Woman Tribune » Entertainment

Conan O’Brien Launches TeamCoco.com to Spread the Word of 30-City Tour

Holly — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:57:29 +0000

Conan O’Brien isn’t just going to take his severance check from NBC and hide behind his Twitter; albeit changing a random girl’s life while basking in the glory of his internet-based fans. Conan has officially announced the next phase of his career and he swears, it’s half-assed.

TeamCoco.com was launched to promote Conan O’Brien’s upcoming 30-city comedy show that is said to be a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence. The tour will kick off in Eugene, Oregon and end in Atlanta, Georgia (at the time of writing this post.)

Are you excited about Conan going on tour? Will you be attending one of his shows?

Academy Apologizes for Farrah Fawcett being Omitted from 2010 Oscars “In Memoriam”

Holly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:20:24 +0000

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been apologizing to the friends, family and fans of a few different well-known figures in Hollywood that had been omitted from the 2010 Oscars “in memoriam” since the awards show aired last Sunday night. Three of the biggest names that had been left out were Farrah Fawcett, Bea Arthur and Gene Barry, but the one name who continues to be a thorn in the Academy’s side is Farrah Fawcett and those who have been making the biggest ruckus are critic Roger Ebert and Oscar winner Jane Fonda.

The “in memoriam” segment first began in 1993 and since that time, the same man has been responsible for the segment–the Academy’s Bruce Davis. Davis has since released a statement, saying:

“There’s nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we’re sorry for it.”

Although people continue to be outraged over the decision to leave Farrah Fawcett out of the segment, Davis stands by his decision of omitting her, saying that he ultimately felt her “remarkable television work” would be more appropriately honored during the TV Academy’s Emmys and backed up that line of thinking to include that several notable screenwriters were not included in the tribute, either.

The Academy has also explained why Michael Jackson had been included in the “in memoriam,” which surprised quite a bit of people, even fans of Michael Jackson, saying that while he was better known for his musical accomplishments, Jackson was the subject of a successful feature documentary last year, thus earning his place.

The Academy’s apology about Farrah Fawcett not being included in the “in memoriam” sounds very much more like a non-apology; like hot air being released to the universe to get everyone to stop talking about Bruce Davis’s oversight. And on the topic of Michael Jackson being included–I think his “remarkable musical work” would be more appropriately honored during the Grammys. Oh wait, it was.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards Red Carpet Arrivals

Holly — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:14:59 +0000

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards took place last night at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The biggest night in Hollywood was a tremendous success for filmmakers and actors alike, but the first thing we saw last night was the fashion–and there is no event bigger than the Oscars to get celebrities to go all out, putting their best (and sadly, sometimes their worst) fashion foot forward.

Hulu Users aren’t Impressed with the Return of Jay Leno

Holly — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:57:00 +0000

After Conan O’Brien clearly won the hearts and minds of the Internet when he announced he would be leaving NBC after they decided they had made a huge mistake by putting Jay Leno on prime time. But now that Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show is airing later and pulling in great ratings while Conan O’Brien joined Twitter to be amongst his people, the internet doesn’t seem to be letting up on Jay Leno anytime soon. Example A: Hulu.

Hulu users have added more than 441 tags to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’s page. There are more than 7 pages of adjectives to describe exactly how people feel about Jay Leno and subsequently, how people feel about Conan O’Brien no longer being on the air. Hulu users have tagged The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with terrible, unwatchable, must not see tv, go away jay, depressing, retirement home entertainment, vomit-inducing, and many other, much worse tags.

User-generated tags on Hulu for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

If anything, what this little demonstration has proven is that late night television audiences are really comprised of a few different generations who all latch onto the late night personality that best relates to their generation. This Hulu debacle really drives home the point that Jay Leno’s audience just really hasn’t caught on to how Hulu works yet and we can now all rest assured knowing that Conan O’Brien is truly with the people who loved him most now–on Twitter.

Book Review: Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Holly — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:25:36 +0000

Jane Jarvis and her best friend Allison are true blue friends ’till the end who always have each other’s backs and who can confide anything in each other. Attending Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls, the two are used to sticking out in a crowd, but now in the most positive way, being quirky in both their attitudes, as well as in their looks, so when the school holds their annual Big-Little celebration where Bigs (upper classmen) pair up with Littles (lower classmen) with the means to be more or less mentors to these younger girls, super confident Jane is immediately fearful for her less-confident friend, who she knows gets very nervous in any situation, not to mention an entire school event that, in essence, is based on your popularity.

