them deal with marital issues in the first film, we want these two to be happy....We also want Miranda to become involved at Brady's school, coaching soccer (even though she's never played soccer) and facing off with other moms at PTA.
• Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler): After extension discussion, and remembering that Charlotte kinda bores us, we decided that she needs serious drama. At first, we thought health scare, which would lead to a nice Samantha-Charlotte moment. (Samantha feeding Carrie in bed was one of my favorite moments in the first film.) But then, we thought about how underused Harry was in that movie, and we determined that he should just go ahead and die offscreen in the sequel. If you make it a random act of violence in Manhattan, you not only get Charlotte losing her hard-fought happy ending, but also all four women suddenly angry with the show's fifth lady, New York. Imagine a sobbing Charlotte telling Samatha that unlike her, she didn't choose to go life alone. And Samantha telling Charlotte she doesn't have to. Tissues, please.
At least Candace Bushnell herself is writing the SATC book (working title: The Carrie Diaries). Of course, the whole franchise has strayed so far from her original conception that it's not like having Bushnell herself return to take another whack at it is going to make much difference. Back when Bushnell was writing SATC as a newspaper column, it was all about status, with Manhattan as a grid where power, money, talent, fame, sex appeal, and real estate intersected, a Monopoly board where, if you had one or more of those commodities, you could leverage it to acquire the others, and where, as a result, hookups were almost entirely mercenary and devoid of romance. In other words, it was Gossip Girl for adults. So maybe it'll work fine as a teen coming-of-age story.
In contrast, Douglas Adams is not writing the next HHGG book (entitled And Another Thing...) because he is, inconveniently, dead. Instead, the job is going to Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl books. I haven't read them, but no matter how good they may be, they cannot transform Colfer into Adams, and the Hitchhiker series was all about Adams' voice -- that absurdist logic, wild imagination, wicked eye for sci-fi conventions worthy of parody, and cosmic indifference toward mankind, an utterly unimportant species on a backwater planet his books referred to merely as "mostly harmless." Colfer is already celebrated for his own unique voice; how easy will it be for him to suppress that and channel someone else's?
Show of hands, PopWatchers: Are you more alarmed by the SATC prequel or the HHGG sequel? Or can you muster more optimism toward both than I can?
Surprisingly, it isn't Carrie's Vivienne Westwood bridal gown (minus the feather!) or Charlotte's made-in-Poughkeepsie pudding that's become the most coveted product highlighted in the Sex and the City movie. Instead, booksellers across the country have been bombarded with requests for Love Letters of Great Men, the book that inspires Big's apology e-mails. (Abebooks.com, for one, says hundreds of customers have inquired about the book). Only one problem: it doesn't exist. But some consumers have made do nonetheless: The book with the most similar-sounding title to Love Letters — Love Letters of Great Men and Women: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day (pictured, left) — has risen as high as No. 114 on Amazon's bestsellers chart.
While I'm ecstatic that this proves contemporary audiences actually have an interest in reading, and not just aggressive shoe buying, this news made me wonder (and this is the last time I'll wonder Carrie Bradshaw-style, promise!): With so many movies pushing real-life products to collect advertising cash, how often do writers actually create a nonexistent product worth manufacturing? What other fake consumer products from film or TV do you wish existed? I'm not sure if I'd ever buy Love Letters — a bit too sappy for my tastes — but if any company begins to market Saved By The Bell's Buddy Bands, I'd be the first in line at the store (Hey, they work. Just ask Slater). Your turn, PopWatchers!
Even before last weekend's boffo opening, buzz was growing about a possible Sex and the City sequel. Now that we ladyfolk have proved to Hollywood that we really do like to watch movies (why was there ever a doubt?), a sequel seems ripe for the picking. Writer/producer/director Michael Patrick King has said he won't rule out the idea. "I wrote that movie with a beginning, middle and end because I didn't want to leave the audience unfulfilled," he told Variety. "The actresses are great, and if the gods smile and people are still interested, why not?" Kim Cattrall has also expressed interest, but that was before her new sex- (not Sex) themed HBO series was announced.
As a series fan who didn't love the cinematic version, I'm not clamoring for another Manolo-shod stroll down Park Avenue anytime soon. I think my movie date Kate said it best: "The movie really made me miss the show." And I can't help but wonder if we are letting our separation anxiety cloud our better judgment. Sure, it was great seeing the girls again, but what relevant (not to mention interesting) story lines are left? Charlotte as PTA president? Menopausal Carrie? Seinfeld had the right idea: Leave at the top with people wanting more. Let's let our Sexy ladies do the same.
What do you think, PopWatchers: Are you ready for another go? If so, what do you think should happen to your favorite Sex and the City character in the (potential) sequel? Or are you ready to wave goodbye to the fabulous foursome?
I'll admit — I was one of the giddy groups of females who went arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm to see Sex and the City last weekend. Right before going, I read tworeviews of the film, and then almost immediately wished I'd read neither, both illustrating what to me seemed like valid, though wildly divergent, opinions. ("It's sexy and fun!" "It's sexist and shrill!")
