GIVE A SHOUT TO WORD UP! wordup@papermag.com
Entries tagged with 'TV'
Posted Jun. 17, 2008,
"Soul Train" Sold But Will Never Be Old
By David Hershkovits
Yo, it's time to get down! Watching this video I just had to say that!
The news here is that Don Cornelius, for 35 years the driving force behind one of the best music shows ever produced for TV has sold the Soul Train franchise. God knows what they'll do with an updated version, but the old shows never wear on me. The music, the fly looks, def defying dance moves, the hottest honeys and homeboys! What more could you ask for? This montage of the Soul Train Dancers could go on forever. Look for Rosie Perez in the mix.
Posted Nov. 13, 2007,
Attack of the Crab Monsters on TCM!
By Dennis Dermody
OnTCM on Dec. 7th at 2 a.m., they're screening a particular fave of mine -- the 1957 Roger-Corman-directed quickie Attack of the Crab Monsters. It's about a group of scientists sent to a Pacific island to investigate the disappearance of a research team who end up stumbling upon giant crabs that absorb people's minds! Also, on Dec. 21st, TCM is showing Night Must Fall, the 1964 psychological thriller starring Albert Finney as a sweet-talking killer who keeps a head in a hatbox.
Posted Oct. 31, 2007,
The Pierces to Appear on Gossip Girl!
By Alexis Swerdloff
Two things that we adore -- The Pierces (who we wrote about back in 2005) and Gossip Girl (which we watch every Wednesday) -- are coming together as one!! According to a press release we just received...
"New York City's favorite sister act The Pierces will appear on the December 5th episode of the hit CW TV show GOSSIP GIRLS playing two of their songs "Secret" and "Three Wishes"... The Pierces will appear as the band playing the Debutante Ball in the episode titled "Hi, Society."
We are excited that there will be a debutante ball thrown into the Gossip Girl mix AND excited that The Pierces will be playing... They're a far cry from Lester Lanin...
Also, anyone see a similarity between Alison and Catherine Pierce and GG's Blair and Serena?
See below:
Posted Oct. 18, 2007,
Boys Becoming Men, Men Becoming Wolves, 30 Rock Becoming Even More Awesome
By Alexis Swerdloff
Yesterday, our friend Jim Steele reminded us of this gem from last week's 30 Rock. It's 18 seconds of pure, Werewolf-Bar-Mitzvah-y genius. Has anyone else noticed that this season 30 Rock's been doing many more of these funny side-scenes that don't directly relate to the episode, à la Family Guy? Just saying...
Posted Oct. 10, 2007,
Reality Bites: Pageant Place's Katie Blair
By Blaire Huntley
Katie Blair has a peculiar living situation which might just be every man’s dream. Blair, aka Miss Teen USA 2006, rooms with Miss Universe, Riyo Mori, Miss USA, Rachel Smith, and the newly crowned Miss Teen USA 2007, Hillary Cruz. Tara Conner, the former (and now reformed) Miss Teen USA 2005 comes by the apartment every now and then to make sure they don't get into trouble. The three women who hold the varying pageant titles each year live in the same midtown luxury apartment during their reign and Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, foots the bill. This year, however, the queens are living in front of MTV’s cameras on their new show, Pageant Place. PAPERMAG sat down with Katie and got the lowdown on all things reality, Miss South Carolina and the Donald.
Blaire Huntley: Can you tell us about the show? I have this idea in my head that it’s going to be like The Hills, only with prettier girls.
Katie Blair: [Laughs] It’s not actually and the only reason I can say that is because we went into this show with the idea of really more of a documentary of our lives, how we live day to day, doing our jobs and representing our titles so, I don’t think it’ll be like The Hills -- I hope it’s not like The Hills!
BH: You don’t like The Hills?
KB: I love the show! But hopefully it’ll have some variation.
BH: So tell me about coming to live in New York -- how does it compare to Houston.
KB: I was raised my entire life in Houston, so I’m used to a big city -- it was a blast. I have wanted to live in New York my whole life, I mean, I applied to F.I.T., fashion was something I really wanted to get in to. I guess in the end, I decided I didn’t want to do it anymore! But no, it’s a great place to live and a great place to experience a lot of stuff that I experienced at my age and it really made me grow up.
