Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Jennifer Aniston vs. Bill O’Reilly in culture wars. Who wins?
They both have huge audiences in Middle America, making this week’s public quarrel between Bill O’Reilly and Jennifer Aniston one of the more widely-watched — and to some, perhaps, puzzling — celebrity feuds in recent months.
O’Reilly is known for his politically conservative fan base on “The O’Reilly Factor” and he enjoys a large following on Fox News with his commentary, so fans can expect him to mouth off. But Aniston is a tabloid favorite in large part because of her girl-next-door image, and she is rarely outspoken on anything much at all. So, it’s surprising when she fights speech with speech.
Aniston was targeted by O’Reilly on his “Culture Warriors” segment on Fox News this week after her recent comment that “women are realizing, more and more knowing, they don’t have to settle with a man just to have a child.” She made that statement when promoting her new movie “The Switch” about a similar topic.
O’Reilly and his fellow Fox commentators then got personal with her, pointing out she is 41 and unmarried and likely looking to still have a child — hence her comment. The 60-year-old, self-styled “traditionalist” and syndicated columnist said her statement surely was “throwing a message out to 12 year-olds and 13 year-olds that hey, you don’t need a guy, you don’t need a dad.” And finally, he said, “that’s destructive to our society.”
(We note: O’Reilly began his comments by cementing his place as a pop culture aficionado and Aniston specialist by asking, “Didn’t she marry Brad Pitt?”)
And though she may have seemed ill-equipped to take him on, Aniston had the last parting shot, telling People magazine by the end of week: ”Of course, the ideal scenario for parenting is obviously two parents of a mature age” before adding tongue-in-cheek, “but for those who’ve not yet found their Bill O’Reilly, I’m just glad science has provided a few other options.” Snap!
Glee’s New Directions Journey to regionals
Just when you feared fame may have stripped some of the charm off Fox’s hit show, “Glee”, it sent fans into the summer hiatus with a finale bursting with heart, drama, a few tears, and the magic and chills of the pilot episode.
After a year together, the ageless Glee kids of McKinley High found inspiration with the group and song that started it all, Journey and their hit, “Don’t stop believin’”.
Rachel, Finn and the rest of the New Directions gang were initially dejected and convinced a loss was guaranteed after learning their nemesis, acerbic cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, would be one of the “celebrity” judges at the highly anticipated regional competition.
It was nothing a classic Mr. Schue pep-talk couldn’t cure, however. Inspired, they performed a heartfelt and uplifting medley of Journey songs at regionals: “Faithfully”, “Any way you want it”/”Lovin’, touchin’, squeezin’” (mash-up), and “Don’t stop believin’”.
But the competition was just a backdrop to an eventful episode: Finn told Rachel he loved her, Quinn’s estranged mother showed up to give her support (and confessed that she kicked out her husband for “having an affair with some tattoed freak”), rival Vocal Adrenaline blew away the competition with Queen’s “Bohemian Rapsody”, Quinn gave birth to a baby girl with Puck and Mercedes by her side, Mr. Schuester told Emma he loved her, and Shelby Corcoran adopted Quinn’s baby before the hour was even finished — only on TV! Phew.
The finale brought back some guests from earlier this season to act as the other “celebrity judges”. Olivia Newton-John and Josh Groban reprised their roles, posing as egomaniacal versions of themselves. Their condescending attitude toward small town Ohio (“underachievers with delusions of grandeur”) drove Sue to defend and secretly vote for New Directions. It was one against three, however, and the club couldn’t even place, having been also beaten by the “not-at-all stupidly named ‘Aural Intensity’”.
Neil Patrick Harris, Joss Whedon pay a visit to “Glee”
Fox’s ” Glee” was full of its trademark goodness this week, and a guest turn by Neil Patrick Harris (better known as Barney Stinson on “How I Met Your Mother“) and directed by Joss Whedon were a particular treat.
A opening scene flashback to Mr. Schuester’s (Matthew Morrison) zit-marked high school days watching a mullet-haired Bryan Ryan (Harris) serenade The Monkee’s “Daydream Believer” set the tone for the rest of the episode. Harris, known for his love of magic, even managed to weasel a trick into the scene.
The episode brimmed with a love-hate bromance between Will and Bryan — a combination that put fans in Glee heaven. The former high school rivals tried to out-sing one another with Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. Harris may not be a trained singer, but he hit those G-A flat falsetto notes perfectly.
There were two other heartfelt storylines woven into this episode about hopes and dreams (if you couldn’t tell from the song selection).
