I have a confession. I’m from New Jersey, and I will tell you, I love it. Bruce Springsteen is god, Jersey tomatoes are the juiciest around, and as any high-schooler with a car will tell you, the Jersey shore is actually a magical place (Please, please don’t let your prejudices toward my state keep you from reading the rest of this blog). So as I sit here, trying to recap another episode of South Park, I wonder how I can convince you that New Jersey is not the place you see on television (unless you’re watching a Kevin Smith flick then it’s okay – I suggest Dogma).
So before I do my magic, and tell you about the hilarity that is this week’s South Park satire, I want to set the record straight. I don’t understand what people mean when they say, “It’s a Jersey thing.” Not everyone in New Jersey uses spray tanning lotion, relatively few girls actually wear the “poof,” and only a few men wear those ridiculous gold chains (but no more than anywhere else). We don’t all hang out with our bros all day, we aren’t obsessed with exercising, and only some of us have nicknames (here’s a shout out to Jonesy, Butch, and Nunch). But, to also be fair, I do love Frank Sinatra (what’s not to love?), I do exercise my right to fucking curse whenever possible, and I do have a thing for dark-haired Italian girls (I mean, who doesn’t?).Most importantly, the only people from New Jersey with shows are Jon Stewart, Kelly Ripa, and a few lunatics.Okay, after 246 words, I should recap the show – I’m sure I will have plenty more to say. “Mom, Dad, what’s muff cabbage?” Kyle asks his parents during a quiet dinner, after hearing it from South Park’s newest resident – a very stereotypical family ala The Real Housewives of New Jersey. In eighteen continuous years in the Garden State, I never once heard the term, “muff cabbage.” If you’re wondering what it means, it’s exactly what you think – vagina (I Googled it). So, when Stan’s family invites these new neighbors to dinner, it turns into a reality show meltdown. A muscle-clad Italian dude (with all those gold chains) shows off his muscles, and when Mrs. Marsh makes an off-hand remark about the housewife’s eyes, she unloads a full truckload of muff cabbage:“You whack-job, prostitution whore. You’d probably sell your muff … for six dollars! You fucking psycho bitch. Fuck you! You’re nothing but garbage. That’s what you are! You’re garbage. You’re sick, old woman, muff garbage. Muff cabbage!!!” Of course, wise ol’ Stan immediately recognizes the problem, “It seems like all people from Jersey do is hump and punch each other” – this is not true (it would be such a cooler place!).While analyzing the predicament at The Sizzler restaurant, the boys unravel a stunning new trend – “There’s people from Jersey all over!” Surrounded by the stereotypes I listed above, the entire restaurant erupts into a “Jersey-party as Sizzler” – I have never been to one, but rumors of this majestic event travel the turnpike, exciting all who hear of its awesome glory (yea sarcasm).As the Jersey folk cause chaos (in the form humping and punching, I guess), South Park falls under siege - “Everything east of the Rockies is now part of New Jersey. The jersey shore now includes Jacksonville, Miami, the gulf of Jersey Mexico, and the Jersey Islands. My favorite character, Randy Marsh, leads the fight to defend the city.A starting revelation comes out, Mrs. Broflovski was born and raised Jersey, and in South Park, she can control the Jersey-side in her. But she fears that, as she comes in to contact with people from the Garden State, she might lose control – of course, Cartman outcasts Kyle because he is ginger, jewish, and from Jersey, and therefore, “a heartless, backstabbing Jersey boy” ( I resent that because I have a heart mumor, and therefore, must have a heart).“You can take the fetus out of Jersey, but you can’t take Jersey out of the fetus,” and Kyle too uncovers a startling revelation. When he added a little hair gel, cut off his sleeves, and trimmed his eye-brows, he was, in fact, a Jersey boy! Shocked and amazed, he tried his best to hide his inner gweedo, named Kyley-B.In the meantime, Randy Marsh and his followers crackdown on the Jersey folk – “It’s like these people got a beef with Jersey. What’s up with that?”So, New Jersey invades Colorado (doesn’t South Carolina starts all the civil wars?). Randy seeks help from California and Japan, no help comes. Cartman harasses Kyle, leading to his first Jersey breakdown. And Snookie (I am in no way attracted to her!) makes a guest appearance as a short, fat, Snarf-like creature (Horray! ThunderCats references!).As South Park falls apart under the pressures of siege warfare, Randy seeks help from the only logical ally he can imagine – Al Qaeda. He begs, “I know you have seen countless horrors in your lifetime, Mr. Bin Laden, and that you have witnessed the very worst of mankind, but now I ask you to watch this,” showing Bin Laden the true terror that is Jersey Shore.Also determined to save the town (sort of), Cartman conspires to lock Kyle in the meat locker in the freezer at The Sizzler. Wise ol’ Kyle calls Cartman on his scheme, but Cartman is confronted by Snookie, the Snark-creature. As she “rapes” Cartman, Kyle undergoes his Jersey transformation, and as he embraces his inner “The Situation,” he rescues Cartman.Randy leads the battle as a swarm of Jersey stereotypes descends upon the town – “Fuck New Jersey” – okay, so maybe he’s no longer my favorite character. As the townsfolk run out of ammunition, they are saved by Al Qaeda.“On a cold, October night, a small town in Colorado stood up to New Jersey and finally said, ‘Go away.’” Thanks to Osama Bin Laden, New Jersey retreat, Kyle conquers his “monster,” and South Park begins to heal.As Randy summarizes, the moral of the story is this: “there are no real enemies, only people with differences.” New Jersey is defeated … oh! And they shoot Osama Bin Laden.I have many complaints. No way is New Jersey as bad as Al Qaeda; it’s not that hard to hide your inner Jersey monster; and “it” is, in fact, NOT a Jersey thing.
