The VMAs are Basically Irrelevant

Last night, I gave the 25th annual MTV Video Music Awards about an hour and fifteen minutes before giving up and changing the channel to something else. I wasn't offended by host Russell Brand's lewd and politically incorrect comedy (it wasn't always spot on, but some of it was funny). MTV has always been a sexed-up network, as the last several seasons of The Real World can demonstrate, and anyone looking to MTV for pertinent political coverage is just foolish.

I think that my problem with the broadcast stems from the fact that music videos just aren't that prominent anymore. When I was younger, seeing the newest music video by a favorite artist was an event. MTV premiered videos and people got excited about them. You could mention a music video to a friend and they would actually have seen it and know what you were talking about.

Now, in the digital age, music seems to be a far more isolated entertainment. New music is easy to discover on satellite radio and iTunes, and MTV plays fewer and fewer actual music videos every day.

It's no wonder, since the network has increasingly shied away from actual music programming, that the quality of its music video awards show has decreased. It's just not that exciting to see who wins an award for a video you've likely never even seen.

Last night, MTV seemed to be grasping at straws. They went for the shock-value host, but had Disney tween stars scattered throughout the auditorium and depended on a performance by the Jonas Brothers to pull in some viewers. They only gave out eight awards, and three were to Britney Spears, whose career is hardly on the cutting edge of the music industry these days.

MTV needs to figure out whether they want to be a music television channel or not. If they do, I think they'll need to regain some of their edge to put the VMAs back on the cultural radar as anything worth watching.

P.S. Jordin Sparks may want to be more careful about spewing pejorative terms at everyone who doesn't make the same personal choices that she does.

Please...

don't let this happen.

Side-by-Side: Edward Norton

Last month, American History X finally made it to the top of my Netflix queue. The film was incredible, equal parts disturbing and mesmerizing, and Edward Norton absolutely blew me away. His performance seemed like the perfect reason for my second side-by-side post.

In American History X, Norton is practically playing two different roles, so there's no need to seek another film for comparison. He embodies Derek Vinyard as the reformed, penitent ex-con, and the enraged, xenophobic skinhead we see in flashbacks. Somehow, he made me believe that his character really could change that much and end up being so good and sympathetic.

First, the frightening (watch out, NSFW and potentially offensive):




Next, the pitiful, as we see Derek struggle to hold his family together after what he's put them through (same warnings apply to this clip):




This was just a great role for Edward Norton, and will probably remain one of his strongest throughout his career. The final scene of the film (which I didn't choose since it would spoil things for anyone who wants to see the whole movie) was just heartbreaking in his capable hands.

Barack's Gone Country

As Barack Obama's speech wrapped up last Thursday, I think my mouth literally hung open in shock when Brooks n' Dunn's "Only in America" played in the background as the smiling Obama family stood on stage and waved at the cheering crowd of Dems. That B&D twang was the last thing I expected to hear.

Obviously I wasn't alone in that surprise, since PopWatcher Chris Willman devoted a post to the matter.

I've always enjoyed having a little laugh when conservatives use songs and then get blasted by the singer and/or songwriter (my favorite example being Ronald Reagan's notoriously naive understanding of Springsteen's "Born in the USA"--I guess he never paid attention to the lyrics). Even though I know how useless it may be for them to raise a fuss about it, it still makes me chuckle.

Obama's use of "Only in America" was especially odd since it has been used in the past (as noted in Willman's post) by none other than George Bush and Dick Cheney (insert "That's not change, that's more of the same" joke here). Immediately I wondered what Brooks & Dunn would have to say about the whole thing.

Evidently, Kix Brooks figures turnabout is fair play. The man who co-wrote the song, Don Cook, founded Music Row Democrats, an organization that tries to fight the idea that the only people making music in Nashville are conservatives. Cook had to put up with Bush and Cheney using his work, and now Brooks & Dunn will do the same just as graciously.

Check out Willman's full post for some really interesting background on music in the '08 campaign, and the attitude shift he sees this year among country singers especially.

Online Leak Halts Midnight Sun

As an unabashed fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, I've been looking forward to Midnight Sun since I first read about it on her website several months ago. For those who don't know, Midnight Sun is the retelling of Twilight, the first book in the series, from the perspective of Edward Cullen. The first time around we heard Bella's take on falling in love with a vampire, and Midnight Sun promised the torture of a vampire falling in love with a human and loathing himself for putting her in danger.

Now, it looks like the book may never make it to print.

Meyer has had the first chapter of Midnight Sun up on her official site for quite some time now, but a while back the next eleven chapters leaked online and spread like wildfire.

Last week, Meyer finally addressed the leak. Yes, that is her writing. No, she is not happy about it. As she explains, the chapters that leaked were unedited drafts, not ready for public viewing. She's putting Midnight Sun on hold indefinitely because she's in no mood to keep writing it. I understand her point. When you're writing fiction you have to be in the right head space to do so, and if your work has been tainted by something this unfortunate your head space is going to be pretty messed up.

I for one hope that the release of the Twilight movie and the current outpouring of support from fans will help Meyer move past this nastiness over the next several months so she can get back to Edward's story. In the mean time, she has posted the twelve chapters that were leaked on her own site so that fans can see them legitimately.

SNL Seeks the Phelpsian Touch

SNL's 34th season kicks off on September 13th, and the first hosting gig of the season will rest on the shoulders of the much beloved Michael Phelps, America's golden boy (many times over).

This is way more fun than a Wheaties Frosted Flakes box. Phelps has been talking a lot about using his celebrity status to grow the sport of swimming, and this seems like a good component of that plan.

Here's hoping he's as funny as Peyton Manning.

Intervention: Broadway Style

For a bit of funny this Wednesday morning, here's a Funny or Die video of Kristen Chenoweth performing a very musical intervention.

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

Hat tip: Perez

Streaming TV for Dorm Residents

Fox plans to shake up the norm a bit this TV season by premiering the new series Fringe and the season opener of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on air and online. The catch? The only viewers able to tune into the online broadcast will be those on college campuses.

Many networks have adopted online viewing systems, allowing those of us without a DVR or Tivo to catch full episodes of our favorite shows online a day or two after they originally air, but Fox's decision to put Fringe and Terminator online at the same time they are aired signals shifts in the digital viewing process.

Fox made the decision when they noticed that a good deal of their site traffic comes from .edu addresses. It's a pretty cool way to make sure that your target audience doesn't miss your new show just because they don't have a TV in their tiny shoebox of a dorm room.

The new strategy may also help minimize illegal downloads of these shows, since .edu users are also one of the largest culprits of online pirating. It will be interesting to see what other networks follow Fox's lead on this one and put forth that extra effort to catch the college crowd.

Lawsuit May Stall Watchmen

More roller coaster news on the upcoming releases front. First, Harry Potter got pushed back eight months. Then Twilight got bumped up three weeks to take advantage of HP's vacated spot. Now Watchmen may be in trouble that will shelve it indefinitely.

Twentieth Century Fox filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers earlier this year for making the $100 million Watchmen without having the distribution rights. Fox says that they have those rights, and want to stop the film's release. Warner Brothers' request to have the lawsuit dismissed was denied by a judge this week.

With that decision, the fate of Watchmen is in movie industry limbo. These types of battles can bury films for good, but with a film this high profile, with such great potential to be a hit, my bet would be that if the case goes Fox's way, they'll want a cut of the money, not the death of the film.

Gearing up for the Winslet-DiCaprio Reunion

I was already looking forward to Revolutionary Road, the new drama that will reunite Titanic co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Now that I've read this Huffington Post snippet about Winslet's awkwardness filming their love scenes under the scrutiny of her husband Sam Mendes (who directed the film), I'm even more ready for the December release.

Winslet gave Entertainment Weekly something to look forward to about the payoff of that awkward situation: "I hadn't realized how much my chemistry with him since `Titanic' would still stick. It's great to discover we can just slip right into it, like muscle memory."

Nothing like a silly glimpse behind-the-scenes to get you ready for a new release.

Back in the swing of things...

