Thursday, March 31, 2011

Kick and Stretch

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I'm so glad the network listened to all the complaints (including my own) and decided to put the new Wonder Woman back in the red boots and then burned those shiny blue hooker pants.

For those of you who didn't see the previous version released...

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I'm still not thrilled with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader pants, but, as I said before, I am willing to roll with the newer shine-free Wonder-Jeggings now that they have fixed the color on the boots.

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I know...I'm a geek.

And, I'm okay with that.

Aye Dios Mio!

What, what, WHAT is he doing?

I really used to love the "Sassy Gay Friend" videos, but since he's started adding product placement lately for the water-enhancer, MiO, it's really taken away from the initial hilarity of him simply giving unsolicited advice to infamous characters.

He's very funny and the newer videos are still entertaining in parts, but they're just not as good as they used to be.

Here he is chatting with Lady Macbeth.



And here is is interviewing random people at a mall about basketball.



Flip it, tip it, sip it.

How about STOP IT?

He's a stupid bitch.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Falling Skies



I enjoy a good alien-invasion movie or series and this new one coming in June on TNT (produced by Steven Spielberg) looks like what the third season of V might have been if they ever left their ships and decided to take over the planet as they kept threatening to do for the past two seasons.

I wonder if anyone would watch a show where the aliens actually were here to help us, had no desire to take over or eliminate us, and didn't look like some nasty reptilian creature?

I supposed we'll have to wait a while before the Hallmark Channel makes "Touched by an Alien".

Wait...that doesn't sound very family-friendly.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Lowe and Behold

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Rob Lowe is on the cover of Vanity Fair this month discussing his new book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, An Autobiography.

I wonder if he's told them about all the aging paintings that he must have lining the walls of his attic?

Probably not.

I'm sure the Devil made that a deal-breaker.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Google for Gaga

Here is a fun exclusive interview that Google did recently with Lady Gaga where she answers a variety of questions from her fans and employees of Google, many of whom dressed up in interesting costumes.



Today also happens to be Lady Gaga's 25th Birthday.

I imagine her birthday cake will be far from boring.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Motion Picture



You can turn off the music by clicking the "Audio" button on the bottom.

The first teaser poster has been released for the upcoming Conan: The Barbarian remake coming out this summer.

I kinda like these "live action" motion and sound displays and think that the creative visual possibilities for other movies might really help generate interest in films where a static image poster might fail. Of course, a wall of active movie posters with various soundtracks playing all at once in a theater lobby could get annoying really quickly...

Perhaps a whip-cracking, hip-swaying, claw-bearing Halle Berry poster might have enticed one or two more comic geeks out of the basement to see Catwoman.

On second thought...probably not.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Pack your Baggins

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The journey finally begins, again, with Peter Jackson directing (as it should be)...

Wellington, NZ, March 21, 2011—Production has commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, on “The Hobbit,” filmmaker Peter Jackson’s two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely read masterpiece.

The two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming will take place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.


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Martin Freeman takes the title role as Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen returns in the role of Gandalf the Grey. The Dwarves are played by Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur) James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Rob Kazinsky (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), John Callen (Oin), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori) and Adam Brown (Ori). Reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy are Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Jeffrey Thomas and Mike Mizrahi also join the cast as Dwarf Kings Thror and Thrain, respectively. Further casting announcements are expected.

The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson and Walsh, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, “The Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

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I'm so relieved that, after so many delays over the rights the past couple of years, these two movies are back on track and have begun production.

As many of you know, I visited Hobbiton in New Zealand (where they filmed all of the Hobbit village scenes) a couple of years ago (the shot of me above is right outside where Peter Jackson is standing in the new photos at the top).

If you ever get to New Zealand, I highly recommend taking that tour. If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings films, you'll be very glad that you did.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor

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One of America's most famous screen icons has passed...

Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress famed for her beauty, her jet-set lifestyle, her charitable endeavors and her many marriages, has died. She was 79.

Though a two-time Oscar winner -- for "Butterfield 8" (1960) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966) -- Taylor was more celebrated for simply being Elizabeth Taylor: sexy, glamorous, tempestuous, fragile, always trailing courtiers, media and fans.

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Taylor was a champion for a number of charitable causes, notably the fight against AIDS. She founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation after the death of her friend Rock Hudson, and plowed both her time and money into its work, especially as her acting career waned in the 1980s. The BBC once noted that her charity work had grossed as much as her film career.