Friday, October 15, 2010
‘Vampire Diaries’: Who should die next?
Image Credit: The CWFans of The CW’s Vampire Diaries know that exec producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec aren’t afraid to say goodbye to recurring characters (R.I.P. Vicki and Anna). So the rumor that another one may soon bite the dust isn’t that difficult to believe. Who do you think it’ll be? Who do you hope it’ll be? The likelihood of it being Elena, Stefan or Damon is about the same as it was that Booth (David Boreanaz) wouldn’t survive the karaoke shooting on Bones in 2008. (Note to The CW: When the moment comes, don’t even try to pretend in promos that it’s possible one of them won’t live; Fox looked ridiculous.) Since The Vampire Diaries is a repeat tonight, let’s take some time and examine the other options:
• Aunt Jenna: I’m enjoying her slightly more now that she and Alaric are officially “on,” but really, the only thing keeping her alive is the fact that Elena and Jeremy need to live with some adult. Why not give her a great death at the hand of Katherine and bring back Uncle John? The writers could do so much more with him. Plus, her death adds to Alaric’s pain. This is what I hope will happen.
• Caroline: Katherine has already threatened to kill the newly-turned vampire (again) and it would keep up her villain status to follow through, but unlike vamp Vicki, Caroline is a survivor and frequently fun. I don’t see it.
• Matt: We know that Katherine finds him attractive and would enjoy getting close to him by pretending she’s Elena. We also know this show loves its cliffhangers, and it would be a great one to have Katherine luring Matt in and Caroline showing up willing to sacrifice herself to save him. I’d hate to see him go because he brings a different kind of masculine energy to the show — human, decent, studly but sweet. If Caroline were to die, it’d be great to see him realize how much she did love him, but then there wouldn’t really be a reason to have around… unless the grief drove him into Bonnie’s arms. Maybe Matt watches Caroline die first, then follows?
• Liz: Caroline’s mother is perhaps an even more logical choice than Aunt Jenna: Katherine could off her to punish Caroline (or Damon, we now know he considered her a friend), or Liz could sacrifice herself to save Caroline from Katherine, or Caroline could have to kill her own mother to save the people in her life who do accept her for what she’s become. But it doesn’t advance the story as much as Jenna dying and Uncle John returning would.
• Uncle Mason: Another obvious pick seeing as how the Salvatore brothers do want him dead and all, but is it too obvious? Wouldn’t you miss his sleeveless shirts? Then again, depending on whether you see this werewolf story lasting through November Sweeps (which is when I suspect this death will occur) or the full season, the timing could be right for him to go bye-bye. Then Tyler could be so distraught and angry that he kills someone and activates the curse.
• Tyler: Wouldn’t it be funny if we were waiting all season for Tyler to become a werewolf, and instead, he dies in a fight or something and we never see him transform? But the truth is, even though I appreciate his fine Lockwood torso, I’m still not attached enough to him to have his death rattle me, and I don’t know that it would impact any character on the show enough to qualify it as “shocking.”
• Bonnie: Now this would be shocking, both to Elena and to fans who like having a witch on the show. She certainly gets herself in enough dangerous situations, and Katherine’s already nearly had a taste of her, but if we’re ever gonna see the Bonnie-Damon hookup I we dream of, she needs to stick around.
• Alaric: Is he expendable? Yes. But I know that fans — and the writers — enjoy his adventures with Damon. Plus, he has that ring that protects him from a supernatural death and an accidental one would be boring.
• Uncle John: He never should have made it out of the season 1 finale, so they could have him return for Katherine to finish the job she started. Having given his magic ring to nephew Jeremy, maybe he redeems himself by stepping in between Katherine and Elena and giving the Salvatores time to get there to save his daughter Elena. But again, I’d rather he live (and Jenna die).
• Isobel: You know we haven’t seen the last of her. She could be the one to die standing between Katherine and Elena. But man, we better get some answers first about why she really wanted to become a vampire.
• Katherine: We’ve seen her cheat death before, so while I suspect the season finale will find her facing it again, no way she shrivels up. She feels like the kind of Big Bad the writers will always want to have in their back pocket, even if after this season, we don’t see her again until episode 100.
• Jeremy: It would be apropos were he to finally die after he began the season surviving his suicide attempt (to become a vamp) and getting his neck snapped by Damon (fortunately, Jeremy was wearing John’s ring). But killing Jeremy now would seem too cruel a thing to do to Elena (killing her aunt, however = fine!).
• Matt’s mother: Theoretically, she could slink back into town and her old drinking/makeout buddy Tyler could end up accidentally killing her when she changes her mind and chooses not to be a MILF, thus activating the Lockwood family werewolf curse. But it’d feel a bit random. Slightly more believable (but still cheap) would be Tyler’s mother dying an accidental death when her son gets angry over something. If that means Uncle Mason and his pecs would have to stay in town to raise orphan Tyler, I could forgive the kid.
Your turn. What’s your best guess and your wishful thinking?
‘Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue’ and other anti-drug PSAs from childhood: Which was the best?
I remember the first and only time I was sat down and lectured about drugs, mostly because I think my reaction was something along the lines of “Can I go now?” My attention span lasted far longer when my parents decided to let Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue do the lecturing, but I gather that the improved attentiveness was a direct result of the special’s gross overuse of the ever-hypnotic sparkle sound.
