Metro.usMyMetro Events http://www.metro.us Thu, 23 May 2013 04:58:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 ‘Behind the Candelabra’ portrays Liberace love story with sly intelligence http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/tv-review-behind-the-candelabra-portrays-a-bad-relationship/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/tv-review-behind-the-candelabra-portrays-a-bad-relationship/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:18 +0000 Matt Prigge http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=155626 Matt Damon plays Scott Thorson, lover of Liberace, played by Michael Douglas, in "Behind the Candelabra" Credit: HBO Matt Damon plays Scott Thorson, lover of Liberace, played by Michael Douglas, in "Behind the Candelabra."
Credit: HBO[/caption] 'Behind the Candelabra' Director: Steven Soderbergh Stars: Matt Damon, Michael Douglas Premieres on HBO this Sunday, May 26 4 (out of 5) Globes “Behind the Candelabra” is not the first TV movie about flamboyant piano man Liberace and his secret decade-long relationship with his “chauffeur” Scott Thorson. In 1988, a year after Liberace’s death from AIDS-related complications, dueling television films aired. Campfests, they reminded the people of that era of their lousy gaydar — that mainstream society had allowed a lifelong bachelor who rocked flowing robes and heavy rings on each finger to become the world’s highest paid entertainer. Steven Soderbergh’s new film — and possibly his last — isn’t quite as crass. Like some of the director’s recent work, it’s detached and slyly intelligent, even as it subscribes to a tried-and-true genre structure. In this case, it finds him making his twist on a bad relationship movie. Matt Damon plays Thorson, a strapping animal trainer with a Farah Fawcett flip ‘do who meets Liberace (Michael Douglas) when he’s 18. (Damon, incidentally, is 42.) The two wind up together for a decade, some of it warm and magical, much of it unpleasant and nightmarish. Liberace grants him access to his world of tacky excess, but it won't be long until the fiftysomething sugar daddy, already obsessed with his own decaying looks, starts eyeing newer models. [related tag="television" limit=3] Richard LaGravenese’s script deserves a lot of credit for not shying away from gay content, which is one reason this is playing on HBO, not in the nation’s multiplexes. But it follows the expected trajectory: The polite, vaguely stupid Thorson eventually succumbs to “Boogie Nights”-style coke tirades. But Soderbergh’s cold and bemused tone neutralizes the insanity. Gaudy jewelry, hirsute men and Roman columns become matter-of-fact, just part of Thorson’s day-to-day. He also brings out some of the story's weirder elements. The craziest tidbit is that Liberace convinced Thorson to undergo plastic surgery to look more like him. Soderbergh’s characters regularly delude themselves, but here they do it through plastic surgery, even if the process makes them look like freaky gargoyles. (Damon’s fake nose is creepy, but it’s got nothing on the squinty look frozen on Rob Lowe's predatory plastic surgeon's face.) Predictably, Douglas walks off with the movie. It’s not just an impersonation, but a performance that finds notes of vulnerability (and monstrousness) buried under pounds of affectation and furs. But don’t discount Damon. The real Thorson may have been an idiot — he currently sits in jail for credit card fraud — but as portrayed by Damon, he's thick without being an idiot, as though he was aware he was making bad decisions but not smart enough to think of a way out that didn’t involve drugs and tantrums.]]> Matt Damon plays Scott Thorson, lover of Liberace, played by Michael Douglas, in "Behind the Candelabra" Credit: HBO
Matt Damon plays Scott Thorson, lover of Liberace, played by Michael Douglas, in “Behind the Candelabra.”
Credit: HBO

‘Behind the Candelabra’
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Matt Damon, Michael Douglas
Premieres on HBO this Sunday, May 26
4 (out of 5) Globes

“Behind the Candelabra” is not the first TV movie about flamboyant piano man Liberace and his secret decade-long relationship with his “chauffeur” Scott Thorson. In 1988, a year after Liberace’s death from AIDS-related complications, dueling television films aired. Campfests, they reminded the people of that era of their lousy gaydar — that mainstream society had allowed a lifelong bachelor who rocked flowing robes and heavy rings on each finger to become the world’s highest paid entertainer. Steven Soderbergh’s new film — and possibly his last — isn’t quite as crass. Like some of the director’s recent work, it’s detached and slyly intelligent, even as it subscribes to a tried-and-true genre structure.

In this case, it finds him making his twist on a bad relationship movie. Matt Damon plays Thorson, a strapping animal trainer with a Farah Fawcett flip ‘do who meets Liberace (Michael Douglas) when he’s 18. (Damon, incidentally, is 42.) The two wind up together for a decade, some of it warm and magical, much of it unpleasant and nightmarish. Liberace grants him access to his world of tacky excess, but it won’t be long until the fiftysomething sugar daddy, already obsessed with his own decaying looks, starts eyeing newer models.