After being absent from the blog for a couple of weeks, I thought I would ease back into things today. The Great '08 Move is mostly over, though a few boxes remain scattered around, waiting to be dealt with, so it's high time to get back to pop culture and see what I've been missing.

Like I said though, I'm going easy for now. Today EW.com had a run down of 20 Fall releases the EW writers are itching to see. It's pretty good, and there were even a few on there that I had no idea were coming out so soon (The Road in particular).

One of those exciting new releases appears to be stalled, though. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is being postponed until Summer '09 (hat tip: Perez).

Warner Brothers is blaming the writer's strike, basically saying they needed to shift around some of the big-money movies to protect their bottom line. That's a pretty crappy thing to do to fans, especially since this is basically the biggest movie franchise going right now. We'll see if this decision sticks, but until we know for sure it looks like we're down to Twilight for our fun fall book series adaptation.

Stop Trying to Make 'Girlicious' Happen...

...it's not going to happen, Blayne!

This season, Project Runway seems to have an overwhelming number of contestants trying to emerge as "characters." Characters and Project Runway go hand-in-hand, but these people are crashing right out of the gate, trying to prove themselves the next Santino, Andre, etc.

Blayne is perhaps the worst offender of the bunch. From episode one, he was trying to weave his ludicrous catchphrases (girlicious, really?) into every other sentence he spoke, prancing around the work room like the most hyper tanorexic in Manhattan. After the success of last season's fierce winner Christian Siriano, and the attention that his catchphrases earned, Blayne's no dummy to try to fill the void.

He's simply a failure. The best part about Christian's delightfully bitchy persona last season was the fact that it just felt real. He may have been playing up his diva tendencies for the camera, but he only called something a hot mess if it was a hot mess.

Besides, Blayne's catchphrases are just lame.

New Trailer: Half Blood Prince

It's about damn time. The Harry Potter teaser turned up online tonight at AOL Movies.

The pacing is kind of slow. I was hoping for a little more action and intrigue, and definitely more glimpses at the other characters. It's not bad though, and I wouldn't be surprised if we have another, more in depth trailer by the end of August.

See for yourself...

Here's a link to the hi-def trailer.

New Trailer: W.

Ooooooh, this one's going to be strange. The new teaser trailer for the George W. Bush biopic is out, and the Oliver Stone film looks delightfully wicked. It's a little odd to see people that are still key players in the American political scene being portrayed in a film. Stone seems to play up that fact by showing us every single one of them, with a handy caption to tell us who they are.

It will be interesting to see if Stone sticks closely to the facts in this film. That would make the stronger statement, the ability to illustrate the oddity of Bush's presidency without embellishment, but the temptation to take liberties is probably pretty damn hard to fight as a director.

At any rate, I'm sure fairly scandalous tales can be woven from the lives of many past presidents and their life journey to the White House, but the decision to go after the sitting president is a pretty ballsy move.

Finally, news on an HP trailer

Looks like my expectations (hopes?) that a Half Blood Prince trailer would premier in front of The Dark Knight were at least partially correct. There was a 15 second teaser trailer ahead of the IMAX showings. Though, as you can see below, there's really nothing to the "clip" (which is why I was in no rush to get this post up).

The real deal, full-length trailer will debut on August 1st, in front of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Don't worry, I'm sure it will pop up on line that same weekend, so none of us have to worry about shelling out ten bucks for that hot mess.

Here's a link to a behind-the-scenes clip on HBP. Not sure where it came from, but the tiniest bit of insight it provides seems enormous compared to the teaser.

New Trailer: Watchmen

This one opened up in front of The Dark Knight over the weekend, and while I had heard whispers about the project here and there, I didn't expect to be that interested in it.

The trailer has certainly altered my opinion.

For me, the most compelling aspect of the trailer may have been the song choice. The film clips are scorching when paired with The Smashing Pumpkins "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" (two versions of which, perhaps not coincidentally, were used on the soundtrack for 1997s Batman and Robin).

Watchmen is certainly a mystery to me, something not really helped by the vague trailer, but the visuals here are stunning. The darkness of the movie certainly goes beyond the lighting. One of only two lines featured in the trailer is downright chilling: "The world will look up and shout, 'save us,' and I'll whisper, 'no.'" You get the distinct feeling that these super people are struggling with their humanity--and that's where the best drama is usually found.

Here's an EW story that sheds a little more light on Watchmen for those curious about the storyline or the characters, but I think the mood the trailer creates says enough.

Mini Review: The Dark Knight

After anticipating the release of certain movies, there is always that distinct possibility that they won't meet your expectations. That, thankfully, was not a problem suffered by The Dark Knight.

The film continued on in the same vein as Batman Begins, though the drama and the pathos were stronger this time. Christian Bale still makes an excellent rebel billionaire, almost more fun to watch as Bruce Wayne than Batman. The film mostly soars (despite it's loooong running time), fueled by the somewhat unpredictable plot The Joker's criminal activity creates.

In that role, Heath Ledger is nearly unrecognizable, even his physical appearance fading into the background. At first, I was certain that the oscar-buzz surrounding the role was simply respect being paid for the loss of a truly talented actor. But, even the shadow cast by Ledger's death was gone when he was onscreen as The Joker. The character was so alive, the total embodiment of eccentric anarchy, that the character stole the scenes, not the tragedy. The Joker is, as he states himself in the film, so much more interesting than any of the other super villains of the comic book world. In Christopher Nolan's Batman universe, The Joker is the criminal without a purpose, more terrifying than any other.

The only bad thing about this Batman is the pressure they'll be under to make the next one just as good.

UPDATE: The movie did even better than expected over the weekend, scoring the biggest three-day opening weekend in box office history, grossing $155.3 million.

Learning to Be Real (Just Like Pinnochio)

This week, when the TV Guide came, I sat down with it (like I always do) to see if anything seemed interesting enough to read. Practically screaming out to me from page 18 was the following headline: "Want to Be the Next Heidi and Spencer?" The sub-heading? "A new reality-TV school teaches the tricks of the trade."

What tricks of the trade? Isn't mindless self-promotion one of those skills you're just kind of born with, like singing or the ability to moon walk? Robert Galinsky, the creator of the New York Reality TV School, doesn't think so.

At the school, "students learn how to audition, create an on-air persona and parlay 15 minutes of fame into a career."

Has it come to this? Have we finally stopped pretending that reality shows are reality and not simply an excuse for networks to save the money they would otherwise spend on good actors and smart writers? I love my reality indulgences just as much as the next girl (cough**Rock of Love**cough), but if we live in a world where someone's goal is to become the next Speidi, maybe it's time to call the whole thing off.

More Twilight

This marks my 100th post on The Hollywood Minutiae, so it's fitting that the topic is something I'm a bit of a fangirl about these days. The second teaser trailer for Twilight went up today on Yahoo (and still a teaser for Harry Potter is nowhere to be found).



I think Film School Rejects made a fair point this week that up to this point the movie has not been marketed that well to those unfamiliar with the Twilight novels. Readers get to see the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and know enough about the rest of the plot to fill in the gaps left by the trailer. Non-readers are sort of left scratching their heads.

This trailer gives non-readers a little more to go on, but only time will tell if it's enough.

The Emmy Noms are In

While Kathy Griffin's beloved Shmemmys may be a little more exciting than the primetime telecast, the nominations for that show don't receive quite as much attention as the real deal.

The noms for the big-dog categories are out today, and they're not too bad. You can see the full list over at EW.com. For me, the glaring exception is that John Krasinski has once again been overlooked in the category of Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. I'm not sure how this outrage has continued for so long, but perhaps his time will come next year.

Our big Emmy nom lesson this year is that your best Emmy bet as a guest star is to appear on 30 Rock. Seven of the eleven Guest on a Comedy Series nominations were mined from Tina Fey's brainchild, which took the award for Best Comedy last year.

Overall, this year's nominations seem mostly fair, but a little boring. Perhaps it's because the TV season was hacked up by the strike, but something's just not the same.