I walked out... confused. I honestly didn't hate the film at first, though after talking it over with a gal pal who loathed it and pointed me towards this, my dislike of the film increased dramatically. (Warning: Spoilers ahead; if you don't want to read them, skip to the next paragraph.) Every character seemed cast in a Jello-tin mold (with the possible exception of Candice Bergen. pictured, in another resigned-yet-lovable mommy-esque role). The Vogue shoot was nauseating. Carrie's behavior towards Mr. Big when he got cold feet was, I thought, beyond parodic vis-a-vis the "expected" feminine reaction — shallow, weak, hysterical. (Beating Big up with a bouquet of flowers? Where was her parasol?)
As a native New Yorker whose parents got hitched at City Hall (and not because the New York library was booked), I totally get where Dodai is coming from: "I used to roll my eyes at the women wobbling on heels as they navigated the litter of soda cans and condoms on downtown streets. Real New York women need to be mobile. Real New York women never know when they might have to run for their lives." And this point: where are movies about "ethnic diversity, genuine soul-searching, "Big" questions — not about men, but about women. About our changing role in society, about our continued second-class citizen status... Especially this year, election year, when the focus on looks, cosmetics and cleavage became politically correct."
Sex and the City — whoa! Who saw that big No. 1 finish coming? Not most box office pundits. Not EW.com's own box-office analyst. Not pretty much every man this side of, uh, Pluto. Did anybody expect that the lovely ladies of the HBO adaptation would beat Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at the box office last weekend? Why yes, in fact, several smarties did — about 40 percent of the players in EW.com's Summer Box Office Challenge called it correctly! Bravo, people! And bravo to the four folks with perfect scores last week, led by our winner-by-tiebreaker, "lisawg22," who accurately predicted the final order of the top 10 at the multiplex.
Wanna get in on the fun? Wanna have a chance to win a free pair of Manolo Blahniks? Well, in that case, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if you want to have a chance to win some free DVDs, you've come to the right place: Just click on over to our game and register your picks for this weekend's big battle (Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess With the Zohan (pictured)? Jack Black's animated Kung Fu Panda?) by Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Much like the majority of the nation's movie-going public, I headed to the Cineplex this weekend to catch the Sex and the City movie. [Please stop reading if, like me, you're crazy spoilerphobic and want to avoid even the smallest plot details.] And while I generally enjoyed the film (despite wishing it had a few more laughs and, as usual, taking issue with the too-often infuriating central romance), one thing struck me as I made my way into work this morning: the scarcity of dialog for Carrie Bradshaw's head gay, Stanford Blatch (pictured). In fact, until I double-checked with my pal Kristen Baldwin, I wasn't sure actor Willie Garson spoke a single word in the SATC movie. (Kristen reminded me that Stanford did indeed toss out the zinger, "When I get married I'm going to wear something just like it -- only bigger!" during Carrie's Vogue shoot.)
Yeah, I know Stanford scored one laugh-out-loud moment -- that New Year's smooch with Mario Cantone's Anthony -- yet I couldn't help but wonder: Did anyone else think his role was a little bit anemic? And was there anything else about the movie that left you scratching your head? Holla back!
It's true, y'all. At least according to Evite, which claims more invitations will have been sent through the site for pre- or post- Sex and the Cityscreening parties than for watching last February's Oscars, usually its biggest entertainment-related draw of the year. Evite says it's helped plan around 14,000 SATC parties and that the average guest list is about 20 people. (They also have some party tips — like repurposing the nine upscale variations on pigs in a blanket they suggested for your Super Bowl soirée into a culinary tribute to the show's fifth lady, New York, which is famous for her hot dogs. Ha!)
So, have you made any unabashedly cliché special plans surrounding the movie? We won't judge them. And neither will your fellow P-Dubs. (Wink.)
Along with millions of other Americans, I am looking forward to seeing Sex and the City: The Movie this weekend. I am a dude, in case that fact needs pointing out. And — get this! — my girlfriend isn't even forcing me to see it. Now, I don't think any of this is particularly newsworthy. But judging by some of the articles I've read about SATC this week, you'd think I discovered life on Mars or something. There's a weirdly ubiquitous meme out there that SATC is a "women's movie" that will somehow face special box-office challenges for that reason — the assumption being that no men, or at least no straight men, could have the slightest interest in seeing this film. Why is this weird? Because I don't think anyone would ever dream of raising similar questions about a movie where the main characters are all male. Huffington Post columnist Melissa Silverstein wrote a great column about this yesterday. Last year's Wild Hogs, she noted,was correctly seen as mass-appeal entertainment for moviegoers of all genders, even though it was all about four aging guys. And do you remember anyone ever wringing their hands over whether traditionally "male" action flicks like Transformers could get women into multiplexes? There are plenty of other legit reasons to wonder about SATC's box-office prospects — it's rated R, it's really long, it's about a very specific mileu of wealthy urban professionals, etc. But the gender thing just strikes me as fishy.
Meanwhile, you've got commentators like Best Week Ever's Paul F. Tompkins and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. They're both generally smart, enlightened folks, but last night Tompkins dropped by Olbermann's show so they could snicker their way through a "Sex and the City survival guide for men." (Check it out below.) The premise, of course, was that no so-called real man would ever want to see a movie about three-dimensional, adult female characters. (The TV show also featured plenty of well-rounded, interesting male characters over the years, by the by — Steve, Aidan, Trey — but we can ignore that inconvenient fact.) Quipped Tompkins: "If you're with a woman who is insisting that you go see this movie, I think it's time to maybe date someone else. Because men are not meant to see this movie with women." Way to police those restrictive gender roles, bro! Olbermann replied to this bon mot by quoting a Family Guy gag which referred to the SATC quartet as "three hookers and their mom" — classy. Are we in junior high here? Or perhaps the early 1950s?