During the Big-Little celebration, Allison seems to have it all together after showing Jane that she had received a cupcake in her locker with a note asking her to be a Big to an unnamed freshman. But Jane’s initial fears for her friend are reassured after Allison, waiting for her Little to come up and introduce herself fails to show, she throws up all over one of the freshman girls coming in her direction after nearly every other senior girl had obtained a Little. After Allison runs to the bathroom, Jane runs after to be there for her best friend, giving up any chance of getting a Little of her own. While trying to console Allison, who has barricaded herself inside a stall, a new sophomore student named Lanalee asks about Allison and after Jane tells her that Allison did not get a Little, Lanalee offers herself up, saying that she wasn’t able to get a Big anyway.

Lanalee seems to have appeared on the scene at Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls just in time. She is cool, calm and collected and even the most popular of girls in the school are fascinated with her, after she tells them a story of coming from another school primarily made up of rich socialites. She instantly becomes a great friend to Allison and to Jane alike, but Allison is spending less and less time with Jane and Allison starts to worry about this girl who she thought she had known so well; especially after Allison comes to school with her usual unruly hair cut into a short, dyed-red bob and is rocking an entirely new, obviously expensive wardrobe with matching, equally expensive accessories. Allison’s entire situation becomes even hairier to Jane when she follows Allison out of a small cafe, to see her go directly to Jane’s ex-boyfriend’s Elton’s house, who is now Allison’s new boyfriend.

As a series of weird and random events take place, Jane is left wondering what has happened to her friend to have made her become this completely new person she hardly recognizes (or sees) anymore. As her curiosity grows, she meets a very strange and at first, even somewhat stalker-like freshman named Owen and after ignoring him for a while, she realizes quickly that she needs Owen–because he happens to know exactly what has happened to Allison and is one of very few links Jane has to piece everything together. It is with Owen’s help that Jane comes to find out that Allison has made a deal with the devil–literally and it all started with that single cupcake in Allison’s locker on Big-Little Day. Now, it’s up to Jane to save the best friend she knows is still hidden inside of this new, but not-so-improved Allison, even if it means sacrificing herself.

I had Devilish sitting on my bookshelf for a little while before picking it up to read. I thought it was yet another young adult beach read; something that I would read through in a few sittings and be done with, it not really leaving such a lasting impression. Needless to say, I was wrong. The cover of the book is superb, especially since it does hold a great deal of meaning for the story itself, but you don’t know that when you first pick it, giving it that intriguing feel before you read it and a much more complex, full-circle feeling after.

It is an intelligent, fast-paced, thrilling read that will keep you turning the page again and again. This is the first book I have read by Maureen Johnson, but I am beyond intrigued and very excited to pick up another one of her books. She truly has a gift for playing with suspense and keeps you thinking and laughing throughout the entire book. Johnson’s characters, even her evil, do-no-gooders, are fun and will keep you switching sides on who to root for because you really like these diverse and very well-rounded characters.

Devilish was very much aptly-timed for me, just finishing it right after Valentine’s Day and not knowing exactly why I was craving cupcakes so much; it took my partner asking me what I expected from reading a book every day with a delicious cupcake pictured on the cover. While Devilish did initially present itself to be a not-so-remarkable read that I’ve read a thousand times before, it was anything but. I surprised even myself with how much I truly enjoyed this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Last Night’s Red Carpet at the BAFTAs

Holly — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:14:37 +0000

The British Academy Film Awards, also popularly known as the BAFTAs, took place in London last night at the Royal Opera House. Check out the gorgeous stars that walked the red carpet in the season’s best fashion.

Kevin Smith Deemed Too Fat to Fly by Southwest Airlines

Holly — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:41:00 +0000

Kevin Smith boarded a Southwest Airlines flight last night from Oakland to Burbank. After his bag was up and he was seated (with the arm rests down), he was deemed a “safety risk” and thrown off the flight. While he did end up on another Southwest flight, he turned to Twitter to express his (reasonable and totally justified, in my opinion) anger.

The Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines fire storm began with one Tweet from @ThatKevinSmith:

“Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?”

And that was just the beginning. He went on to Tweet, “Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn’t give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a “safety risk”. Again: I’m way fat… But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed me as “Silent Bob.”"

But that wasn’t all Southwest Airlines would hear from ~~Silent Bob~~ Kevin Smith. He got really, really pissed off and went on to tweet, “So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And fuck your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don’t embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don’t sulk off either: so everyday, some new fuck-you Tweets for @SouthwestAir. Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But fair warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE EJECTED FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR.”

