Katy Perry plans to make out with a female celeb at the VMAs
August 28, 2008
Filed under: OpEd, Music and Variety, Awards
There’s a difference between cheap, tawdry publicity stunts that are (pop) culturally significant and those that are just, well, cheap and tawdry. An example of the former is Madonna’s infamous VMA performance from 2003 in which she performed and locked lips with not only Christina Aguilera, but Britney Spears as well. An example of the latter would be basically anything involving Katy Perry.
if you’ve walked past a Television, into a retail store or gotten into a automobile this summer, chances are you’ve heard Katy Perry’s single, “I Kissed a Girl.” There’s an even more massive chance that if you just read that sentence, “I Kissed a Girl” is now going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Perry is performing that song during this year’s VMA telecast on September 7th, and if you haven’t already guessed, she’s looking for a girl to kiss. Read more
Cheetah Girls scores high in ratings - Say what?
August 26, 2008
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Music and Variety, Children, Ratings, Reality-Free
I’ve a tween-aged girl in the household, so we watch a fair amount of Disney Channel. I’ll come clean and even announce that Miley Cyrus, The Cheetah Girls, and Demi Lovato share iPod space with AC/DC, Jeff Beck, and Aerosmith. Hey, those Disney Channel tunes are catchy, and they’re easy to dance, I mean, walk to. I draw the line at the Jonas Brothers, though.
But about 10 minutes into the new Cheetah Girls: One World motion picture the other night, my daughter looked at me and stated, “I was really hoping these Cheetah Girls movies would get superior.” Yeah, me, too.
David Blaine to strap on magnetic boots for next stunt
August 25, 2008
Filed under: Music and Variety, Celebrities, Reality-Free
He’s survived being encased in ice, being buried alive in a grave, being trapped in a plexiglass box high in the air, holding his breath underwater for Oprah, and standing on top of a pedestal for a few days, but this is the first stunt where magician David Blaine will wear magnetic footwear. Take that, Criss Angel!
ABC has announced the next special to feature Blaine, who seems to be loved and loathed in equal measure. The show is titled “The Dive of Death,” and will feature Blaine walking on the underside of a thin wire high above Wollman Rink in New York City. He’ll do it for three days and nights, with the help of magnetic boots. On a related note, “The Dive of Death” also describes the bar down the street from my apartment. Read more
MTV plans remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
August 15, 2008
Filed under: Music and Variety, Reality-Free
Generally talking, I’m not an anti-remake person. There are times when a remake is perfectly acceptable and oftentimes can improve upon the ideal of the original, like Battlestar Galactica, for instance. However — you knew that was coming, didn’t you? — this remake just sounds like a disaster in the making. MTV is going to turn The Rocky Horror Picture Show into a Television motion picture. They’ll take the 1975 cult classic sci-fi, horror musical spoof and give it a 2008 spin.
Oh, please! You can’t strike lightning twice. Rocky Horror was a phenomenon. It was a cult classic because the people who found and supported the motion picture in all those midnight movie showings felt like they were part of a “with it” crowd. It was like we had all found a diamond in the rough, a film that Hollywood just didn’t get. How can MTV possibly think they’ll recapture that zeitgeist in a TV movie? Read more
Don’t call it a comeback: Britney’s VMA promos - VIDEOS
August 12, 2008
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Awards
We all know the story: Britney Spears got divorced, shaved her head, beat a vehicle with an umbrella, went to rehab for a little while, and generally acted in an unstable fashion in front of the paparazzi. Then, last year, she was supposed to put all of that behind her and reclaim her rightful crown as a pop princess by performing her new single, “Gimme More” at the MTV Video Music Awards.
So she opened the show–but her performance was more befitting a zombie stripper than a multi-platinum artist. Things continued to go downhill for a while, until her father stepped in. After that, it was better extensions, visits with her kids and guest spots on How I Met Your Mother. It was good all around.