Related Articles

Richard LaGravenese’s script deserves a lot of credit for not shying away from gay content, which is one reason this is playing on HBO, not in the nation’s multiplexes. But it follows the expected trajectory: The polite, vaguely stupid Thorson eventually succumbs to “Boogie Nights”-style coke tirades. But Soderbergh’s cold and bemused tone neutralizes the insanity. Gaudy jewelry, hirsute men and Roman columns become matter-of-fact, just part of Thorson’s day-to-day. He also brings out some of the story’s weirder elements. The craziest tidbit is that Liberace convinced Thorson to undergo plastic surgery to look more like him. Soderbergh’s characters regularly delude themselves, but here they do it through plastic surgery, even if the process makes them look like freaky gargoyles. (Damon’s fake nose is creepy, but it’s got nothing on the squinty look frozen on Rob Lowe’s predatory plastic surgeon’s face.)

Predictably, Douglas walks off with the movie. It’s not just an impersonation, but a performance that finds notes of vulnerability (and monstrousness) buried under pounds of affectation and furs. But don’t discount Damon. The real Thorson may have been an idiot — he currently sits in jail for credit card fraud — but as portrayed by Damon, he’s thick without being an idiot, as though he was aware he was making bad decisions but not smart enough to think of a way out that didn’t involve drugs and tantrums.

The post ‘Behind the Candelabra’ portrays Liberace love story with sly intelligence appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/tv-review-behind-the-candelabra-portrays-a-bad-relationship/feed/ 0 Michael Douglas on becoming Liberace in ‘Behind the Candelabra’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/michael-douglas-on-becoming-liberace-in-behind-the-candelabra/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/michael-douglas-on-becoming-liberace-in-behind-the-candelabra/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 20:55:35 +0000 Matt Prigge http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=155524 Michael Douglas glitzes out as Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" Credit: HBO Michael Douglas glitzes out as Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra."
Credit: HBO[/caption] Not too long ago, it would have seemed unlikely that someone like Michael Douglas — a man's man known for sexy movies with Glenn Close and Sharon Stone — would play Liberace, the gaudy piano star who somehow tricked the world into thinking he was straight as an arrow. Times have changed, and now Douglas is doing a movie where he makes out and has sex with Matt Damon. (It's still only premiering on HBO this Sunday, not on every multiplex screen. But it's a start.) "Behind the Candelabra," in which he plays the entertainer in the latter part of his life, also reunites him with his "Traffic" director, Steven Soderbergh. What are your memories of Liberace? I met him once, briefly, when I was 12. At the time, my father [Kirk Douglas] owned a house in Palm Springs, close to Lee Liberace’s home. One sunny day, this Rolls Royce stopped in front of the house and Lee stepped out. He was wearing lots of gold and the sunlight was reflecting off his jewelry. He was a sort of pre-Elton John. He invited that style. He was a charming man. He loved entertaining and beautiful things. How did Steven Soderbergh convince you to do the part? In 2001, when we were filming "Traffic," Steven asked me, "Have you ever thought of doing something about Liberace?" I wondered how that character could possibly make him think of me. I was a bit paranoid at the time, so I tried to thank him and slip away! But then, years later, Steven came across this book, "Behind the Candelabra." Richard LaGravenese, the scriptwriter, showed it to Matt Damon, telling him he would be [Liberace's lover] Scott [Thorson] and I, Liberace. This happened right after my cancer, and offering me this role was a great gift. I will be eternally grateful to Matt and Steven for waiting until I got better. [related tag="television" limit=3] How did you identify with this role? I normally play the bad or ambiguous guy. But once you start doing your research on Lee, you realize that he was a generous man. It’s the first time that I play a famous character. I was a bit nervous at first because Lee was a strong Polish guy, much bigger and more built than me. So for me, it was all about getting his voice right. I watched documentaries and as I don’t play the piano, I focused on mimicking his hand gestures. How did you get the physical look of Liberace? When we first saw the masks, we were horrified! It was like we had just walked out of a plastic surgery! But it had to look as real as possible and so we spent a lot of time in the makeup chair. And before you know it, everything seems to come together. You put on the right outfit, have the right hairdo and there you go. It was a wonderful experience.]]> Michael Douglas glitzes out as Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" Credit: HBO
Michael Douglas glitzes out as Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra.”
Credit: HBO

Not too long ago, it would have seemed unlikely that someone like Michael Douglas — a man’s man known for sexy movies with Glenn Close and Sharon Stone — would play Liberace, the gaudy piano star who somehow tricked the world into thinking he was straight as an arrow. Times have changed, and now Douglas is doing a movie where he makes out and has sex with Matt Damon. (It’s still only premiering on HBO this Sunday, not on every multiplex screen. But it’s a start.) “Behind the Candelabra,” in which he plays the entertainer in the latter part of his life, also reunites him with his “Traffic” director, Steven Soderbergh.

What are your memories of Liberace?
I met him once, briefly, when I was 12. At the time, my father [Kirk Douglas] owned a house in Palm Springs, close to Lee Liberace’s home. One sunny day, this Rolls Royce stopped in front of the house and Lee stepped out. He was wearing lots of gold and the sunlight was reflecting off his jewelry. He was a sort of pre-Elton John. He invited that style. He was a charming man. He loved entertaining and beautiful things.

