January 14, 2008

American Idol Season 8 kicked off last night and it did not disappoint. In fact, it reminded me oh to well of why I missed it so much. I'm still trying to get over my break-up with Bikini Girl (when the show ended). And Ryan Seacrest tried to high-five a blind guy:


Are you kidding me?! Too awesome. I'm lovin' the new judge, Kara Dioguardi. It's a hard "a" Simon, try it out. Kara is sassy, funny, and she can sing! Oh, and she's engaged. Her boyfriend popped the question on the 8th. Congrats!

Patrick Swayze is "doing fine" after checking into a hospital last Friday for pneumonia, according to his mother. She told me that her son, who's battling pancreatic cancer, "sounds really upbeat and positive." She also added, "We don't talk about illness when I talk to him."

Speaking of hospital visits...
Howie Mandel, the host of Deal or No Deal, was released from a Toronto hospital yesterday after checking in the night before with an irregular heartbeat. His rep told me Howie is expected to return to work today. He's in Toronto, where he was born, to tape his new NBC comedy show, Howie Do It.

Ok...one MORE health scare...
Law & Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay is recovering from a partially collapsed lung. She is "feeling better," and Law & Order says "We are looking forward to her quick recovery and return to set."

Time has run its course on Fox's Prison Break. The network announced yesterday that it's pulling the plug on the drama this spring. The series' final four episodes will begin airing on April 17th, though there's a chance some additional episodes may be shot.

The trash-collecting robot WALL-E wouldn't mind rotten tomatoes. The animated film WALL-E won the award for best wide release in the 10th annual Golden Tomato Awards, based on the reviews of film critics compiled by the movie website RottenTomatoes.com. Here's the full list of award-winners:

Wide Release
WALL-E

Limited Release
Man on Wire

Action-Adventure
The Dark Knight

Animation
WALL-E

Comedy
Happy-Go-Lucky

Horror
Teeth

Kids/Family
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

Romance
Ghost Town

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Musical
High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Drama
The Wrestler

Thriller
Transsiberian

Documentary
Man on Wire

Foreign
The Band's Visit

Worst Reviewed Film
One Missed Call

Best Reviewed Australian Film
The Black Balloon

Best Reviewed UK Film
Man on Wire

January 12, 2008

Hey, the Golden Globes actually weren't that bad last night. It was especially entertaining when I could feel the guy on the "Censor Button" flinch when Mickey Rourke got on stage. I was really happy Slumdog Millionaire won all those awards. That movie is the first in a long time that I left the theater thinking, "I loved that movie." If you haven't had a chance to see it - make a point to. Here's a link to showtimes for it around the area. It was also wonderful that Heath Ledger won for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie (Drama). Oh, and Kate Winslet's last acceptance speech had me almost shed a tear. Almost. In terms of the big categories, here are the winners:

FILM
Best Movie, Drama
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Movie, Musical or Comedy
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actress, Drama
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Best Actor, Drama
Mikey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress, Musical Or Comedy
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

TELEVISION
Best TV Drama
Mad Men

Best Actor, TV Drama
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment

Best Actress, TV Drama
Anna Paquin, True Blood

Best TV Series, Musical Or Comedy
30 Rock

Best Actress, TV Comedy
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Best Actor, TV Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For TV
John Adams

If you wanna see a complete list of winners, click here!

Here are the Top 10 Movies from the weekend:

1. Gran Torino, $29 million
2. Bride Wars, $21.5 million
3. The Unborn, $21.1 million
4. Marley & Me, $11.4 million
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $9.4 million
6. Bedtime Stories, $8.6 million
7. Valkyrie, $6.7 million
8. Yes Man, $6.2 million
9. Not Easily Broken, $5.6 million
10. Seven Pounds, $3.9 million

January 2, 2009

Resolutions of the Stars:

* STAR Artist Fergie says that every year, her New Year's Resolution is the same: to work out as much as possible. But in 2009, she especially wants to stick to her regimen, because she's planning to rejoin The Black Eyed Peas and hit the road for a big tour. She says, "I wanna make sure I [work out] on tour and I don't slack off."

* Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker: "To give up meat."

* Actor Jamie Foxx: "I'm looking for the right woman. I need a magnifying glass. I'm trying to find that rare jewel."

* My Life on the D-List star Kathy Griffin: "To eat more carbs."

* Party animal Carmen Electra: "To have more fun."

* Actress Cameron Diaz: "I have always had the same New Year's resolutions: to stop smoking, to start wearing a bra and to stop shopping."

* Actor Brian Austin Green: "It seems to be to stop smoking every year. We'll see how it goes this time."

Speaking of Kathy Griffin...
In an odd-ish pairing for the New Year’s Eve countdown, CNN put Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin together. It led to…well…this:

CAUTION: LANGUAGE!
We haven't seen much of Mad About You star Paul Reiser in recent years, but not because he's dead. Get this: the Wikipedia page for Paul was recently updated with the false claim that his body was discovered last Saturday in the "Squallahassee River," where he, "reportedly enjoyed fly fishing." It was easy to figure out that the statement was just a hoax, since there is no river named “Squallahassee.” The statement has been removed from the Wikipedia page. Ok so Paul Reiser isn't dead. His career on the other hand...

Missed Marley & Me last weekend? Still haven't seen Tom Cruise wearing an eye patch in Valkyrie? Now's your chance to catch up on these films and more, since there are no movies opening in wide release this week. Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, is the reigning box office champ, having earned over $36 million last weekend. Bedtime Stories, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Valkyrie also did well after opening on Christmas Day.

There are only 11 more days until the debut of American Idol season eight, and viewers are curious about how the new judge, Kara Dioguardi, will fit in. Well, it turns out she'll fit in between Randy and Paula, literally, at the judges’ table. They tried her between Paula and Simon, but Kara tells me, "They kept trying to communicate and I didn't want to be in the middle of that." So how is Kara fitting in? "The other judges are like brothers and sisters...and I'm like the long-lost cousin who they're not sure they wanted to see, but now they're like, ‘Okay, you can stay for dinner.'" She reiterated she is NOT going to replace Paula, "We have a good vibe...I'm not of the thinking that women should drag each other down." Idol’s back January 13th!

Speaking of American Idol...
STAR Artist David Arculeta is singing at the inauguration! No, not Barack Obama’s inauguration. Archie will actually sing the national anthem at the inauguration of Jon Huntsman, the Governor of his home state of Utah.

It’s like she’s talented or something…STAR Artist Taylor Swift’s latest CD "Fearless" topped the Billboard charts for a 4th consecutive week to end 2008.