Month: April 2009 (Page 5 of 17)

The Biggest Loser: “Godfather” Ron is a liar

Last night on “The Biggest Loser,” the episode began with Kristin jumping for joy that she avoided elimination and that Laura went home with her hip injury. Kristin, however, was feeling confident now that she could possibly win, but also feeling like maybe she shouldn’t get too excited. Tara, meanwhile, was so upset about Laura getting voted off and that everyone would be trying to take her out now. Well, duh. Suck it up, Tara! Jillian told her as much, saying that Laura being sent home was good for Laura, and that this isn’t about Tara. She also told Tara that it’s a good thing to be the one everyone is gunning for.

Then they had a game show type challenge with the editor of Good Housekeeping, in which the contestants had to answer nutrition related questions. It came down to Mike and Kristin, and the tiebreaker was having to guess the number of calories in a fast food fish sandwich without going over. Kristin guessed like 400 and Mikey guessed 635, and the actual amount was 640. Wow! So Mikey won, but then the fact that some of the competitors didn’t do so well angered Bob Harper to the point of him wanting his team to videotape a day of their eating habits.

They showed Mikey doing a product placement with plastic bags, and he said that when he goes to college, he’ll be able to cook chicken breasts in these plastic bags in his dorm. Which made me think of something–what exactly is going to happen to Mikey when he discovers beer? I’m just sayin’!

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American Idol: Was this really disco night?

We were all looking forward to Disco Week on “American Idol” the way we look forward to watching a train wreck, weren’t we? Who would butcher a disco song more than everyone else? How would Adam and Danny and Kris stay above the pack? Well, not Adam…that dude can do anything. Anyway, some performances were mind-blowing last night and others fell short, and it was the same singers who were awesome and the same who were awful, regardless of genre. Here we go…

THE VERY GOOD

Kris Allen, for my money, gave the best performance last night. He took Donna Summers’ “She Works Hard For the Money,” strapped on his guitar and turned it into a pop/rock version, ala David Cook last season. Skip the fact that this song came out in the mid-’80’s and has no ties to disco, and just look at the performance, which was absolutely stellar and fun to watch. Kara said Kris took a big risk and it paid off, Paula said it had a classy Santana feel, Simon said it was the polar opposite to Lil Rounds’ performance (who went before Kris) and then Simon (yes, that Simon) used the word “fantastic.” Randy said Kris knows who he is and is ready for the big-time. Folks, this kid could win…I’m telling you now.

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Cast changes have hurt “Reno 911!”

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Clementine), Mary Birdsong (Dep. Kimball) and Carlos Alazraqui (Dep. Garcia) are out, Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts are in. Nothing against the new guys, but I miss Clemmy, Kimball and Garcia.

It has been tough to find out why “Reno 911!” is seemingly ruining a good thing, but McLendon-Covey posted this on her MySpace blog:

Since you asked….
Hi everyone!
Recently I’ve been asked the same questions over and over, so I thought I’d better just address the subject here so I don’t have to keep writing individual messages about it.
No, I’m not on Reno 911 anymore. No, I didn’t leave on my own. No, I didn’t see it coming. No, I wasn’t the only one who was dismissed. No, it wasn’t because we weren’t doing a good job – in this business you don’t necessarily get hired because you’re good, and you don’t necessarily get let go because you’re bad.
Yes, I was on the set of THE OFFICE when I found out.
Yes, I was disappointed at first, but as Sophia Loren used to say, “Don’t cry over anything that won’t cry over you.” Five seasons and a movie was a good run, and I’m surprised that it lasted that long. I’m grateful to have been a part of the show but believe me, it was really time to move on and play other types of weird women – maybe someone who wears a turtleneck!
We wrapped season 5 in April of 2007, so I’ve been away from the show for 2 years. It’s a distant, bittersweet memory now.
So thanks to all of you for liking my character! Thanks for being so sweet to me.
xoxoxoxox, Wendi

As for the newcomers, here’s what the show’s wiki page has on them…

Season six newcomers Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts are no strangers to Reno 911. Both appeared as guest stars in past seasons, and both also appeared in Reno 911: Miami. As a member of “The State”, Lo Truglio is an old friend of the 3 creators and has worked with them on numerous projects. Roberts is a founding member of the popular Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy troupe, who had their own Comedy Central sketch show from 1998-2000.