None of this is a comment on the content of the movie — which, for all I know, could end up being terrible. But at least I'm comfortable enough to find out for myself. Anyone else scratching their heads at the assumptions surrounding men and Sex?
It never fails. SATC's opening credits always make me go 'squeeeeeeeeee' inside, but knowing the movie finally opens today, and that I've got tickets for tomorrow night, it's more like 'SQUEEEEEEEEEE!' Know what I mean?
With the summer movie season now in full swing, players in EW.com's Summer Box Office Challenge have happened upon an interesting, er, challenge: predicting the exact finish of movies outside of the top five. Sounds easy, sure. After all, last weekend, everybody knew that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was going to be No. 1, and most figured out that The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Iron Man would easily round out the first three spots at the box office. So how hard could correctly picking the next seven movies in order have been? Very, as it turned out. The battle for sixth place was decided by a Florida in 2000-esque $5,072, the teensy amount by which Baby Mama edged out Made of Honor. And occupying the No. 10 spot for the second straight weekend was the critically acclaimed (but largely unheralded) indie The Visitor, which has quietly grossed $4.4 mil in seven weeks.
Oddities like those generally go unreported, but if you can gain a firm understanding of them, you might just have what it takes to win our game — and take home some DVD prizes. (Indeed, a whopping 30 people got perfect scores over the Memorial Day span; a tiebreaker will figure out who gets the loot.) So while you may feel confident that the Sex and the City movie could pass Indy 4 for supremacy this upcoming weekend, you should really be asking yourself: Which movie will come next? And which film will come after that one? And then you should make your picks. And, you know, have a little fun, too.
Definitely one of the sweetest moments in SATC history. (Sniff.) And if you need a little Smith Jerrod fix, check out our new Q&A with Jason Lewis by clicking here.
Have you ever been watching TV, had a serious emotional breakdown over a plot twist, and blamed it on the fact that you were "sleep-deprived?" This just in: You are not full of s---.
Let me take you back seven days: Alynda Wheat sent me her rough cut of the Bones season finale so that Abby West and I could watch it together in the office. Even though I'd had approximately five hours of sleep on each of the three previous nights, we decided to stay late anyway and have our screening... in Dave Karger's office. (He has a love seat, and is so nice that he won't mind if/when he reads this.) Fifty seconds in, when Sweets said, "It's Agent Booth's funeral, Dr. Brennan," Abby had to press pausebecause I told her to. A minute later, when Caroline started delivering her graveside eulogy, I slid off the love seat onto my knees, turned my back to the television, hugged the seat cushion, looked up at Abby, and said something to the effect of, "What?... Wait. What?... What?" It wasn't that I thought Booth (David Boreanaz) could actually be dead. (And no one should've, which is why I didn't use a spoiler alert.) It was that my mind was too mushy to process anything unexpected and remotely upsetting. Right?
Right! I just Googled sleep-deprivation and emotional, and the first link was this: "Sleep-deprivation causes an emotional brain 'disconnect."' It says, "Without sleep, the emotional centers of the brain dramatically overreact to negative experiences, reveals a new brain imaging study.... The reason for that hyperactive emotional response in sleep-deprived people stems from a shutdown of the prefrontal lobe — a region that normally keeps emotions under control."
That makes perfect sense. So now, while I Google which of my lobes insisted that Abby rewind Booth's bathtub scene (embedded below, because I can't let go of that beer helmet issue I have), share what TV moments you've overreacted to due to sleep-deprivation. I know I was pooped when I phoned a friend after that Miranda-chokes-home-alone episode of Sex and the City and left an urgent message saying I would tap out a code if I ever needed her to call an ambulance but couldn't speak. A tuckered Slezak admits that he was "emotionally wobbly" throughout Wednesday's American Idol finale. Your turn.
You might not want to play this video if your boss is within earshot (unless your boss really doesn't mind expletives), but if you're in a safe space, do indulge in this quick compilation of Kristen Johnston's scenes as Sex and the City party girl Lexi Featherston. If you could embed a YouTube clip in the dictionary next to the word "tragicomic," this would be it, folks.
Carrie and Miranda's first big argument: All these years later, and still totally painful to watch. (Fast-forward to the 1:08 mark to cut to the start of this pivotal SATC scene.)
I'm not gonna lie: I was a little worried listening to the opening verse of Jennifer Hudson's new single, "Spotlight." True, the pretty piano riff is reminiscent of Alicia Keys' "No One," and the lyrics about dealing with a suffocating relationship — "Are you a man who loves and cherishes and cares for me?/ Are you a guard in a prison, maximum security?" — are more interesting that your average pop-R&B clichés. But it all seemed just a wee bit, well, low-octane. I mean, we didn't fall in love with J.Hud back on season 3 of Idol because of her vocal restraint; we want big, unabashed belting from the woman who won an Oscar for hollerating "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" right through the theater walls and directly into that 2 p.m. screening of We Are Marshall next door. Thankfully, J.Hud gets good and warmed up just before the two-minute marker on "Spotlight," and when she declares, "if I'm just love's prisoner, then I'm bustin' out," she begins to do just that: Busting out with the riffs and runs, and nailing a saucy bridge in which she chides her man and declares her devotion for him all at once. (Complicated!) No, it's not quite "Cirrrrrrrrrrrcle of Liiiiife," but it's a solid post-Dreamgirls kickoff that should do quite nicely at radio. What think you, PopWatchers?