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She lived an extraordinary life and did a lot of good along the way.

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She will be missed.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Funny Stuff

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It's been a while since I've added a new sitcom to my DVR, but Mike and Molly is now on my Monday night must-record list.

If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. The writing is funny, the leads are very likeable (Melissa McCarthy, who plays Molly, has one of the most hilariously expressive faces on TV) and the supporting cast is great.

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I like Swoozie Kurtz as Molly's liberal mom (although her plastic surgery is a bit distracting), but my two favorite supporting characters are Molly's sister, Victoria (she makes up corpses for a living and is usually stoned), and Mike's mother, Peggy (a no-nonsense no-filter woman with a hideous dog).

Here is a clip from last night's episode that features them all trying to give Peggy a makeover before her first date in 40 years.



Peggy: I never wear makeup. Well, I might put some beet juice on my lips for Christmas mass."

She is like Maxine (the cranky greeting card lady) in 2D.

If you haven't watched the show yet, you should give it a chance.

It's a hoot and, often, a hollar.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Wonder Ewwws

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Well, the new Wonder Woman TV pilot is being shot now and the first photo of star, Adrianne Palicki, in the the updated costume was released this week to, mostly, negative reaction. Here are a few sample comments from some users on CNN.com:

Rhi: This looks like cheap rubber and plastic with the wrong shade of blue, and the wrong colored boots. I am more intimidated by Barbie. DC comics please fix this.

Amber: I have to stay loyal to old school on this one... bring back the blue bottoms with white stars, and the red boots! Otherwise my underoos don't match.

charles: How many times does it take b4 these people realize u cant change the costume its part of the character.

Ryan: That looks like a costume a cheap stipper would be embarrassed to wear. Can't they do her any better? This looks nothing like the comics or any source material. Looks like a joke. I've seen better fan costumes at comicon.


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Rather than stick to the classic costume (left), it looks like the studio has decided to go with something closer to the recent comic book redesign (right).

I'm not sure that it's the best choice.

Messing with a classic brand and drastically changing its familiar look can be devastating and, for a TV show, lead to a quick cancellation. You'd think they'd have learned from the 1974 version that was filmed as a pilot with Cathy Lee Crosby wearing an "updated" version of the costume that looks like a stewardess uniform.

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I don't recall Wonder Woman having a "Magic Javelin".

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Thankfully, the network realized it didn't work and recast Lynda Carter in the role and gave her a costume that everyone recognized and visually enjoyed for a variety of reasons.

Let's hope David E. Kelley and his producing team listen to the the feedback and make a few changes before the show ends up with the same fate as the Bionic Woman remake a couple years ago.

Bring back the red boots and get rid of the Evil Knievel spandex pants!

UPDATE: Someone created a version of the new costume with red boots (below) and, honestly, it does look a lot better. I could almost tolerate the Knievel pants if they changed the boot color.

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Friday, March 18, 2011

Meet the Kents

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It was announced today that Kevin Costner has signed on to play Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent (joining Diane Lane as his wife, Martha, which was announced earlier).

It doesn't seem that long ago that both of these actors would have been considered for the roles of Superman and Lois Lane, instead of Superman's parents.

I'm old.

From what director Zac Snyder describes below, it sounds like this new Superman movie could be the breath of fresh air that the previous one lacked...

"We're making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there's been no other Superman movies," Snyder says. "If you look at 'Batman Begins,' there's that structure, there's the canon that we know about and respect, but on the other hand there's this approach that pre-supposes that there haven't been any other movies. In every aspect of design and of story, the whole thing is very much from that perspective of respect the canon but don't be a slave to the movies."


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The last movie was basically a replication of the first one (with almost identical actor casting and dangling Jheri Curl in the front), which made it less interesting to watch.

I'm glad they're gonna mix things up a bit.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

She comes in peace...always

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Celine Dion will be returning to Vegas, starting this weekend, with a new contract that is worth around $100 million dollars...

Certainly Celine has been good for Caesars, and Caesars has been good for Celine—paying her a reported $100 million for 210 shows over the next three years. During her prior run, from 2003 to 2007, Dion sold out more than 700 consecutive performances, smashing local records for total audience (nearly 3 million), and bringing in more than $400 million at the box office, more greenbacks than the Rat Pack, Liberace, and Elvis combined.