More Potter Pics

It's the day of many tidbits here on the Minutiae. Our second tidbit of the day is a gallery of sixteen pics from Half Blood Prince over on Yahoo Movies. The batch from the MTV Movies Blog that I posted last week are in there, so if you missed them the first time, be sure to check these out.

Dunder Mifflin Downsized?

Doesn't look like that Office spinoff is happening any time soon. I can't say I'm disappointed, since I was worried from the get-go. No reason to go all Private Practice on one of the best comedies currently on television.

The new plan, a show by Office executive producer Greg Daniels that's built around Amy Poehler, could be great. Poehler is one funny lady, and without the pressure of protecting the Office brand with his new show, Daniels could build some totally new funny. If the show happens, maybe they can even get Poehlers hi-larious husband Will Arnett to make an appearance.

Confessions of a PCB

Yesterday, Amy Wilkinson wrote a fun PopWatch post about being a Pop Culture Bully (PCB). I've made an effort on this blog to poke fun at my own pop culture indulgences that may rate high on the lameness scale. Some of the most entertaining pop culture is of the so-bad-its-good variety, and there's not really any point in pretending we don't like it.

That being said, since my sister is one of the half-dozen or so readers of this blog, I can't, without consequences, say that my inner PCB doesn't emerge from time to time. She can give prime examples of me as both The Manhandler and The Insulter.

The Manhandler is clearly the more forgivable of the two PCB personae, and can truly be used for good. I try not to foist my every pop culture discovery onto others, only those that are actually fantastic and seem to fit that specific person. This is how I was turned on to Arrested Development (thanks, Kimberly!), Vampire Weekend (thanks, Jenny!), and many other lovely things that I can't recall right now. Since others passed those gems on to me, I see Manhandling as my pop culture duty, as long as I perform that duty responsibly (just how Spider-Man would expect me to).

The Insulter, however, is the persona I try very hard to contain. The Insulter is my inner Mr. Hyde, lurking, waiting to attack my poor friends and family when they try to rent a Larry the Cable Guy movie. I stand by my loathing of all things Larry, but perhaps I shouldn't be so mean to my dad about it.

Let's remember that the PCB is not always a menacing figure, as long as the PCB is thoughtful, not mean. I'll be a thoughtful PCB right now, and send you over to Act One of Joss Whedon's fantastical treat, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. And click quickly, friends. The Sing-Along will only hang around the web until Saturday. After that you'll have to track down the DVD.

New Trailer: OMG! It's HSM3!

The latest installment of Disney's hyper-lucrative High School Musical Franchise is set for an October 24th release, and the trailer has officially landed online. This one is a little scary. The first movie was cute. The second was fine. The fact that they decided to transport the cheese-tastic series to the big screen just seems like overkill.

I'll admit that I have seen both previous HSM movies. I'll also admit that I have three of the songs on my iPod. But even I will not shell out $10 to see this. The basketball scene, when Gabriella and Troy sing to one another across the gym, left me feeling a little nauseated.

If this really will be the Harry Potter of the rowdy tween set, like Jeff Jensen at PopWatch is guessing, I think I (unlike him) may be avoiding movie theaters altogether the weekend of October 24th.

Holy Bazooka, Batman!

MTV Movies Blog posted this exclusive clip from The Dark Knight yesterday:



Nice to see the bazooka that provided such an awesome image in the trailer put into some sort of context. July 18th can't come soon enough.

New Potter pics released as we wait for a trailer

We muggles get a treat from the wizarding world this week. New photos (the good, high quality kind) from Half Blood Prince have been released, and they're kind of awesome.

The great thing about these pics is that they're conveying some of the major, important moods that the sixth book deals with. I'm excluding the picture of Luna Lovegood, of course. She's just quirky fun.

HBP should be fantastic, equal parts dark and fun, and the news that Ron finally gets to show off his mad Quidditch skills (not to mention the sight of Rupert Grint in that funny helmet) is enough to convince me to be patient until the first trailer is out. No news yet on when that will be, but I've got my fingers crossed for a July 18th premier, ahead of The Dark Knight. I'll keep you posted.

Build Your Own Radio Station

I must credit my sister, Jennifer, for introducing me to this one. After her frequent recommendations, I have finally wandered over to Pandora to check out what all the fuss was about.

It was about something pretty cool. Type the name of a song or band that you really like and Pandora will build you a radio station. Based on the site's database, other songs and bands that match the qualities of that first pick will stream on your computer.

You can listen without signing up for a while, but I would recommend registering. It's free, and any station you create will be saved. Any time you access the site from the same computer one of your stations will play automatically.

Nooooooo!

After the torment that was the writer's strike, the news that an actor's strike may be unavoidable is pretty depressing. I've been avoiding reading any articles that would share such news, so I'm not quite up-to-speed on all the details.

From what I have gathered, things don't sound good. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) can't agree on their goals for negotiating with the AMPTP. The divide only benefits the AMPTP, giving them the upper hand in negotiations.

The unions will be voting soon on whether or not to strike. If things don't work out, fall TV could consist of mostly reality shows and reruns, and the 2009 movie calendar could get pretty slim. Let's hope things don't come to that, and the 72% of actors who make less than $5,000 a year don't suffer in the process.

A New Hire at The Office

Amy Ryan will appear in at least five episodes of The Office in the show's upcoming fifth season. The actress appeared in the season finale of the show this year as Holly, the replacement for Michael's HR nemesis, Toby.

Can't wait to see where Amy Ryan's character goes. Holly's potential to drag Michael into a normal relationship was a completely unexpected element of the season finale. She actually found some of his antics charming, and inspired him to shelve some of his less-successful courtship rituals (with help from Jim, of course). While Jan (Melora Hardin) is always a kick, watching Michael try to reign himself in could be make for some pretty funny material. And, as the show gets older, new story lines will be a must.

No word on what's going to happen to Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby. The actor also works as a writer on the show, so even if he's strictly behind-the-scenes for a while, he'll be around.

New Trailer: Quantum of Solace

There are three films debuting this winter that I already have on my calendar. Twilight (Dec. 12), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nov. 21), and Quantum of Solace (Nov. 7), the latest James Bond installment.

The new trailer for Quantum of Solace doesn't disappoint. The action sequences look as tight as they were in Casino Royale, the story still seems grittier and more realistic than past incarnations of Bond, and Daniel Craig is still...well, hot.

It's difficult to tell what the plot of Solace is from this trailer, but themes of revenge and rebellion are good meaty territory for any action film to mine.

New Trailer: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Today's new trailer is not for a movie, but still has the potential to rescue us from the doldrums of summer TV. It's for a web-only series by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, and looks fantastically awesome for many reasons.

First, you have Neil Patrick Harris. Even when you don't count Doogie Howser, the guy is just pretty cool. One of the most self-mocking, fun-loving celebrities out there. And, he's playing a super villain. Yeah, I'm sold.

The goodness doesn't end there, since Nathan Fillion is also on board. If you haven't seen Fillion in the movie Waitress yet, I strongly recommend you do so immediately. He's just the sort of charming actor who can bump up the credibility of any project.

These two fantastic actors, combined with Joss Whedon's trademark snappy dialogue and self-aware humor, have me ready and waiting for the debut. I can't seem to pin down a date, but keep your eyes on the show's MySpace page if you're interested.


Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Did everyone notice that the green screen at the start of the trailer said "Approved by the Motion Picture Association of My House"? Priceless!

Hat-tip to Pop Watch!

Need a laugh? Heidi Montag has a new single...

If you're in need of a chuckle, or at least an affirmation that you're taste in music is not complete crap, take a listen to this little gem from Heidi Montag. The star of The Hills, and one-half of Speidi, outdoes herself with "Fashion." It is awful in so many ways that I can't list them. Do try to pay special attention to the lyrics, they're the best part.

I should probably apologize for posting this, but I'm willing to temporarily lower my standards to spread laughter.

New Rules for Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to limit the number of original songs from a single film that can be nominated for an Oscar to two.

The decision should come as a complete relief to anyone who watched the telecast this year. The cheese-factor of the ceremony was exponentially increased by the fact that three of the five nominated songs being performed were from Enchanted. I loved Enchanted, and the music was cute and catchy, but, no matter how much I love Kristen Chenoweth, the Oscars is not the place for this.