Ryan Seacrest’s name added to New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
August 8, 2008
Filed under: Television Royalty, Programming, OpEd, American Idol, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Speak Show, Host, Emmys, Reality-Free
In the Lame Title Department, ABC’s annual New Year’s Eve show will now be called Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
I dunno…couldn’t they’ve come up with something snappier? Like maybe Dick and Ryan’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve … oh never mind.
Bob Saget + sex jokes about the Olsens = awkward
August 6, 2008
Filed under: Music and Variety, Celebrities
Bob Saget’s Comedy Central roast was filmed Sunday night, and the typically raunchy affair may have crossed the line a tiny bit. Despite being a famously foul-mouthed comedian himself, Saget is ideal known for playing warm and fuzzy Danny Tanner on Full House. It was because of this famous role that most of the jokes centered on two of his diminutive co-stars: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Whether it was Gilbert Gottfried suggesting that Saget seduced the twins with chocolate milkshakes or Uncle Jesse himself, John Stamos, saying things like, “The whole time Bob and I were doing Full House, he was also hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos. His entire job consisted of saying ‘Take a look at this’ which is what he used to state to Mary Kate in her dressing room,” the subject of inappropriate relations with children was apparently a high source of comedy. Read more
Kathy Griffin says no thanks to Dancing with the Stars
August 1, 2008
Filed under: Music and Variety, Celebrities, Dancing With The Stars
Kathy Griffin may be the ultimate D-lister, but the Emmy-winning star of Bravo’s reality hit Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List, is really a smart cookie in my book. She told TV’s Extra that she turned down Dancing with the Stars, a top-drawer, sort of B-list opportunity. “I have a hard offer for Dancing with the Stars,” she revealed, adding that it’s not for her. “I can’t even touch my toes!”
Now, before you think Kathy was being haughty or better, to me she was just being smart. While appearing on Dancing with the Stars would be a great chance for exposure, appearing on DWTS is one of the toughest gigs in show business. I hand it to Kathy for knowing her limitations. The kind of physical workout involved is just too much, especially if you figure that you’re apt to humiliate yourself. I mean, what did a stint on DWTS do for Penn Jillette?
Dance Battle! Crews will face off on the Teen Choice Awards
July 24, 2008
Filed under: OpEd, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Reality-Free
The Teen Choice Awards will feature a dance battle between two of the toughest, roughest, street-est (not a word, I know) dance crews around. No, Lil C and his crew won’t be there crumping. Miley Cyrus and Mandy Jiroux’s M&M Cru will battle ACDC, the dance crew featuring Jon M. Chu and Adam Sevani of Step Up 2: The Streets. The two crews are BFFs and they challenged each other back in April. A more heated rivalry has not been seen since TuPac and Biggie. Yeah! Completely street. “Street” is even in the name of the motion picture.
The Teen Choice Awards have some other performers and appearances lined up too. But they’re not “street” so who cares? Shia LaBeouf, David Archuleta, James Marsden, Sophia Bush, Josh Holloway, Scarlett Johansson, Zac Efron, Pink, JoJo, Kristen Bell, and Hayden Panettiere are some of the other names previously announced. Mariah Carey is slated to perform her new single, “I’ll Be Lovin’ You Long Time.”
Talk Talk: Gillian Anderson, Jon Hamm, Dave Atell
July 22, 2008
Filed under: TV Royalty, Programming, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Speak Show, Reality-Free
Here’s who’s on the late night shows tonight.
- Charlie Rose: chef David Chang
- The Daily Show: Will Ferrell
- The Colbert Report: Margaret Spellings
- The Late Show with David Letterman: Amanda Peet, Jon Hamm, and Augustana
- Jay Leno: Gillian Anderson, Dave Atell, and The Duke Spirit
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: George Foreman and Alanis Morissette
- Tavis Smiley: Debbie Allen and Anne Lamott (repeat)
- Late Night with Conan O’Brien: Jason Lee, Eva Amurri, and Galactic (repeat)
- The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Julie Chen, Adam Scott, and Ricky Skaggs
- Last Call with Carson Daly: Bear Grylls (repeat)