How did Steven Soderbergh convince you to do the part?
In 2001, when we were filming “Traffic,” Steven asked me, “Have you ever thought of doing something about Liberace?” I wondered how that character could possibly make him think of me. I was a bit paranoid at the time, so I tried to thank him and slip away! But then, years later, Steven came across this book, “Behind the Candelabra.” Richard LaGravenese, the scriptwriter, showed it to Matt Damon, telling him he would be [Liberace's lover] Scott [Thorson] and I, Liberace. This happened right after my cancer, and offering me this role was a great gift. I will be eternally grateful to Matt and Steven for waiting until I got better.

Related Articles

How did you identify with this role?
I normally play the bad or ambiguous guy. But once you start doing your research on Lee, you realize that he was a generous man. It’s the first time that I play a famous character. I was a bit nervous at first because Lee was a strong Polish guy, much bigger and more built than me. So for me, it was all about getting his voice right. I watched documentaries and as I don’t play the piano, I focused on mimicking his hand gestures.

How did you get the physical look of Liberace?
When we first saw the masks, we were horrified! It was like we had just walked out of a plastic surgery! But it had to look as real as possible and so we spent a lot of time in the makeup chair. And before you know it, everything seems to come together. You put on the right outfit, have the right hairdo and there you go. It was a wonderful experience.

