Tag: Animals (61-70 of 379)

Jun 24 2011 06:14 PM ET

'Swamp People' draws 4.6 million viewers: Who else is obsessed with this crazy show?

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swamp_hunters

Image Credit: History Channel

Swamp People, History’s fascinating reality series about Cajun alligator hunters in Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Swamp, has been quite the Leviathan in the Thursday night cable ratings recently. For the past two weeks, it’s pulled a solid 4.6 million viewers, yet it doesn’t garner the sort of attention that a soapier, sexier show might. But it should! Seriously, don’t let this show slip bayou. (Sorry — I couldn’t help it.) It’s awesome.

Swamp People is a refreshing departure from the over-produced, glossy fare that dominates much of the reality TV landscape. Instead of showcasing trendy, urban 20-somethings trying, like, SO hard to break into the entertainment biz, Swamp People, as devotees know, features a cast of unpolished gator hunters (like fan-favorites Troy and Jacob Landry, pictured), many of whom are missing a few teeth and speak in over-the-top Cajun accents. They’re hard working men — one woman too! — just trying to get through the hunting season and make some money. Think Deadliest Catch, with an extra bite. (Sorry again!) READ FULL STORY »

Jun 20 2011 09:00 AM ET

Who is the coolest ThunderCat? (Ho!)

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Thundercats

Image Credit: Everett Collection

For an animal that’s synonymous with being uncool to have inspired possibly the badass action cartoon ever is an epic feat in itself. To have that cartoon still stand as one of the coolest shows to love more than 25 years after it’s inception is outstanding. Having grown up on ThunderCats myself, I tend to have an eagle eye for the trademark black-and-red shirts that roam the streets in increasing numbers. My freshman year of college, my roommate put up posters of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and paintings of sophisticated, angry-looking French cats. I put up this similarly feline-themed poster (later to be transferred to my cubicle at the school newspaper). And yes, I did special order it online. For Christmas years ago, my mom gave me DVD box sets of seasons one and two. And yes, I was 19 years old that year.

That gift was given much to the dismay of my older brother, who insists to this day that not only is he the bigger ThunderCats fan, but that Lion-O is the coolest ThunderCat of them all, which makes him wrong about two things. Now, you may be thinking, “That’s so not true, no space-cat can surpass Cheetara in my book,” and unfortunately, that would make you wrong as well. I contend, my Mumm-Ra-fearing friends, that the hands-down coolest ThunderCat of all time (presumably until July when Cartoon Network reboots the series and forever changes the landscape and dynamics of planet Thundera) is indisputably Panthro. Yes, Panthro! I said it. His badassery simply cannot be contended with. Or can it? Let’s debate!  READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 11:06 AM ET

Jason Segel's Muppet movie might have legs

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Ohhhhhh-hhhhhh, Doc Hopper would foam at the mouth if he saw the newest poster for Jason Segel’s upcoming Muppets movie. The fiendish fast-food magnate (played by Charles Durning) spent the entire 1979 film chasing Kermit as a pitchman for his frogleg dishes, and now look at his little green friend: Kermit has legs! Long legs!

Of course, Kermit and company had legs back then, too, but scenes with Kermit riding a bicycle or Kermit and Fozzie dancing in a saloon were the clunkiest sequences, barely passing the credibility test of a generation ago. “Technology has changed,” Segel told the USA Today. “We’re able to show [the Muppets] doing stuff they hadn’t been able to do before. We’re pretty proud of that.”

The Muppets opens Nov. 23, which might explain the otherwise tepid tagline: “They’re Closer Than You Think.” Or has Segel changed his mind about filming in 3-D?

Read more:
‘The Muppets’: No nudity for Jason Segel. Kermit, on the other hand…
The new Muppets movie can’t come out soon enough
‘Muppets’ new movie: Exclusive sneak peek!

May 10 2011 05:10 PM ET

Andy Samberg will swim with sharks for Shark Week, probably not wearing this

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Samberg-octopus

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Details for the 24th annual Shark Week — kicking off July 31 — are emerging. Today, Discovery announced that this year’s “Chief Shark Officer” Andy Samberg will host his own special with the working title Shark City. Per the network, ”Samberg travels to the Bahamas and takes the plunge — literally jumping into the shark-filled waters to introduce viewers to a specific group of sharks that live off the shores of Nassau. They each have their own distinct personalities, quirks and feeding patterns. Learn how they size each other up, what they like to eat and what scares THEM.” That’s all the info I have, but if this is something like Shark Week regular Stuart Cove introducing Samberg to individual Caribbean reef sharks and revealing what he’s come to know about them over the years he’s led his underwater adventures, that could be totally fun. If you’re going to swim with relatively non-threatening sharks like that, you’ve got to give us something different, and finding out that this shark responds more to women in bikinis and has therefore earned whatever nickname is acceptable.  READ FULL STORY »

May 8 2011 01:32 PM ET

'My Cat From Hell' debuts on Animal Planet: Who knew cats were this bonkers?

