0 Comments · Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Arrested Development story is a TV nerd’s dream come true. A smart, quirky, new kind of comedy struggles to attract an audience. Despite being critically acclaimed, the series fails to draw in enough viewers (and playfully mocks its own demise) and gets canned after the third season. Enter the Netflix era.
by Jac Kern
05.16.2013
6 days ago
Posted In:
Fun,
TV/Celebrity,
Music at 09:55 AM |
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Jac's roundup of pop culture news and Internet findings
98 Degrees appeared
on Bravo’s late night show, Watch What
Happens Live, last week and, shockingly, Justin Jeffre didn’t wear a
fedora! But seriously, on the after-show, Nick played “Plead the Fifth”
(without pleading the fifth!), a regular game in which host Andy Cohen asks a
guest three personal questions, and they can only decline to answer one. Nick
revealed, “The
best thing about not having Joe Simpson anymore as a father-in-law is that I
don't have to play grab-ass under the table on Easter Sunday anymore.” And
judging by the reaction (plus the rumors about Joe batting for the other team), he
ain’t talking about Jess… But the best part of this episode was the night's bartender, Internet
sensation of yesteryear, Sweet Brown! In case you were wondering,
no, she still ain’t got time for that.
Hold on to your
knickers, girls, because Robb Stark (government name: Richard Madden) is going to portray Prince Charming in
Disney’s upcoming live-action reboot of Cinderella.
If you somehow avoided
the Internet late last week, perhaps you missed the genius that is Ryan Gosling
Won’t Eat His Cereal, a series of Vine videos by Ryan McHenry. IknowIknowIknow
ANOTHER Ryan Gosling meme — but this one will make you spew milk out of your
nose. That is, if you’ll ever eat cereal again knowing RG’s disdain for it.
Peep them all here,
conveniently compiled by Buzzfeed.
Well, it’s time.
Seven years after cancelling one of the smartest comedies on television,
the folks behind Arrested Development “unmade a huge mistake.” Season Four comes to
Netflix May 26 and the first official trailer is here.
According to
HuffPo,
AD goes live at 12:01 a.m. PT, which
is 3:01 a.m. our time. Early morning frozen bananas, anyone? After all,
breakfast is the most important thing — out of things you eat.
Kristen Wiig
hosted Saturday Night Live last week (don’t even get me started on that mess) and Vampire
Weekend performed two songs from their new album, Modern Vampires of the City. It’s pretty good; you should buy it
here. Does anyone know if lead singer Ezra Koenig (right) and actor Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk
Empire, A Serious Man) are related?
Seth Meyers, head
writer for SNL and Weekend Update
host, is now the confirmed replacement for Jimmy Fallon when he leaves Late Night
to take over The Tonight Show. Longtime veteran Jay Leno will be stepping down
early next year. When the switch goes down, both The Tonight Show and Late
Night will be filmed in New York. Lots of questions still remain: Will The Roots
stay with Jimmy or stick to Late Night? How will old people react to two goofy,
youngish SNL alumni with normal chins
taking over their screens two hours each weeknight? Seriously, has anyone
checked on Conan O’Brien lately? Is he doing OK?
I can be suckered
into any number of advertising campaigns (HELLO, TARGET) but it really irks me
when an ad tries too hard and I can totally see through it. For example,
remember last spring when Mike and Ike billboards were popping up and — oh my
gosh, someone vandalized them! Every single one! That’s right, the ads appeared
to have either Mike or Ike scribbled out and then a few weeks later, the next
wave of ads were released, which revealed that Mike and Ike have “broken up.” I
really do not give a shit about boring movie candy. Do kids even know what Mike
and Ikes are anymore? I guess that’s the point. Well, a year later, Mike and
Ike are back at it. This time, they're getting some street cred thanks to their
new friend, Nelly. From a press release:
Award-winning hip
hop artist, Nelly has teamed up with MIKE AND IKE® to honor their recent
reunion after a highly publicized split last Spring! As a long-time fan of the
candy, Nelly played a role in helping Mike and Ike get back together and is
excited to be part of their new campaign!
Read more of this
thrilling, newsworthy announcement here.