One involved Rachel Berry’s (Lea Michele) search for her biological mother, played by famed Broadway star Idina Menzel. The resemblance between the two singers is uncanny. It was only a matter of time before they had a duet together and this episode was it. That it be a Broadway number — “I dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables – was particularly fitting.
The other storyline involved wheel-chair bound Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) and his dreams of walking again. In a fantasy segment that played homage to the many real-life “Glee” flash mobs around the world, Artie lead a mall dance sequence to “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats. It was a rare chance for McHale — who previously belonged to a boyband and is actually one of the best dancers in the cast — to show off his moves.
Artie’s dreams are crushed, and he expressed his bittersweet acceptance with a rendition of Ozzie Nelson’s “Dream a Little Dream of Me” as Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.) and love interest, Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), tap danced around him.
Harris IS a trained singer – he’s appeared on Broadway.
Waiting for the fate of Jack Bauer, answers to “Lost”
Sure, TV networks may already be looking ahead to the fall — they’re all gathered in New York this week unveiling next season’s line up to advertisers – but viewers are still anchored firmly in the present, waiting with bated breath to see how their favorite TV shows will leave them hanging through the summer — or, in some cases, permanently.
CW’s freshman breakout hit “The Vampire Diaries” was one of the first shows to wrap for the season last week with a heart-stopping finale that the New York Post’s PopWrap said set the bar “for which all other 2010 season finales will be judged.”
This week, season finales ramped up with more than a dozen dramas saying au revoir until the fall. Among those include “Desperate Housewives”, “Brothers and Sisters”, “House”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Mentalist”.
But what a lot of fans are likely waiting for is the line up next week, when long-running hit shows “24″ and “Lost” both bid a final farewell with 2 hour finales.
After eight seasons of fighting terrorism and losing nearly everyone close to him, what’s left for Jack Bauer? Has he finally reached the breaking point?
And what about “Lost” fans? Will they get a Sopranos-like ambiguous ending? Or, will they learn what the island’s mysterious light source represents and which one of the Oceanic Six will be chosen as its protector?
Many of TV’s top rated dramas are also wrapping up for the season next week: “NCIS”, “NCIS: Los Angeles”, “Criminal Minds”, and “The Good Wife”.
I began watching 24 with the beginning of Season 7 and since then I have watched a few of the early Seasons. I have found the show as being prophetic politically and even though it is a fantasy it has a “real” feel to it. In addition I have found it to be one of the most exciting TV series I have ever watched and I have been watching TV since the late 50s. I have read some articles that speculate that the next 24 will be a movie most probably made in England or Europe. I am looking forward to it.
What would Madonna do (WWMD) on “Glee”?
Tuesday night’s much-hyped homage to “the most powerful woman ever to walk the face of the earth” on Fox’s breakout hit show, Glee, was all about asking, “What would Madonna do?”
(Acerbic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester’s response: “Well, the answer to that question would normally be: date a younger man.”)
The episode highlighted nearly three decades of the Material Girl’s music, looks and influence on pop culture and was filled with the show’s traditional one-line zingers. Actor Corey Monteith (Finn Hudson) tweeted that the rumor was that Madonna herself watched the episode with creator, Ryan Murphy.
The theme was all about empowerment and what better role model than Madonna for everything from women’s equality (a slick “Express Yourself” number by the girls) to self-image (a frame-by-frame Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) tribute to the 1990 video “Vogue”).
It also featured a triple storyline on being touched for the very first time (need we spell out which song that was set to?). As Cheerios Brittany explained, “The way to get a man to follow you forever? Take his virginity. Madonna wrote a song about it.”
Glee fans go wild for Sue’s “Vogue” video. But did it work?
“Glee” s scheming cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester’s parody of a 1990 Madonna music video got its much anticipated premiere on Tuesday night. But did it live up to its billing?
Reactions to the black-and-white remake of Madonna’s “Vogue” video have been mixed, with some fans (especially those too young to remember the 1990 original) saying they were confused as to whether it was supposed to be funny, while others raved about the subtle homage to one of the world’s most influential pop stars. The video, which will be featured again as part of next week’s Madonna-themed “Glee” episode. But here it is for those who can’t wait that long.
According to Fox, it is part of a subplot that sees choir members Kurt and Mercedes give Sue a makeover in an episode that sees all the girls embrace their strength and independence.
Entertainment Weekly asked if Sue (played by actress Jane Lynch) “put enough of herself in ‘Vogue.’?