Even though he was deemed a “safety risk,” he did end up boarding another flight with Southwest Airlines, completely disproving that whole “you’re a safety risk” sentiment, Kevin Smith still didn’t stop tweeting about his horrendous experience with Southwest Airlines and even took a picture of himself sitting on his later flight.

“Hey @SouthwestAir! Look how fat I am on your plane! Quick! Throw me off! http://twitpic.com/1340gw”

“The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you’re publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!”

“Hey @SouthwestAir! I’ve landed in Burbank. Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.”

Southwest Airlines did eventually start tweeting back to Kevin Smith apologizing and wanting to make it up to him in some way:

“@ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I’m so sorry for your experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things right, please follow so we may DM!”

And here is where my love for Kevin Smith goes much, much, much deeper. In fact, my heart could just about explode from Smith’s next tweet:

“Hey @SouthwestAir? Fuck making it right for me just ’cause I have a platform. I sat next to a big girl who was chastised for not buying an extra ticket because “all passengers deserve their space.” Fucking flight wasn’t even full! Fuck your size-ist policy. Rude…”

Regardless of the jokes Kevin Smith made in the bulk of his tweets, such as saying the plane was opened and he was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised, the real core issue here is a size-ist policy that is enforced not just by Southwest Airlines, but by all airlines. There is also a little thing we like to call fat phobia that exists and is the product of an increasing amount of ignorance, not just by corporations and businesses, but by the people behind them and the people who use them.

Just because a person is big, fat, plus size or any other words commonly used to describe people who do not fit within the body image standards set forth by media and advertising companies directed at all people–women, girls and men alike, does not mean that it is okay to treat them any differently than you would treat someone who does, in fact, mirror corporate beauty. What we saw go down through Twitter between Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines was not a safety risk in the least and it was not a policy being enforced due to him compromising the comfort, safety or well-being of the fellow passengers. It was a series of Southwest Airlines employees demonstrating fat phobia and casting one person on the flight out and embarrassing and fat shaming that person for no reason. This is not a one-time case; stuff like this is happening to bigger people every single day and on all flights from all airlines. If anything, Kevin Smith spoke the truth for every single big person who has ever been singled out on an airline for no reason.

Brittany Murphy’s Last Film, Abandoned, Picked Up by Anchor Bay Entertainment

Holly — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:11:07 +0000

Abandoned, the last film made by actress Brittany Murphy before she died in December after suffering cardiac arrest caused by pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication, has been picked up for North American distribution and is scheduled to arrive in theaters this summer.

Anchor Bay Entertainment has bought the film and President Bill Clark stated that it was an honor, but also bittersweet to be able to release Murphy’s last film, which finished filming in June of last year. Anchor Bay Entertainment has released a statement, saying:

“It was important to Anchor Bay that the timing of this release be right, because we’re sensitive to such a tragic loss. However, we also recognize that Brittany’s fans will want to see her amazing work.”

The producers of the psychological thriller, Jeffrey Schenck and Barry Barnholtz have released a joint statement, saying:

“Brittany will be deeply missed by everyone who worked on Abandoned. The film is a taut thriller which portrays Brittany’s character as smart and tough – and that’s how we all want to remember her.”

If you’re interested in the film, Murphy plays Mary Walsh who takes her boyfriend to the hospital for a routine outpatient surgery but he vanishes with no record of him left behind. Soon, however, Walsh receives a random demand. The film co-stars Dean Cain and Mimi Rogers.

Will you be going to see Abandoned this summer?

Have 2010 Oscars Predictions? Get the New Vanity Fair Hollywood iPhone App

Holly — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:06:47 +0000

The Oscars are coming up in March and nearly everyone is abuzz with their predictions for this year’s winning people and films. Vanity Fair wants to know who you think will be taking home an award this year and have launched the Vanity Fair Hollywood iPhone app.

The app, said to be developed in order to engage the Vanity Fair readership with technology and social media, is sponsored by L’Oréal Paris, whose products can be found in the Gift Bag section of the app, including itmes such as the True Match Roller Foundation, Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara (which we actually reviewed here–see week 1 and week 3,) Studio Secrets Professional Crystal Shadow Duos, Telescopic Explosion Mascara, Go 360° Clean Deep Facial Cleanser, and many others.

For those of you out there, like myself, who don’t have an iPhone or iPhone Touch, the Vanity Fair Hollywood app is also available as a web-based application. So get those predictions and votes in and tune in on March 7th for the Oscars to see if you were right!