There are no sparkle sounds in any of the advertisements highlighted in this piece about anti-drug PSAs, but there are some memorable ones. I am, however, surprised I don’t remember more of them. (Especially the one featuring the Ninja Turtles. I would have liked to sling the insult “You’re a turkey” back when it was cool — um, assuming it ever was.)
I’m going to go befriend a magician now. Meanwhile, tell me: Do remember any/all of these advertisements? Did any of these specials/commercials actually have an effect on you back in the day? Which was the best?
My vote for the best still goes to Cartoon All-Stars. My biggest fear, of course, being that I would get high and cartoons would start talking to me.
@EWSandraG on Twitter
Despite Added Dimension, "Jackass 3D" Falls Flat - ABC News
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - For fans of the franchise, the potential was undeniably potent -- have Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O and their fellow Jackasses thrust themselves against a 3D canvas, then stand back and watch what sticks.
But while "Jackass 3D" can never be accused of stinting on its spring-loaded arsenal of projectile bodily fluids, neither does it approach that sublime, laugh-until-it-hurts level of gross-out nirvana that made the first two installments so darned irresistible.
Sure, there are moments of vintage inspiration -- and you've never truly seen a ripe outhouse explode if you haven't experienced it in slo-mo real 3D -- but this time around the bits miss a lot more than they hit. Although those aging frat boys once again fearlessly lay their various body parts on the line, this time their hearts just don't seem to be in it.
Of course, even a half-assed "Jackass" still delivers sufficient bang for the premium buck, but it remains to be seen if the novelty hasn't worn off in the four years since "Jackass: Number 2," grossed $72.8 million, beating 2002's "Jackass: The Movie" by about $10 million.
The 3D effect should help the October 15 Paramount release ensure a solid opening weekend, although the final take will likely come up short of its predecessors.
Considering it's been a full decade since Knoxville and his crew first unleashed their unique brand of self-inflicted humiliation on MTV viewers, it's pretty remarkable that they're still coming up with novel ways of hurting themselves.
Following a brief introduction by their old MTV neighbors, "Beavis and Butt-Head" (who, incidentally, are being prepped for a more permanent return), the reassembled "Jackass" gang swiftly get back to doing what they did best -- including giving "gag reel" a whole new meaning.
Again guided by director Jeff Tremaine, the guys start off promisingly in sequences built around a game of beehive tetherball and attempting to pin a tail on a real donkey, but in between there are too many repetitive stunts that fizzle on take-off -- stuff that would have been relegated to the closing credits in those previous installments.
’30 Rock’ Live: On the scene at the dress rehearsal
SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen tonight’s live episode of 30 Rock, avert your eyes, click back and don’t read this until you have!
For those who did, we can share all the behind-the-scenes scoop we collected during the dress rehearsal for tonight’s taping. Let’s begin!
Like any live show, the night kicked off with a warm-up comic, Joey Kola, who got things rolling with topical humor (Chilean miners + Lindsay Lohan = should we laugh?) before introducing some very special musical guests.
In a welcome surprise, the show’s Cheyenne Jackson and Jane Krakowski each took their turn to belt out a tune—Jackson with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” (boy has lungs!) and Krakowski with a saucy rendition of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” But Krakowski had a near wardrobe malfunction when the belt on her dress popped off for a quick second, right before she launched into the iconic Tina Turner jig.
Musical numbers aside, the actual rehearsal wasn’t so much practice as it was an exact run-through. No scripts held during scenes, barely any mistakes — only Tracy Morgan and Alec Baldwin seemed to make noticeable flubs — and of course production left time for commercials.
And even though we knew Matt Damon and Jon Hamm would be appearing in tonight’s episode, we didn’t see them, or perfectly cast guest star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, during the cast introduction or initial hub-bub before taping — only when their scenes was being prepped. Off screen, Damon rehearsed lines before the airport scene and had some laughs while watching the rest of the cast’s bits.
Liz-Dr. Drew lovers will agree that it was sad not to see Tina Fey and Hamm get screen time together, but the Mad Men actor and Bill Hader, who played co-pilot to Damon, had their own fun, goofing around right up until cameras rolled for the SNL-style goodbye.
Everything else, on the other hand, seemed to move at lightning speed, whether it was getting Krakowski out of her Fox News anchor wig or whisking Louis-Dreyfus to a different set piece. Speaking of the Seinfeld star, when she moved to the stage for the goodbye, she nearly slipped on the pulverized cake on the ground. Fortunately, a confectionary crisis was averted.
Of course we looked for famous faces in the audience, and the only one we could spot was Baldwin’s brother Stephen, who sat front and center. Lorne Michaels was also seen milling about behind the cameras. After the show, Maulik Pancholy (Jonathan), Judah Friedlander (Frank) and John Lutz (Lutz) stood in the lobby as the audience passed through to greet their loved ones. Sadly, no Fey, (Alec) Baldwin or Hamm sightings post-show. Blerg!
What did you guys think of the episode? Did 30 Rock pull off the high-risk-often-low-reward TV stunt known as the live episode?
Photo: Art Streiber/NBC
'Alias' reunion: Bristows speak!