The post Michael Douglas on becoming Liberace in ‘Behind the Candelabra’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/michael-douglas-on-becoming-liberace-in-behind-the-candelabra/feed/ 0 Full list of Teen Choice 2013 nominations http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/full-list-of-teen-choice-2013-nominations/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/full-list-of-teen-choice-2013-nominations/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 16:42:53 +0000 Mary Ann Georgantopoulos http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=155543 Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the German premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" Credit: Getty Images Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the German premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2"
Credit: Getty Images[/caption] Is anyone surprised ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2’ leads the movie categories for most Teen Choice 2013 nominations? The awards show, which celebrates the hottest teen icons in television, film, music, sports, fashion and comedy announced this year’s nominees. [related tag="Twilight"] The awards show will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, August 11. As of today, teens can vote one a day per category. The full list of nominees is below: MOVIES Choice Movie: Action “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” “Iron Man 3” “Skyfall” “The Bourne Legacy” “The Dark Knight Rises” Choice Movie Actor: Action Christian Bale, “The Dark Knight Rises” Daniel Craig, “Skyfall” Robert Downey, Jr., “Iron Man 3” Chris Hemsworth, “Red Dawn” Dwayne Johnson, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” Choice Movie Actress: Action Jessica Biel, “Total Recall” Anne Hathaway, “The Dark Knight Rises” Adrianne Palicki, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” Gwyneth Paltrow, “Iron Man 3” Rachel Weisz, “The Bourne Legacy” Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy “Beautiful Creatures” “Iron Man 3” “Oblivion” “Oz the Great and Powerful” “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Tom Cruise, “Oblivion” Robert Downey, Jr., “Iron Man 3” James Franco, “Oz the Great and Powerful” Taylor Lautner, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mila Kunis, “Oz the Great and Powerful” Gwyneth Paltrow, “Iron Man 3” Saoirse Ronan, “The Host” Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Michelle Williams, “Oz the Great and Powerful” Choice Movie: Drama “Argo” “Les Misérables” “The Great Gatsby” “The Impossible” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Choice Movie Actor: Drama Ben Affleck, “Argo” Bradley Cooper, “The Words” Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Great Gatsby” Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables” Logan Lerman, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Choice Movie Actress: Drama Halle Berry, “The Call” Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables” Carey Mulligan, “The Great Gatsby” Emma Watson, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Naomi Watts, “The Impossible” Choice Movie: Comedy “Identity Thief” “Peeples” “Pitch Perfect” “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” “Warm Bodies” Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Skylar Astin, “Pitch Perfect” Jason Bateman, “Identity Thief” Steve Carell, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies” Craig Robinson, “Peeples” Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Anna Kendrick, “Pitch Perfect” Melissa McCarthy, “Identity Thief” Kerry Washington, “Peeples” Olivia Wilde, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” Rebel Wilson, “Pitch Perfect” Choice Movie: Romance “Beautiful Creatures” “Les Misérables” “Safe Haven” “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” “Warm Bodies” Choice Movie Actor: Romance Josh Duhamel, “Safe Haven” Alden Ehrenreich, “Beautiful Creatures” Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies” Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Eddie Redmayne, “Les Misérables” Choice Movie Actress: Romance Jessica Biel, “Playing for Keeps” Alice Englert, “Beautiful Creatures” Julianne Hough, “Safe Haven” Amanda Seyfried, “Les Misérables” Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” TELEVISION Choice TV Show: Drama “Gossip Girl” “Nashville” “Pretty Little Liars” “Revenge” “Switched At Birth” Choice TV Actor: Drama Penn Badgley, “Gossip Girl” Joshua Bowman, “Revenge” Lucas Grabeel, “Switched At Birth” Ian Harding, “Pretty Little Liars” Nick Wechsler, “Revenge” Choice TV Actress: Drama Troian Bellisario, “Pretty Little Liars” Blake Lively, “Gossip Girl” Vanessa Marano, “Switched At Birth” Hayden Panettiere, “Nashville” Emily VanCamp, “Revenge” Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi “Arrow” “Beauty and The Beast” “Once Upon a Time” “Supernatural” “The Vampire Diaries” Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Jensen Ackles, “Supernatural” Stephen Amell, “Arrow” Jared Padalecki, “Supernatural” Ian Somerhalder, “The Vampire Diaries” Paul Wesley, “The Vampire Diaries” Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Katie Cassidy, “Arrow” Nina Dobrev, “The Vampire Diaries” Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time” Kat Graham, “The Vampire Diaries” Kristin Kreuk, “Beauty and the Beast” Choice TV Show: Action “Chicago Fire” “Elementary” “Hawaii Five-0” “NCIS: Los Angeles” “Nikita” Choice TV Actor: Action Scott Caan, “Hawaii Five-0” LL Cool J, “NCIS: Los Angeles” Jonny Lee Miller, “Elementary” Jesse Spencer, “Chicago Fire” Shane West, “Nikita” Choice TV Actress: Action Lyndsy Fonseca, “Nikita” Lucy Liu, “Elementary” Grace Park, “Hawaii Five-0” Maggie Q, “Nikita” Monica Raymund, “Chicago Fire” Choice TV Show: Comedy “The Big Bang Theory” GLEE “Modern Family” NEW GIRL “Suburgatory” Choice TV Actor: Comedy Chris Colfer, GLEE Jake Johnson, NEW GIRL Ashton Kutcher, “Two And a Half Men” Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family” Choice TV Actress: Comedy Kaley Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory” Zooey Deschanel, NEW GIRL Mindy Kaling, THE MINDY PROJECT Lea Michele, GLEE Bridgit Mendler, “Good Luck Charlie” Choice TV: Animated Show “Adventure Time” BOB’S BURGERS FAMILY GUY “Gravity Falls” THE SIMPSONS Choice TV: Reality Competition Show AMERICAN IDOL “The Bachelor” “Dancing with the Stars” “The Voice” THE X FACTOR Choice TV: Reality Show “Dance Moms” “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” “Married to Jonas” “Tia & Tamera” MUSIC Choice Male Artist Justin Bieber Bruno Mars Phillip Phillips Pitbull Justin Timberlake Choice Female Artist Selena Gomez Demi Lovato Pink Rihanna Taylor Swift Choice Music Group Big Time Rush fun. Maroon 5 One Direction The Wanted Choice R&B Artist Beyoncé Alicia Keys Bruno Mars Miguel Trey Songz Choice Hip-Hop/Rap Artist Drake Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Nicki Minaj Pitbull Kanye West Choice Rock Group AWOLNATION Imagine Dragons Mumford & Sons Paramore The Lumineers Choice Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist Deadmau5 David Guetta Calvin Harris Kaskade Skrillex Swedish House Mafia Choice Male Country Artist Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Eric Church Hunter Hayes Blake Shelton Choice Female Country Artist Jana Kramer Miranda Lambert Kacey Musgraves Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood Choice Country Group Florida Georgia Line Lady Antebellum Little Big Town The Band Perry Thompson Square FASHION Choice Female Hottie Miley Cyrus Megan Fox Selena Gomez Mila Kunis Demi Lovato Choice Male Hottie Justin Bieber Liam Hemsworth Taylor Lautner Harry Styles Channing Tatum Choice Smile Selena Gomez Taylor Lautner Demi Lovato Harry Styles Taylor Swift SPORTS Choice Female Athlete Gabby Douglas Missy Franklin Alex Morgan Danica Patrick Lindsey Vonn Serena Williams Choice Male Athlete David Beckham LeBron James Colin Kaepernick Michael Phelps Shaun White Choice Comedian Ellen DeGeneres Jimmy Fallon Melissa McCarthy Daniel Tosh Rebel Wilson]]> Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the German premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" Credit: Getty Images
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson at the German premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2″
Credit: Getty Images

Is anyone surprised ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2’ leads the movie categories for most Teen Choice 2013 nominations?

The awards show, which celebrates the hottest teen icons in television, film, music, sports, fashion and comedy announced this year’s nominees.

Related Articles

The awards show will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, August 11.

