After 39 days, two medical evacuations, one rice and beans pouring out meltdown, and one friendship formed and dissolved over a pair of false teeth, Survivor: Caramoan finally crowned its winner on Sunday evening. My full recap will be up soon (UPDATE: Click to read Dalton’s full Survivor: Caramoan finale recap), but to find out or sound off on who won, read on for more. [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you've already watched Sunday's season finale of Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites.] READ FULL STORY »
May has arrived, spring has (sort of) sprung, and we are officially smack dab in the middle of finale season. We’re also coming up on some of the biggest movie releases of the year. Basically, it’s an exciting time to be an entertainment junkie, folks! So here is what we’ve rounded up for you this week. Whether you’re a Rihanna fan, an avid reader of YA novels, a country music fan, or a Gleek, we’re here to make sure you get the most out of your week … entertainment-wise. The rest is up to you.
MONDAY Rihanna 777, 8 p.m., Fox
Catch an up-close-and-personal look at life on the road with Rihanna in this documentary about her November 2012 tour, in which she traveled to seven countries for seven concerts in seven days (get it?) to promote her seventh studio album, Unapologetic. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for a Chris Brown cameo … or maybe we shouldn’t.
TUESDAY Golden by Lady Antebellum hits record stores
Lady Antebellum’s fourth studio album marks their return to the sound that fans fell in love with — think “Need You Now.” From upbeat tracks to emotional ballads, this record is sure to please fans. But if you’re looking for something a little more outside-of-the-box, we hear good things about The Great Gatsby soundtrack, which also drops Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY Amazon Original Pilots, amazon.com Check out Amazon’s slew of original pilots, watch them for free, and then vote for which pilot you want to be developed into a series. Voting goes through mid-May so act now! Our recommendation: Alpha House, starring John Goodman as a D.C. senator.
THURSDAY Community, 8 p.m., NBC — OR – Glee, 9 p.m., Fox
So many season finales, so little time. Whether you want to spend your night laughing or tapping your feet is up to you, but when it comes to Glee, regionals always provides a good show. Plus, will Blaine go through with proposing to Kurt?!
FRIDAY The Great Gatsby opens in theaters
Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of the classic novel is finally here, and it promises to be a visual experience that will leave you feeling one of two things: absolutely in awe or absolutely confused. But one thing is certain: With Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Toby Maguire in the lead roles, the party’s attendees are sure to be as pretty as the parties themselves.
SATURDAY The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey The next big YA novel is here, and it focuses on a brave young female character and what happens to her when the world is invaded by aliens. Oh, and there’s a love interest. More importantly, Sony has already made a deal to launch what Yancey predicts will be a trilogy to the big screen.
SUNDAY Once Upon a Time, 8 p.m., ABC — OR – Revenge, 9 p.m., ABC — OR – Survivor, 8 p.m., CBS It is an epic three-way battle of finales, and thanks to our best friend, DVR, we don’t have to choose. But if you do have to choose, we hear that big things are going down in Revenge‘s final hour.
Multiple idols. A crazy blind side. Anyone else still reeling from what just happened? Tonight’s tribal council was the reason we love Survivor. What you thought going into tribal council was very different from what happened when the credits rolled.
And now, if you don’t live on the east coast or don’t want to know what happened, LOOK AWAY. Go read something else. Go meditate. Do something, because you don’t want tonight’s episode to be spoiled for you.
If you have just seen it and want a place to vent, discuss! Can you believe Mr. Stealth R Us himself just got voted out? Was that the craziest tribal council you’ve ever seen? Are you sorry to see Phillip gone? My full recap will be up after the west coast airing, but for now, holy great hour of TV. What do you think?
Previews leading up this week’s episode of Survivor: Caramoan showed Brandon Hantz yelling, screaming, and tossing out food in a fit of rage. Tonight we saw the full assault, including the forces leading up to it and the aftermath of Hurricane Hantz. My full recap will be up at midnight, [UPDATE: Dalton's recap is now live] but to learn more and/or sound off about what happened, read on. [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Wednesday night’s episode of Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites.] READ FULL STORY »
15 new players. Three returning men who were medically evacuated the last time they played. Two celebrities trying to fly under the radar. And now one episode of Survivor: Philippines in the books. My full recap will be up at 12:30am, but if you already watched tonight’s Survivor premiere and want to sound off about what went down and who who was voted off, then read on below for more. [SPOILER ALERT! Continue reading only if you have already watched the premiere episode of Survivor: Philippines.] READ FULL STORY »
Between Hollywood reboot mania, reunions from the likes of 98 Degrees and the Spice Girls, and the televised resurgence of both Christina and Britney, it’s clear that the 20-teens are saturated with nostalgia for the recent past. That’s no problem for kids of the ’80s and ’90s; since our childhood favorites must be the pinnacle of culture, it only makes sense for those properties to be reborn in a modern context. (We learned our narcissism by watching you, Boomers!)