Posted Oct. 9, 2007,
The Bunny Report: Gossip Girl Does Fergie Ferg.
By Jordan Kinney
So I’m like, whatever, about this new show Gossip Girl, but I accidentally keep watching it because it’s on right after my fave show ever America’s Next Top Model -- oh, you know, the epic reality series that’s pretty much a delusional letter of self-love (and sometimes also about, like, modeling, I guess) written by none other than modern-day transvestite icon Tyra Banks? Loves it!
And as you might also know, I totally loves the mildly R&B (Rap? Pop? Whatev) stylings of two-time PAPER cover lady Stacey Fergie Ferg. Which brings me to this clip, in which the entire being of Gossip Girl redeemed itself to me, for one brief glimmer, as the young rich beautiful private school-attending UES sinners do a choral reworking of SFF’s “Glamorous.” Someone send this to the Mormon Tabernacle, stat!
Posted Aug. 24, 2007,
Reality Bites: Top Model's Nole Marin
By Blaire Huntley
Nolé Marin, best known for being the frank and sassy judge on America's Next Top Model (read: “You are a visual orgasm”), believes in the power of television. Reality TV helped make him an international star, even though the native New Yorker had been working with models since the '85 Palladium days, making up and dressing up models at every agency from FORD to Wilhelmina before ANTM was even a glimmer in Tyra's eye. He's worked with tons of A-list celebs, photographers and just about all the glossies on the stands. Nolé's since been recruited by Canada's Next Top Model by ANTM pal Jay Manuel to play creative director to Jay's head host. So now he's doing a bit of everything from CNTM to MTV's MADE to developing his own production company that will produceS you guessed it: reality shows. PAPERMAG recently chatted with the self-proclaimed 3style guru2 and here's what went down.
Blaire Huntley: You were well-known in the industry before America’s Next Top Model. How did things change after the show aired? Do you feel like it propelled you into success?
Nolé Marin: I was very lucky. I started with modeling agencies, and I was working with Stephanie Seymour, Antonio Sabato Jr., Nigel Barker -- and for years I worked in editorial, fashion shows, campaigns… I did interviews for Extra, some red carpet events.
Posted Aug. 24, 2007,
Dexter out on DVD!
By Dennis Dermody
The first season of the fabulous Showtime series Dexter is out on DVD (Parmount) and it's just one of my favorite shows on TV. The series, based on the books by Jeff Lindsay, stars Michael C. Hall (from Six Feet Under) as a forensic scientist who works for a Florida crime unit, but is secretly a serial killer himself (but offing only really bad people who skirt the law). His late father (James Remar) was a homicide detective who recognized Dexter's killer impulses and helped him channel them and taught him the ropes on how not to get caught. His sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) is a cop and his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) thinks he's a nice guy. Only Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) seems on to the fact that's there's something off about Dexter and is openly hostile to him.
Michael C. Hall really nails this character -- he's odd and kind of sexy and disturbing at the same time. The first season had a plot line about the wily "Ice Truck Killer" which eluded authorities but was on to Dexter -- and left little gifts in his freezer to let him know that. That whole story line played out beautifully. It's just a creepy, great show. Wonderful ensemble work in the cast featuring Lauren Velez as Lt. LaGuerta and the sensational Christian Camargo as Debra's boyfriend. I cannot wait until September when the new season starts! Check out their website: http://www.sho.com/site/dexter/home.do
Posted Aug. 22, 2007,
Kid Nation Reminds Us of American Cannibal
By Alexis Swerdloff
Just read this New York Times article about the CBS realiy show Kid Nation, "whose premise is to take 40 children, ages 8 to 15, and place them in a 'ghost town' in New Mexico to see if they can build a working society without the help of adults." Apparently, the state attorney general's office claims that the show might be violating the state's child-labor laws...
The article continues, "Four children received medical treatment for accidentally drinking bleach, one child was burned on her face with hot grease while cooking in an unsupervised kitchen, and most of the children were required to work 14 hours or longer per day. They received a payment of $5,000 for their participation."
Uh, doesn't this remind you a bit of American Cannibal, the documentary about the cannibal-themed reality show that went terribly awry that ultimately turned out to be a mockumentary (because the reality show never existed)??
That said, we're both horrified and kind of curious, and may watch this labor-camp-esque show when it premieres on Sept. 19...