As of today, teens can vote one a day per category. The full list of nominees is below:

MOVIES
Choice Movie: Action
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
“Iron Man 3”
“Skyfall”
“The Bourne Legacy”
“The Dark Knight Rises”

Choice Movie Actor: Action
Christian Bale, “The Dark Knight Rises”
Daniel Craig, “Skyfall”
Robert Downey, Jr., “Iron Man 3”
Chris Hemsworth, “Red Dawn”
Dwayne Johnson, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”

Choice Movie Actress: Action
Jessica Biel, “Total Recall”
Anne Hathaway, “The Dark Knight Rises”
Adrianne Palicki, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
Gwyneth Paltrow, “Iron Man 3”
Rachel Weisz, “The Bourne Legacy”

Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
“Beautiful Creatures”
“Iron Man 3”
“Oblivion”
“Oz the Great and Powerful”
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”

Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Tom Cruise, “Oblivion”
Robert Downey, Jr., “Iron Man 3”
James Franco, “Oz the Great and Powerful”
Taylor Lautner, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”

Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Mila Kunis, “Oz the Great and Powerful”
Gwyneth Paltrow, “Iron Man 3”
Saoirse Ronan, “The Host”
Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
Michelle Williams, “Oz the Great and Powerful”

Choice Movie: Drama
“Argo”
“Les Misérables”
“The Great Gatsby”
“The Impossible”
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Bradley Cooper, “The Words”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Great Gatsby”
Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables”
Logan Lerman, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

Choice Movie Actress: Drama
Halle Berry, “The Call”
Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables”
Carey Mulligan, “The Great Gatsby”
Emma Watson, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”

Choice Movie: Comedy
“Identity Thief”
“Peeples”
“Pitch Perfect”
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”
“Warm Bodies”

Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Skylar Astin, “Pitch Perfect”
Jason Bateman, “Identity Thief”
Steve Carell, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”
Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies”
Craig Robinson, “Peeples”

Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Anna Kendrick, “Pitch Perfect”
Melissa McCarthy, “Identity Thief”
Kerry Washington, “Peeples”
Olivia Wilde, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”
Rebel Wilson, “Pitch Perfect”

Choice Movie: Romance
“Beautiful Creatures”
“Les Misérables”
“Safe Haven”
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
“Warm Bodies”

Choice Movie Actor: Romance
Josh Duhamel, “Safe Haven”
Alden Ehrenreich, “Beautiful Creatures”
Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies”
Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne, “Les Misérables”

Choice Movie Actress: Romance
Jessica Biel, “Playing for Keeps”
Alice Englert, “Beautiful Creatures”
Julianne Hough, “Safe Haven”
Amanda Seyfried, “Les Misérables”
Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”

TELEVISION
Choice TV Show: Drama
“Gossip Girl”
“Nashville”
“Pretty Little Liars”
“Revenge”
“Switched At Birth”

Choice TV Actor: Drama
Penn Badgley, “Gossip Girl”
Joshua Bowman, “Revenge”
Lucas Grabeel, “Switched At Birth”
Ian Harding, “Pretty Little Liars”
Nick Wechsler, “Revenge”

Choice TV Actress: Drama
Troian Bellisario, “Pretty Little Liars”
Blake Lively, “Gossip Girl”
Vanessa Marano, “Switched At Birth”
Hayden Panettiere, “Nashville”
Emily VanCamp, “Revenge”

Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
“Arrow”
“Beauty and The Beast”
“Once Upon a Time”
“Supernatural”
“The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Jensen Ackles, “Supernatural”
Stephen Amell, “Arrow”
Jared Padalecki, “Supernatural”
Ian Somerhalder, “The Vampire Diaries”
Paul Wesley, “The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Katie Cassidy, “Arrow”
Nina Dobrev, “The Vampire Diaries”
Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time”
Kat Graham, “The Vampire Diaries”
Kristin Kreuk, “Beauty and the Beast”

Choice TV Show: Action
“Chicago Fire”
“Elementary”
“Hawaii Five-0”
“NCIS: Los Angeles”
“Nikita”

Choice TV Actor: Action
Scott Caan, “Hawaii Five-0”
LL Cool J, “NCIS: Los Angeles”
Jonny Lee Miller, “Elementary”
Jesse Spencer, “Chicago Fire”
Shane West, “Nikita”

Choice TV Actress: Action
Lyndsy Fonseca, “Nikita”
Lucy Liu, “Elementary”
Grace Park, “Hawaii Five-0”
Maggie Q, “Nikita”
Monica Raymund, “Chicago Fire”

Choice TV Show: Comedy
“The Big Bang Theory”
GLEE
“Modern Family”
NEW GIRL
“Suburgatory”

Choice TV Actor: Comedy
Chris Colfer, GLEE
Jake Johnson, NEW GIRL
Ashton Kutcher, “Two And a Half Men”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”

Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Kaley Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory”
Zooey Deschanel, NEW GIRL
Mindy Kaling, THE MINDY PROJECT
Lea Michele, GLEE
Bridgit Mendler, “Good Luck Charlie”

Choice TV: Animated Show
“Adventure Time”
BOB’S BURGERS
FAMILY GUY
“Gravity Falls”
THE SIMPSONS

Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
AMERICAN IDOL
“The Bachelor”
“Dancing with the Stars”
“The Voice”
THE X FACTOR

Choice TV: Reality Show
“Dance Moms”
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”
“Keeping Up with the Kardashians”
“Married to Jonas”
“Tia & Tamera”

