day 4.41

oh, american idol

america's favorite singing competition returned last week and, well, i'm underwhelmed. j.lo and steven tyler brought something new and fresh last year, but they're not bringing it this year. it makes me wonder if the show would be better off finding two new superstar judges every year. imagine if katy perry usher sat at the table for a year, followed by a season with gloria estefan and ... ok, i can't think of more people, but i'm sure the producers of idol could. it's just boring this year. plus, they're still doing the unnecessary 327568 weeks of auditions. and the auditions this year are weak- they judges have put putting through bogans. take, for example, the woman above, jane carrey. she can sing, but she's no pop star. the only reason she made it through- and will make it all the way to the live shows- is because she's jim carrey's daughter and idol would love to have him make an audience appearance. idol is no longer making superstars, just super tv. america values very different things in our pop stars and in our reality show contestants, we just need to face it.

day 3.352

movie trailer madness

check out three movies i'll probably see- the five year engagement, the three stooges and what to expect when you're expecting. only one looks good (the first), but whatever.

day 3.166

american idol finale

here are the highlights from american idol's season ender, before (spoiler) scotty mcreery took home the 2011 title.

this was the best performance of the night- the top girls took the stage to sing a beyonce medley before being joined on stage by the vocal powerhouse. b returned to the stage later in the night to premiere her new song, "1+1."

but that's not the beyonce performance to watch- her rehearsal backstage was 100 times more amazing.

this was the night's most bizarre- and obvious "you're married to the judge so we have to let you perform"- performance. j.lo's hubby sang some song no one's heard of, while she gyrated next to him doing choreography i can only assume she learned while filming selena.

each of the final two got to duet with one of their own idols. lauren alaina chose carrie underwood's "before he cheats." it's a nice performance, but lauren's 16-year-old self shines through as she's obviously starstruck on stage.

but scotty continued his i'm-a-pro attitude alongside tim mcgraw as the duo tackled mcgraw's hit "live like you were dying."

and lady gaga brought down the house with an overly theatrical take on "the edge of glory." no, seriously. she jumps off her giant set piece at the end. overly. theatrical.

day 2.246

just blurbs

there really isn't anything to write about, so here are some little thoughts you can marinate on.

• lindsay lohan is officially out of jail, but don't expect to see her on the interview circuit just yet. the pretty much former actress (though, she did film a movie with the sham-wow guy...scram bracelet intact) went straight to rehab at ucla. she's reportedly being treated for bipolar disorder and meth addiction. she'll be there for at least 90 days, on her own dime, with no chance of early release.
• the only sure thing about american idol's next season is ryan seacrest. randy jackson told e news he has no clue what the next season holds. he may not even be included. the latest rumors are that randy will stick around - producer nigel lythgoe reportedly decided he didn't want to completely overhaul the show - alongside jennifer lopez and aerosmith's steven tyler. an official announcement should be out soon as preliminary auditions are going on across the country as i type.
• i'm pretty sure the kim kardashian miles austin rumors are true. why else would kim k be tweeting with candice crawford, sister to chace and girlfriend to miles' cowboys cohort tony romo?
• two big movies have been cast: sandra bullock and steve carrel will play love interests in the abstinence teacher, about an outspoken sex-ed teacher (bullock) and the conservative dad (carrel) she falls for ... meryl streep and tina fey are set to star as mother and daughter in mommy & me, directed by streep's recent constant costar stanley tucci. no word on what the plot is, but how can they screw that up?

hopefully those little bites will tide you over until something juicier comes along.

day 2.102

snl is back

once again, saturday night live is back from hiatus - it seems like they're on hiatus every 2 weeks - and they're back with some creative resurgence (like every time). jennifer lopez pulled double duty as host and musical guest, even though she just parted ways with her record label and her album release has been delayed. the episode was mostly a hit, with a few misses. here are the highlights.

the episode started with a "we are the world" parody. it was just alright. like most skits, kristen wiig was the highlight as gwen stefani. j.lo did her best rihanna impression and, well, it wasn't all that great.

my favorite skit from the night was a telemundo parody about the olympics. j. lo does her best comedic acting when falling into hispanic stereotypes. go figure.

my favorite new snl character - tinatina - came back for another go around of homemade inventions. this time it was car horns. lopez joined in on the fun as tinatina's cousin.

day 2.85

the best casting news...ever!