Posted Aug. 21, 2007,
Dirty Sexy Money Looks Dirty, Sexy, Good.
By Alexis Swerdloff
This sudden cold weather has reminded us that fall will soon be upon us, which means many things: Fashion Week, apple-picking... and new fall TV shows that we can get addicted to! One of the shows that we're most excited about is ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, which stars Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) as a lawyer for a Trump-like, disfunctional, extremely wealthy New York family comprised of Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin and Samaire Armstrong, among others. It was recently reported that Blair Underwood will join the cast. We watched the pilot and though 857 pretty shocking and ridiculous things happen in the pilot (as is the case with pilots) it looks pretty good. HBO/Showtime good. Enjoy the above teaser. The show premieres Sep. 26th on ABC.
Posted Aug. 9, 2007,
Amy Winehouse to Appear on The Simpsons!
By Alexis Swerdloff
Two of our favorite things, Amy Winehouse and The Simpsons, are coming together as one! As reported yesterday, Winehouse (who is currently being hospitalized in London for "severe exhaustion") has agreed to appear on an episode of The Simpsons. According to Music Rooms, "it’s understood the ‘simpsonised’ Amy Winehouse will meet Lisa Simpson in a blues bar in the show." We can't wait!
Posted Aug. 8, 2007,
Mary-Kate Olsen & Mary-Louis Parker at the Weeds Premiere
By Carol Lee
I LOVE Weeds, the Showtime show about a widowed single mom (Mary-Louise Parker) who sells pot to keep up her gated-lifestyle. It's sort of a ridiculous premise but the plots and acting are soooo fantasitico! You really don't have to be a stoner to enjoy the show but it helps because then you get all the insidery jokes which definitely enriches the viewing pleasure. I burned through two seasons of episodes on demand while house-sitting stoned cold sober. It's good to see MLP so fierce after being dumped by Billy Crudup while pregnant with his baby. Anyway, the rest of the cast is smokin' -- Elizabeth Perkins, Romany Malco, Kevin Nealon and the kids nail every single line. But my favorite is the hottie Justin Kirk who was a PAPER beautiful person a coupla years ago and plays MLP's bro-in-law! He is huh-larious!! I love the episode where he enrolls in the Rabbi school to get out the army and ends up banging the registrar. Zooey Deschanel's cameo appearance in season two as Justin Kirk's ditzy psycho girlfriend from Alaska is definitely one of the highlights of the show. Weeds is adding another hyphenated Mary -- Mary-Kate Olsen -- to the show in the new season. She'll be playing a devout Christian girl named Tara, who becomes a love interest for Mary-Louise Parker's son. Can't wait!!
Above pictures from the L.A. premiere of the first episode of Weeds, season three.
Posted Aug. 6, 2007,
Days of Our Lives Dude Nude in Playgirl
By Mickey Boardman
All you MMBloggers know that Mr. Mickey is a soap opera-loving sissy and that Days of Our Lives is his #1 story. Well you can imagine MM's shock and delight to stumble upon photos of Days' hunky star Marcus Patrick in the new Playgirl magazine. Soap studs often pose in risque poses in the magazine but this is a full blown nude spread, people! Marcus plays Jett Carver, part of the group of scantily clad kids that soaps love to throw our way every summer. Frankly Mr. Mickey fast-forwards through all the kids because, although Marcus is hot and longtime bad girl Chelsea is actually interesting now, the whole summer storyline these kids are involved with is such a yawn -- MM has no time for it. Mr. Mickey wants Julie!!! Hope & Bo! Billie!
Anyhoo, this guy is hot, so check out more XXX rated shots at Queer Me Now.
Posted May. 30, 2007,
Anthony Bourdain Eats Warthog Anus and Other Delights
By Ann Magnuson
During some time-wasting channel changing the other night, I happend to catch rouge chef Anthony Bourdain's trip to Namibia where he ate a warthog anus. He declared it "the worst meal of my life." I enjoy Bourdain's culinary globe-trotting escapades, especially this trip to Namibia.
Namibia has probably become best known as one of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's hideaways but I predict this will become one of THE hot destinations in the near future. I was lucky enough to go in 1994 where I got an all-expenses-paid trip in exchange for humiliating myself on national TV as a judge at the Miss Universe contest (held that year in the newly-independant and ironically Marxist-governed African nation). This was before Trump owned the pageant and... well, one day I'll write all about that bizarre episode in that book I keep threatening to write!