Brittany Murphy’s Cause of Death Released

Holly — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:58:00 +0000

The death of Brittany Murphy came as a tremendous shock to us all. She died of cardiac arrest, but what caused that has been a mystery. Many speculated what played a part in her death–from her husband, Simon Monjack, who had released statements that he did not want an autopsy performed on Murphy and made us all speculate a lot more, to drugs, to the flu, to H1N1, and so on. Finally, the cause of Brittany Murphy’s death has been released.

The official report states that it was an accidental death caused by “community acquired pneumonia,” iron deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. The L.A. County Coroner concludes that “injury occurred” because of drug intake.

This is incredibly sad, because Brittany Murphy did not have to die. This story is still developing, but we can, at least, stop speculating on what exactly caused the death in this incredibly young woman. Also, keep in mind that “multiple drug intoxication” and “drug intake” does not necessarily mean illegal substances. As we have seen so many times throughout the years, it is the prescription drugs that are just as lethal as illegal substances.

Our thoughts continue to go out to Brittany Murphy’s family.

Jersey Shore’s Pauly D and Teen Mom’s Farrah Abraham–a Match Made on MTV?

Holly — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:30:44 +0000

left--Jersey Shore star Pauly D, right--Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham with baby Sophia

MTV has really gone and done it this time. The network currently has two shows on air that have been a tremendous hit with their audience; Jersey Shore and Teen Mom (the sequel, if you will, to 16 and Pregnant that aired last summer.) But have they inadvertently spawned an MTV romance?

Well, according to Fox411 who reported to receiving exclusive information about the show stars, it looks as if Jersey Shore star Pauly D and Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham may very well be a couple.

Pauly (whose real name is Paul Delvecchio) was seen deejaying at a club in Houston, Texas recently and the entertainment blog has reported that spies informed them that Farrah was by his side the entire night. Now, since Farrah lives in Iowa, she must have made a very special trip to Houston to see her new boyfriend at his gig. It’s pretty obvious that Pauly hadn’t made much time to tune into the MTV lineup, otherwise he would have known that she probably showed up in Houston to catch him cheating or to talk to him about the seriousness of their relationship, which probably was going on for two days at the time, because those who have seen the show know very well that it is very much like Farrah to show up on a guy’s doorstep demanding to have a sit-down conversation after he makes plans that don’t involve her for a night.

It seems as if Farrah has quite the new life-in-tabloids trek ahead of her, since she was recently making headlines when her mother, Debra Danielson, was arrested for allegedly choking and hitting Farrah.

Book Review: Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Holly — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:41:09 +0000

Although Dream Life is a sequel to Lauren Mechling’s first book, Dream Girl, Dream Life is the first book I have read in the supernatural journey that is Claire Voyante’s world. That being said, Mechling first and foremost succeeded in creating a book that you can pick up and jump right into, without needing any back story from the first publication in the series.

Claire is a typical high school girl with a not-so-typical gift; ever since her grandmother, Kiki, gave her an onyx and ivory cameo necklace, Claire has been having black and white dreams that are major tips in solving some pretty influential mysteries. To make Dream Life even more intriguing, Claire isn’t just solving mysteries around New York, she (albeit, mistakenly) aligns herself with a secret society of do-gooders called the Blue Moons, who give her quite the mystery to solve–find a missing pink iPod that holds the secrets of a new and absolutely huge project to save the Brooklyn Bridge from real estate developer slimeball, Sink Landon.

Admittedly, Dream Life was a little slow to start for me, which I attribute to not reading the first book and really not knowing the who knew each other so well. However, the book surprised me with its ability to catch–and keep–my attention to the end. Claire is a remarkable and rememberable heroine that you find yourself rooting for in her entire series of problems, not just with solving mysteries, but also rifts with her friends, her complicated boy troubles and dealing with her eccentric parents. Through reading so many young adult books and seeing the amount of quirkiness young adult authors portray in their parental characters, it is my belief that YA authors write parents with the exaggerated qualities they had in parents growing up, with a myriad of additional attributes they wished their parents had and Dream Life had that ten-fold with a Paris-crazed mother with a love of the Zodiac and her parents’ insane Paris-themed house parties. But most of all, I fell in absolute love with Claire’s grandmother, Kiki, who reminds me of every genuinely close friend I have ever had that I could divulge anything to without feeling a hint of judgment.