one of my favorite shows just got better. fox hit glee has just added former snl-er molly shannon to its list of recurring characters. shannon, who has had at least 2 sitcom flops since leaving the sketch show, is one of the funniest women out there. i just think she hasn't been utilized to her full potential. but, now, i know she will be. molly will be joining glee for one episode with the option to recur as brenda castle, a new astronomy teacher at mckinley high. castle will become a new rival for jane lynch's sue sylvester, which is sure to ensure a lot, a lot of comedy. shannon's character is described as a 45-year-old pill-popping alcoholic who will also coach the school's badminton team. this part is just begging for physical comedy. i loved shannon the american kath and kim and can't wait her to debut at the end of this season when glee returns in april. rumor also has it that jennifer lopez and neil patrick harris are on set this week filming an episode. this show will just get better and better.

day 2.35

jennifer lopez is back...

at least at the movies. while the singer's latest attempt at music, the single "loubitons," hasn't taken off, her film career might put her back on top. her first major film since 2005's monster-in-law, the back up plan follows a single woman who hears her biological clock tick-ticking away with no sign of love in her near future. but, as soon as lopez's character gets artificially inseminated, her world turns upside down as she finally meets mr. right. check out the trailer above and the film in theaters this april.

day 2.6

the american music awards

i don't ever recall really watching the american music awards. they're kind of the ugly step-cousin to the grammy's/vmas/every other music award show. but, this year, i actually sat down to catch them. the awards show stepped up their performance game this year, booking janet jackson, rihanna, carrie underwood, lady gaga, jay-z and more all to perform. if you think back a couple of years a go, the show's biggest names were lindsay lohan and hilary duff. janet jackson opened the show with a "medly" of her "greatest hits." other than being confusing and hard to understand, it was a solid performance.

A

my biggest issue with the ama's is that they're fan-voted. i never feel like the public chooses right (hello, taylor hicks) and big decisions are better left to the professionals. however, this year, i thought america got it right. the nominees weren't all that great and it seemed like the show's organizers had problems picking out what to nominate. what i really didn't understand was the amount of noms michael jackson had. i understand he died, but the man put out no new music during the nomination window (and the only "new" song since has been "this is it," which was penned in the 80s). just honor the man with a lifetime achievement award and a big, show-stopping celeb-filled performance of his greatest hits. here's a breakdown of who won what:

artist of the year: taylor swift - people seem to have a big issue with this, but why? the people chose her! even if she beat out michael jackson, why was he more deserving than her? now i agree that taylor is getting a lot of praise in a short amount of time, but she's the only artist who everyone seems to agree on. she just need not burn out too fast and evolve. you can't sing songs about high school forever. especially when you're almost 20. i'm talking to you, kevin jonas.

favorite male artist (pop/rock): michael jackson - surprise, surprise.

favorite female artist (pop/rock): taylor swift - the second of 5 awards taylor won last night. she stayed awake live via satellite from london to accept her trophies.

favorite band, duo or group (pop/rock): the black eyed peas - the beps also performed last night and, well, it seemed like they didn't realize they were on air. it was like they were just jamming out in someone's basement. and why did will.i.am decide to don a toupee?

country male artist: keith urban

country female artist: taylor swift - i understand cross over appeal, but should artists really be nominated in both categories?

favorite male artist (rap/hip hop): jay-z - mr. beyonce also performed last night with alicia keys to their mega-hit "empire state of mind."

favorite male artist (soul/r&b): michael jackson - don't even get me started...again.

favorite female artist (soul/r&b): beyonce

international artist of the year: whitney houston - miss houston also got the chance to perform on the show. needless to say, it was a bit of a mess.

last night was also the night of falls. after lady gaga performed, her set left pieces of sugar glass all over the stage. the sugary dust apparently left the performance area quite slick, leading to tumbles during jennifer lopez, alicia keys and adam lambert's performances. check them out below.

day 2.4

new from j.lo

after taking some time off to start a family, jennifer lopez is back with a vengeance. the singer/actress/mogul is working on rebuilding her acting career (the pregnancy themed comedy the back-up plan is set for release in april) and has made a big effort to get back on the music charts. first, there was the "who's lola?" campaign to support first single "fresh out the oven." the video for that song has just been released with lopez dressed as newly created alter ego lola.

the video is a little a.d.d., jumping from shot to shot, but well done nonetheless. we saw most of the footage in the original teaser video for the song.