In preparation for the May 30 release of the Sex and the City movie, I thought it might be fun to revisit some classic scenes from the HBO series. Today's clip — which follows a quick interlude of Miranda and Robert (Blair Underwood) watching Jules & Mimi — finds Carrie attempting to get restitution after her Manolo Blahniks are stolen at friend Kyra's (Tatum O'Neal) baby shower. Yeah, it's just a pithy answering machine message, but it's one of my all-time favorite SATC moments. Or as Carrie puts it, "One giant step for me, one small step for single-womankind."
A couple weeks ago, EW's Missy Schwartz broke the news that Fergie had recorded a new song called "Labels or Love" for Sex and the City: The Movie. "It’s an entirely new song with lyrics," director Michael Patrick King promised, "but it has the Sex and the City theme as the DNA — on steroids."
I'm of a few minds here. The lyrics are a crass ode to conspicuous consumption; Fergie's imitated the very worst of SATC, replicating its designer-name-dropping surface with none of its heart. She might be aiming for a wink-wink, modern-day "Material Girl" vibe, but to me, the words of "Labels or Love" feel more like Gwen Stefani's loathsome "Luxurious," a song whose unironically materialistic attitude made me want to smash in the radio of the car wherein I first heard it. (And as Idolator points out, these hyper-commercial themes are also oddly out of step with our economically dismal times.) It's no great shakes musically, either. Why sample the SATC theme song only to waste it on dime-a-dozen synths instead of that signature piano twinkle?
But you know what? Somehow I don't hate "Labels or Love." I know I should, but I don't. "Love's like a runway..." — I couldn't disagree more, but that hook is just so catchy! I even enjoy the part where she tries to rap, somewhat tragically ("Gucci, Fendi, Prada purses, purchasing them finer things / Men, they come a dime a dozen, just give me them diamond rings"). Okay, okay: You win again, Fergie Ferg. I give up in the face of your ability to create pop gold out of the most ridiculous subject matter imaginable. Anyone else in the same boat?
The full-length Sex and the City movie trailer has hit the web (below), and sent emails flying in our offices. We're not sure whether to trust our eyes: So Big would really leave Carrie at the altar? Charlotte is pregnant? Miranda might have to kick Steve in his testicle for cheating on her? And Samantha is still transfixed by Smith's abs? (Okay, that last one we buy).
While I really want to see how this "anti-fairytale" ends — and experience that moment when I'm proud to be a woman with great friends — am I the only one who's yet to see a reason why this movie had to be on the big screen? I wouldn't be any less excited if it was premiering on HBO, and I got to eavesdrop on their intimate conversations from the comfort of my couch. I wonder if having them in my home helped me feel so close to them in the first place... just asking. Anyway, what about you, PopWatchers? How do you feel about SATC: The Movie?
This shot of Kim Cattrall — on the set of the Sex and the City movie, presumably in character as Samantha Jones, and reading self-help best-seller The Secret — struck me as a good opportunity for a game of Beat This Caption. I'll get the party started; you take it from there (keeping in mind it's a PG-13 kinda blog).
"Secret? How about explaining why I'm on page 43 and I haven't read a single word about the female orgasm?"
Yes, that colossal flower grafted onto SJP's dress is absurd, and no, I don't know any woman who organizes her closet while wearing pricey undergarments and stilettos. But still, the minute the orchestra starts playing the pumped-up SATC theme, I start getting a case of the tinglies, the same kind I used to get when I flipped on HBO every Sunday to watch my favorite half-hour series.
So let's have a show of hands: Who else is excited about this movie?
In case you haven’t heard, Carrie Bradshaw and Co., are in New York City filming the upcoming Sex and the City movie. And as promised, EW is doing our darnedest to stalk hunt down cast and crew members on set to bring you the latest on the film.
Today, EW was there when Sarah Jessica Parker and friends were filming a scene in the West Village at Bank and West 4th Streets at approximately 2 p.m. Based on the outdoor greenery included in the shot, this particular scene seems to take place in either the spring or summer. And based on all the extras with aluminum foil in their hair, the scene also seems to be set outside a salon. Very little information was available as to when the scene appears in the film or even what exactly is happening in the scene, for that matter (crew members must swear on Chanel to keep details mum). But luckily for you, PopWatchers, this reporter has a good set of ears and eyes on her (how else would she have spotted Evan Handler discreetly chatting with crew members behind the scenes?).
Now, if you have an aversion to spoilers — and there aren’t many here,
folks — then, please, back away from the computer faster than you can
say, "Manolo Blahniks." But for those of you who just can’t wait to
until 2008 to find out what the gang is up to (albiet in puzzling
detail), then by all means, proceed with caution.