McAvoy Making the Rounds

Wanted comes out next Friday, which means that James McAvoy is busy making the publicity rounds. I hope that my love for him does not equate bias, but I must say he gives some of the best interviews in Tinseltown. Here he is on last night's Leno.

Too Much Valderrama?

Wilmer Valderrama, best known as quirky foreign-exchange student Fez on That 70's Show, may be returning to Fox in the fall. The network has acquired the script for a new hour-long comedy, The Emancipation of Ernesto, with Valderrama attached as star and co-executive producer.

The show will follow Valderrama, as Ernesto, as he avoids the temptations of L.A. and searches for his father.

I love That 70's Show, and still watch the reruns all the time in syndication, but I don't know if I see Valderrama as someone you can take in hour-long doses. Especially when he's the focus of the entire show and not part of a larger ensemble. Time will tell.

The Hollywood Minutiae Summer Playlist

The most observant of my small readership may have noticed the playlist hanging around at the bottom of the site. I decided to have some fun and put up a sort of summer mixed CD of all the songs I can't stop listening to right now.

I swear I could have easily put every song from the Vampire Weekend CD on the list, the whole album just sounds like summer, but I resisted. There's a mix here, some mainstream, some less so, and maybe you'll find something new. I'd recommend heading over to Playlist.com yourself. If you want to listen to songs on your computer you can build your own list of all your favorite songs and listen while you do your thing.

Here's the playlist again, and it'll be at the bottom of the site at least through the end of August.

New Trailer: Religulous

Wow. This one's going to be good. I don't really know what to say about Religulous, a new documentary coming out on October 3. I'm sure it's going to offend a lot of people. Probably many of those offended people won't even waste time seeing it before judging it, but that's life.

I like that this film looks at all sorts of religions, not simply Judaism or Christianity. I like that Bill Maher brings his trademark irreverence to the table. I like that Gnarls Barkley got some play in the trailer. Most of all, I'm fascinated by stuff like this and I don't think I'll be able to resist.

Side-by-Side: Daniel Day-Lewis

Summer has finally given me the opportunity to watch There Will Be Blood (for shame that it took me so long!). As my mind continues to wrap around that fantastic 2.5 hours of film, I thought I'd do a post, possibly the first of a recurring segment, comparing two of an actor's roles side-by-side.

Daniel Day-Lewis is the perfect guy to start with. He just lives his parts. As I watched him play Daniel Plainview, I couldn't help but think of his work in The Age of Innocence. The two characters are completely dissimilar, but he has no problem selling either role. His work as the somewhat effete Newland Archer is only a reminder that he's one of those rare and greatest actors who can make you forget he is acting.

Here are two Day-Lewis trailers, the first for Age of Innocence, the second for There Will Be Blood. It doesn't even seem like the same person, does it?

Katherine Heigl: Selfishly Yappy or Refreshingly Honest?

Last year, Katherine Heigl was on top of the world when she took 2007's Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama.

This year? She's made the following statement to explain why she her name is not on the list of Emmy submissions:

I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization decided against competing.

Her press release goes on to say that she did not want to take away from other actresses who were given the type of material deserving an Emmy this season.

Heigl is known for her tendency to speak out, even if it means saying something less-than-nice about her show's writers or the director of her star-making movie, Knocked Up. The web debates have loved this week's statement. There are those who think she's trying to get out of her contract at Grey's to pursue films full time. There are those who think she's simply ungrateful and bratty. Then there are those who think she's taking a stand against the typical Hollywood press machine that insists upon niceties and BS.

I'm closest to those applauding her honesty. I really do like that Heigl seems to tell it like it is. She's not saying anything about the writing on Grey's Anatomy this season that many others, including showrunner Shonda Rhimes, haven't already said. I'll even forgive her the seeming arrogance of implying that leaving her name in the running might take away from those who deserve it. It's true that one less big name actress from a big name show could really help an actress from a show on (gasp!) cable, with smaller numbers, pull in a much-deserved nom.

In Case You Missed It

I'm doing a summer installation of my campus newspaper column this week, so I thought I'd go ahead and post all the little news tidbits I dug up but didn't devote prior posts to. Here's lots of info-tainment nuggets to get you through your Thursday afternoon! Bonus for online readers? Links!

• Watch for yet another superhero movie to find a multiplex near you in 2010. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) has been given the go ahead to write and star in The Green Hornet. He’s an unlikely choice for the role, but Sony sees potential.
• Pamela Anderson will be joining E!’s lineup of reality stars in August when she premiers her new show Pam: Girl on the Loose. The blonde bombshell is insisting that it is a documentary show about all aspects of her life, not just a reality show. What’s the difference?
• On June 1, a major fire broke out on the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles. The fire consumed several famous film sets, including the famous courthouse square from the Back to the Future films, and jeopardized a vault containing rare film footage.
• Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth are both ready to head back to the old zip code. The Beverly Hills: 90210 alums have both signed on to reprise their original roles in the CW’s new spinoff. Spelling’s Donna Martin will now own a clothing store frequented by the new teenage cast, and Garth’s Kelly Taylor will now be a guidance counselor at West Beverly Hills High, her alma mater.
• In case you, like most people, didn’t hear, Scarlett Johannson released a CD (Anywhere I Lay My Head) of Tom Waits covers in May. Much to no one’s surprise, the wonderful actress couldn’t muster much buzz for her singing, and only managed to sell 5,000 copies in the first week.
• Production delays have stalled Coldplay’s North American tour. The shows will be pushed back two weeks, now starting on July 14th. The band’s free concerts in London, Barcelona, and New York will still be held on their original dates.
• On the set of the newest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig (Bond himself) suffered a slight mishap. While filming an action sequence, the star sliced off the tip of one of his fingers. Craig is such a determined Bond that he was back on the set the same day, ready to finish the scene.
• Charlie Sheen has vowed—via Ok! Magazine—to never publicly speak the name of his ex-wife Denise Richards again. The two have been trading barbs in the tabloids since their split in 2006. Here’s hoping Sheen stays true to his word.
• Bored? Surf over to Hulu.com and check out their “Hulu Days of Summer” extravaganza. The site offers full-length films and television shows, and during their days of summer promotion will be introducing new content daily. The fun starts June 16th, and in the meantime the site boasts everything from Arrested Development to Bewitched. During my Hulu surfing I stumbled across this little gem from SNL.

New Trailer: Babylon A.D.

Vin Diesel is back! I'm not sure that deserved an exclamation point, but I have fond memories of seeing brainless Vin Diesel action movies like The Fast and the Furious and xXx back when my friends and I were finally old enough to drive ourselves to movies, so there's some nostalgia attached to Diesel for me. After some interesting (Find Me Guilty) and just plain silly (The Pacifier) film choices over the past couple of years, it's kind of cool to see him get back to basics.



Babylon A.D. looks just as slick and sweaty as those Vin classics. I have no clue what the plot is. There is some sort of mysterious woman, possibly with special powers, that has to be transported to America by Diesel. Beyond that, I have no idea what the shootings and explosions are about.

Look for more nostalgia from Vin in '09 when he reunites with Paul Walker (both of them need the career boost I guess) for a Fast and the Furious sequel.

Stereogum Previews New Coldplay

The forthcoming new release from Coldplay, "Viva la Vida," leaked on the internet last week. Stereogum did a fantastic job of giving the album a full rundown on Friday.

A highlight:

Over three albums, Chris Martin found a simple and relatively understated formula for successful songwriting: melodically, he hit it on Parachutes -- verse, verse up an octave, falsetto hook -- expanded it on Rush Of Blood, and made an overblown parody of it on that last one. If nothing else, this album shows the band is thinking, and is self aware: say hello to less falsetto, different song structures, and a legendary producer. Already we're off to a good start.

I've never been a die hard fan of Coldplay, but I've downloaded a fair number of their singles through the past several years. Title track "Viva la Vida" and first single "Violet Hill" have been on heavy rotation on my iPod for weeks, and for the first time I'm genuinely considering buying the whole album instead of just the singles that catch my attention.