MUSIC
Choice Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Phillip Phillips
Pitbull
Justin Timberlake

Choice Female Artist
Selena Gomez
Demi Lovato
Pink
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

Choice Music Group
Big Time Rush
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted

Choice R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Alicia Keys
Bruno Mars
Miguel
Trey Songz

Choice Hip-Hop/Rap Artist
Drake
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull
Kanye West

Choice Rock Group
AWOLNATION
Imagine Dragons
Mumford & Sons
Paramore
The Lumineers

Choice Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist
Deadmau5
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Kaskade
Skrillex
Swedish House Mafia

Choice Male Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Hunter Hayes
Blake Shelton

Choice Female Country Artist
Jana Kramer
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Choice Country Group
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Thompson Square

FASHION
Choice Female Hottie
Miley Cyrus
Megan Fox
Selena Gomez
Mila Kunis
Demi Lovato

Choice Male Hottie
Justin Bieber
Liam Hemsworth
Taylor Lautner
Harry Styles
Channing Tatum

Choice Smile
Selena Gomez
Taylor Lautner
Demi Lovato
Harry Styles
Taylor Swift

SPORTS
Choice Female Athlete
Gabby Douglas
Missy Franklin
Alex Morgan
Danica Patrick
Lindsey Vonn
Serena Williams

Choice Male Athlete
David Beckham
LeBron James
Colin Kaepernick
Michael Phelps
Shaun White

Choice Comedian
Ellen DeGeneres
Jimmy Fallon
Melissa McCarthy
Daniel Tosh
Rebel Wilson

The post Full list of Teen Choice 2013 nominations appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/22/full-list-of-teen-choice-2013-nominations/feed/ 0 Citing fatigue, director Ang Lee leaves pilot of TV series ‘Tyrant’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-anglee-fatigue/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-anglee-fatigue/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 22:37:23 +0000 Pat Healy http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=155044 Director Ang Lee is pictured here speaking in a news conference in Taipei, May 9, 2013. He says the exhaustive process of making and promoting "Life of Pi" made him realize he needs a rest. (PHOTO CREDIT: Yi-ting Chung/Reuters) Director Ang Lee is pictured here speaking in a news conference in Taipei, May 9, 2013. He says the exhaustive process of making and promoting "Life of Pi" made him realize he needs a rest.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Yi-ting Chung/Reuters)[/caption] Oscar winner Ang Lee canceled his plans to direct the pilot of new television series "Tyrant," saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film "Life of Pi." Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best Director Oscar for "Life of Pi." "It is one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that I've seen and one about which I was very excited," Lee said in a statement. "However, after spending over four years making and promoting 'Life of Pi,' I have recently realized that I need some rest." "Tyrant" tells the story of an American family that is pulled into the workings of a restive Middle Eastern nation, and Lee was slated to begin filming the pilot this summer. It would have been the Taiwanese-born director's first foray into television. "Tyrant" is produced by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who also are producers on Showtime's Emmy-winning counter-terrorism thriller "Homeland." FX did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.]]> Director Ang Lee is pictured here speaking in a news conference in Taipei, May 9, 2013. He says the exhaustive process of making and promoting "Life of Pi" made him realize he needs a rest. (PHOTO CREDIT: Yi-ting Chung/Reuters)
Director Ang Lee is pictured here speaking in a news conference in Taipei, May 9, 2013. He says the exhaustive process of making and promoting “Life of Pi” made him realize he needs a rest.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Yi-ting Chung/Reuters)

Oscar winner Ang Lee canceled his plans to direct the pilot of new television series “Tyrant,” saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film “Life of Pi.”

Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.”

“It is one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that I’ve seen and one about which I was very excited,” Lee said in a statement. “However, after spending over four years making and promoting ‘Life of Pi,’ I have recently realized that I need some rest.”

“Tyrant” tells the story of an American family that is pulled into the workings of a restive Middle Eastern nation, and Lee was slated to begin filming the pilot this summer.

It would have been the Taiwanese-born director’s first foray into television.

“Tyrant” is produced by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who also are producers on Showtime’s Emmy-winning counter-terrorism thriller “Homeland.”

FX did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.