Attention, fashionistas! The Sex and the City movie has hit Manhattan and EW will be tracking the shoots, the gals, and the clothes. But not to worry, PopWatchers, we won't be giving away plot lines or key details. We don't like spoilers either!
Monday's shoot, which began at 10 AM and concluded at about 5 PM, brought Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristen Davis) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) to Christie's, near Rockefeller Plaza. They were filming a scene from the beginning of the film in which Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte walk down 49th Street to meet Samantha at the famed auction house. Although I couldn't hear any of the dialogue, I could see Carrie's animated body language. She hugged Miranda and the three of them strolled arm-in-arm. Samantha, spotting them, let loose with a scream — it was probably heard in New Jersey.
In between takes, Davis embraced a crew member who looked like she was crying, while Parker discussed something with executive producer Michael Patrick King. The girls were fussed over by make-up, but, unfortunately, there was no sign of costume designer Patricia Field — or her Kool-Aid-colored hair. When passers-by realized what they had stumbled upon, they whipped out their cameras and snapped photos of the cast, who were decked out head to toe. Even though no one looks that dressed up at 4 p.m. on a weekday, the shoot gave us everything we love about Field’s vision: color, contrast and patterns. Here’s the lowdown on each character’s style:
New Line sent me several press releases yesterday to let me know that Wednesday marked the first day of filming of the Sex and the City movie. Which is all well and good, but you know how skeptical PopWatch has been about the idea of turning the fondly-remembered sitcom into a movie that unties the series' already-tied-up loose ends. Let's just hope that the film is a fraction as funny as this parodic Daily Show clip from Tuesday night. Watch for the surprise cameo at the end.
Jennifer Hudson (pictured) has signed on to Sex and the City: The Movie to play Carrie's assistant. It'll be the third supporting role for the Dreamgirls songbird; she's just finished filming Winged Creatures with Forest Whitaker and Kate Beckinsale.
Aww, that's cute. And yet. While I realize she was jobless at the end of the series and could therefore take on a myriad of careers (publisher, president of a Fortune 500 company, hooker), since when does Carrie Bradshaw need an assistant? What will J-Hud do? Put her computer to sleep? Shop for sexy "Look, I'm writing" lingerie? I'm hoping her main duty will involve the singing of Carrie's prose to the audience. (Bonus points for extra-crescendos-applied-to- the-most-cliched-lines!) Hudson's first album is scheduled to be released in early 2008, but hold your breath for the hit single, "I Couldn't Help But Wonder," to to drop on SATC's soundtrack.
If you're not watching the second season of IFC's scathingly funny The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, then I ask you: "Why not?" (And don't tell me it's the show you've never seen, but inexplicably hate!)
Seriously, Jackie Woodman is the kind of show that would be snapping up Emmy nominations if it had the marketing muscle of HBO behind it. Series stars Laura Kightlinger (pictured; she's also the show's creator) and Nicholle Tom do boozy, bawdy comedy with a zest not seen on the small screen since AbFab's Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. And unlike their Sex and the City predecessors, Kightlinger's Jackie and Tom's Tara have moments of tragic un-hipness: They're mid-level Los Angeles wannabes, and their clothes, their apartments, and their cars (or lack thereof) reflect their lot in life with painfully delectable accuracy.
Anyhow, with Flight of the Conchords' debut season all finished, and with 30 Rock still weeks from its sophomore premiere, I implore you once more: Check out The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, this Sunday, at 11:30 p.m. EDT. If you can't wait till then, check out some selected clips at the show's official site or the opening credits (after the jump)! I'll check back Monday and we can all discuss.
Some updates on stories PopWatch has covered recently:
1. Is Harvey Keitel going to replace Mandy Patinkin on Criminal Minds? The Hollywood Reporter says he's in talks to take over the crime drama from Patinkin, who mysteriously quit the show last month. But CM fansite Criminal Minds Fanatic has posted what it says is a statement from producer Ed Bernero, saying that a Keitel hire probably isn't going to happen, though an announcement of Patinkin's replacement should be coming soon. Just as well; did you really want the Bad Lieutenant (pictured) heading up an elite TV crimefighting team?
3. AT&T blames a third-party vendor for snipping Pearl Jam's anti-Bush lyrics from a webcast of the band's Lollapalooza performance. The company apologizes for what it calls a violation of its own free-speech policy and says it's negotiating with the band to stream the unedited performance on its Blue Room site. (You can see the unexpurgated clip on Pearl Jam's own site.) Show of hands: Who is willing to take AT&T at its word, accept the company's apology, and feel reassured that that there will be no similar free-speech violations in AT&T's future offerings?
As someone who hate-hate-hated the fact that Carrie ended up with Mr. Big in the series finale of Sex and the City, you'd probably think I'd be thrilled by the joke/rumor leaked by Chris Noth (pictured, with Sarah Jessica Parker) to New York magazine that his character dies of a heart attack in the proposed opening scene of the SATC movie. But quite the contrary, I feel like Big's death would let Carrie off the hook way too easily, giving her freedom from a man who's totally wrong for her — without allowing her to make the brave choice to kick him to the curb once and for all.