"fresh out the oven" is the lead single off j.lo's new album (most likely being released around the time of the back-up plan), but she's already released a second song, "louboutins." check it out below.

day 176

one tree hill minus 2

one tree hill fans, listen up.  one of your favorite cw shows is going to a look a whole lot different come fall when its 7th season premiers.  after months of contractual disputes, series star chad michael murray and his on-screen wife hilarie burton (aka lucas and peyton) will not - i repeat, will not - be back for the next go around of oth.  that means next monday's season finale will be the last go around for the newlywed duo.  no word on whether or not the episode set them up for no return or if the missing twosome will be explained verbally in next season's premiere.  while the network has not made an official announcement about the actors leaving, you won't have to wait very long - the network's upfront presentation (where they announce the schedule for next fall and what shows have been picked up - fingers crossed valley girls, the gossip girl spin off, gets a go around) is a week from thursday, the 21st.  according to well placed sources, lucas and peyton's shoes will be filled by either introducing 2 new characters, promoting some recurring characters to regulars, or a combo of the two.  cmm's spot might already be taken; reports point to austin nichols (julian on the show) becoming a series regular next season.  this will be interesting to see take place.  the show already to a big risk by jumping five years and now, without the couple of the show/the star, will oth be able to survive?  will you watch? 

jenny's back on the block 

        

j lo is back in full force. with a new romantic comedy (the back-up plan) to go into production later this year, the selena star was already set up for a post-motherhood comeback.  but now comes this - a new song from the multi-talented lopez called "what is love?"  the song harks back to "love don't cost a thing," with a little bit slower feel.  check it out above.  the song is rumored to be park of jennifer's upcoming greatest hits collection, but might lead into a whole new album for the star.  lopez has not had a single hit the airwaves since 2005 with "get right," but even that didn't do that well.  before that, it was 2002's "jenny from the block." i'm interested to see if j lo's fanbase is still there in full force or if she has taken too much time away from the spotlight.

rihanna gets the gaga treatment

       

i don't have much to say about this one, but i think you should listen to it.  above is "silly boy," a demo of a lady gaga song featuring a duet with rihanna.  i don't know if it would do well on radio, but it's still fun to hear.  

day 71

no great white way for j lo

jennifer lopez will not be joining the cast of broadway baby in the heights, contrary to reports that leaked earlier today.  while jennifer has been frequenting the show's productions and courting producer meryl poster to dinners, she isn't planning on starring in the latino-based musical.  rather, lopez is said to be working on getting the rights to bring the hispanic hip-hopera to the big screen.  yes, as in movie form. meryl is known for her work in bringing such shows like chicago to the movies, which she produced back in 2002.  no official word has broken on whether or not the star will actually be carrying out this project, but her rep did confirm she is in no way planning on starring on broadway.  i think it's a great idea to bring the tony award winning musical to the movies; the more accessible theater is, the more people get to see and enjoy it.  and, a lot of the time, those shows which make it onto celluloid come to be classics.  if jen is working on the project, it would probably hit a theater near you in mid 2010, at the earliest.  

lipstick jungle, resurrected?

the thought-to-be canceled sex and the city style dramedy from nbc, starring brooke shields, kim raver, and lindsay price, may not be headed to the tv graveyard quite yet.  nbc entertainment co-chair ben silverman, who brought such projects like ugly betty and the office to the airwaves, said that the show is still a winner in the peacock net's book.  silverman said the show is a "passion project," like friday night lights, alluding to the idea that lipstick may get the duel-net treatment.  fnl aired it's third season this past fall on nbc/universal sister project directv and returns to nbc this spring, airing the same episodes again.  that means lipstick could work like one of nbc's recent cast-offs, law and order: criminal intent.  intent moved to nbc sister-net usa last year and has had pretty strong cable ratings, with featured replays on its original network and other sister net bravo.  i can see the brook shields dramedy paired with usa original the starter wife to create a "female-centric" programming block, where it would probably pull in similar ratings as it does on friday nights, where it currently is.  network friday night low ratings are the high point in cable ratings, averaging about 3 to 4 million.  hopefully nbc will be able to keep the show on the air; it pulls in a tough demographic - the young woman - who advertisers covet.  

that's it for now, possibly more later. 