Four years after Jennifer Garner kicked her last enemy-of-the-state ass as Sydney Bristow on Alias, the actress and Victor Garber (who played her elusive father on the ABC series) got together for EW’s Reunions issue. In a New York City hotel room on a misty end-of-summer day, the duo posed for pictures with the kind of ease that only the closest friends share. Which is exactly what the former co-stars are. (Garber officiated at Garner’s wedding to Ben Affleck in 2005.) So did the shoot feel like an Alias reunion — or just two friends happily passing some time together? “Well, the fact that we’re in hair and makeup and kind of posey reminds me of the show because we haven’t worked together since then,” Garner told us. “But if it were Alias-y, I would be like this,” she said, crossing her arms Sydney Bristow style. “And you,” she continued, turning to Garber, “would have your hands straight down to the side.”
“I am like this!” Garber joked, striking a rigid, Jack Bristow stance. “We saw each other a couple of days ago. This is just, there are more people around taking pictures. Which is, you know —”
“Hilarious!” Garner interjected.
“Hilarious, yes,” Garber agreed. “We’ve had a good time. We generally have a good time.”
To see what else Garner and Garber had to say — including their thoughts on an Alias movie — check out the exclusive EW.com video below. And pick up Entertainment Weekly’s Reunions issue (on newsstands now) for interviews with the casts of Back to the Future, Will & Grace, Scream, Pretty in Pink, The West Wing, Married… With Children, and more.
NBC's '30 Rock' Lives It up With a Live Episode - ABC News
"30 Rock" went live. Thank goodness for film.
This much-hyped, much-awaited departure into live-ness was a one-time-only (one hopes) stunt by "30 Rock," which any other week is one of TV's funniest shows.
Instead, Thursday's episode was an overheated slice of self-indulgence and excess. It was "30 Rock" transformed into a shrill, gags-filled sitcom, complete with a studio audience roaring its approval.
Any other week, the zany intricacies of this NBC comedy make a half-hour episode seem like a comedic Swiss watch or ship in a bottle.
Instead, the live version of "30 Rock" seemed vaudevillian.
Was it meant to be a sitcom parody, an ironic send-up of the sort of comedy show most "30 Rock" fans would scorn?
As one sitcom chestnut, the episode found Liz Lemon (the harried producer of a variety show, played by Tina Fey) upset because she was turning 40, and no one remembered. Sound familiar?
Meanwhile, Tracy Jordan (the flighty star of Lemon's variety show, played by Tracy Morgan) wanted to burst out laughing during the show-within-a-show, because "breaking character" was what the stars of "The Carol Burnett Show" used to do and their audience loved it.
And Jack Donaghy (the slithery network boss, played by Alec Baldwin) was suffering because he'd pledged to stop drinking and wasn't happy to be sober.
"Does it seem weird in here to you?" Donaghy asked Lemon at the top of the show as they stood in his office.
Maybe he was asking because, for a change, he was sober. Maybe he was asking because the world he was inhabiting looked different from the filmic look of "30 Rock" any other week: "Everything looks like a Mexican soap opera," he said.
In any case, the studio audience howled. The show was off and running.
Originating from Studio 8-H (home of "Saturday Night Live"), this live "30 Rock" seemed like an unfortunate mash-up of itself and "SNL."
Chilean miners: Next stop, Hollywood?
Image Credit: Hugo Infante/Chilean government/AP ImagesThe heroic effort to rescue the 33 miners in Chile may be over, but their time in the international spotlight has only just begun. The intense interest in their plight has already triggered a documentary on Discovery while at least two — possibly three — books are in the works, to say nothing of the cash offers that foreign publications have reportedly offered the miners in exchange for their personal stories.
Discovery was the first network out of the gate with an announcement that it had exclusive footage of the rescue, including interviews with miners and their families. Discovery Latin America snagged a front row seat early and was able to negotiate exclusive access early with the engineers and technicians on site. The one-hour special will be simulcast on Oct. 28 on Discovery Channel, Discovery en Espanol in the U.S. and on Discovery Channel across Latin America and will air in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in November.
“The story we’re focusing on is how they did it — how do you get out 33 guys trapped a half mile down,” says Brooke Runnette, an executive producer for Discovery Channel U.S. “Our Latin America division was on this right away before anybody knew they were alive in the beginning. So our producers have been embedded in the story and have been shooting for months.”
What’s yet to be told in a more comprehensive form are the personal stories, though we might not have to wait for long to read what it was like for Super Mario Sepulveda and his compadres to subsist on tuna and milk rations in a tight space. ABC News reporter Jeffrey Kofman, who’s been covering the story since August, says he knows of at least two books that are already in the works — one of which is being written by The Guardian’s Jonathan Franklin. Word is the latter tome may have already generated interest from a U.S. filmmaker.
With any luck, some Hollywood producer will secure the rights to the miners and, at the very least, turn them into a TV miniseries, says Lindy DeKoven, NBC’s former head of movies. “There is so much drama in this. You’ve got the before stories — who are the families? You can get to know them before the event, during the event, and after the event. It’s got tremendous, emotional drama and personal stories, which would make for a great miniseries.”
Sadly, the Big Four nets have pretty much given up on making movies-of-the-week; only Lifetime has remained in the MOW biz, while HBO has picked up the baton when it comes to compelling biopics and real-life stories. “People get a lot of the details from the news channels so they don’t have to wait six months to see what really happened [from a TV movie],” explains DeKoven.
Still, the miners’ plight could inspire a comeback, of sorts, of the miniseries because audiences have yet to really learn what life was like for those 33 trapped men. “This is a wonderfully uplifting story and given the times and the economy and what is going on in our lives, is something that people would like to see in six months,” says DeKoven. “It’s a wonderful story because fortunately, everything ended so beautifully. There are so many great stories here that I bet will come out afterwards, and we won’t be deluged by what is happening to each of these people. If producers followed this story and got the rights to these people, they could probably reveal a lot of more in the aftermath.”