In my mind, the brilliance of Sex and the City (at least up until its final episode) was that it celebrated women's singledom as a viable — even desirable — choice in a world where we're constantly told the only happy ending for a princess (whether she's British, animated, or played by Drew Barrymore) is to climb into some dude's horse-drawn carriage and ride off into the sunset. And no episode showcased SATC's philosophy better than "A Woman's Right to Shoes," in which Carrie's designer heels get pilfered at the new-baby party of a self-absorbed pal (brilliantly played by Tatum O'Neal). I can still remember wanting to stand up and cheer after Sarah Jessica Parker delivered her rousing little phone message: "Hi! It's Carrie Bradshaw. I wanted to let you know that I'm getting married. To myself. Oh, and I'm registered at Manolo Blahnik. So thanks. Bye!"
When SATC finally hits the big screen, I'm hoping the film's opening scene finds Carrie giving Big a peck on the cheek, and saying something like, "Hey, we had some great times. Best of luck to you," before she strides down Madison Avenue for some further adventures in love and shopping. Are you with me, or do you side with the scads of SATC fans who feel like Carrie would be more likely to swear off Tasti D-Lite than gave up Mr. Big? Check out a must-see YouTube excerpt after the jump, then state your position in the comments section below.
Now that each of the four leading ladies has signed on to the project, the long-anticipated Sex and the City flick is finally out of development limbo. And so, in true Carrie Bradshaw fashion (minus the Blahniks), we at PopWatch couldn't help but wonder: do we really need a SATC movie?
I guess now would be a good time to mention that I own several SATC DVDs, and while I don’t watch them daily, let’s just say that they’re not exactly collecting dust. I loved the series (I even had one of those ubiquitous "I'm a Carrie" T-shirts — a purchase that, you’ll be happy to know, is collecting dust these days).
But fan status aside, I feel I may be experiencing what Carrie felt when she was torn between Mr. Big and Aidan. On one hand, you have the prospect of a really great, drama-filled movie that brings you back to your love affair with four New York women who showed us that love is tricky, but totally worth fighting for.
On the other, we have the prospect of moving on. We'll always treasure what we had with SATC, but there comes a time when you have to let go. That doesn't mean we let go of the lessons we’ve learned. (Just to refresh: Don’t wear brand new Louboutins to the maternity ward, post-it notes are not acceptable channels for break-up conversations, and when you fall flat on your face, you get up, strut down the runway like nothing happened, and high-five Heidi Klum.)
Sarah Jessica Parker has joined the loooong list of celebs (Gwen Stefani, Eve, Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, etc...) who have created their own clothing labels, and last night I got to attend the launch party at NYC's Drive In Studios for her sportswear line — aptly titled Bitten — which will be sold exclusively at Steve & Barry's stores.
I had hopes of talking to the Sex and The City goddess herself, but unfortunately, my plans were foiled because the fashionista showed up, well, fashionably late to her own soirée (and was practically mauled by everyone but the bartenders the minute she arrived).
I did get a sneak peek at the clothes — SJP was even sporting a pair of denim capris with ankle zippers from the line, too (they're the ones in the pic on the right) — and I have to admit I'm impressed! Steve & Barry's is a store I'll go to for super cheap college sweatshirts (no joke, they're about $7 there), not for cute, stylish outfits — so I wasn't sure how SJP was going to pull it off, but it looks like she has.
Okay, I'm going to commit a bit of pop-cultural blasphemy right now: Are you ready for Sex and the City 2.0? Yeah, yeah, I know, nothing's ever going to replace HBO's groundbreaking, hilarious dramedy -- and thanks to DVDs and cable reruns, we can relive highlights like Lexi Featherston falling out the window as if new episodes were still in production. (FYI, Lexi's legendary "I'm so bored I could die" rant, often referenced by PopWatch reader Ed, has found its way to YouTube. It's, in a word, awesome.)
That said, it's been almost three years since SATC's finale, and you can't really blame the networks for dreaming about bringin' Sex (and the City) back. To that end, The Hollywood Reporter notes that three new similarly themed pilots have been greenlit by the networks:
ABC's Cashmere Mafia brings together SATC exec producer Darren Star with scribe Kevin Wade (Working Girl, Maid in Manhattan) to tell the tale of four female Manhattan executives who've been friends since college.
ABC has also optioned James Patterson's mystery-novel series Women's Murder Club -- which centers on four female crime-solving friends -- from director Brett Ratner (the Prison Break pilot, X-Men: The Last Stand) and two writers from The WB's defunct Angel (Liz Craft and Sarah Fain).
NBC, meanwhile, has gotten into bed with SATC author Candace Bushnell, making what's reportedly its third attempt at adapting her bestselling Lipstick Jungle for the small screen, this time with a pair of producers who previously worked on Three Sisters and Committed.
Okay, so most of you have seen Porky's, Mannequin, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and thus knew it was Kim Cattrall. Also, more than a few of you have some of Cattrall's spicier dialogue from Sex and the City committed to memory, so, you know, thanks for corrupting this pure mind of mine. Heathens!
Too many of you to name, but I will single out PopWatchers Rebecca Brooks and Toby Jorgensen, both of whom knew that today is, in fact, Cattrall's 50th birthday! (Also, thanks to Allison Quinn, who wished us a Happy Snakes on a Plane! A holiday, I fear, that will not be annual...)