Posted May. 29, 2007,
R.I.P. Charles Nelson Reilly
By Ann Magnuson
We are genuinely very sad to hear of the passing of comic legend Charles Nelson Reilly. Those of a "certain age" will also share our fond memories of coming home from school and losing ourselves (and probably many brain cells) to Match Game (after Dark Shadows and/or The Mike Douglas Show).
Charles Nelson Reilly was a zany anarchist -- Bugs Bunny in human form. Yet he was also a very serious actor who taught folks like Lily Tomlin and Christine Lahti how to hone their craft. Even so, we'll remember him mostly for his inspired nuttiness. Reilly never failed to entertain with his wacky banter. His "relationship" with Match Game co-panelist Brett Somers was a shrouded in mystery - yet did two people ever seem more right for each other? Here Reilly is taking over the host duties from Gene Rayburn. Ah, those were the days!
Posted May. 25, 2007,
Take That: "So You Think You Can Dance" Duffel
By Alexis Swerdloff
Hey, Take That-ers! First off, congrats to Caroline, who won the Matt & Nat bag!! Caroline wrote us a haiku, explaining why she wanted this bag and it went a little something like this:
Matt and Nat purse rocks/Like Switzerland in a bag/Brown, oh so neutral.
Beautiful.
Now onto this week's treat. We're giving away this gym bag that the kind folks at So You Can Think You Can Dance, our favorite reality dance show (Sorry, Dancing with the Stars!) sent our way. It's a lovely shade of navy blue, wouldn't you say? As usual, Blaire Huntley models the bag with grace and aplomb.
Posted May. 24, 2007,
Mary-Kate Ditches Ashley, Joins Mary-Louise on Weeds
By Alexis Swerdloff
Mary-Kate Olsen (who, though we don't like to pick favorites, is probably our favorite Olsen) has been tapped to star in the third season of Weeds, which will premiere on August 13. She will play a devout Christian girl named Tara, who becomes a love interest for Nancy Botwin's (Mary-Louise Parker) son Silas... Hummina hummina. This is her first major move sans Ashley, and it'll be interesting to see how this goes for her. This seems like a good move for M-K, we have to say -- star in a credible Showtime dramedy, prove to everyone that she can actually act (though on a small-ish scale), and then hit the Hollywood big screen in the form of... say... a Michel Gondry-type number. Go, MK, go!
Posted May. 23, 2007,
Flight of the Conchords Is Funny Stuff
By Shanon Kelley
So by now I'm sure that you've all heard of Flight of the Conchords, New Zealand's fourth most popular digi-folk band, if only because they are the subject of a hilarious new comedy series on HBO. And if you haven't, well, you should! The show follows the two Conchords, Bret and Jermaine, as they try to make a name for themselves in New York City. You can watch the entire premiere episode online, and boy is it funny. Seriously. After all, when was the last time you ever saw a folk musical masked as a comedy series? And it even features a couple cameos from funny men Eugene Mirman and Aziz Ansari. The show airs June 17th, but for now watch their hilarious live performance of one of my personal favorites, "Business Time."
Posted May. 22, 2007,
24 Ends With a Bang and a Whimper!
By Dennis Dermody
24 ended last night with a bang -- they blew up an oil rig with Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) evil dad (Babe's father -- James Cromwell) and Jack saved his young nephew (whom every 24 freak assumes is his own son). But he was left miserable staring off a cliff at the end, with his love in a coma. And Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is pregnant -- next season there will probably be a nuke strapped to the baby.
People bitched about this season -- even the producers agreed that things went awry -- but I was riveted throughout. And people like Peter MacNichol (Tom Lennox) and Rick Schroder (Mike Doyle) were surprisingly great. Still pissed that they killed off Eric Balfour (Milo), but at least it wasn't the bloodbath of last year where they bumped off a lot of favorites. Still, Sutherland is so sensational. His character is such a tormented soul and he can't seem to catch a break -- he has the opposite of a Midas touch. Everyone he becomes close to comes to harm. So the whimper at the end with him staring off a cliff at an uncertain future seemed perfect, and infinitely moving. I'm relieved that it's over but God knows I'll be back for another harrowing day...