Back to 'Back to the Future'!
It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) first leaped into that plutonium-powered DeLorean and time-traveled back to 1955. But on this rainy October day in New York City, Fox and his Back to the Future costar Lea Thompson, who played Marty’s mother, Lorraine, act like no time has passed, warmly posing with each other alongside a replica of the iconic car. “Being with the car is great — it’s more fun being with Lea,” says Fox, 49, who will return to TV Nov. 9 in a guest spot on The Good Wife. “I just remember all these things with the car — smashing my head on the door, hitting my knee on the flux capacitor.” Adds Thompson, “It’s a thrill for me because I didn’t actually get to shoot in the car. I kinda saw it in the background. I’m a little bitter! It’s great to see Michael. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years.” The 49-year-old actress, who co-stars in the upcoming film The Convincer with Greg Kinnear, joined her former big-screen son for an emotional chat about Back to the Future’s lasting appeal.
To see the conversation between Fox and Thompson — and why Fox got Thompson all choked up — watch the exclusive EW.com video below. And pick up our Reunions issue (on newsstands now) for chats and photos with the casts of The Lord of the Rings, Alias, The West Wing, Scream, Pretty in Pink, and more.
Her Brother's Keeper, No Matter the Cost - New York Times
Ron Batzdorff/Fox Searchlight PicturesHilary Swank as a sister pursuing truth in “Conviction.” For a while “Conviction,” based on the true story of a New England woman’s long struggle to win freedom for her imprisoned brother, feels as if it just might escape the stifling conventions of the crusader-for-justice melodrama. The film, directed by Tony Goldwyn from a script by Pamela Gray, starts in a chronological scramble: the lives of the characters have been shattered, and the filmmakers are sorting through the shards, offering us painful glimpses of adult anxiety and childhood pain.
There is a dead body in a mobile home, its rooms eerily quiet after a bloody struggle. And then there are Betty Anne and Kenny Waters at various stages of growing up, most heart-rendingly as the young children (played by Bailee Madison and Tobias Campbell) of a damaged, neglectful mother, left largely to their own devices and then separated in foster care. They also have a lot of fun, albeit of an antisocial variety — stealing candy from the supermarket and sneaking into empty houses to eat it, for example — and their youthful outlaw bond goes a long way toward explaining the intensity of Betty Anne’s loyalty later on.
There is another scene, once the siblings have grown up into Sam Rockwell and Hilary Swank, that captures the film’s early, promising mixture of blunt drama and psychological subtlety. Betty Anne, newly engaged, is out drinking with her fiancé (Loren Dean), Kenny and his wife, Brenda (Clea DuVall). Kenny is horsing around on the dance floor with his young daughter, who is just a toddler. He seems to be the clownish life of the party until somebody says the wrong thing. There is a fight — Kenny knocks a man out, bloodying his face — and then the party resumes, with Kenny doing an impromptu striptease and making everybody laugh again.
Mr. Rockwell excels at this kind of volatility — at playing men who are angry, charming and foolish all at once. And Kenny is a fascinating puzzle, someone who does not seem entirely incapable of murder. When he is arrested, thanks to the zeal of a grim-faced police officer (Melissa Leo), he takes it almost as a joke, but before he knows it, the damning testimony of his wife (and a wayward lover played with blowsy relish by Juliette Lewis) leads to his conviction and life sentence.
The movie, at that point, goes into lockdown, as the talents of a number of superb actors are stifled by an airless, by-the-numbers story. The intriguing question of Kenny’s character — not his guilt or innocence, but the quicksilver temperament that makes both seem plausible — fades as the story of Betty Anne’s hard work and sacrifice gains momentum. And Ms. Swank’s performance shrinks in scope as her character’s monomaniacal devotion to freeing Kenny takes over the movie.
Betty Anne pushes through college and law school while working at a bar and rearing two sons (Owen Campbell and Conor Donovan). Her family life suffers, and her marriage falls apart, as often happens to movie heroes who embrace a long-shot, righteous cause.
Bill O'Reilly's 'View' follow-up
Bill O’Reilly used his “Talking Points Memo” on The O’Reilly Factor on Thursday night to replay the segment on The View that led Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg to walk off the set. On The Factor, O’Reilly referred to it as a “fiery debate.” Later in the show, noting his condescending directive to Behar — “Listen to me because you’ll learn” — O’Reilly said, “She was yapping so I had to get her attention… I am often offensive, I think everyone knows that.”
Goldberg and Behar objected to O’Reilly’s blanket condemnation of “Muslims” attacking America on Sept.11, as opposed to phrasing it as “Muslim extremists.” O’Reilly’s “Memo” included this point: “No one I know wants to insult Muslims, but many are tired of the political correctness surrounding the 9/11 attack.” His example: “Did we say, in World War II, ‘We were attacked by “Japanese extremists”? [...] No: we said we were attacked by ‘Japanese.’”
Laura Ingraham joined O’Reilly to go after The View. “Who gave Joy Behar the badge [of] speech police officer?” Ingraham said. She described Goldberg and Behar’s counter-arguments as “an attempt to intimidate others.” Huh? Intimidate who? Those poor View watchers who are so easily intimidated? Pretty condescending of Ingraham.