So when our generation learned yesterday that Lisa Whelchel and Michael J. Fox are both returning to the small screen, it was hard to contain our excitement. Alex P. Keaton coming back to the medium that made him a star? Yes, please! Blair Warner as a Survivor contestant? Not exactly what you’d expect Whelchel’s comeback to look like — but if any of Mrs. Garrett’s girls could outwit, outplay, and outlast the competition, it’d be The Facts of Life‘s snobby manipulator. Or Jo.
When Fox and Whelchel’s shows premiere, we’ll be watching with baited breath. Until then, though, we’ll bide our time dreaming about which other beloved ’80s stars may follow their lead.
Rob Cesternino, Survivor alumnus, walking encyclopedia of reality TV knowledge, and occasional Entertainment Weekly blogger, is signing on to be the regular host of EW.com’s Big Brother live chats on Sunday nights. Be here tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET when Rob sizes up the new cast as the Head of Household is chosen.
Fans of EW.com’s Survivor live chats appreciated Rob’s keen wit and whip-smart insights into gameplay strategy during several episodes of Survivor: One World this spring. No wonder. A veteran of the Amazon and All-Stars seasons, Jeff Probst called him “the smartest player to have never won Survivor.” Of late, Rob’s gained a whole new following via RobHasAWebsite.com, a definitive hub for snarky commentary about Survivor, Big Brother, The Celebrity Apprentice, and Jersey Shore, and featuring the beloved video podcast, Rob Has a Web Show. He’s looking forward to taking your questions and chatting live with you tonight!
With the news that Willie Hantz, the younger brother of Survivor villain Russell Hantz, will join the cast of Big Brother this season, the birth of a new reality villain dynasty is upon us. Not only is Willie (pictured, right) the spitting image of his brother, but he is shaping his persona within his brother’s mold. He told Zap2It, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win half a million dollars. Whatever it takes. If my mama was on the island with me, or on the show with me, I would vote her out first because she would get sympathy votes.” It’s safe to say that doing “whatever it takes” won’t involve making friends.
Though the Hantz brothers’ penchant for ignominy seems counterintuitive — why would someone would go on a show predicated upon alliances only to alienate everyone around him? — it has become a tried-and-true strategy as reality TV has evolved these past 20 years. EW talked to experts and insiders, from reality-obsessed academics to some of the genre’s most notorious villains to find out why being mean is often the best plan.
The only guarantee going into tonight was that a woman would be the winner of Survivor: One World. That’s because the five players still in the game — Alicia, Chelsea, Christina, Kim, and Sabrina — were all women. So which one ultimately proved victorious? My full recap will be up later (UPDATE: Click to read Dalton’s full Survivor: One World finale recap), but to learn who won, and weigh in with your take on if it was the most deserving player, then read on for more. [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched the finale for Survivor: One World.] READ FULL STORY »
Tonight starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, two-time Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino, host of the popular Rob Has a Web Show, will be chatting live with you to discuss all that happens as Survivor: One World comes to a close.
Will Kim, one of the most formidable contestants Survivor has ever seen, glide to an easy victory? Will Alicia somehow plot her downfall? Or could Christina prove to be this season’s Sophie Clarke and fly under the radar to win it all? Rob will be adding his commentary every step of the way as the island-dwellers outwit, outplay, and outlast one another until only one remains to claim the $1 million. Even more importantly, Rob will also be taking your questions. Possible topics for discussion: has any contestant since Richard Hatch had parts of his or her body blurred out as much as Alicia? Can Kim and Chelsea’s friendship survive? What epithets will Cat call her former tribemates? And what can we expect from Tarzan’s tribal council speech?
Longtime fans of the venerable reality franchise will recall that Rob is a veteran of the memorable Amazon and All-Stars seasons. He brought a new level of strategic gameplay to Survivor, forming alliances with other contestants, then quickly double-crossing them when the game called for it. He came in third during the Amazon season, but was voted out quickly in the All-Stars round because he was recognized as a highly intelligent threat. In fact, Jeff Probst even once dubbed Rob “the smartest player to have never won Survivor.”
The tribe has spoken: See you at 8:00 p.m. tonight.