Posted May. 21, 2007,
Bette Davis Rocks Out!
By Dennis Dermody
Here's Bette Davis promoting her film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? on the Andy Williams TV show. Watching her rock 'n' roll version of the theme song and even doing the twist at the end always puts me in a good mood!
Posted May. 17, 2007,
About Last Night... 3 Arts Entertainment Hosts TV Upfronts After-Party at The Grand
By Alexis Swerdloff
Upfronts season is an exciting time, people; a time when all the major networks head to New York City and pitch their fall shows to advertisers, who they must woo with big and fancy, star-studded parties. We went to one such shindig on Tuesday night at The Grand, way up on E. 58th St. This one wasn't as much star-studded as it was filled with comedians and sitcom writers who we recognized: Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Jordan Carlos et. al... Everyone seemed to be loosening their ties, as it were, throwing back their vodka beverages loosely and freely. There were also some celebs: Debra Messing (who seemed to have a cast on her wrist), Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Kelsey Grammer, Horatio Sanz, and Lonny Ross from 30 Rock!
Here is a photo of Jerry, Rebeca, Kelsey's wife and Kelsey, snapped by PAPER's very own Caroline Torem Craig...
Posted May. 14, 2007,
L.A. Man : The Soup's Joel McHale
By Ann Magnuson
I don't know the man, I don't know anyone who does know the man, but Lordy, how I loves this man! Who's the man? My new TV crush, Joel McHale, host of The Soup. For those not in the know, The Soup is a compilation of TV trash and pop cultural detritus that is lampooned every week on E! The show originated in the early '90s with Greg Kinnear at the helm. Its had other hosts and guest hosts along the way but now the show -- probably the smartest thing on TV -- is fronted by McHale, a Seattle-born-but-current -Glendale - resident (and so officially an "L.A. Man"). He's cute, he's funny, he's silly and he's smart. MY KINDA L.A. MAN! Oooooh, "let's take some E" someday Joel!!!!
Posted May. 14, 2007,
Sopranos RIP: Christopher Moltisanti
By David Hershkovits
Holy shit. I almost didn't believe my eyes. Tony Soprano snuffing out the life of his cousin Christopher. I suppose he had it coming, considering that in the previous episode Christopher shot his friend right between the eyes, not to mention all the others he'd knocked off over the years. That's the beauty and the power of the show -- you fall in love with the characters and tend to forgive them their flaws. We are all members of this dysfunctional family.
Somehow I can't help connecting the show with events in Iraq. The Sopranos and their cohorts represent two sides of the American Dream. The optimism, comraderie, entrepreneurship and family values that hold it all together coupled with a capacity to kill anything that gets in the way of fulfilling the dream.
The LA Times set up two critics to discuss their pro and con views of the series, only to have the conversation rendered irrelevant by the twists and turns of each new episode. Christopher was the loose canon and Tony smelled a potential rat that had to be exterminated. To cool out after the killing, he went to Vegas and looked up an old flame of Christopher's, a hot co-ed he subsequently beds. She turns him on to pot and then mushrooms. They go out to the desert and Tony Soprano sits down to watch the sunset. Has Tony discovered the true meaning of life via psychedelics? Only three more episodes to go.
Posted May. 7, 2007,
Family Guy Takes on How I Met Your Mother
By Alexis Swerdloff
While watching The Family Guy last night (right before catching L.A. Woman's saucy guest-voice spot on American Dad), we were at once shocked, pleased and amazed to see that they chose to lampoon the Best Television Show You're Not Watching, How I Met Your Mother. Finally, this wonderful show is culturally relevent enough to get made fun of! Yippee!
Posted May. 4, 2007,
L.A. Woman on American Dad!
By Ann Magnuson
I didn't want to mention this until I knew fer shurrrr it was going to happen but I've been told that the first episode of "American Dad" that I did a voice for is going to air this Sunday, May 6th at 9:30 p.m.! Look and, more importantly, LISTEN for the character of "Lisa Collins," a very lusty next-door neighbor to Stan and family. If you haven't seen American Dad you MUST tune in! From the creators of Family Guy, American Dad is one of the most subversive shows on television! The American Dad in question is Stan Smith who works for the CIA and what the writer/producers get away with is astonishing! Even more so considering the show is on FOX! When I asked them how they manage to slip past conservative ire they told me some of the biggest fans of the shows are far right-wingers! Like the animated series " The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, which could simultaneously play on both a child and adult level, American Dad has its Republican red-state cake and eats it too... with a bright blue liberal fork!