On her Headline News channel show this evening, host Behar explained her walk-off by saying, “I thought he was saying something that I construe as hate speech, frankly.” Her guest was former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who called O’Reilly “a spineless puke.” Ventura’s insult was rather sour-graped, however, by his admission that “the whole Fox [network] won’t have me on.” Sounds like someone has had his feelings hurt by not getting a perfumed invitation from O’Reilly or Glenn Beck…
What do you think of the controversy? And how much longer will it be drawn out?
Vince Vaughn issues statement, non-apology about ‘The Dilemma’ controversy. Your thoughts?
Image Credit: Ray Tamarra/Getty ImagesJust when the controversy over the forthcoming Ron Howard comedy The Dilemma seemed to have faded away, the hullabaloo over the movie’s “gay gag” has flared up again, courtesy of the actor who gives voice to the offending line, Vince Vaughn. In a statement released to the media, the Wedding Crashers and Swingers star says: “Let me add my voice of support to the people outraged by the bullying and persecution of people for their differences, whatever those differences may be. Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop.”
Vaughn’s selectively worded statement makes conspicuous use of pop culture’s hot “B” word (“bullying” — the new codeword for “Homophobia is wrong.”) and comes down solidly against bigotry, which would seem to include hatred toward homosexuals. Good for him. I’m not sure, however, if anyone ever really thought The Dilemma’s trailer was promoting intolerance or bullying or persecution. I think the issue was more about thoughtlessness and callousness — and about shoddy marketing. By being too cosmic about this whole thing, we lose sight of some real and actually fixable issues. (But sure, let’s be cosmic about this, too. I’m all for finding any excuse to spark cultural conversation about ending homophobia and cultivating a society where homosexuals feel less threatened and marginalized in any way, large or small.)
Vaughn’s statement also strongly and rather self-righteously expresses the following: Support for freedom of speech, an aversion to censorship, and an idealistic view that comedy is a redemptive force, inherently inoffensive, and beyond social criticism. Okay, I might be assuming way too much about Vaughn’s philosophy of comedy based on his statement. But his statement is certainly provocative. His defense would seem to excuse anything and everything that could possibly be said and done in the name of “comedy.” Do you agree with that?
I don’t see what Vaughn’s statement has to do with the controversial line in question. How exactly does characterizing an automobile as gay — even in a “my parents are chaperoning the dance” way, not necessarily a “homosexual way” — break tension and bring people together? Presumably the movie will explain this. Which brings us to a point that needs to be made, and frankly, I am stunned Vaughn didn’t make it himself: We haven’t seen this movie yet!We don’t know the context for the line. Wouldn’t it be interesting to discover that this seemingly callous, insensitive line serves the point of establishing that Vaughn’s character is callous and insensitive? Wouldn’t it be interesting to learn that there’s a gay character in the movie who confronts Vaughn’s character about his choice of words? I suspect that the first speculation will be proven to be true (but then, why did it have to be gays? Does Vaughn’s character express his hideousness by being offensive to other groups, too? Why weren’t those lines used in the trailer?), while the second speculation is rather unlikely. My point is that I don’t know. I don’t want to judge the movie based on its trailer — or rather, its original trailer. (The offending ad was pulled from circulation last weekend and replaced with another.)
Still, I think Vaughn is missing another important point. No one is saying his movie is offensive — yet. The uproar was over a trailer. A trailer is not a movie. It’s a commercial. It is supposed to flatter a movie and entice the widest possible audience within its target market to go see it. I guess I’d like to know if Vaughn felt the trailer flattered The Dilemma — and if he thinks it’s a movie that gay audiences (and those sympathetic to gay concerns) would find entertaining, despite of — or because of — the “gay gag” Moreover, I would to hear Ron Howard — who specializes in making big tent populist movies — address those issues, too. There’s still time; the movie doesn’t open until January. In fact, the extremely cynical part of me wonders if Vaughn’s provocatively passive-aggressive non-apology is an effort to keep The Dilemma top of mind, and set up the final act of this of PR drama: A joint appearance by Vaughn and Howard on a talk show and make an endearing show of atoning for their lapse of common sense and comedic judgment.