Watch for the album to drop next Tuesday, and if you're on the fence take a look at the whole Stereogum review for an idea of what you're in for.

Great Wedding Scenes

Since I'm acting as bridesmaid in a wedding this weekend (and love making lists), I thought I'd post five great wedding scenes from TV or films.

The Princess Bride: The wedding in this one is technically unofficial (she didn't say "I do"), but since the officiant is the best in film history, that's ok.

Love Actually: It's just such a great use of "All You Need is Love."

In Her Shoes: A great laid back wedding with a poem that gets me every time. (sorry about the subtitles, it was hard to pin down a good clip for this one!)

The Office: Toby may be really proud of himself in this scene from Phyllis's Wedding (his date catches the bouquet), but we all know the real MVP is Ryan. He is so desperate to keep Kelly from the flowers that he runs interference.

And, unfortunately, my grand finale clip cannot be found. I planned to end with a great Sex and the City wedding moment. The four girls are gathered at a wedding, the bouquet is tossed, and they all simply watch it hit the floor. Carrie simply says, "Ok girls, see you tomorrow." Check out the link for a picture to help you visualize.

OT: Blogging to Break Free

It's always interesting to see the ways that technology, and blogging in particular, is impacting real people. For American student James Karl Buck, blogging helped spring him from an Egyptian jail.

Pretty amazing, right? Buck was in Egypt working on his masters thesis in photography. Snapping pics of a protest that turned ugly, he was thrown in jail with the anti-government protestors. From his cell phone he sent a one-word blog post, "Arrested," to his page on the Twitter networking site.

Now, Buck's trying to get his translator, only at the protest to help Buck, out of prison as well. Read more if you get a chance. It's pretty interesting stuff.

My You Tube Obsession

You Tube and I have a tenuous relationship, for sure. More often than not, when I give into my complete weakness for random videos, it can throw off even the best-intentioned study session. It's not You Tube's fault, I know. I'm the one that can't stop searching for favorite shows from my childhood, my favorites clips from current shows, and plain ole' funny shiz.

The thing is, sometimes it really comes through for me. I know I'm still wasting time when I search Jim + Pam, or Ephram + Amy, etc., but You Tube has introduced me to some kind of kick-ass music this way. It's a pleasant by-product of my time-wastage.

Without it, Mat Kearney may have taken me a lot longer to find. And the latest song I can't stop listening to, "So Contaigious" by Acceptance? Totally You Tube! There have been dozens of other songs or artists, too many to give credit where credit is due.

I'm at the point now where I'll search the TV couple videos just hoping for a song title or artist I've never heard before, eager to be wowed. The point? Even something that drives me nuts and may be causing the downfall of humanity has it's advantages...

Deepak Chopra defends The Love Guru; I still won't shell out $10 to see it

Deepak Chopra, uber-famous spiritual leader and author, has come to the aid of Mike Myers latest "comedy," The Love Guru. Based on the trailer, many members of the Hindu community were angry that Myers and the film were mocking the Hindu faith and using their sacred terms "frivolously."

In his essay defending the film, Chopra criticizes those members of the Hindu community critiquing the film based on a short trailer. Apparently the film makes more fun of Chopra himself than of Hinduism. Chopra and Myers have been friends for some time, and the real-life guru even has a cameo in the film.

While Chopra says that the film's message is one of "love being the ultimate truth," it still won't tempt me into the theater in three weeks. While I found nothing in the trailer offensive, I found nothing funny either. And when you're talking about the trailer for a supposed comedy film, that's an unforgivable failure.

Friday Odds n' Ends

Could the wonderful James McAvoy be donning fake ears and feet to play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit? What Perez says has a fairly high record of being accurate, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

If you're as obsessed with Twilight as I am these days, check out the first page or so of Breaking Dawn over on EW.com today. This weekend you can pick up a copy of Eclipse: Special Edition, which includes the rest of the first chapter.

And, also for fellow Twilight fans, during the MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show a full scene from the film will be aired.

Two things I never expected to go together? Coldplay and Guitar Hero...

A Few Words on Editing (Or, "Are Special Effects Ruining Movies?")

This weekend I, like many others, saw the new Indiana Jones movie. I won't make any jokes now about how Harrison Ford is really old (he is) or how upsetting it was to see Cate Blanchett doing a bad fake Russian accent (very). Instead, what I'm dying to talk about as the film floats around in my mind, is what special effects have done to the way movies are made.

Special effects can be awesome (duh). The upset comes when power-crazed directors (Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, et al.) decide that now that they can turn anything they imagine into a scene, they should turn it into a scene. Lucas couldn't reel in his desire for superfluous special effects when he shot the Star Wars prequels, Peter Jackson (who did just fine controlling himself for the Lord of the Rings films) can't stop himself from spending too much time on dinosaurs and giant insects in King Kong, and Spielberg allows bloated special effects setups to drain all of the fun out of his latest Indy outing.

Of course, now that we have the capacity to create them, special effects should be utilized. Directors simply seem to have forgotten about an important step in the storytelling process: editing. If (SPOILER ALERT) giant, man-eating ants aren't necessary to the plot of your film (and trust me, Spielberg, they weren't), CUT THEM! Precious moments of my Sunday afternoon could have been better spent if directors could simply learn to control their desire to CGI the charm out of their films.

When the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones films were created, perhaps Lucas and Spielberg sat around lamenting the fact that their precious visions of elaborate galactic senates and mysterious otherworldly temples couldn't be realized on the big screen. But, at least the movies were about stories and characters instead of aging tech-geeks high-fiving each other behind-the-scenes for their ability to create fake bugs.

New Weezer Video!

Had to post this one since it's already my new favorite music video. Weezer uses the video for their latest song, "Pork and Beans," to send up all of our favorite You Tube staples. From Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker, to Chocolate Rain Guy, to Kevin Federline and Po-Po Zao. And, of course, the viral video that seems to have started it all...the Numa Numa kid.

Enjoy!

Not as Awesome as Amy Winehouse

After the possibility of Amy Winehouse singing a song for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, hearing that Beyonce may do it instead doesn't inspire any excitement in me. I like Beyonce, but it's just not the same.

The original song's producer, Mark Ronson, has not confirmed that Beyonce will take over for Winehouse. He has only said that the track was temporarily shelved because Amy was not ready to record it.

Amy Winehouse needs to get her shiz together. I was a big fan of Chris Cornell's song for the last bond movie, and Amy Winehouse seemed like the perfect person to follow him. It probably won't work out, judging by these switch-up rumors and Amy's latest escapades, but a girl can dream. Beyonce doesn't seem capable of the edginess or darkness the new Bond movies are going for.

Another New Trailer: Eagle Eye

Wasn't going to do another trailer so soon, but just found this teaser for Eagle Eye. Shia Labeouf takes on his first really grownup looking role. The whole thing seems like a crazy-intense spin on The Matrix and The Bourne movies.

Not much to see here, but so far so good.

New Trailer: The Rocker

Coming out on August 1, 2008, The Rocker is the new comedy starring none other than Mr. Dwight K. Schrute himself, Rainn Wilson. The trailer does not have me convinced that this is going to be a winning role for Wilson. There is way too much dependence on physical comedy (none of which is actually that funny), and I'm not sure he pulls off the middle-aged-slightly-overweight-man-in-spandex thing quite as well as Will Ferrell.

That being said, the opening of the trailer, with it's great "I'd still be the pretty child" exchange, is exactly the reason I think this movie could turn out all right. The movies that play up awkward and funny family exchanges are always a good time, and teenagers who look like teenagers are a bonus.

It could go either way...

Live Blog: Battle of the Davids

9:00 - Has anyone figured out what this Ruben Studdard song means? Oh well, whatever. I'll allow him to celebrate me out of this live blog. Goodnight!