The post Citing fatigue, director Ang Lee leaves pilot of TV series ‘Tyrant’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-anglee-fatigue/feed/ 0 ‘Manhunt: Boston Bombers’ to shed light on how investigators tracked down terror suspects http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/21/manhunt-boston-bombers-to-shed-light-on-how-investigators-tracked-down-terror-suspects/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/21/manhunt-boston-bombers-to-shed-light-on-how-investigators-tracked-down-terror-suspects/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 21:38:24 +0000 Morgan Rousseau http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=154993 An ambulance containing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, departs 67 Franklin Street, where he was discovered hiding inside a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts. Credit: Reuters. An ambulance containing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, departs 67 Franklin Street, where he was discovered hiding inside a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Credit: Reuters.[/caption] A new one-hour NOVA documentary will shed light on how investigators were able to quickly crack the case of the Boston terror attack, and track down bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. [related tag=”Tsarnaev” limit=3] In "Manhunt: Boston Bombers," NOVA follows the hunt for the bombing suspects and examines the subsequent investigation conducted by city, state, and national law enforcement. “From robotics to explosives to chemistry to digital and social media, NOVA demonstrates how scientific innovations were involved in this high-stakes, fast-moving criminal investigation,” said NOVA Producer Paula Apsell. “Viewers will gain a better understanding of how new technologies might help investigators in the future.” The documentary will also explore the phenomenon of social media, which in unprecedented and chilling ways, affected the course of the investigation. Authorities were reluctant to release the pictures of the suspects as they could prompt them to panic, flee and commit more violence. But the social-media-fueled “24-second” news cycle forced investigators to release the photos sooner than they wished. Producer Miles O'Brien hosts the two-part show. With the help of high-speed camera's, O'Brien will demonstrate the power of a pressure cooker bomb and learn how the New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center uses their research to train first responders - including 1,500 from Boston. The documentary is set to air next Wednesday night, 9 p.m., on PBS. Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS]]> An ambulance containing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, departs 67 Franklin Street, where he was discovered hiding inside a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts. Credit: Reuters.
An ambulance containing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, departs 67 Franklin Street, where he was discovered hiding inside a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Credit: Reuters.

A new one-hour NOVA documentary will shed light on how investigators were able to quickly crack the case of the Boston terror attack, and track down bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Related Articles

In “Manhunt: Boston Bombers,” NOVA follows the hunt for the bombing suspects and examines the subsequent investigation conducted by city, state, and national law enforcement.

“From robotics to explosives to chemistry to digital and social media, NOVA demonstrates how scientific innovations were involved in this high-stakes, fast-moving criminal investigation,” said NOVA Producer Paula Apsell. “Viewers will gain a better understanding of how new technologies might help investigators in the future.”

The documentary will also explore the phenomenon of social media, which in unprecedented and chilling ways, affected the course of the investigation. Authorities were reluctant to release the pictures of the suspects as they could prompt them to panic, flee and commit more violence. But the social-media-fueled “24-second” news cycle forced investigators to release the photos sooner than they wished.

Producer Miles O’Brien hosts the two-part show. With the help of high-speed camera’s, O’Brien will demonstrate the power of a pressure cooker bomb and learn how the New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center uses their research to train first responders – including 1,500 from Boston.

The documentary is set to air next Wednesday night, 9 p.m., on PBS.

Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan
Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS

The post ‘Manhunt: Boston Bombers’ to shed light on how investigators tracked down terror suspects appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/21/manhunt-boston-bombers-to-shed-light-on-how-investigators-tracked-down-terror-suspects/feed/ 0 Liberace film throws spotlight on gay rights at Cannes festival http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-cannes-liberace/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-cannes-liberace/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 17:02:12 +0000 Tina Chadha http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=154679 Cast member Matt Damon (L) and director Steven Soderbergh attend a news conference for the film Matt Damon, left, and director Steven Soderbergh attend a news conference for "Behind the Candelabra."[/caption] The relationship between the flamboyant pianist Liberace and his young lover dazzled at the Cannes film festival Tuesday, throwing the spotlight on gay rights at the movie industry's largest annual gathering. Director Steven Soderbergh said he struggled five years ago to secure funding for "Behind the Candelabra" because some financiers thought the film would only appeal to a gay audience and, at a cost of $25 million, would be a financial risk. Eventually he received financing from Time Warner's HBO cable channel and made the film with Michael Douglas playing Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, with whom the pianist had a secret five-year affair. Soderbergh said it was a coincidence that the film was being released during a global debate on gay rights and same-sex marriage, but acknowledged that it was very timely. France last month became the 14th country to legalize gay marriage, a move also taken in the United States by 12 states and Washington, D.C. Liberace, a huge celebrity during his lifetime, publicly denied his homosexuality at a time when being gay was widely considered taboo. "In making the film, the socio-political aspect of it was not really in my mind but I was focused on ... trying to make this relationship as believable and realistic as we could," Soderbergh told a news conference, flanked by Douglas and Damon. "When this issue comes up, of equal rights for gays, I am hoping 50 years from now we will look back on this and wonder why this was even a debate and why it took so long." Douglas and Damon said they were both keen to work with Soderbergh, who has announced his plan to retire from filmmaking after this movie. They were both also impressed by the script based on Thorson's autobiography, "Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace," that was released in 1988, a year after the entertainer's death at age 67 from an AIDS-related disease. 'Spectacular' In the film, Thorson, a naive 18-year-old farm boy from Wisconsin, meets 58-year-old Liberace in Las Vegas in 1977 and moves in with him, joining his glamorous lifestyle of champagne, jewel-encrusted cars and spectacular wardrobe. An unrecognizable Debbie Reynolds plays Liberace's beloved mother Frances, with her trademark button nose hidden under a prosthetic one, while a taut-faced Rob Lowe is a plastic surgeon who operates on both Liberace and Thorson. The relationship starts to unravel as Thorson becomes addicted to drugs, hawking jewelry given to him by his lover to fund his habit, and the sexually voracious Liberace's interest moves on to other, younger men. The two actors made light of their love scenes, with Douglas joking about asking Damon what flavor lip balm he preferred and Damon saying he could swap stories with Sharon Stone, Glenn Close and Demi Moore after sharing a bed with Douglas. Douglas, whose performance as the primped, toupeed pianist was lauded by critics, said he met Liberace once, in a Rolls Royce convertible while in Palm Springs with his father, the movie star Kirk Douglas. He became emotional, voice breaking and tears in his eyes, when asked how he became involved in the film. "It was right after my cancer and this beautiful gift was handed to me and I am eternally grateful ... to everybody for waiting for me," said Douglas, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010 and needed chemotherapy and radiation treatment. "Behind the Candelabra" will premiere on HBO in the United States on May 26 and open in foreign theaters from June 7. The film is one of 20 movies in the main competition at Cannes vying for the Palme d'Or award for best picture, which will be presented Sunday. Soderbergh, 50, who won the Palme d'Or in 1989 with "Sex, Lies and Videotapes," said this was his last movie for a while. "I am absolutely taking a break. I don't know how extended it is going to be, but I can't say if this were the last movie I make that I would be unhappy," he said. "It's been a nice run."]]> Cast member Matt Damon (L) and director Steven Soderbergh attend a news conference for the film
Matt Damon, left, and director Steven Soderbergh attend a news conference for “Behind the Candelabra.”