And don’t forget
to check out Tom+Chee on Shark Tank this Friday!
by Jac Kern
04.17.2013
35 days ago
Jac's roundup of pop culture news and Internet findings
Upon reading recent entertainment news, you may find yourself wondering,
“Are awards shows are still happening?” The answer is yes, but not anything
that really counts.
The MTV Movie Awards took place Monday night, hosted by the Australian
fireball that is Rebel Wilson. She’s stolen scenes in Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect
and Workaholics, and while she made a
good host for the second-rate, teen-targeted show, it was kind of disappointing
that 90 percent of her jokes were about either her vagina or her weight. Other
low points included Taylor Lautner’s attempt at comedy
(Side Note: How will the MTV Movie Awards live on now that the Twilight series is over?), Selena
Gomez’s possibly offensive
Bollywood-inspired performance and the fact that the whole production was
essentially a giant lead-up to the premiere of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire trailer (Oh,
that’s how the show will continue…).
But there were some quality moments, namely during the Comedic Genius
award presentation.
Get More:
2013 MTV Movie
Awards, Latest Movie
News, Will
Ferrell
Peter Dinklage presented this prestigious prize to Will Ferrell (they worked
together in Elf) and you could tell
that The Dinks was thinking, “Don’t these people know I am Tyrion Lannister? I
am too good for this shit,” the whole damn time. Ferrell came out in a
money-printed suit, dropping classic WF hilarity (aka saying literally anything
in his Ron Burgundy voice) and sufficiently creating plenty of buzz for the
forthcoming Anchorman sequel. The
best part, however, was when a shwasted Aubrey Plaza stormed the stage during
Will’s acceptance speech. With glazed-over eyes, a plastic cup of booze and “#
The To Do List,” (her upcoming movie) written on her chest, the actress hopped
onstage, half-heartedly tried to grab the popcorn award from Will’s hands,
quickly realized how this looked to everyone else, then ran back to her seat.
Ferrell did not take this opportunity to embarrass her further, as she clearly
regretted the stunt immediately.
"What the shit was I
thinking?! I’m such an idio—Smile for the camera!"Plaza was escorted out of the show after the stunt, and you know you’re
at a new level of drunk when you must be removed from an MTV event. On Monday,
she gave us this morning-after tweet of shame:
Logo’s NewNowNext Awards followed on Monday night. With a fabulous mix
guests (Read: drag queens for DAYS) and campy categories, it was a fun event that didn’t
take itself too seriously. Which is good, because that shit was hella
low-budge. Check out the whole show here.
Now that Arrested Development’s
Netflix premiere date has been officially announced (May 26!), promotional
material
and fan-created goodies are
rolling out in full force. Designer Josh Cox created these awesome record
sleeves for each member of the Bluth clan.
My favorite:And speaking of Arrested
Development, Brandon Killham, the actor who played young Michael Bluth also played a young Dick Whitman on
this week’s Mad Men (and in previous
episodes). Oh, and he also played a young Brian Moser/Rudy Cooper
on Dexter. Mind = Blown.
Why am I obsessed with celebrity Coachella fashion? I don’t know, but if
you feel like getting sucked into a denim cutoff-crop top-hippie-hobo abyss,
browse photos here.
Holy shit, Glee finally did a school shooting episode — sort of. Sue
Sylvester’s right-hand woman, Becky, brought her father’s gun to school
because, as a student with Down syndrome, she was nervous to graduate and leave
the school’s safe haven. She wanted to keep it for protection. The gun went of
by accident when Becky was discussing the issue with Sue in her office, and no
one was hurt. To protect Becky, Sue took the blame for the gun and was fired.
It is not clear if or when Jane Lynch’s character will return, but it is
likely. Check out the controversial scene here.
Louis C.K.’s HBO special, Oh My God debuted last Saturday and, to
no one’s surprise, it was poignant, intelligent and laugh-out-loud hilarious.
For such a dark, crude comic, I found the larger themes of many jokes to have
something of a positive message.
OK, not every joke… Check out
the New York Times’ recent interview
with Louie here. And now, for a segment I’d like to
call “Hold Up, Y’all, Cincinnati’s on the TV!”
Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward, the guys behind gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup spot
Tom + Chee, announced Friday that they will be featured on ABC’s Shark Tank in
an episode airing at 9 p.m. May 17. Lauren
Brown, local chef at Igby’s who starred in the single greatest television show of all time,
will also appear on the small screen. Brown will be one of four chefs competing
on Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell
to be hired on as head chef at Nikki Beach in Miami, Fla. The episode airs at
10 p.m. April 25 on Food Network. The show also featured Jeff Ruby and The
Precinct on a recent episode (Spoiler Alert: The winning chef didn’t even end
up accepting the job offer).
0 Comments · Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The snow is melting, crocuses are popping
up; it can only mean one thing — a fresh crop of spring shows! Here’s
what to look forward to in the coming months.
by Jac Kern
01.09.2013
133 days ago
Posted In:
TV/Celebrity,
Humor at 02:04 PM |
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Comments (0)
Jac's roundup of pop culture news and Internet findings
Thirteen may
historically be an unlucky number, but we’re all sure to be blessed with pop
culture gold this year. Sure, Heidi and Spencer are back on TV and Kim
Kardashian is cooking up a baby with Kanye West — don’t run for the hills quite
yet. The fact that the New Year was rung in by a washed up Jamie Kennedy
and a stoned Macy Gray on this low-budge Los Angeles NYE show
has to be a good sign of what hot messes are to come. Here’s a peek at what’s to come in 2013. Many spoilers
lie ahead; proceed at your own risk.
WINTER
This Sunday, the
Golden Globes (aka the one show where TV and movie stars mingle while drunk) will be hosted by women for the first time ever! OK, the show has only had an
official host since 2010, but it’s been Ricky Gervais every year since. This time around,
dynamic duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler run the show. The pair have a long
history, back to their improv days at Second City in the ‘90s. Over the past
decade+ they’ve proven their comedic chemistry on Saturday Night Live and in Baby
Mama, but they’re also awesome in their respective rights, as seen on 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation. Check out some of my unlikely-but-hopeful Golden
Globes picks here.
The Chinese
calendar may deem 2013 the Year of the Snake, but according to my diva calendar,
this is definitely the Year of Beyonce. The musical maven, who just celebrated
baby Blue Ivy’s first birthday with hubby and baby daddy Jay-Z, is set to sing
the national anthem at President Obama’s inauguration Jan. 21. Next, she’ll fly
down to New Orleans to headline the Super Bowl halftime show
on Feb. 3. Bey is rumored to perform with a reunited Destiny’s Child (FINALLY)
and the Hov. Just two weeks later, HBO will premiere Queen B’s full-length documentary
on Feb. 16. The Bey-directed doc touts a personal, never-before-seen look at
“Beyonce the person” (there’s no way she’s 100% human, but whatever) as opposed
to Sasha Fierce the performer. A few things I’m really hoping to see: Jay-Z
changing Blue’s Egyptian cotton diaper; Beyonce eating actual solid food; a
baby bump shot to put those pesky rumors to rest; at least 13 different
hairstyles/weaves.
The Walking Dead returns to AMC for the second half of
Season Three on Feb. 10. We’ll pick up with the new Woodbury/prison storylines
introduced in early December’s mid-season finale. Fan fave Daryl has been
captured by the Governor, who places him in the demented fighting arena against
his brother Merle (who was pretty much presumed dead by the group after leaving
a trail of blood and sawed-off hand behind in Season One). Loyalties will
certainly be tested when the Dixon bros meet for the first time and, according
to this sneak peak, the Woodbury clan wants them to battle to the death. Back
at the prison, Rick questions his leadership role and Tyreese (a character
plucked from the comics) will step up as the group’s token black guy. On the other side of the camera, showrunner Glen Mazzara, who took over for
Frank Darabont after a rather sluggish second season, will be stepping down.
Some speculate the move may be due to a lackluster second half of this season,
but Mazzara, AMC and comic creator/exec producer Robert Kirkman all claim the
departure is on good terms.
We’ll see for ourselves next month; meanwhile, check out this preview:
SPRING
At first glance, Game
of Thrones did not seem like my small screen cop o’ tea. I generally don’t read
or watch anything too fantastical/mythical (but bring on the zombies and True Blood), plus the number of
characters and settings almost make fictional family trees and note-taking a
must. Regardless of TV preferences, though, GoT
is an addictive epic. And on March 31, fans will return to Westeros for a third,
slightly super-sized season.