8:58 - If Simon really means that the show is about finding a great performer, is Archie really the best? His stage moves haven't changed since the first round, he often sounds as if he's running out of breath during song verses, and he's kind of awkward. Cook has faults too, but in the contemporary music market, whose CD will really sell? Anyone out there reading, please weigh in on this one. I would buy a CD by a David Cook. I wouldn't buy a CD by a David Archuleta. And that is just the honest to blog truth.

8:56 - Archie's performance helps me remember that, before choosing to ignore some of his later faux pas, the judges were right saying that David Archuleta has a great voice.

8:51 - Um, gross. Did someone actually lose the tip of his thumb in someone's food on tonight's Hell's Kitchen? That promo makes me glad I don't watch that show.

8:49 - Instead of picking a song he'd already done so well on, I think Archuleta should have given one of his missteps another shot (even though the judges commentary this season would hardly allow you to think he'd had any). We'll see how "Imagine"-redux goes soon enough.

8:48 - Why is Simon hardcore pimping lil' Archie tonight? And did he just wink at Cook?

8:47 - He's standing in his truth? What does that mean, Paula!?

8:46 - Yet another subdued final note for Cook. Nice job. This song choice was much better than last week's Switchfoot song. And he always gets me with those tears.

8:43 - I hope Cook keeps it acoustic.

8:42 - Who is that boxing guy, and why are they giving Andrew Lloyd Webber, the worst guest judge of the season, more screen time?

8:36 - I won't fault Archie for the awfulness that was that song. He didn't have anything great to choose from, I get it. I am so sick of hearing Randy saying this kid can sing the phone book. I for one would not pay to hear that. Or anything else that he puts out, but that's just me. It's surprising to me that Simon would prefer yet another sappy ballad out of the AI winner to something uptempo.

8:35 - Did anyone else just see those tickety-tack fake nails some girl in the pit was wearing? They were on extreme close-up, so they were hard to miss.

8:28 - I'm afraid Cook may have given off a bit to much of an 80's vibe with this "Dream Big" song, but the simple fact that he didn't sing it as a ballad is a MAJOR improvement over the past six Idol winner songs.

8:24 - Interesting spin on the song competition. The Davids get to choose which of the entries sucks the least. And, based on Slezak's review of the entries, sucks least is about the truth.

8:19 - Side note. Archie should now be considered part of the four-way song showdown over "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Was he better than Clay Aiken, Bo Bice, or Justin Guarini? I don't know, and I certainly don't have the energy to watch all three of their performances to decide.

8:17 - Archie has a nice voice, but is he interesting? That performance doesn't have me convinced that he is.

8:16 - That faraway shot of Archie all alone on the steps was kind of sad.

8:13 - Pretty solid start for Cook. Resisted the urge to put forth his typical power note at the end. Moved around the stage instead of sticking like glue to the mic stand. All in all, he looks good up there.

8:11 - U2 for Cook and Elton John for Archie? Not your best work, Clive.

8:10 - Let's get this party started. Clive Davis better have some good stuff picked out for these guys.

8:05 - David Archuleta may not have made the best decision. Going after David Cook will only work if David Cook doesn't flip whatever crap song they've got to sing this year into something kind of awesome.

8:00 - Super cheesy boxing-style intro? Totally unnecessary.

Before the live blog, check out the buzz...

Only a few more hours until the Davids take the stage to sing this year's embarrassingly cheesy winner's ballad. As we near the 8 o'clock hour, here's some fun stuff to get you prepped and ready for go-time.

Hear what Slezak & co. over at EW.com have to say on the latest episode of Idolatry about who should win.

AOL.com has a ton of interesting stuff to check out on their Idol page. Click through the gallery to see the results of fan polls. David Cook beats out Archuleta for the best performance vote, and doesn't land on the worst performance poll at all even though Archie claims third place on that list for his mediocre take on "You're the Voice."

Idol's down to two contenders: time for another live blog!

Greetings all! David Archuleta and David Cook (hereafter referred to as "the Davids") wound up doing exactly what they were expected to last night, and were named the final contestants of this season of American Idol. While it's not surprising they nabbed the final spots, figuring out which one of them will come out on top is nearly impossible.

I won't be posting again this week, but come back for my Tuesday night live blog during the showdown of the Davids. I'll be attempting to put my biases aside for the night to give each David a fair shake...let's see how that goes.

Deciding What to See Tonight?

If Speed Racer is whirling around your mind as a possibility this weekend, click over to yahoo to see the first seven minutes (hat tip: Pop Candy). The ratings I've seen on this thing so far have been atrocious, but here's a way to make your own educated choice.

Happy Friday!

McCain - Schrute Ballot Coming Your Way

On The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain announced that he'd like someone very special to be his running mate: Dunder Mifflin Scranton's third in command, Dwight Schrute.

As surprised as I am that McCain watches The Office, I have to give him credit. The Daily Show audience is the perfect group to lay that punchline on.

There's really only one problem with this match up. To quote Dwight (discussing his fantasy appointment of 24's Jack Bauer as his second in command), Dwight is "unavailable. Fictional. And overqualified."

Hat tip to Office Tally for the link, and check out the first link to The Caucus for some other highlights from the McCain interview.

New Trailer: Twilight

I've been keeping my eyes open for this one, and somehow I still managed to miss it for a day! Twilight, the film based on the wildly popular series of vampire love stories by Stephenie Meyer, now has a quickie teaser trailer streaming online. Filming only ended last week, but the trailer still looks pretty put-together despite the fact the movie won't be released until December. See for yourself...



The casting looks solid here. Robert Pattinson (vampire Edward) and Kristen Stewart (his mortal love interest, Bella) seem to have good chemistry, and Pattinson's edginess is fitting. As someone who only recently gave in to the hype swirling around the books and read the series (seriously recent, I'm finishing the third book as we speak), I can honestly say that not only am I eagerly awaiting this film, but it doesn't look like I'll be disappointed.

The movie should have everything that I love about the books (great story lines, interesting characters) with none of the little things that drive me crazy about Meyer's prose (clumsy use of vocabulary, too many adverbs, etc.). Meyer flipped the old vampire cliches (sleeping in coffins, aversions to garlic, fangs) and created new superhero-ish vampires that should be a blast to watch onscreen.

Something Watchable on MTV?

The only MTV staple I'll even bother watching anymore is The Hills. I know that is a show I should consistently deny watching, but this blog is hardly the place to pretend my television habits don't occasionally dip into the mindless overexposure genre from time to time. That being said, "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" may be just the kind of show that tempts me back to the network for another weekly chunk of time.

"Blonde" will follow bright young Broadway hopefuls as they vie for the soon-to-be-vacant role of Elle in the stage adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film. Variety says the show is going for more of a Project Runway vibe than American Idol, not wanting to depend on the formula of that omnipresent pop contest. All I can hope is that they figure out what went wrong with "Grease: You're the One that I Want" and avoid making the same mistakes as that snooze-fest (the only bright spot was the eventual winning "Danny," Max).

I may actually be looking forward to the June 2 premiere of "Blonde" more than is normal for someone who has no interest whatsoever in seeing the musical. Behind the scenes dirt seems a lot more intriguing where this one's concerned.

Free Coldplay Song, Limited Time Only

If you're a fan of coldplay, or simply a curious fan of all kinds of music, head on over to Coldplay's website before next Tuesday to get a free download of their new single, "Violet Hill." The song is from the group's new album, "Viva la Vida," and will not be released to online music retailers until next week.

I hope more bands decide to try out this free pre-release idea.

Hat tip to HuffPost for the scoop.

Great Graduation Flicks

In honor of my impending college graduation, I decided to put together a list of my favorite graduation movies. Whether they depict high school or college, movies can always reap great drama from starting with the characters in cap and gown (or finishing, as in Last Picture Show).

Reality Bites: I could watch this movie over and over. It is the sort of post-graduation dream that I have and don’t really want to come true. Winona Ryder made losing her crappy job, living in a crappy apartment, dating a personality-lacking Ben Stiller, and pining for her emotionally unavailable best friend seem like the most romantic, ideal way to spend your life, post-diploma.