One “Glee” fan called it a “big missed opportunity to be funnier or nastier”. On Twitter, where “Glee” was among the top 5 trending topics on Wednesday, one fan said “oh GLEE, i don’t watch you but after seeing jane’s vogue. i think i should start.” Fox said a record 13.7 million audience tuned-in to “Glee” on Tuesday, almost double the previous average. Such was the volume of traffic to the official www.gleeforum.com that the site crashed on Wednesday.
But there were no doubts about the adulation for actress Jane Lynch, whose snarky character and cutting put-downs are fast becoming one of the biggest attractions of “Glee”. “What can I say, she has charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent….I LOVE HER!” wrote one fan on Hulu.com of Lynch.
I thought the video was very funny. I mainly enjoyed it because Sue is my favorite character on the show. I find her ruthlessness absolutely hilarious. She would definitely be the lynch pin in the show, much like Kramer was the lynch pin on Seinfeld. Who would have watched Seinfeld if Kramer was not on the show?
from DealZone:
Comcast the Barbarian?
Conan O'Brien could well be headed to Fox after making it clear to NBC that he will not go graciously into the later night. But a channel-changing question that is making the rounds has more to do with what the drama unfolding between O'Brien and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno says about NBC and its agreed joint venture with Comcast. If nothing else, the lack of replacement programming for the slot Leno is vacating, and the purported profitability NBC still enjoyed by having a cheaper, single-star variety show in a traditionally pricey prime-time slot, raise an obvious question -- why the rush?
John Hudson at the AtlanticWire does a nice job of collecting some thoughts on pressure that was probably building from Comcast, from angry affiliates who wanted Leno and his show's crummy ratings out of that vital pre-news slot, to improving PR.
"Though NBC Universal Chairman Jeff Gaspin said the Comcast deal has nothing to do with the decision, pundits say Gaspin has 'every incentive to show improvement' before his new bosses at Comcast takeover," Hudson says.
NBC said local affiliates had seen a 30 percent drop in audiences for their 11 p.m. news shows because of the weak lead-in from Leno. That would certainly have been alarming to Comcast, which knows a lot more about getting content into people's homes than it does about who is funnier, Conan or Leno.
Another reason Comcast may be the ultimate culprit here is change itself. Taking big, noisy, tough decisions before the deal with NBC gets its regulatory blessing means not having to take them when a new bunch of executives is taking charge of the remote control.
So You Think You Can Dance picks their top 20
And while Mason and the rest of the top 10 are still in the middle of their North American tour, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and his panel of judges have already whittled down the thousands of hopefuls to pick their top 20 dancers in Wednesday’s Green Mile episode.
Eight of the finalists are contemporary dancers, including Nathan Trasoras, who auditioned for season 5, but wasn’t old enough at that point, so was given a ticket to the season 6 Vegas week. Julliard student Billy Bell — who brought this season’s new permanent judge Adam Shankman to tears — also made it through. As did Jakob Karr, a close friend of reigning champ Mason.
Rounding out the contemporary crew are Kathryn McCormick, Channing Cooke, Ariana DeBose, Victor Smalley and Noelle Marsh.
Three jazz dancers made the cut: The bubbly Mollee Gray, who was told she danced more “like a 14 or 15-year-old” in terms of maturity, but whom the judges loved anyway; Pauline Mata, who grotesquely injured her ankle near the end of Vegas week and missed the final rounds; and Ellenore Scott (who also dances contemporary).
Karen Hauer, and husband and wife team Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello were the three ballroom competitors waltzing into the top 20.
Ashleigh was the last girl to be chosen — but she almost didn’t make the cut. The spot was originally offered to Paula Van Oppen, a stunning contemporary dancer and judges’ favorite, who tearfully turned down the opportunity because she had decided to accept a movie offer instead.
Jonathan “Legacy” Perez, considered by the judges to be one of the best b-boys ever to audition, is joined by hip-hop dancer Kevin Hunte. Last, but definitely not least, Russell Ferguson breezed through Vegas auditions with ease to become the first ever krumper to make it into the top 20.
While I love SYTYCD I can do without Mary “Banshee” Murphy’s screaming. Her normal talking voice is annoying to start with. Thank goodness for “Mute” and “Fast Forward” so I don’t have to put up with her. I hope she gets billed for future hearing aids from those near her. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! !!