This time around, she’s being touted as a one-woman stimulus bill—worth at least $114 million a year and thousands of jobs.


I hope her planet can spare her long enough to help save Las Vegas.

Obviously, Charlie Sheen and Carrot Top can't do it on their own.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Pound Puppy

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This Tibetan Mastiff, Big Splash, was just sold for 1 million pounds (about $1.5 million U.S.)and is now the most expensive dog in the world...

They have become highly-prized status symbols for China's new rich. The dogs are thought to be a pure "Chinese" breed and they are rarely found outside Tibet, giving them an exclusivity that other breeds cannot match.

Big Splash had been fed a diet of chicken and beef, spiced up with exotic Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone.


That dog eats WAY better than I do.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tweezers

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OUT Magazine will be featuring some new photos of Madonna that were taken right before she became famous.

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They're pretty much what you'd expect, although...

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She was rockin' some pretty hairy brows back in the day.

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Facebook Song

This ditty pretty much sums up the social randomness that is Facebook.



Since they pulled that together so well, they can definitely haz cheezburger.

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Hardy boy

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Tom Hardy has certainly come a long way from playing Captain Picard's clone in Star Trek: Nemesis nine years ago.

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The top image was just released this week, along with the first one-sheet, for his upcoming boxing movie Warrior.

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I actually went to the Star Trek premiere in 2002 and remembered seeing Mr. Hardy there and thinking, "Hmmm...I wonder if he'll ever do anything after this?".

I'm glad he did.

He was one of my favorite characters in Inception.

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Ad Age

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These seem to be working great for Charlie Sheen lately.

Advertising has always been a reflection of the times. As you can see by some of these old ads that my friend Greg sent me, the times they are a changin'.

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This regiment didn't work out so well for Dinah Lohan.

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I bet Richard Simmons' house was always well-stocked with that soap.

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Teen girls weren't always pressured to look like Kate Moss.

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They're fine, actually. Thanks for asking.

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Those "stretchy-seat" undies would come in very handy right around the holidays when I strap on my "eatin' pants".

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Today, I'll bet that a woman who was taking those "vitamins"....

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Who then finds this under the tree...

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Would likely down a bottle of "vitamins" with some Blatz, buy herself one of THOSE, and then use it on the husband who got her the vacuum cleaner for Christmas.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Jen2o

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Jennifer Aniston created a fun viral video to promote SmartWater.



Her movies may not always be blockbusters, but I still think she's one of the most likeable gals working today who, thankfully, hasn't Botoxed herself beyond recognition.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Out with Criss

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Glee's Darren Criss is featured on the cover of Out Magazine this month along with an interview and a variety of new photos.

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He's very...photogenic.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Lady Maria

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Remember my post about 10-year old Maria Aragon who uploaded her version of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" on YouTube and then got a call during a radio interview from Gaga herself? Well, as she promised, Lady Gaga brought Maria up on stage during her recent concert in Canada and the two performed the song together.



Lady Gaga was obviously very affected by the whole experience with Maria.

Very sweet.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Behind the Spice

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Here's a little sneak peek at how they filmed the latest Old Spice commercial.



He's really gotta be focused to say those lines while being hoisted high in the air and swung around the various sets all day.

Not to mention the potential for a wardrobe malfunction with those breakaway pants.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Born This Way video

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It's a little gooey at the beginning, but certainly visually interesting.



I'm glad the womb-cam footage wasn't shot in 3D.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Lower Expectations

I've loved the Sassy Gay Friend videos in the past. Although this one isn't as clever as the others, it's still fun to have him back after such a long absence.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Jane Russell

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Another Hollywood screen legend has passed away...

The 1940s and '50s movie bombshell, whose name was synonymous with voluptuousness, died Monday morning at her home in Santa Maria, California, her family said. Jane Russell was 89.

It was 1953's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" with Marilyn Monroe that shot Russell into the stratosphere. She was hailed for her singing and comedic acting.


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While it may have been the attention to Russell's figure that kept her away from superstardom, that figure brought her Madison Avenue stardom in the 1970s when she was featured in television commercials for the Playtex Cross Your Heart Bra "for us full-figured gals."

I definitely remember those commercials. When you're a kid, you always remember underwear commercials because it's "practically naked" people on TV.

She certainly had quite a career back in the day.