Posted Apr. 26, 2007,
Cinemaniac with Dennis Dermody: Episode 3
By Alexis Swerdloff
PAPER film critic and blogger Dennis Dermody dishes on the best new TV show box sets -- Ironsides, I Love Lucy, South Park, The Wild Wild West and Twin Peaks.
Posted Apr. 26, 2007,
Painkiller Jane: "She's So Pretty, Let's Kill Her!"
By Ann Magnuson
A few days ago, I got something titled "Disgruntled Communique #452" in my email box from my pal Charles Hauther, armchair anarchist and buyer for the very groovy Skylight Books in Los Feliz. Chuck's POV on this mad world is always a welcome relief and I thought I'd share his observations on the show Painkiller Jane with ya'll. (I don't know about the TV show but the comic book looks purdy darned cool! But then again, so many are... until flesh and blood actors get involved.)
Posted Apr. 12, 2007,
Barbra by Halstead: Dog Call Part Deux
By Ann Magnuson
The genius that is Barbra by Halstead continues! Here is Part Two in the ongoing saga of The Canine Crank Phone Call. Gosh, why can't this show be on NBC's new fall line-up, right before "30 Rock"? Bet it would help boost their sagging ratings! In fact, why not have Barbra by Halstead as a guest star? I bet 'she' and Alec Baldwin could collectively chew all the scenery between 30 Rock and The Pacific Palisades!
Posted Apr. 12, 2007,
Happy Birthday Al Green!
By Dennis Dermody
The great R&B singer Al Green, who was born on April 13, 1946, turns 61 tomorrow. To me there is no other singer whose voice can melt my brain to mush like Al. Even when he became a Reverend and started singing Gospel songs I bought every album and attended every concert when he played New York. You used to always catch Lou Reed there too. He once came down the aisle and shook my hand (which I refused to wash for a week). Let's face it, Al Green is God. Here's a clip from a bizarre 1970s TV special with the group Chicago. But just listen to him wail "Tired Of Being Alone"....
Posted Apr. 11, 2007,
Douglas Sirk's Written on the Wind
By Ann Magnuson
Douglas Sirk's classic '50s melodrama Written on the Wind was on TCM this weekend and what a treat it was! The art direction in this movie is something to behold! So are the performances! Dorothy Malone took home a well deserved Oscar for her intense and delicious portrayal of a nymphomaniac rich girl hopelessly and futilely in love with the insanely handsome Rock Hudson (who never seems very gay to me, especially in this movie).
Later TCM host Robert Osbourne informed us that Lauren Bacall (who played the virginal "good girl"... ah, the '50s!) once said to her co-star Robert Stack (who took his role of the alcoholic son of a wealthy Texas oil baron very seriously), "You aren't acting crazy, you ARE crazy!" But the best scene is this one where Malone, as the "tramp" out-of-control daughter of the same wealthy oil baron, dances herself into a mambo frenzy (to a photo of Rock Hudson, no less) while aforementioned wealthy oil baron father suffers a fatal heart attack.
Posted Apr. 9, 2007,
My Del.icio.us Week
By David Hershkovits
I've come to depend on Del.icio.us as my filing system. It's where I save articles I might want to refer to at a later time. Now I can share. Here's what I tagged this week.
French Politics in 3-D on Fantasy Web Site -- "Protesters attacked the cyberspace headquarters of extremist French presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the popular 3-D Internet fantasy world Second Life." A great place for people to get out their aggressions. Let's fight all wars on Second Life. All four major French presidential candidates are conducting campaigns on Second Life.
Italian TV Bans Reality Shows -- "In Italy, the state broadcaster Rai has taken an unprecedented decision to scrap reality shows from next year. It's a decision winning popular support." And the ratings suck anyway.
Why That Hoodie Your Son Wears Isn’t Trademarked -- Economists "argue that the lack of intellectual property protection actually promotes the functioning of the [fashion] industry. If the extension of copyright to fashion prevented clothes manufacturers from copying each other, the industry would be ceding a major role to the lawyers and become much less creative. We’d see the same thing year after year. In other words, women’s fashion would look much more like men’s fashions — boring, boring, boring." Diane von Furstenberg is currently lobbying for intellectual property protection for the fashion industry.