Woman is smarter than a 5th grader, but it’s a secret
A Los Angeles woman kept it a secret from her husband for more than four months that she is smarter than a 5th grader, and more than that, she won $250,000 on a game show by proving how smart she is.
Elizabeth Deister taped an appearance earlier this year on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” and she planned to watch it at home with her husband on Monday, when it aired on television. But those plans were interrupted and the Deisters were not going to get a chance to watch the broadcast, because it will be preempted by a telecast of the Los Angeles Dodgers versus Philadephia Phillies baseball playoff game.
So Deister did what any sensible woman would do. She invited a TV news crew into her house on Monday, and had them show her husband’s reaction live on the Fox “Good Day L.A.” morning newscast, as the couple watched a DVD copy of her appearance on the game show. Sure enough, he hollered when he saw her win. Watch a video of that moment from “Good Day L.A.” here.
“I thought it would be so much more exciting to have him watch it than to tell him,” Deister told the TV news reporter.
To win $250,000, Deister answered 10 questions in a row, and got the bonus question, “In 1804, an army composed mainly of former slaves defeated their colonial masters to form what modern Caribbean country?” The answer: Haiti.
Well, she did much better than this former contestant on the show who when asked by host Jeff Foxworthy which European country has its capital in Budapest said, “This may be a stupid question, but I thought Europe was a country.”
With episodes like that, it might not be long before the following show comes to a TV network across the pond, “Are You Smarter than an American?”
The Europe comment was reprehensible, without doubt, but this type of mistake is judged without proper consideration of context. Many of these ‘stupid American’ examples have to do with world geography. While I do not wish to diminish the importance of said subject, it is simply less relevant to an American than it is to a European.
We are physically quite isolated. Most of us do not live near another country and none of us live near two. Just as there is more immediacy to happenings inside your house than in your neighbor’s, nearly everyone weighs news of 200 km away as more important than that of 2000 km away. For the American, that news is almost always in America, whereas for the European, this is not necessarily the case. (Were the contestant to think that Austin was the capital of the U.S., that would be a whole other kind of stupid.) As such, the European will be more comfortable and familiar with news from outside his country’s borders, which then translates to places even farther away.
Look, the very fact she thought Europe was a country is evidence in my favor. I’ve seen the clip and this woman, while not brilliant, was not mentally handicapped. She has, evidently, managed to navigate her entire life without this strange lack of knowledge directly hurting her. In other words, it’s just not terribly useful to know much about Europe in her life.
Now, I’m not saying all learning should be restricted to immediately useful knowledge and clearly, she would have benefited from having this knowledge. I am also not, in any way, justifying her ignorance. However, the importance of this knowledge clearly varies by locale, and any judgment based on its absence should take this into account.
To those of you who say that technology has nullified America’s geographical distance, you’re really only talking about the more educated echelons. To those of you who say, because of the U.S.’s place in world politics, we should be more aware of world geography, ok, you have a point. But that’s a bit on the idealistic side, as most of us are not involved with our political placement.
In full disclosure, I’m a fairly educated person that still confuses Hong Kong and Taiwan. This comment is meant to rationalize my shortcomings and subsequent embarrassment.
from MediaFile:
The fall TV season, beyond Jay Leno
What's that? Jay Leno is moving to prime-time? You don't say!
Frankly, it's hard to remember the last time there was such hubbub about a TV show. It was, after all, the cover story in Time magazine. Not to be outdone, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AP, and probably every local news outlet between New York and Hollywood had a story about the talk show host -- more often than not raising the question of whether he's going to save network TV.
(You've got to give it to the public-relations machine on this one. They really worked the story. Of course, their spinning was augmented by a huge marketing effort. Stuart Elliott of the New York Times today estimated that NBC put out more than $10 million in promoting the show).
But there is more to the fall TV season than Jay Leno. The media buyers and planners over at RPA offer a useful road map to the season in a recent report.
Their take on the fall season is fairly upbeat (maybe network TV doesn't really need Leno to save it).
"For the first time in two years, network fortunes will not be held hostage to the industry's labor problems, but will be determined, as they used to be, by content quality and scheduling... Based on what we've seen, the overall quality of that content looks better than it has in the past two seasons," the report says.
Here, according to RPA, are some things to keep in mind heading into the season:
I think Jennifer is tired of trying to make a relation ship work long enough to get Pregnant….So this has become the “Next” option for her……I think this procedure was meant for married couples that couldn’t conceive…but if U have the bucks I guess U can do anything & it’s acceptable behavior…But I think I vote for Bill on this one…