The Last Picture Show: This one is devastating, a rumination on small-town life and the loss of innocence. Sonny Crawford must part with every aspect of his youth by the end of the film, left to carry on without his childhood friends and pastimes. Even though it’s kind of a bummer, the movie is still a really beautiful depiction of the crossroads people sometimes face in life.

The Graduate (duh): Inappropriate sex and the desire to “find yourself.” Enough said.


Say Anything: The ultimate post-high school fantasy. Lloyd Dobler, average everyman, gets his shot with the beautiful valedictorian he’s had his eye on, and it’s true love. Stalker-ish behavior and a boom box never seemed so romantic.

Can’t Hardly Wait: Another one about the last-chance opportunities you have after you graduate high school. This time it’s about a lot of different people, but with the same Lloyd Dobbler-type fantasy at its center. Highlights include hilarious turns by Seth Green and Charlie Korsmo. Plus, dozens of pre-fame stars pop up, including Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly, Jason Segel (blink and you miss him), and Selma Blair.

American Idol Judges Replaced by Deaf Robots

Not really. Obviously. But, anyone seriously keeping up with the show lately has to be wondering what's up with our strange trio of judges on AI. I have ears, and a brain, and therefore feel confident laying the following criticism on Randy, Paula, and Simon, who dish out plenty of criticism themselves:

Stop acting like little David Archuleta can do no wrong: Seriously! The first week or two of the top twelve I was ok with David. The kid has a nice set of pipes, and he's light and fluffy, completely non-threatening. But now, the gloves are coming off! This kid has flubbed lyrics on more than one of his big numbers; he cannot deliver on lower, quieter notes; he consistently chooses the most BORING song possible; and he acts like he's 12, not 17. Oh, and Randy, your standard comment, "a good singer can sing anything, period," is not suitable to drag out every week in lieu of proper commentary, even when you preface it with "I'll say it again."

I'm afraid we may be stuck with lil' Archie until the final two, all because of the stampeding tweens who love him and the judges ugh-inspiring love fests. Worst of all? With all of this season's potential to have a cooler, hipper winner, David A. may put the show back at square one. Think about it...would you actually spend your money on a David A. album before shelling out $$ for the first disc from Carly, Jason, or David Cook?

That's Entertainment?

Saturday night, after an exhausting day, I enjoyed some televisual fun on E! The Soup was good, as always, and they even played one of the best episodes of SNL of the past several years, when Justin Timberlake took hosting duties.

My laughs were interrupted when I caught a promo for the upcoming E! special on the 15 most shocking violent crimes.

Ummm, what? I've heard the old newspaper adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," but should an entertainment network focused mostly on celebrities and reality shows starring pseudo-celebrities really devote time to something so depressing? And should depressing events really be quantified in countdown form?

Shame on E! for trying to capitalize on violence. Shame.

One More Reason to Love Ron Weasley

Even though he is just 19 years-old, Rupert Grint (a.k.a. Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films) is one smart cookie. His recent comments on Lindsay Lohan and why he does not want to move to L.A. were enough to make me temporarily break my own no-celebrity-gossip rule.

From Showbiz Spy:

The 19-year-old actor, who plays Ron Weasley in the wizard movies, said: “I met Lindsay last summer and she talked about herself a lot.

“She said she was going to win an Oscar before she turns 25. I just kept thinking, ‘But you can’t act’.”

Grint also mentioned that he does not want to meet Paris Hilton, and that she and LiLo are "the type of girls you need to stay away from."

I already loved Grint from watching him grow up in the Potter movies (and seeing his great non-Potter flick Driving Lessons), and his willingness to bluntly say what we know everyone else is thinking about Lindsay Lohan is fantastic. Let's keep our fingers crossed that he gets some more screen time in the next couple of films and keeps speaking his mind.

New Trailers: Which Creeps You Out the Most?

Over at Pop Watch yesterday, Mandi Bierly posted the trailer for The Strangers, and asked everyone to share their own takes on the scariest film trailers they've ever seen. I saw the trailer for The Strangers this weekend, as well as Quarantine, and I think it's time to compare the two. Which is scarier? Watch for yourself, then see my comments after the second video.

(And, for those of you not into the scary stuff, check out the trailer for The House Bunny instead, a new comedy starring Anna Ferris.)

First up, Quarantine...



And now, The Strangers...



Of the two, I think The Strangers definitely gets my award for being the freakiest. First, there's the whole "Based on true events" issue. No one wants to remember that (even though extremely rare) things like this do happen. Another thing that makes The Strangers seem truly terrifying is the casting. Liv Tyler is such a sweet, soft-spoken actress that it's really awful to watch her crawling on the floor, desperate to escape. Whoever chose her was purely genius.

Quarantine is creepy in its own right, but the implausibility factor allows you to keep a safe distance from the horror experienced by the characters. This one, though it's unclear what exactly is going on, lacks the immediacy of The Strangers.

I know I am oddly focusing on horror this week (likely since I saw a horror movie on Sunday for the first time in probably a year and a half), but I promise a return to regularly scheduled fun soon.

What happened to your career, Jonathan Schaech?

This weekend, I had the esteemed pleasure of seeing Prom Night, the weekend’s top grossing film. I don’t typically see scary movies, since I’m a giant scaredy cat. No worries with this film, it was pretty predictable and not very scary. What saved it, and made it a tolerably decent flick? Jonathan Schaech, turning in a stellar performance as the teacher-turned-sociopathic-killer Richard Fenton. Schaech made a completely nutso character kind of sympathetic, and just oozed intensity and magnetism.

So, as I left the theater, I wondered why Schaech has been nearly invisible for the past decade. Some of you may remember Schaech as Jimmy, the lead singer of the Wonders in That Thing You Do! Or, perhaps, you remember him as the former husband of Christina Applegate.

Schaech has all the qualities of a high-powered actor. He’s gorgeous, chooses a variety of gigs, and is even actually talented. So, why isn’t he more famous? I’d say, the variety of gigs Schaech has chosen have not mixed in enough high-profile movies to boost his audience.

I’m hoping that Prom Night’s decent numbers, along with the upcoming Quarantine and The Poker Club, will get Schaech’s mug out there among the people again. I want to see more from this steadily working actor than Road House 2.

Flick Please, Without the Chick

I thought about writing on this a couple of weeks ago and got sidetracked. The New York Times (via HuffPost) touched on the Chick Flick phenomenon yesterday and gave me a reason to write.

I view the Chick Flick with equal parts dread and curiosity. I enjoy everything from action films to dramas (my only real film aversion being Horror), and from time to time, a "chick movie" will come out that I actually want to see. Whether it be the cast, the plot, or whatever else, something draws me to the film. Lately, it seems my more common reaction to a chick flick trailer is nausea. Every new movie that is made clearly to appeal to the widest possible female audience by feeding us the same drivel as usual (finding the perfect man in really cute shoes and in the same way as at least twenty years of female film characters) just does not hold my attention like it once did--when I was thirteen.

According to the article, studios are starting to sense this fatigue, especially among my demographic (twentysomething women). We are shelling out money for these rote comedies less and less frequently. What gives?

Honestly, it just seems the genre has been done to death. Though NYTimes claims that Knocked Up "probably does not" make the chick flick cut, I disagree and think that opinion only points out what's wrong with the idea of the chick flick in the first place. I love comedies, including the kind of bawdy humor, typically considered "for-the-boys," that Knocked Up made use of. I know a lot of women who loved the film. It blended the romantic story with a hilarious premise and some seriously funny bits, making it a film for everyone. Wedding Crashers created a similar balancing act in 2006 and scored some major box office moolah as a reward.

The time has come to cut the crap and stop expecting traditional chick flicks to really sell. If I see one more melodramatic Nicholas Sparks adaptation I might vomit. Trying to market these films undermines the multiplicity of female personalities and tastes, and also makes men feel embarrassed for enjoying a good romantic storyline. Men and women generally all want to laugh and fall in love, so why the need for films that only cash in on one want or the other? Let's get some more great films out there that appeal to everyone.

NBC Books a Seat on the Bad Idea Train (Choo Choo!)