Lauren Mechling not only presents a fabulous mystery novel that captures the attention of young adults and older adults alike, but also is the first author since the creators of Sex and the City to turn New York City into a character in itself. Being the wannabe-fashionista that I am (read: If I had money, oh the clothes, shoes and accessories I would buy), I really enjoyed the fashion appearances in this book as well. Kiki’s hand-me-down vintage dresses Claire wears and the footwear described in her best friend Becca’s wardrobe are enough to make even the savviest of fashionistas swoon.

I loved being given the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in Claire’s life; from her stance as a Half Moon in the Blue Moon society, solving a mystery that proved me wrong when I thought I had everything figured out, to finally figuring out who she is as a person and knowing her own level of morality, which makes Claire completely and utterly real.

I would recommend this book to anyone craving a serving of hilarious, page-turning, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read that lets you breathe a sigh of relief when you think things can’t get much worse.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A Look Back at Conan O’Brien’s 7 Months on the Tonight Show

Holly — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:28:59 +0000

Last Friday marked Conan O’Brien’s last day as host of the Tonight Show on NBC. There were a lot of really great segments of his last show, but since we’re going to have to put up with Jay Leno if we want to watch something that is being called late-night comedy, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight Conan’s 7-month run as the host of the Tonight Show.

In his closing statement, Conan also had a little to say about cynicism. Warning: This video is pretty bad quality, but you get the point and you can’t get any classier than this:

Conan O’Brien’s $1.5 Million Dollar Comedy Bit

Holly — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:51:56 +0000

Since the news broke of Jay Leno being bumped from prime time after only 7 months, the rumor mill has been buzzing of what NBC would do with Conan O’Brien. Would Conan take over the later slot or would he be leaving his show, Tonight, along with the network that can’t uphold their own contracts?

Conan has been eluding to his NBC-demise since news broke that Jay Leno would be taken off of primte time television and placed back into late night and last night his bitterness collided with utter hilarity and out emerged the funniest thing I have ever, and I mean ever seen on Conan O’Brien–after saying that his show would most likely be ending in the next few episodes he can do whatever he wants; and not just that, but NBC has to pay for it. And out emerged his new character, said only to be introduced to the show for it’s price tag. The Bugatti Veyron Mouse. The most expensive car in the world dressed up like a mouse. Check it out before NBC removes it from YouTube:

Also, while this doesn’t necessarily come as a shock but is still very disappointing since Conan O’Brien is so much funnier than Jay Leno, yeah I said it, as of today, Conan O’Brien and NBC have reached a deal to terminate Conan’s contract. His final appearance as the host of Tonight is tonight and he will have free reign to go make some other network a happier and funnier place as of September 1st.

The NBC lineup as of March 1 will entail Jay Leno returning as the host of The Tonight Show which will be one-hour broadcasted at 11:35pm EST, followed by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. My one complaint here is why does Jimmy Fallon get to keep his show? He’s even less entertaining than Jay Leno!

Details of O’Brien’s severance have not been made public, but those familiar with the negotiations have stated that “he stands to get a severance payment of about $32 million plus about $12 million for his staff. So while Conan O’Brien will be immensely taken care of, this still sucks because as so many have said and continued to say, he’s just funnier and of course he is the one who loses his show.

Of course, the “deal” NBC and O’Brien reached is also said to contain a clause that would prohibit both parties from making disparaging comments about each other in public. You know NBC made damn sure they put that clause in his agreement–look what he’s been saying (and doing) while still being on the air.

67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners

Holly — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:46:19 +0000

There were many fantastic and deserving winners last night at the Golden Globe Awards. Check out who snagged themselves an award below:

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Penelope Cruz–Nine
Vera Farmiga–Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick–Up in the Air
Mo’Nique–Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire WINNER
Julianne Moore–A Single Man

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

Toni Collette–United States of Tara WINNER
Courtney Cox–Cougar Town
Tina Fey–30 Rock
Edie Falco–Nurse Jackie
Lea Michele–Glee

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

Neil Patrick Harris–How I Met Your Mother
Michael Emerson–Lost
Jeremy Piven–Entourage
William Hurt–Damages
John Lithgow–Dexter WINNER

Best Animated Feature Film

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
The Princess and the Frog
Up WINNER

Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Simon Baker–The Mentalist
Michael C. Hall–Dexter WINNER
Jon Hamm–Mad Men
Hugh Laurie–House
Bill Paxton–Big Love

Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Julianna Margulies–The Good Wife WINNER
Glenn Close–Damages
January Jones–Mad Men
Anna Paquin–True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick–The Closer

Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

Grey Gardens WINNER
Into the Storm
Little Dorrit
Taking Chance
Georgia O’Keeffe

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy

Sandra Bullock–The Proposal
Marion Cotillard–Nine
Julia Roberts–Duplicity
Meryl Streep–It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep–Julie and Julia WINNER

Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

Kevin Bacon–Taking Chance WINNER
Kenneth Branagh–Wallander: One Step Behind
Chiwetel Ejiofor–Endgame
Brendan Gleeson–Into the Storm
Jeremy Irons–Georgia O’Keeffe

Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

Joan Allen–Georgia O’Keeffe
Drew Barrymore–Grey Gardens WINNER
Jessica Lange–Grey Gardens
Anna Paquin–The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
Sigourney Weaver–Prayers for Bobby

Best Screenplay-Motion Picture

Mark Boal–The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell–District 9
Quentin Tarantio–Inglourious Basterds
Nancy Meyers–It’s Complicated
Jason Reitman and Shelton Turner–Up in the Air WINNER

Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

Alec Baldwin–30 Rock WINNER
Steve Carell–The Office
Thomas Jane–Hung
David Duchovny–Californication
Matthew Morrison–Glee

Best Foreign Language Film

A Prophet
The White Ribbon WINNER
The Maid
Baaria

Best Television Series, Drama

Big Love
Dexter
House
Mad Men WINNER
True Blood

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jane Adams–Hung
Rose Byrne–Damages
Jane Lynch–Glee
Janet McTeer–Into the Storm
Chloe Sevigny–Big Love WINNER

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Matt Damon–Invictus
Woody Harrelson–The Messenger
Christopher Plummer–The Last Station
Stanley Tucci–The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz–Inglourious Basters WINNER

Best Directer-Motion Picture

Kathryn Bigelow–The Hurt Locker
James Cameron–Avatar WINNER
Clint Eastwood–Invictus
Jason Reitman–Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino–Inglourious Basterds

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical

30 Rock
Entourage
Glee WINNER
Modern Family
The Office

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover WINNER
It’s Complicated
Julie and Julia
Nine

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Emily Blunt–The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock–The Blind Side WINNER
Helen Mirren–The Last Station
Carey Mulligan–An Education
Gabourey Sidibe–Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy

Matt Damon–The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis–Nine
Robert Downey Jr.–Sherlock Holmes WINNER
Joseph Gordon-Levitt–(500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg–A Serious Man

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Jeff Bridges–Crazy Heart WINNER
George Clooney–Up in the Air
Colin Firth–A Single Man
Morgan Freeman–Invictus
Tobey Maguire–Brothers

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Avatar WINNER
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Up in the Air

67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet Arrivals

Holly — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:05:07 +0000

All the big stars from movies as well as television gathered together last night for the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards. Let’s take a look at some of the fabulous red carpet fashion and of course, some major cases of celebrity style gone bad.

Project Runway Returns to NYC Tonight

Holly — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:33:19 +0000

After the first season of Project Runway to actually bore me, which doesn’t bode very well for the show’s new home on Lifetime, Project Runway will return will it’s 7th season tonight at 10pm/9c with what looks like a very interesting cast. Of course all of the long-time Project Runway fans are glad the show is going back to its roots in NYC where we can yet again see the contestants in our familiar Project Runway settings–Parsons, the original Mood and Atlas Apartments. What’s even more exciting, to me, at least, is the fact that Michael Kors and Nina Garcia will be on the panel of judges a lot more, because they didn’t get much air time in the last season and I absolutely love the frankness of Michael Kors and the unapologetic bitchiness of Nina Garcia.

Hopefully season seven is a lot more exciting and interesting than the last, and it looks like it could be, especially since it will include what is being called “the biggest challenge in Project Runway history.”

Meet the Cast of Project Runway Season 7

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Check Out the Red Carpet from the Sherlock Holmes Premiere in Berlin

Holly — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:42:19 +0000

Last night, Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr, Rachel McAdams and the rest of the Sherlock Holmes cast walked the red carpet at the Berlin, Germany premier. Check out the hit cast and their red carpet style.

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[Images via INF Daily]

Book Review: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Holly — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:20:29 +0000

I must preface this by saying that I know very little when it comes to cooking, never mind French cooking. I know enough to prepare something with very simple instructions, but for the most part my partner does the majority of any cooking that involves more than boil water, add noodles, wait until noodles are tender and cover with sauce. In addition to my lack of culinary expertise, I also knew very little about Julia Child when starting this book, so one could assume that this would not be a book that I would be interested in, if not having to force myself through. However, I surprisingly took to this book very well because you don’t have to know pretty much anything about cooking, French cooking or Julia Child to enjoy the humor and biting cynicism of Julie Powell and her ability to bring you on the journey, the upheaval, the frustrations and the victories that became her life.

