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.