See, in the past, episodes were generally just more than 50 minutes long. This
season promises several eps as long as 57 minutes, ultimately adding up to almost a whole extra episode. Way too nerdy and nitpicky?
Well, that’s Thrones for you. But another
fun addition to this season is that fans can now drink along with the show as New York’s Brewery Ommegang
releases a series of Game of Thrones beer. The first, Iron Throne Blonde Ale, is set
to debut in time for the season premiere.
And speaking of TV
show beer tie-ins, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will also get its own brew
with Aleman and Two Brothers Brewing Co.’s Dayman Coffee IPA, also slated to come out this
March. Let’s just hope the gang hasn’t touched the stuff.
And since you
can’t even read the word “Dayman” without singing:
Moving along to
May, you better scratch those Star Wars Day
and Cinco de Mayo plans. Cult hit Arrested
Development is coming back with a new season, to be released on Netflix in
its entirety on May 4. Of course, everyone is happy to have a little more Tobias Fünke in their
lives, but this is a huge, possibly telling move for television in general.
Plenty of failed shows gain a following after their demise on TV, but rarely do these
shows actually get picked up again, and certainly not 7 years after
cancellation. My only fear is super-fans’ high expectations will be hard to meet in just a single season. 'Til the release,
catch up on the series and look out for these Easter eggs.
After being pushed
from its original Christmas 2012 premiere date,
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby will
hit theaters May 10. The director is known for his visually exciting films,
such at Romeo + Juliet (which starred
Gatsby himself, Leonardo DiCaprio) and Moulin
Rouge, and likes to blend contemporary music and themes in with those of
the films’ eras. For example, in the following trailer, Kanye West's “No Church in the Wild” juxtaposes the 1922 setting.
If that's not enough for ya, stay tuned for more 2013 pop culture previews for summer and fall.
0 Comments · Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Dear Close Male Friends: There have been
times over the years when some or most of you entered into serious,
sometimes long-term relationships. I believe I have been extremely
patient with each of you, understanding that your respective significant
other might be meeting various universal human needs and making your
life better.
by Mike Breen
02.24.2012
Grammys over the years and George Harrison's guitar collection? Now there's an app for that
There have been several Grammy Awards held on this date. Here are a few highlights from three random Feb. 24 ceremonies:1982's 24th Grammy Awards were big for Kim Carnes' one-hit-wonderful "Bette Davis Eyes," which won the Record and Song of the Year trophies. John Lennon won Album of the Year posthumously for Double Fantasy. Fun ones: Orson Welles won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording (?) for the radio version of Curt Siodmak's novel, Donovan's Brain; Sheena Easton was Best New Artist; and former knit-capped member of The Monkees, Michael Nesmith, won Video of the Year for Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts, a collection of music videos and comedy sketches that helped further set the table for the creation of MTV. Watch Nesmith put his madcap Monkee skills to work all those years later:At 1993's 35th Grammys, the big theme was death. Eric Clapton won the big three categories with his Unplugged album and "Tears in Heaven," a song for his late son. Celine Dion won Song and Record trophies for her ditty from a movie about one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. Rap was more comfy in its role as a Grammys insider. Some might say Arrested Development (Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group) was a safe act to hitch its wagon on, but Sir Mix-a-Lot won Rap Solo for "Baby Got Back." You know those Recording Academy voters — they're all about the African garb, conscious lyrics and slammin' booties. Arrested Development are still going. Here's a performance for paste from a few years ago:Lauryn Hill was the big story of the 41st Grammys, held this day in 1999. She pulled a rare Best New Artist/Album of the Year coup, and won three more, all for her stunning debut LP. Dance music-to-Pop producer David Morales scored the excessively titled Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical (no Classical Remixers made the cut). And Elvis Costello won a Grammy for his Burt Bacharach collaboration, "I Still Have That Other Girl." Here's Elvis with a different duet partner, trusty sidekick Steve Nieve. Click the jump for "Born This Day" featuring George Harrison's new iPad app.
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