Julie Powell was just a temp secretary working at a government office full of Republicans in a post-9/11 era where, among other things like filing, she answered phone calls about people’s ideas for the September 11th memorial that had not yet been placed where the World Trade Center towers once stood. Living with her husband, three cats and what one could assume to be a minor drinking and chain-smoking problem, she worked a thankless job and lived a mundane life in a crappy apartment. She lived the life so many people are currently and will continue to live–getting by without doing much of significance.

But that’s where we get Julie Powell’s life all wrong. Of course she did not mean to do something of so much significance, but she did strive to do something. While being told she had a condition that would make it difficult to impossible to have a child after the age of thirty, and being twenty-nine, she set out on a mission to restore her ambition, change her life and save her soul… by cooking all 524 recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I.

As she details her way through dish after dish, through long and excruciatingly-detailed pages on the insides of marrow bones and how to really go about stealing the lives of lobsters before turning them into delectable French cuisine, Julie & Julia is the kind of book you pick up on a rainy day when you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, so you don’t and allow yourself to relax the morning and early-afternoon away in bed with a good book.

A memoir was the perfect thing for Julie Powell to write, being an honest and often self-deprecating woman who bears it all and isn’t ashamed of it. However, on this same note she did write in the author’s note that throughout the book she did just make things up but of course, does not touch on what is made up and what is true-to-life. That did not necessarily have a negative impact on my overall enjoyment of this book because as I found myself laughing during certain passages and then wondering if that had really happened or not, I realized that if it had, well, that would have been hilarious and if not, then Julie Powell is equipped with a great and witty imagination–And she is.

Her blog that inspired the book, the Julie/Julia Project gained a great deal of media attention towards the ending months of her project. She prepared dinner for newspaper columnists she had admired and even missed the last episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to do it. Her blog garnered a great deal of attention from people whom she called bleeders that cheered her on and also pleaded with her not to make aspic-and-anything ever again.

More-so than the art of French cooking, I was more intrigued by Julie Powell the woman. I enjoyed her anecdotes and expletive-filled tangents about her boring and thankless job, her varied and equally satisfying and satisfied friends and of course, a husband in which she portrays to be the textbook definition of perfect. While I had seen the trailer for the movie before picking up the book, I was actually quite thrilled to see that the real Julie Powell was not as wholesome as Amy Adams portrays on the silver screen.

Julie & Julia is a satisfying journey of discovery full of laugh-out-loud tales and lists of foods I am certain I will never let grace my dinner plate.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jay Leno Says Goodbye to Prime Time

Holly — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:00:21 +0000

After a brief stint in the Prime Time club, Jay Leno has recently signed off on NBC’s switch, moving his Tonight Show out of its 10pm slot and back into late night, airing at 11:35pm. Not only will his show be on later at night, but another change NBC is making also cuts his show’s running time in half from one hour to 30 minutes.

This switch has, of course, brought on a myriad of questions about the new NBC lineup, particularly because his show is being cut in half, which begs the question whether or not he will have guests on his show, since he usually fills a half hour with merely his opening monologues and jokes. More questions also arise about the future of Conan O’Brien, who is currently airing at 11:35.

TMZ has reported that Conan was given an ultimatum by NBC executives forcing him to decide to move to the midnight to 1am time slot or leave the network. They have also reported that is Conan does decide to leave the NBC network that they will let him go and give Jay Leno his full hour back.

While it most definitely looks like late night television as we have known it for the past several years, NBC was quick to release two statements defending both of the late night personalities.

NBC’s statement on Jay Leno:

“Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today. As we have said all along, Jay’s show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. It has, however, presented some issuers for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve the performance.”

NBC’s statement on Conan:

“We have the best comedy team in the business. We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC. He is a valued part of our late-night line-up, as he has been for more than 16 years and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”

The new NBC lineup is scheduled to be put in place after the show’s hiatus during the Winter Olympics in February. But will Conan be joining Jay Leno during the new lineup? Only time will tell.

[Image via INF Daily]

Paris Hilton Performs a Public Service on I Get That A Lot

Holly — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:23:04 +0000

There’s a new show that I hadn’t even heard of until my partner and I were channel surfing and saw Jeff Probst from Survivor working at a grocery store. We found out it’s a new show called I Get That A Lot where celebrities attempt to go under the radar and fool patrons of whatever place they’re “working” at for the day and when they’re asked if they’re the [insert celebrity here] they say something to the effect of “Yeah, I get that a lot.” We also saw Jessica Simpson work at a computer store which was oddly hilarious, considering the fact that I usually cannot stand Jessica Simpson.