Despite the fact that spin-offs rarely work (Frasier being about the only exception I can currently think of), NBC announced this week that there is a (kind of, sort of) spin-off of The Office in the works for next year. The show will premiere directly after the super bowl next year, a coveted spot indeed.

The post-super bowl slot is a big burden to put on the shoulders of a show that doesn't have a single episode under its belt. The past few big post-super bowl shows (Grey's Anatomy, Alias, House, The Simpsons) all had at least a steady audience and a healthy dose of love from critics before taking on one of the biggest time slots of the year. I'm not sure that a pilot--even one by the genius writing staff of The Office--will hold the attention of the drunk and tired masses.

The fact that there is currently no title, no cast, and no concept is also a little frightening, even though the entire creative team of The Office will be working on it. The Office is possibly my favorite show on television right now, but let's not forget that these writers (as fabulous as they are) were not starting from scratch with this show. The concept was pre-packaged and they adapted it for a U.S. audience.

With any luck the show will be fantastic and all the worrying will be in vain. In the meantime, my ear will be to the ground for any new title, cast, or concept information. Stay tuned!

Thanks to the always-wonderful Office Tally for doing so much digging to find links from every source possible.

In Case You're Interested...

The Today Show will have all five original members of New Kids on the Block on the show this Friday, April 4. Joey, Donny, Danny, Jordan, and Jonathan will all be there, but no word on whether or not they'll "perform."

The Wakefields Get Skinnier

Francine Pascal’s teen book series Sweet Valley High, first published in 1983, is getting a tummy tuck and heading back to a book store near you. Twelve books from the original series are being reissued—with some tweaks for a new audience.

The most alarming tweak? Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, described in 1983 as a “perfect size 6” will now be a “perfect size 4.” Wow, thank god Random House had the presence of mind to take care of those cows. No teenage girl in her right mind would be comfortable reading about a size 6.

It’s 2008. There is a constant balancing act going on in women’s magazines, television shows, and movies to encourage women to be healthy. Healthy in the sense that they’re not obsessed with losing weight but also don’t contribute to this country’s obesity problems. Cutting the size reference altogether would have been what I expected from the reissue, not making the twins tinier.

From the press release it’s clear that Random House is scrambling to make Sweet Valley a little more appealing to the Gossip Girl set, not simply bring the old books into the 21st century. I feel a rant coming on, so allow me to close with this delightful reassurance from the publishers:

Although some of the content has been updated, the stories stay true to Francine Pascal’s original plot lines that older fans will remember from the originals. These timeless stories about high school, friendship, sibling rivalry, love and family are ready for a whole new generation to enjoy.

TV Recommendation: Greek

So, this summer, ABC Family unveiled a new original show, Greek, and I was thoroughly convinced it would be stupid. The promos were ridiculous, all beer-swilling and half-naked girls, and I probably would have skipped it even if it hadn’t premiered while I was away from home for a month with no TV. Fast forward a couple of months, as fall semester was getting into full swing, and I caught an episode after my Monday night class. It was actually pretty funny, a pithy, tongue-in-cheek caricature of the most common clichés of college Greeks (Though, I suppose, some college Greeks may see it as an accurate portrayal of their lives, just like a lot of cheerleaders at my high school unironically saw Bring It On). Sometimes the show seems to be making fun of the Greek system, sometimes it seems to be making fun of what those of us on the outside think of it, and the back-and-forth strikes a nice balance.

The show is back tonight, and it gets my recommendation for anyone flipping through the channels this evening at 8 p.m. with nothing to watch. Have some fun and enjoy some fluff as you jump into the week.

Gnarls Barkley CD Released Early

Great news for those of us loving Gnarls Barkley, their latest CD, The Odd Couple, has been released to digital music retailers including iTunes. The drop was unexpected, since the online sales were originally slated to start April 8th when the album is officially released.

Some thought the premature release was due to the duo's single "Run" not doing so hot on the Billboard Charts. Danger Mouse (one half of Gnarls Barkley) says that actually the record leaked online so they decided to change release plans.

Either way, those of us who buy our music online got a lucky little break this week.

Live-Blogging the American Idol Top 11

The top 11 contestants in America's most popular talent show get a second shot at the Lennon/McCartney songbook tonight. Fingers crossed that Kristy Lee Cook learned her lesson last week and won't twang-up another Beatles classic and think she deserves some get-out-of-jail-free card because she's trying to bring a little country flavor.

Tune in tonight to see what happens...

9:59 - Wrap-up comment: For whatever reason (perhaps the producers felt guilty about what their work did to Kristy Lee last week?) the musical arrangements were unusually slanted towards the country vibe. It was Beatles music guys, not Montgomery Gentry. Overall, I don't think Beatles week part deux was a great idea.

9:57 - Ramiele just isn't great at singing softly. When she goes for a louder note she's generally good. You really need to be able to carry off both, though, so I think she may be in for another bottom 3 showing after that performance.

9:43 - Whew, Chikezie broke out the harmonica! Simon said it was atrocious...I can't decide if I agree or not, but I agree that overall it was gimicky. The little games he was playing with his voice were odd, but bearable. I was hoping it would be a little closer to the style they used in Across the Universe, but that's neither here nor there.

9:40 - Yessss! Someone is singing I've Just Seen a Face!

9:34 - Sayesha Mercado will probably be safe from the bottom three this week. Her take on Yesterday was really powerful. Out from under the shadow of traditional song arrangement that she's been under in her past few performances, her spin on the tune was well done without being distracting.

9:23 - Maybe choosing the song with French in it wasn't the best choice for Jason. Though, he seems to be able to get away with a lot and his laid-back demeanor on stage is fun to watch. Like Simon pointed out, his face can carry just about anything it seems. It was a little awkward, but Jason's steady ooze of non-sleazy charm is nice. A friend of mine may have been right when she said she thinks he hides behind his guitar. Without it, he was a little awkward (that's right, I just agreed kind of agreed with what daft Paula had to say during her endless commentary).

9:19 - I know someone who was hoping for the song Michelle, so cool!

9:14 - Carly was solid too. It seems that Simon just wants to nitpick song choice this week since that's all he can manage to comment on.

9:01 - David Cook may go the way of Daughtry and do really well on his own but only come in third. He is consistent and he stands out in a good way, but quasi-emo rockers and American Idol may not go hand in hand.

8:51 - Simon's critique of Brooke makes it obvious just how unfair it is that they unexpectedly brought back Lennon/McCartney this week. She did such an amazing rendition of Let it Be that she was destined to fall a little short this week.

8:48 - Brooke did a solid job on Here Comes the Sun, but the Idol producers and stylists either need to communicate and realize that a frilly yellow dress plus an orangey, sunny style backdrop is overkill.

8:39 - Well, that awful note he hit towards the beginning of the song should speak for itself. MJ will be an interesting Idol experiment: how far will a mediocre voice, a gorgeous face, and an Australian accent carry a contestant? Paula's point about him sounding better in dress rehersal only points out that his weakness is performing under actual stressful conditions, which is a must.

8:34 - Ugh, Michael Johns. I don't really want to listen to him because he did an awful job on Across the Universe last week, but I'm going to try to go in with open ears.

8:28 - Long and Winding Road worked out better for David A. than last week's pick. I'm not sure if he can teach the master class as Simon suggests, but he manages to pull more composure and power out of his performances than most of the other contestants who have a few more years maturity.

8:24 - Yes, David Archuleta, hopefully you will remember all of your words this week. Let's see.

8:23 - Kristy Lee just doesn't have the voice of a top contender. Plus, her shoes did not go with her dress. At all.

8:18 - Are those animal photos supposed to make us want to vote for Kristy Lee?

8:15 - Who wants to take bets on when the ridiculous and annoying "You're gayer than I am" battle between Ryan and Simon breaks out tonight?

8:10 - Amanda Overmyer kicks it off with Back in the USSR. The issue with Overmyer is the same issue Nickleback suffers from. Her voice sounds the same everytime she sings, all the songs sound the same. It's fun to listen to one song, but after that you want to kill the radio if you hear "Rockstar" one more time.