day 64

labeouf is license-less

shia labeouf, former child star and current hollywood it-boy, won't be driving around the hollywood hills anytime soon.  the actor, who was in a major wreck last year, which left him with an injured hand and delayed shooting on transformers 2, has had his license suspended for "refusal of chemical tests." that means shia would not hand over his blood and, therefore, the state could not get shia's blood/alcohol level.  states view this as a separate criminal offense than driving drunk and the punishment is (shocker) a suspended license.  shia will be without a valid license for at least one full calendar year.  at the time of the accident, shia had physical signs of being intoxicated - stumbling and stuttering - but there was no evidence to prove he was actually a dui case.  that's probably why they went after the "refusal of chemical tests" charge - they needed to teach the star a lesson one way or another.  hopefully shia learns his lesson and does not become a part of the repeat offender club.  why didn't lindsay lohan get her license taken away? all these stars just need to learn to higher drivers...god knows they have the money.

jennifer lopez hides xenu

jennifer lopez, who has repeatedly told the press she is a catholic, was seen leaving the celebrity scientology center today.  the star stuck a purse over her face immediately after stepping out, but quite a few witnesses reported lopez's appearance.  lopez has quite a few connections to the church, with both her father and good friend leah remini being practicing scientologists.  maybe lopez is converting? even though the star has been divorced twice, the catholic church does frown upon divorce.  and with rumors constantly surrounding the star's marriage to singer marc anthony, maybe the leap to scientology would separate her further from her baby daddy and allow her to escape the reportedly hostile relationship.  

most of the celebs were in washington today, either with an official invite (like beyonce and jay z) or unofficially (blake lively and justin long were spotted amongst the crowd), so they were keeping themselves well behaved for obama's inauguration.  

day 59

amy poehler heads to indiana 

while her single-camera comedy is still without a name, amy poehler's sitcom from the people behind the office finally has a plot.  the show will be all about small town government and one woman's dream to be the first female president of the united states.  poehler will, of course, play said lady in the form of leslie knope, a mid level bureaucrat in the parks and recreation department of pawnee, indiana. documentary cameras will follow knope, who is always looking to advance her career, in taking on the "simple" task of "beautifying" her town, helping rashida jones's nurse ann logan in converting a construction site into a local park.  of course, the whole town will be working against the women through law suits, building codes, and democratic processes.  aziz ansari will take on the role of knope colleague tom haverford, who both helps and underminds knope to get ahead in his career.  the final announced castmember, aubrey plaza, takes on the role of knope's college intern april, who knope is hoping to inspire.  there are still a few roles to cast, but this show is shaping up to be really intriguing.  amy poehler as a grown-up tracy flick (see the film election if you have no clue what i'm talking about)? i'm already hooked.  the show should premiere sometime in april, with a six episode first season.  

j lo's missing ring explained 

as a twice divorced mother of twins, whom she conceived with a skeleton, jennifer lopez is the picture of perfection when it comes to relationships and keeping marraiges together.  after months of speculation over are-they-or-aren't-they about the possible separation between lopez and marc anthony, lopez is finally speaking out about why she just doesn't wear her wedding ring: it doesn't go with all her outfits. the explanation comes after lopez's appearance at sunday's golden globes.  oh, that makes soooo much sense.  because wedding rings in their gold or silver simplicity clash with so many pieces of clothing.  and, diamonds? those clear rocks just never seem to match anything.  in addition, lopez said "divorce is not and never was an option." that's really interesting since, like i said before, jennifer has been divorced twice already.  so what is an option? living in hell? people close to lopez say that she and her hubby both "love hard and fight hard," and marc just isn't interested in sleeping with lopez with her post-babies body.  therefore, all the couple has been doing lately is fighting.  well that sounds like the perfect place to raise two (make that five, with anthony's children from 2 other relationships) kids.  

naomi campbell, onto another victim  

notorious blackberry thrower and high fashion model naomi campbell has settled with former maid gaby gibson.  gibson, who claimed campbell is a "violent super bigot," sued the tyra banks wannabeen when she allegedly abused the housekeeper for losing track of a pair of designer jeans.  other allegations were that campbell continuously put down gibson, telling her "you're not in the third world anymore, stupid" and caller her a "bad romanian." while details of the settlement haven't been (and won't be) released, everyone is said to be happy with the terms.  the lawsuit hit its peak when campbell was seen strutting around new york in a "naomi hit me...and i liked it" shirt, pushing gibson over the edge.  now its onto her next victim.  who will naomi bitch slap next? 

day 30

dirty laundry is one month old!

j lo-veless?

it looks like soon to be once again movie star jennifer lopez may be looking for romance in more than just her films.  reports are surfacing that lopez and husband (and baby daddy) marc anthony are headed down the road to divorce.  lopez was recently spotted at the curious case of benjamin button premiere sans her big ol' ring and anthony was spotted all over vegas partying it up without his.  the problems in the marriage seem to be from control issues - lopez is an "independent" who doesn't like to be told what to do and does everything with purpose; anthony is apparently very controlling, monitoring what jennifer says and wears...if you haven't noticed, we have not seen the infamou

s lopez booty in quite some time.  