Meet The Model Pop Star -- The former supermodel Carla Bruni goes from Vogue to verse in classic poems she’s set to music." Bruni's fans are not only from the French hipoisie.
Disney Opens Weddings to Gay Couples -- "Same-sex couples who want to exchange vows in front of Cinderella's Castle now have the chance." Will goofy now come out?
Posted Apr. 4, 2007,
New Slang from The Hills: Pt. 2
By Alexis Swerdloff
A few months ago we wrote about the phrase "solo missh," used by our favorite ladies from MTV docu-dramedy The Hills. Two nights ago, on the season finale of the show, we were introduced to a new morsel of slang goodness: "The Homeboy Phone." Apparently, Spencer, Heidi's boyfriend (with whom she decided to move in), explained to his best friend Brody Jenner, that he has two cellphones -- a "girlfriend phone" and a "homeboy phone."
Here, we'll use it in a sentence for you:
Guy 1: Hey, what you up to tonight?
Guy 2: Think Ima hit up a strip club.
Guy 1: Sweet. I'll call you later and we can meet up.
Guy 2: Sweet. Remember -- call my homeboy phone, my girlfriend thinks you and I are going to see Music & Lyrics
Posted Apr. 4, 2007,
Barbra Streisand's Nemesis Barbra By Halstead
By Ann Magnuson
I was reminded of the genius that is Barbra by Halstead while watching my favorite show American Dad the other night. In that episode, Roger the Alien is searching for a nose (since as an alien he has none) and in The Celebrity Nose Kit he ordered was a toucan's beak called The Barbra Streisand. Yeah, I know, cheap shot but it works everytime. Barbra by Halstead, however, finds the humor in the Streisand legend and turns it into sublime surrealism.
I know I've blogged about this before but it bears a return visit (or 500!) Halstead used to have 'her' own public access show where 'Barbra' made crank phone calls to the unsuspecting citizenry of Los Angeles County. "Dogs" is a classic and when I first saw this show I thought I'd never recover from the laughing spell it induced. Thank goodness YouTube has become the 21st Century's answer to the glory days of cable public access. And thank goodness these classic Barbra by Halstead clips can be watched over and over again.
Oh, by the way, Roger chose The Kevin Bacon -- a tiny upturned nose that got him into a whole peck of celebrity trouble!
Posted Apr. 3, 2007,
COLT Porn Star on Bravo's Workout!!!
By Mickey Boardman
You longtime MMBloggers might have noticed that we've cleaned things up a bit here at MMBlog. No more nearly nude male prostitutes just for the fun of it. MM has decided that he can show churning hunks of burning funk but only in a news-related context. So here we are with some news!! MM was reading the charming blog QueerMeNow and came across a juicy tidbit about COLT Man Gage Weston appearing on Bravo's reality show Workout.
For you non gay porn lovers, COLT is a legendary name in Gay Erotica and COLT Men are usually super butch and hairy a la Tom of Finland. Gage, it turns out, works out with one of the trainers on Workout Personally, Mr Mickey is a whore for Bravo shows although MM can't take Jackie (the star of Workout)'s girlfriend Mimi. This is Jackie's show bitch, not yours!!!
So set your DVRs kids and catch some hot porn workout action.
Posted Apr. 3, 2007,
Mari Lyn Lives On!
By Dennis Dermody
In the mid-'80s on Manhattan Public Access Cable TV, Mari Lyn appeared weekly with The Golden Treasury Of Song where she sang light opera. Friends used to call screaming with laughter over this wonder that brought to mind the off-key singing of Mrs. Miller, or Florence Foster Jenkins or more recently Wing. Now thanks to Donald Collup's website http://www.collup.com/ you can own three DVDs (each consisting of three of her memorably nutty shows). Check out her salute to Puccini with ear-splitting arias from Tosca or "Southern Anti-Bellum Era" where she screeches Swanee River. She was a legend!
Posted Apr. 2, 2007,
Cormac McCarthy, Man of the Hour
By Alexis Swerdloff
A lot of Cormac-McCarthy-related news in the air. Just found out that screenwriter Joe Penhall has been tapped to adapt The Road, McCarthy's highly-touted, bleak post-apocalyptic novel, for the big screen. And last week it was announced that the super-reclusive author will be making his first television appearance ever on Oprah. Go, Cormac, go!