Also interesting: Those of you who got it wrong, you guessed BIG! Among the incorrect answers: Theresa Russell; Lynda Carter; Michelle Pfeiffer (OK, maybe); Shania Twain; Janice DIckinson; Kathleen Turner (um...); Rachel Weisz; Lindsay Lohan; Annette Bening (er...); Joan Collins; Lady Sovereign; Stockard Channing; and Catherine Zeta-Jones (whaa...?).
Stay tuned for more Guess Whos -- I got passed a really good one today. Look for it later in the week...
No matter how bad summer TV gets, there's always vintage Sex and the City to help you avoid hateful tasks like cleaning out the spare closet (which I promise I'll get to this weekend) or balancing the old checkbook (outlook: not very promising). Now, starting tonight from 9-10 p.m. EDT, TBS adds some extra spice to its tasty SATC reruns by interspersing interviews with five of the show's memorable men — Blair Underwood (pictured, with Cynthia Nixon), Evan Handler, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, and Willie Garson -- throughout its back-to-back episodes.
This got me thinking about the rarely discussed men of SATC, both the good and the bad. My all-time favorite has to be Eigenberg's raspy-voiced nice-guy Steve, who adored prickly Miranda even in her most neurotic moments, yet called her on her craziness when she needed it. (And don't all of us not-so-secretly want that?) In Eigenberg's hands, Steve was funny and charming, a little bit strange, and pretty much irresistible; can anyone tell me why the guy hasn't landed a leading-man role in a network dramedy since SATC left the airwaves? (Thankfully, one of the series' best one-episode suitors, Daniel Sunjata — the Fleet Week hunk who almost stole Carrie's heart in season 5 — has fared better; he's now starring as Rescue Me's Franco Rivera.)
On the flip side, unlike most of my friends, I always found John Corbett's furniture-making Aidan utterly intolerable. His faux-folksy style and lingering aura of fatherly disapproval seemed to me to fit Carrie's life about as well as a pool table in a Manhattan studio apartment, so needless to say, her rejection of his marry-me-now ultimatum in front of that fountain filled me with unspeakable glee. Of course, I think Ms. Bradshaw should've ended the series single — and fabulous — but that's another blog item altogether.
Back to the subject at hand, which SATC men did you love the most, and which turned you off altogether?
...It was a dark and stormy afternoon, with the dim light peeking through the blinds of my office window as I sat at my desk, thinking. ''Why am I hearing all these voices?'' I wondered. Not in my head, that is, but on TV: At least seven new shows this season use voiceover narration or feature a character who breaks the fourth wall to address the audience. There's My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, Kitchen Confidential, Night Stalker, How I Met Your Mother, The War at Home, and Sex, Love & Secrets (oops, make that six shows -- Sex has already halted production). Add these to returning shows with narrators, including Desperate Housewives, Veronica Mars, and Arrested Development, and it seemed like I was dealing with a plague of voiceover narration, the likes of which I hadn't heard since Daniel Stern recounted his boyhood as Fred Savage. I took a swig from the bottle of Poland Spring I keep in my desk drawer and pondered the problem...
...True, I thought, this increasingly overused device actually works well on some shows. It adds that film-noir feel to Veronica Mars. It makes sense on Mother and Chris, where the narrator is explaining something that happened in his past. And you need someone as user-friendly and non-threatening as Ron Howard to disentangle the plot and character complications on AD. Still, there was something that bothered me, but I knew I wouldn't be able to figure it out without refueling. So I walked down the hall to the vending machine. Hey, that 60 cents was just burning a hole in my pocket anyway...
...A packet of M&Ms later, I realized what the problem was: call it getting Carrie'd away, after the annoyingly cutesy narration in Sex and the City. You know, the whole, ''While Miranda was having a big problem, I was having problems with Big'' thing. That was bad enough, but the voiceovers on Kitchen and Housewives, two shows I otherwise love, make Carrie Bradshaw's lame puns sound like Oscar Wilde. Kitchen (which, like Sex and the City, is a Darren Star product) really doesn't need a voiceover at all; I don't want to hear what valuable life lesson reprobate chef Jack Bourdain is learning this week. As for Housewives, Mary Alice Young's American Beauty/Sunset Boulevard narration from beyond the grave seemed a clever conceit when the show's central mystery was why she'd killed herself, but now that the mystery is the more prosaic question of ''What's the deal with the Applewhites' captive?'', her bland musings and facile ironies seem especially superfluous. This was annoying me no end; I needed coffee...
...Then it hit me: not just the caffeine, but a revelation, one that was right in front of me all along. Looking back at the first paragraph of this post, I returned to the linked article, which pointed out that the rise in voiceovers has coincided with the rise of single-camera sitcoms, from Malcolm in the Middle to Sex to AD to Earl and Chris. These were all shows filmed and edited in such a way that there was no room for a laugh track. (And no need for one either.) It seemed I had learned two valuable lessons that day. First, if self-consciously clever voiceover narration was the price I had to pay to get rid of laugh tracks, maybe it was worth it. And second: All those years ago, I really should have kissed Winnie Cooper when I had the chance...
Four wacky headlines; one of them is fake. Can you find the phony?