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Image Credit: Animal Planet

Last night Animal Planet premiered My Cat From Hell, where clawed little demons are transformed into cuddly fuzzballs. Is your cat scaring company? Keeping you up all night? Then this show may be for you.

Enter Jackson Galaxy (what a name!), a tattooed rocker by night and cat behaviorist by day. He looks more like a bounty hunter than a cat tamer. But he kindly gets the job done. First to be saved from the terror of their cat was couple Hannah and Johnny. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in any relationship,” Hannah says of her year with her boyfriend. “He could be the one.” There’s a major issue, though: Hannah’s black cat, Bear, hates Johnny. Love triangle! READ FULL STORY »

Apr 20 2011 01:30 PM ET

Andy Samberg to host Shark Week. Can he top Craig Ferguson?

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Samberg-octopus

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Today, Discovery announced that Saturday Night Live‘s Andy Samberg will host the cable channel’s 24th annual Shark Week this July. Samberg’s official title is Chief Shark Officer and comes with obligations to film on-air wraps for the week-long event and host a Shark Week special during which he may dive with the apex predators. He has to swim with sharks, right? I mean, we want to see the music video we assume he’ll shoot, too, but the host of Shark Week must get wet.

Samberg has big flippers to fill: Last year’s Shark Week, hosted by known enthusiast Craig Ferguson, was watched by almost 31 million people, making it Discovery’s highest rated to date. Ferguson swam with Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas during his special and his fear produced some great moments. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 18 2011 05:14 PM ET

Nick Nolte and Dustin Hoffman make HBO's 'Luck' more than just a (dog and) pony show

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When I was in college, I attended a sports journalism conference at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, where Dick Schaap, the late dean of New York sportswriters who at the time was most famous for hosting ESPN’s Sports Reporters, was one of the featured speakers. To the discomfort of our hosts but the delight of the aspiring writers, Schaap proceded to spin anecdote after anecdote about the seedy underbelly of the horse business. To him, the track had, as he put it, an alluring “scent of larceny” about it. What a great phrase. If a screenwriter had scribbled down just a fraction of Schaap’s musings, he’d have had enough material for multiple seasons of an entire television show.

I don’t recall David Milch sitting in the audience with me, but his new HBO series, Luck (video below) certainly captures the mood and characters that Schaap so vividly described. “The racetrack is a place of incomparable beauty, but it’s a rough racket,” says exec producer Milch, the voice behind HBO’s Deadwood. “As a setting for storytelling, you couldn’t ask for anything more.” READ FULL STORY »

Apr 18 2011 10:38 AM ET

'Hangover II' monkey never lit up, says Todd Phillips

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Though I hate to admit it, there’s something funny about a monkey who smokes. (Don’t blame me! Blame The Simpsons!) So I don’t fault director Todd Phillips for telling journalists that the monkey in The Hangover Part II, who’s shown smoking smoking cigarettes and snorting cocaine, had become hooked on the cigarettes. After reading some bizarre headlines, however, Phillips felt obliged to clear the air, telling Movieline:

“This was a joke. I make comedies. If you read the story, it doesn’t even make sense. “On the set of her new film, she won’t stop smoking cigarettes.” Umm. Really? Maybe just take them away from her. Or at least take her money away so she can’t buy them any longer. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 14 2011 12:58 PM ET

A naked Zach Galifianakis shares a tub with adorable baby ducks

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Quick! What is Zach Galifianakis’ best animal sidekick? It’s a tough question to answer, especially after seeing The Hangover Part II star relaxing nude surrounded by real bathtub duckies in the upcoming issue of GQ. (Cute, but unfortunately not quite as sexy as his Vanity Fair swimsuit shot.) Put aside those feelings of unease thinking about the fact that the actor is floating in a vat of duck waste, and vote: Which animal is the one-man wolf pack’s best sidekick? READ FULL STORY »

Apr 11 2011 05:30 PM ET

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' debuts four-second clip: Dramatic Ape!

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The first footage of Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a five-second video cut that looks like a high-budget, dramatic ape-retelling of “Dramatic Chipmunk.” (The clip was first posted to the film’s Facebook page.) But what we can gauge from the footage is a sense of realism missing from the original Planet of the Apes films and Tim Burton’s 2001 ill-advised remake (…and Troy McClure’s musical.) Dude looks like monkey! And a nefarious, shifty-eyed one, at that. Or is this just how he felt watching Rise co-star James Franco’s Oscar hosting duties? Check it out below:  READ FULL STORY »

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