I just came across the clip of Paris Hilton on the show, working at a gas station. It is completely awesome especially since she gives a woman $5 because she went in to get $1.65 worth the gas and when she thanked Paris and said that she had a really bad day and just really needed that, Paris filled up her whole tank! Awww!

Check it Out! SATC 2 Trailer has Arrived!

Holly — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:38:24 +0000

Okay, it arrived a little more than a week ago and I’m just getting around to posting it. Bad blogger and even worse, bad SATC enthusiast!

I’m scared and really, really not as excited as I wish I was. Why is Carrie in her apartment? Is Mr. Big living in her apartment with her because something tells me that no, he definitely is not. Oh yeah, and why in the hell are they in the desert?

…And another thing–the Carrie On catchphrase sucks; Get Carried Away was so much better but we must also keep in mind that they never had anticipated making a sequel or for that matter, a movie in the first place.

I guess we’ll find out the answers to these burning questions (and probably many more depending on how many additional trailers get released or leaked) on May 28th! Will you be at the theater opening night?

C. Leigh Purtill’s Bookish Experiment has Kicked Off (and We’re Excited!)

Holly — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:31:12 +0000

C. Leigh Purtill, the author of both Love, Meg and All About Vee (both of which we absolutely loved!) has just kicked off a bookish experiment that we couldn’t be happier about. Purtill’s novel, All About Vee was not written to be it’s own short novel, Vee was actually just another character in a bigger book entitled Fat Girls in L.A. and it goes without saying that while we did appearances of the other characters throughout All About Vee, the book itself was just what you could assume from the title–All about Veronica May.

But now we get to hear the stories of all of the girls we were introduced to in All About Vee with Purtill’s bookish experiment which will release a part of the sequel, The Rise of Ginny Cooper every Monday in January. Best of all, especially for people who already spend way too much money on books, The Rise of Ginny Cooper is completely free and is available for download exclusively at The Story Siren, a huge website dedicated to young adult books, reviews, author interviews, contests and more.

Download your free copy of The Rise of Ginny Cooper part 1

The Story Siren is also giving you an opportunity to win a signed copy of the first book in the series, All About Vee. From now until January 25th, anyone 13 years of age or older can enter to win the signed copy of the book here.

Brittany Murphy Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Only 32

Holly — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:36:04 +0000

Brittany Murphy who starred in films such as Clueless, 8 Mile and Don’t Say a Word was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early yesterday morning. Her cause of death is on record as full cardiac arrest. According to TMZ a 911 call was made at 8:00AM from a Los Angeles home that is as listed as belonging to Simon Monjack, Murphy’s husband. Paramedics administered CPR in route to the hospital which was several miles away and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Through Brittany’s rep, her family released the following statement:

“The sudden loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy. She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star. We ask you to respect our privacy at this time.”

The LA County Coroner is currently conducting an autopsy on Brittany Murphy, it is also said that she had taken prescription drugs before she died and authorities discovered a large amount of prescription drugs at her house after her death. This definitely raises the question of whether or not she had overdosed on this medication, much like the cardiac arrest death of Michael Jackson. However, it has been said that Murphy had been taking medication for flu-like symptoms that she had been experiencing for several days. Several sources have also reported that she was sick and vomiting just before she died.

My first guess as to the reason behind her death is not an overdose, contrary to the beliefs of some bloggers reporting her death. If she was sick and vomiting and taken prescription medication for flu-like symptoms and then suddenly died, I actually thought H1N1. However, we will know for sure when her autopsy is revealed.

This is a horrible tragedy whatever the case and she will surely be missed by her family, friends, co-workers and fans. RIP.

[Image via INF Daily]

First Official Trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Holly — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:28:57 +0000

The first official trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has been released. Check it out above.

What do you think of Burton’s remake of the classic? I am personally not exactly excited for it, given what he did to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am also pretty damn sick of seeing Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in every single Tim Burton movie; I know, I know, Johnny Depp is the new creepy man stereotype and Helena Bonham Carter is Tim Burton’s wife, after all, but come on already–there are a lot of other great actors out there that would most likely jump at the chance to work with Tim Burton.

The film is set to be released on March 5, 2010. One thing I am excited about–3D.

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