A) The Sopranos is promoting its upcoming season by dangling fake dead arms from the trunks of Manhattan taxis. B) A painting of Charlotte's vagina from Season 1 of Sex and the City is selling on eBay. C) Mirroring his sitcom character, Entourage star Adrian Grenier is in talks to headline a big-screen version of Aquaman. D) Sacha Baron Cohen, star of Da Ali G Show, emerged from the surf dressed as his ''Borat'' character, and tackled Pamela Anderson at a wedding for her dogs Luca and Star.
Season 1 of The Cosby Show finally arrives on DVD today, and not coincidentally, HBO just announced its plans to release the 20-disc complete series of Sex and the City in November. After all, it's painfully obvious that Sex's spunky quartet of singles was created as an homage to Bill Cosby's family sitcom.
Consider the evidence:
Both shows centered on attractive, upwardly mobile residents of New York City, including ambitious attorneys with children (Cosby's spunky matriarch Clair Huxtable, Sex's neurotic redhead Miranda Hobbs), doe-eyed ingénues known for hilariously precious outbursts (Cosby's adorable Rudy, Sex's optimistic Charlotte), and even persnickety guys with funky names (Cosby's Elvin Tibideaux, Sex's Stanford Blatch).
And, of course, the show's plot lines were so similar, it was almost too close for comfort. Think about it. Theo borrows his dad's credit card to pay for an expensive shirt; Carrie gets a loan from Charlotte since she's spent her life savings on Manolo Blahniks. Vanessa quits playing the clarinet; Carrie quits her column to follow her lov-ah to Paris. Samantha has nude photos taken of herself; Denise makes bloody voodoo love to Mickey Rourke. Oh, wait, that was Angel Heart. Anyway, you know what I'm saying. Feel free to post your own Cosby-Sex parallels, too. There's hundreds to choose from. Really.
From: Barrett, Annie
Kim Cattrall has confirmed, on a British talk show with guest host Mel B., that a Sex and the City sequel is a go. (
Which of these two in-the-works books sounds worse, 
Surprisingly, it isn't Carrie's Vivienne Westwood bridal gown (minus the feather!) or Charlotte's made-in-Poughkeepsie pudding that's become the most coveted product highlighted in the Sex and the City movie. Instead, booksellers across the country have been bombarded with requests for Love Letters of Great Men, the book that inspires Big's apology e-mails. (
Even before last weekend's 
I'll admit — I was one of the giddy groups of females who went arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm to see Sex and the City last weekend. Right before going, I read 
Much like the majority of the nation's movie-going public, I headed to the Cineplex this weekend to catch the Sex and the City movie. [Please stop reading if, like me, you're crazy spoilerphobic and want to avoid even the smallest plot details.] And while I generally enjoyed the film (despite wishing it had a few more laughs and, as usual, taking issue with the too-often infuriating central romance), one thing struck me as I made my way into work this morning: the scarcity of dialog for Carrie Bradshaw's head gay, Stanford Blatch (pictured). In fact, until I double-checked with my pal Kristen Baldwin, I wasn't sure actor Willie Garson spoke a single word in the SATC movie. (Kristen reminded me that Stanford did indeed toss out the zinger, "When I get married I'm going to wear something just like it -- only bigger!" during Carrie's Vogue shoot.)
It's true, y'all. At least according to 
With the summer movie season now in full swing, players in 
A couple weeks ago, EW's Missy Schwartz 
Gloves by 
This shot of Kim Cattrall — on the set of the Sex and the City movie, presumably in character as Samantha Jones, and reading self-help best-seller The Secret — struck me as a good opportunity for a game of Beat This Caption. I'll get the party started; you take it from there (keeping in mind it's a PG-13 kinda blog).
Attention, fashionistas! The Sex and the City movie has hit Manhattan and EW will be tracking the shoots, the gals, and the clothes. But not to worry, PopWatchers, we won't be giving away plot lines or key details. We don't like spoilers either!
Jennifer Hudson (pictured) has 
If you're not watching the second season of IFC's scathingly funny The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, then I ask you: "Why not?" (And don't tell me it's 
Some updates on stories PopWatch has covered recently:
As someone who hate-hate-hated the fact that Carrie ended up with Mr. Big in the series finale of Sex and the City, you'd probably think I'd be thrilled by the 
Now that each of the four leading ladies has signed on to the project, the long-anticipated Sex and the City flick 
Sarah Jessica Parker has joined the loooong list of celebs (Gwen Stefani, Eve, Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, etc...) who have created their own clothing labels, and last night I got to attend the launch party at NYC's Drive In Studios for her sportswear line — aptly titled Bitten — which will be sold exclusively at 
Okay, I'm going to commit a bit of pop-cultural blasphemy right now: Are you ready for Sex and the City 2.0? Yeah, yeah, I know, nothing's ever going to replace HBO's groundbreaking, hilarious dramedy -- and thanks to DVDs and cable reruns, we can relive highlights like Lexi Featherston falling out the window as if new episodes were still in production. (FYI, 
Okay, so most of you have seen 
No matter how bad summer TV gets, there's always vintage Sex and the City to help you avoid hateful tasks like cleaning out the spare closet (which I promise I'll get to this weekend) or balancing the old checkbook (outlook: not very promising). Now, starting tonight from 9-10 p.m. EDT, TBS adds some extra spice to its 
Season 1 of The Cosby Show finally 