Here's what our friends over at GADNY have to say:
Posted Mar. 28, 2007,
Olivia de Havilland and Shelley Winters on Falling in Love With Your Co-Star
By Ann Magnuson
In this clip from Dinah Shore's fab '70s afternoon talk show, Olivia de Havilland talks about the romantic sparks that flew between her and dashing co-star Errol Flynn. Dinah's question, "Do you ever fall in love with your co-star," was posed to several Oscar-winning Hollywood legends. I love how girlish de Havilland becomes when talking about Flynn, the charming-rouge-turned-lovesick-puppy in her presence. At the mention of his name, the sixty (seventy?) something icon instantly transforms into a blushing 15-year-old! That is, after the always entertaining Shelley Winters commandeers the spotlight and explains how Method Acting can lead you into matrimonial purgatory.
She accurately describes the experience. I once fell in love with my co-star on a movie set. Well, not actually with my co-star but with my co-star's hairpiece. Fortunately I never ended up in Reno with that wig but I did often stare at it lovingly when it was left sitting alone on a styrofoam head in the make-up trailer.
I wonder what actually went down between Flynn and de Havilland? If the way she's working those pearls is any indiction I'd say plenty! And what a soothing voice Miss de Havilland has! I love the way she says "snakes in my pantelettes!"
Posted Mar. 27, 2007,
Whoopi Meets Barney
By Dennis Dermody
Whoopi Goldberg's new special on HBO is due to premiere on April 9th, but I prefer to remember this mortifying mess from her past -- a 1995 film called Theodore Rex put out by New Line Cinema that was so stinky it never made it to theaters and went straight to video. She plays a futuristic cop whose new partner is a dinosaur -- or a guy in a Tyrannosaurus costume. Even Joe Dallesandro is in it! The trailer tells you all you need to know about this stink bomb.
Posted Mar. 26, 2007,
Et Tu Rome!
By Dennis Dermody
I felt like taking the asp to my breast like Cleopatra did after I watched the series finale of Rome last night. This season was just spectacular, crackling with with wit and plenty of nudity and violence to make history interesting. But James Purefoy as Mark Antony was absolutely phenomenal, as was Ray Stevenson as Titis Pullo, Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus and the wonderful Polly Walker as the lusty, vicious Atia. It made me recall this season's scene where Sevilia (Lindsay Duncan) stabbed herself to death in front of Atia's house only to have Mark Antony comment sardonically: "Now that's an exit..." No kidding.
Posted Mar. 23, 2007,
Orson Welles, Drunk as a Skunk
By Dennis Dermody
Another one of my favorite outtakes is legendary director Orson Welles drunk as a skunk trying to get through a Paul Masson wine commerical. Citizen Wino....
Posted Mar. 21, 2007,
Top Design's Goil Amornivivat
By PAPERMAG Editors
By Laura Perciasepe
Top Design’s Goil Amornivivat is the designing dynamo behind the show’s deluxe dog beds, high-concept light installations, and multi-colored glasses. Goil, a New Yorker with architecture degrees from both Carnegie Mellon and Yale, has a quick way with a hammer and a delightful sense of space that has led to some of the most interesting and whimsical rooms on the show (big red pepper as floor adornment, anyone?). Despite struggling to work in a team in last week’s episode, Goil’s still in the game and we can’t wait to see what this Parsons teacher comes up with next. He sat down to answer a few of this interior design fan’s questions about what his post-show plans are and how Tim Gunn is one of the last remaining true gentlemen.
On last week’s episode, you struggled to work in a team and felt like your vision was compromised. How much was that a feature of the show and how often does that go on in real life design?
Episode 6 broke my heart especially considering my respect for Erik and Andrea. It was a time in the competition when everyone was truly exhausted. I never cracked like I did in that challenge. In real world collaboration, one has more time to work out ideas and deal with group dynamics. If a team in a situation like this pauses, we risk not finishing. My real-life practice is a partnership. Everything I do is collaboration between my partner, Tom Morbitzer, and our client. Under normal circumstances, there is more time (more than 30 minutes) for discussion, and ultimately the work benefits.