I miss the dynamic between Garcia and Dep. Jones, the questions about Dep. Kimball’s true sexuality and pretty much everything about Clemmy. I’m not sure what prompted the changes; in the case of Lo Truglio, it might be nepotism given that he is old friends with the creators. The additions have made the cast less diverse and it’s affecting the overall vibe.

Currently on the Bubble: Half the Reasons I Watch Network TV.

Have you noticed an intoxicating scent of fear and desperation in the air recently? When you catch that scent wafting in from the general direction Hollywood, you know we’ve reached the time when the networks have begun to look very, very seriously at their schedules in order to determine which of the shows that haven’t yet earned pick-up notices for their next season actually deserve those notices. This year, the stench is particularly strong, what with the combination of Jay Leno’s new M-F 10 PM show killing five perfectly good spots for hourlong drama on NBC, the general economic situation, and the American public still not really having much of an interest in watching anything original. Keeping in mind, of course, that when I say “the American public,” I’m not talking about you

“No, Mum, they haven’t officially canceled ‘Eleventh Hour’ yet. I’ll keep you posted, though, shall I?”

Nellie Andreeva at the Hollywood Reporter has put together a piece where she gives a rundown of what shows are still waiting to find out if they’re going to get a pink slip or a terse note saying, “Yeah, yeah, you’ve got another season, now get your ass back to work,” while Hercules over at Ain’t It Cool News has taken the work out of it for you and simply offered up three succinct lists: Likely To Return, Unlikely to Return, and 50/50.

Taking the “Likely to Return” list – “Ghost Whisperer,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Law & Order,” “Numb3rs,” “Southland,” and “Ugly Betty” – out of discussion for the moment, I don’t mind telling you that, between the other two lists, it’s highly depressing to see about half of my TiVo Season Passes get cited. (Not mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter piece is “Kings,” but I agree with Herc that it’s probably been left out because its permanent vacation at the end of its Saturday night death slot run is considered a given.) Regular Premium Hollywood readers will already know that our man John Paulsen has been covering the death knell of several of these shows and established his feelings on what he’d be bummed to see depart, but here are the five shows – one per network, so as not to be greedy – that I’d most like to see earn a reprieve from cancellation:

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Blu Tuesday: The Wrestler, Frost/Nixon and Sin City

The Blu-ray community is positively obsessed with the technical specs of every high-def release, but that doesn’t mean you should only invest in movies that make the most of that technology. While there are some titles this week that look and sound great because of it, there are a few others that still belong in your collection – even if they don’t exactly benefit from the enhanced audio and video that Blu-ray delivers.

“The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

With each passing year, the Academy Awards become easier and easier to predict. There are so many awards given out by different organizations before the big night that by the time it finally arrives, the race has already been won. This year was a little different – Sean Penn stole the Best Actor prize when the Academy decided to make a political statement following the passing of Proposition 8, even if that meant denying comeback kid and frontrunner Mickey Rourke from completing the collection – but that shouldn’t take anything away from Rourke’s touching performance as an aging professional wrestler. Though the movie is pretty simple in terms of story and filmmaking (especially considering Darren Aronofsky is the one behind the camera), “The Wrestler” is a must-have for anyone searching for a good American drama. The included bonus features aren’t particularly enticing (the lack of a commentary is the biggest offense), but for a movie as gritty as this, it sure looks good in HD.

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

Another film that’s dependent almost entirely on the strength of its performances, “Frost/Nixon” was one of the 2008’s best movies, but you wouldn’t know it from the little attention it did receive during awards season. Ron Howard is the kind of director who isn’t as talented as the material he’s working with, but he sure knows how to pick a good story. Based on the Tony Award-winning play of the same name (which was in turn based on David Frost’s famous series of interviews with then former president Richard Nixon), “Frost/Nixon” blazes through its tension-filled 122-minute runtime so fast that you almost forget to breathe. Constructed like a boxing match where the opponents take jabs at each other with words instead of punches, Peter Morgan’s script is filled with the kind of dialogue-heavy scenes that you’d expect to find in a stage play, but wouldn’t expect to work as well on film. Remarkably, it does, but without Frank Langella and Martin Sheen in the lead roles, “Frost/Nixon” wouldn’t be quite as captivating. Add to that some pretty cool extras, and you’re looking at one of the unlikeliest films to prosper on Blu-ray.

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