Read more:
‘The Dilemma’ is already one of the most important films of 2011
‘Gay’ controvesy: Studio releases new ‘Dilemma’ trailer
‘The Dilemma’: Universal deletes ‘gay’ scene from trailer
GLAAD urges Universal to pull controversial ‘Dilemma’ trailer from theaters
Veteran cast can't rescue anemic 'RED' from itself - USA Today
Greenlighting RED must have seemed like a good idea at the time.All the elements for a lively, offbeat action film are here. Its graphic-novel pedigree, paired with an over-the-hill gang of former CIA operatives, sounds inspired. Add an eclectic cast featuring some of the best actors in their golden years, and the possibilities are golden, indeed.But, try as they might — and the actors really do — the uneven humor, half-baked plot and generic action scenes keep RED from being much fun. If the story made more sense and the humor were more abundant, this could have been a bona-fide winner. Instead it falls smack in the realm of forgettably mediocre.Earlier this year, Oscar winner Helen Mirren and box-office heavyweight Bruce Willis were trotted out at Comic-Con, bolstering the want-to-see factor. But Mirren mostly ends up trailing the guys, along with Mary-Louise Parker, the only member of the team who is not over 50.While there is some wry banter, other elements undercut its effectiveness. The script is anemic and disjointed, which is hardly surprising, given that RED's screenwriters, brothers Erich and Jon Hoeber, were responsible for 2009's inert Whiteout.Willis plays Frank, a former black-ops agent whose life is so empty that the highlight of his day is to make long-distance calls about his pension check. Instead of a recording, he always gets Sarah (Parker), a pleasantly chatty clerk. Fortunately for the sake of their budding romance, he's suddenly attacked by a team of assassins. Though he's eligible for AARP, he easily fends them off and breaks into Sarah's apartment to kidnap/rescue her. (Apparently everyone on his call list is at risk.) Sarah yearns for adventure and happily accompanies Frank as he rounds up old CIA colleagues to help piece together why he's wanted dead.His pals include Joe (Morgan Freeman), now in a nursing home, and Marvin (John Malkovich), a paranoid subject of one too many LSD experiments. Victoria (Helen Mirren) has traded in her assault rifle for flower shears but is quick to jump back into the fray.Hot on their trails are an ambitious CIA operative (Karl Urban) and his steely boss (Rebecca Pidgeon). Ernest Borgnine has a pleasantly surprising turn as an affable CIA records keeper.Wisdom and experience trump immature bravado, a refreshing message from youth-obsessed Hollywood. And Mirren and Freeman lend the film more grace than it deserves.But the action scenes are neither thrilling nor original, except for a shootout with a middle-aged woman who looks as if she should be piloting an SUV filled with Little Leaguers rather than firing massive weaponry. Willis recycles some Die Hard moves.Lately, for every exhilarating action spectacle such as Machete, there are at least half a dozen thudding disappointments. (Takers, The A-Team, The Expendables top the list.)To clarify, the title stands for "Retired and Extremely Dangerous." More accurate: "Regrettable and Exceedingly Disposable."Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.
TI Says He Felt Compelled To Help Suicidal Man - MTV.com
T.I. usually moves fans with his high-priced music videos, but on Wednesday, a grainy cell phone clip of the rapper relaying a message to a suicidal would-be jumper proved to be just as successful as a Chris Robinson visual.
The Atlanta native (born Clifford Harris) made headlines when it was reported that he assisted authorities in talking a man down from a high-pressure situation.
T.I. said he wasn't sure what he could do, but once he was alerted, he felt compelled to act.
He spoke to MTV News late last night to explain the scene upon his arrival.
"The negotiator spoke to me, and asked me what I was willing to do," Tip said. "I asked them, 'What do you think I should do?' And they didn't just relay the message that I wanted to speak to him. I was willing to help in any way that I could to help fix the situation and try to see if we could get this situation back to where it was before [the emergency].
"Then they came up with the idea of shooting a video message on the phone. So, the policeman shot a video of me on the phone. I sent a video message to [the man] telling him, basically, just that [I wanted to help]. Once they sent it to him, about 20 minutes later, he decided to come down."
The rapper's heroics came during the late afternoon, after he'd heard about the incident on Atlanta radio station V-103. The station is housed in the same building off which the man was threatening to jump from the 22nd floor. The man was not charged, and was taken to a hospital afterward, according to NBC affiliate 11Alive News.
T.I., who shines with confidence as an MC, revealed that throughout the ordeal, he was unsure what his help could provide.
Fortunately for all involved, however, the rapper proved to be a calming force amid the chaos.
"I didn't know for sure what I could do," T.I. told MTV News. "Something inside me just felt compelled to try."
Is T.I. a hero? Share your thoughts in the comments.
James Cameron to direct Angelina Jolie in ‘Cleopatra’?
It’s incredibly early, but a source confirms Deadline Hollywood’s report today that James Cameron is having exploratory conversations with Sony Pictures about coming aboard the Cleopatra project the studio is developing for Angelina Jolie as a star vehicle. Brian Helgeland (Green Zone, Robin Hood) is writing the script and Social Network producer Scott Rudin is on board to produce. The project is based on Stacy Schiff’s book Cleopatra: A Life.
That’s one A-list combination, and it would be interesting to see them tackle the fascinating story of the Egyptian queen. Stay tuned…
Box office preview: ‘Jackass 3D’ and ‘Red’ compete for top slot this weekend
Ladies and Gentlemen, we may actually have a race on our hands this weekend at the movies, now that the once-ignored old-fogey actioner Red is gaining momentum on Jackass 3D when it comes to tracking. Men over 30 are still the audience most anticipating Red — which stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich — but if Summit Entertainment can lure the ladies, the film could finish first. On the opposite spectrum, Jackass is appealing to the young male moviegoer, as expected. But there’s the fact that Johnny Knoxville’s last endeavor, Jackass Number Two, earned $29 million back in 2006 — that gross coupled with the extra charge for 3-D on this go-around still makes the gross-out stunt comedy a formidable opponent. Read on for my predictions.
1. Jackass 3D: $30 million
It would probably be a big disappointment if Paramount couldn’t exceed its opening weekend gross earned by Jackass Number Two four years ago. What with all the ridiculous promotion and 3-D extras, it seems like a $30 million opening is in the bag. Yet, with the box office acting so strange lately, and no film opening in the $30 million range since The Expendables bowed in mid-August, anything is possible.
2. Red: $25 million
Perhaps this is too generous an opening number. I know the studio would be happy with $20 million. But it’s rather encouraging to see some uptick in tracking data heading into this weekend. I’m sure the Paramount folks thought they were in the clear for the first slot this frame. But with a wide swath of the movie-going public showing interest in this group of retired CIA officials, a surprise showing could be in Red‘s future.