stephanie tanner's officially empty house

full house star jodie sweetin's life has taken a page from the britney spears handbook on life.  the former child actress has lost custody of her 8 month old daughter and can only see her with supervised visits.  sweetin's soon to be ex cody herpin currently holds custody and was the one to bring allegations of neglectful and unfit parenting into court.  one example herpin gave was of jodie driving under the influence with the child in the car. this is a major problem as sweetin is a recovering meth addict and alcoholic (but she is in touch with her aa sponsor).  as the divorce proceedings press on, sweetin and herpin have been asked t

o take drug tests...

britney's back. now how about kelly?

kelly clarkson is well on her way to regaining her pop princess crown.  the first american idol will be releasing a song, entitled "my life would suck without you," sometime in the next weeks, with the music video already in production.  the track is produced by the minds behind britney, katy perry, and pink's latest efforts - all of which have been radio and fan friendly.   kelly is in desperate need of a hit, after the turmoil and failure of her last album, my december, which couldn't produce even one hit.  the new album is said to be much more true to the singer's pop roots, with a sound closer to her biggest seller, breakaway.  clarkson has most recently been touring on the "two voices" tour with reba mcentire, with whom she shares a manager (reba's husband). 

batman's new stars

warner bros and franchise director christopher nolan have apparently hand picked a variety of famous actors to fill the shoes of some major characters in the batman saga for the third film starring christian bale.  according to british reports (so we'll see how accurate this all is), eddie murphy will take on the villainous role of the riddler.  batman will also get his boyish sidekick in the threequel, with shia labeouf taking the role of robin.  the studio is also trying to get rachel weisz to take the role of catwoman.  this all seems well-and-good (with the exception of eddie murphy), but i'm doubtful any of it will happen.  this seems to be quite the random assortment of actors and a "whos-who" wishlist...

update: ruffalo death

mark ruffalo's brother's death has been ruled a homicide by the coroner, throwing out the idea that he died of a russian roulette related injury...seems pretty shady to me. 

just a thought...

marking a month here, i've decided to add this new bulletin.  my first thought is "is it just me, or is jen aniston everyw

ere??" the star seems to be on every single magazine cover lately.  i know she's in a new movie (marley and me) and all, but seriously? i'm also surprised the mags haven't made a bigger deal out of aniston's film heading to the box office the same day as brad pitt's benjamin button.  the two films are set to hit theaters on christmas day and both are expected to be big...who will win will just have to be seen. 

day 29

gayken, two time baby daddy?

clay aiken and mother of his baby jaymes foster are apparently gearing up for a second baby.  jaymes has started taking prenatal vitamins and is preparing to get turkey basted with clay's sperm. why, you ask? i don't know. these kids are going to have one effed up childhood - mommy and daddy were never married, raise you in separate homes, and never had sex.  could you imagine having the "where do babies come from" convo with these kids? jaymes is set to get sperminated sometime in january...

j lo gets back to her romcom roots

jennifer lopez is set to head back to work on romantic comedy (thank baby jesus that she's done with the dramas!) called plan b.  the film is about a single woman who gets artificially inseminated (jaymes foster?) the same day she meets her perfect man.  no director has been named, but should be attached sometime in january, with shooting beginning in april or may.  that means the movie should hit theaters sometime in early 2010.  hopefully this will get j lo back to her heydey, when both the wedding planner and her cd were number 1. 

ashlee simpson is probs real mad

pete wentz went on howard stern and spilt a lot of secrets about his and wife ashlee simpson's sex life.  apparently ashlee and pete get quite freaky in the sheets, with ashlee letting pete go in the back door.  wentz also spilled the deets on the couple's first time, which involved a mirror.  wentz also talked about former flames michelle trachtenberg and lindsay lohan, but wouldn't rate them because he was afraid ashlee might get mad.  

the office, post super bowl

nbc is set to air a special episode of the office after the 2009 super bowl.  the episode will feature the cast trying to watch a bootleg copy of a new movie release at work...and the producers have nabbed some pretty big guest stars for the episode. both jack black and jessica alba have been tapped to star in the bootleg movie. the episode is called "stress relief" and will air directly after the american tradition, february 1st at 10:30/9:30 central on the peacock net.