3. The Social Network: $10 million
The David Fincher-directed drama has already earned close to $51 million at the box office — with room to grow. Last weekend saw the Facebook drama fall a scant 31 percent, an encouraging sign for both its box office and its awards potential. I’d look for a steeper drop this frame, but perhaps it won’t fall more than 35 percent, considering how strong word-of-mouth is on this must-see movie.
4. Secretariat: $7.5 million
It may not have had much of an opening, but this feel-good horse racing flick could actually hold in well. Audiences love the movie, families can go together to see it, and word-of-mouth could have an impact this frame. If the film falls 40 percent, it would hold in nicely. This definitely won’t be Disney’s version of The Blind Side, as its marketers predicted, but a strong hold could keep it in theaters a bit longer.
5. Life As We Know It: $7 million
It’s going to be a tight race between this Katherine Heigl-starrer and Secretariat, though I’d give Secretariat the edge in its sophomore session. Expect a 50 percent fall on Life, as few men will be caught dead in the theater.
Opening limited this frame is the right-wing documentary I Want Your Money, while Warner Bros. will bow Clint Eastwood’s supernatural drama Hereafter in six theaters ahead of its wide release next weekend. Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight will open its Oscar bait, the Hilary Swank-starrer Conviction, in 11 theaters this weekend.
CBS wins Wednesday thanks to strong performance by ‘The Defenders’ and ‘Criminal Minds’
Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS; Ron P. Jaffe/CBS Record 20863302Looks like no one should underestimate the appeal of Jim Belushi! The Defenders had a great night Wednesday and swept its timeslot among viewers (9.9 million) and adults 18-49 (a 2.5 rating/7 share). Compared to last week, the legal drama that also stars Jerry O’Connell was up 14% in the key demographic and 6% in viewers.
But then the freshman series got a great deal of help from Criminal Minds, which was the night’s most-watched show (13.8 million). The drama won its timeslot among adults 25-54 but trailed in second place in the key demo with a 3.5/9. Each 18-49 ratings point represents 1.3 million viewers.
Overall, CBS won the night in viewers (11.9 million) and adults 18-49 (3.2/9), with Survivor: Nicaragua enjoying another winning performance at 8 p.m. The reality show reigned in viewers (12.1 million) and adults 18-49 (3.7/11) and gained an additional 80,000 viewers versus last week. CBS has won the 8 p.m. timeslot for five consecutive weeks.
Fox came in second for the night among adults 18-49 (3.1/9) because of another impressive performance by a two-hour version of Hell’s Kitchen. The show is especially popular with adults 18-34 and teens; It ranked No. 1 in both demos. Overall, the show averaged 6.7 million viewers.
Over at ABC, Modern Family won its timeslot yet again among adults 18-49 (4.7/13) and all the major demographics. It averaged 11.3 million viewers, placing second in the timeslot behind Minds. The drop off to Cougar Town, however, was substantial: The comedy posted a 3.2/9 in 18-49 and averaged 7.2 million viewers. And its tough going for ABC’s new Better With You at 8:30: That laugher rounded up a mere 2.1/6 among 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers.
Overall, ABC finished second for the night in viewers (7.5 million) and third in adults 18-49 (2.7/8).
Onto NBC and its struggling freshman drama Undercovers. J.J. Abrams’ groundbreaking drama that features two black leads just hasn’t gelled with fans. It only averaged 5.9 million viewers last night and a 1.4/4 in 18-49. It barely beat the CW in the first hour. Law & Order: LA is faring a little better; it averaged 7.1 million viewers at 10 and came in second behind The Defenders.
'30 Rock' live: On the scene!
SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read any further if you haven’t yet watched tonight’s live 30 Rock fandango. I was lucky enough to be in the audience of the 8:30pm East Coast taping (along with my colleague Michael Ausiello) and it was a lot of fun, kinda like a truncated Saturday Night Live taping. After each skit, the cast would quickly jet off stage to prepare for their next moment. In between commercial breaks, the SNL band played music. My other colleague Archana Ram attended the dress rehearsal earlier in the evening and not much seemed to have been changed.
Executive producer Lorne Michaels walked out before the show and surveyed the sets, particularly Jack’s office. Cheyenne Jackson and Jane Krakowski warmed up the audience with some tunes (and Krakowski did seem to once again have trouble with her dress). The audience applauded the (kinda) surprise guest-stars like Matt Damon, Rachel Dratch, Chris Parnell, Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, and—the biggest actual surprise of the night—Julia Louis-Dreyfus. TV fans may remember that Tina Fey thanked Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her 2008 Emmy speech by saying that whenever she’s at an acting loss on 30 Rock her husband tells her to act like Louis-Dreyfus. Then, Louis-Dreyfus paid Fey back in a comedy skit on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in which she pretended to steal Fey’s Emmy. The pair shared a nice albeit surreal moment after the final sketch, laughing while clad in the same outfit.
Throughout the taping, everyone seemed to be almost giddy with excitement. Lots of smiles from the actors and Fey danced a little jig as the cast was introduced moments before the show. Alec Baldwin even got in the dancing spirit by the end of the night, doin’ a two-step with the robot and bear, a.k.a. Liz Lemon’s birthday guests.
There weren’t a ton of stars in attendance from what I could tell. NBC News Brian Williams was in the audience as well as NBC execs Angela Bromstad and Jeff Gaspin.
Overall, the audience seemed to have a great time and I personally laughed out loud throughout. Hopefully it played as well at home.
What did you think of the live 30 Rock episode, PopWatchers? Did they pull it off?
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