The relationship between the flamboyant pianist Liberace and his young lover dazzled at the Cannes film festival Tuesday, throwing the spotlight on gay rights at the movie industry’s largest annual gathering.

Director Steven Soderbergh said he struggled five years ago to secure funding for “Behind the Candelabra” because some financiers thought the film would only appeal to a gay audience and, at a cost of $25 million, would be a financial risk.

Eventually he received financing from Time Warner’s HBO cable channel and made the film with Michael Douglas playing Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, with whom the pianist had a secret five-year affair.

Soderbergh said it was a coincidence that the film was being released during a global debate on gay rights and same-sex marriage, but acknowledged that it was very timely.

France last month became the 14th country to legalize gay marriage, a move also taken in the United States by 12 states and Washington, D.C. Liberace, a huge celebrity during his lifetime, publicly denied his homosexuality at a time when being gay was widely considered taboo.

“In making the film, the socio-political aspect of it was not really in my mind but I was focused on … trying to make this relationship as believable and realistic as we could,” Soderbergh told a news conference, flanked by Douglas and Damon.

“When this issue comes up, of equal rights for gays, I am hoping 50 years from now we will look back on this and wonder why this was even a debate and why it took so long.”

Douglas and Damon said they were both keen to work with Soderbergh, who has announced his plan to retire from filmmaking after this movie.

They were both also impressed by the script based on Thorson’s autobiography, “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace,” that was released in 1988, a year after the entertainer’s death at age 67 from an AIDS-related disease.

‘Spectacular’

In the film, Thorson, a naive 18-year-old farm boy from Wisconsin, meets 58-year-old Liberace in Las Vegas in 1977 and moves in with him, joining his glamorous lifestyle of champagne, jewel-encrusted cars and spectacular wardrobe.

An unrecognizable Debbie Reynolds plays Liberace’s beloved mother Frances, with her trademark button nose hidden under a prosthetic one, while a taut-faced Rob Lowe is a plastic surgeon who operates on both Liberace and Thorson.

The relationship starts to unravel as Thorson becomes addicted to drugs, hawking jewelry given to him by his lover to fund his habit, and the sexually voracious Liberace’s interest moves on to other, younger men.

The two actors made light of their love scenes, with Douglas joking about asking Damon what flavor lip balm he preferred and Damon saying he could swap stories with Sharon Stone, Glenn Close and Demi Moore after sharing a bed with Douglas.

Douglas, whose performance as the primped, toupeed pianist was lauded by critics, said he met Liberace once, in a Rolls Royce convertible while in Palm Springs with his father, the movie star Kirk Douglas.

He became emotional, voice breaking and tears in his eyes, when asked how he became involved in the film.

“It was right after my cancer and this beautiful gift was handed to me and I am eternally grateful … to everybody for waiting for me,” said Douglas, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010 and needed chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

“Behind the Candelabra” will premiere on HBO in the United States on May 26 and open in foreign theaters from June 7.

The film is one of 20 movies in the main competition at Cannes vying for the Palme d’Or award for best picture, which will be presented Sunday.

Soderbergh, 50, who won the Palme d’Or in 1989 with “Sex, Lies and Videotapes,” said this was his last movie for a while.

“I am absolutely taking a break. I don’t know how extended it is going to be, but I can’t say if this were the last movie I make that I would be unhappy,” he said. “It’s been a nice run.”

The post Liberace film throws spotlight on gay rights at Cannes festival appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/21/us-cannes-liberace/feed/ 0 “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Mary Murphy dishes about Season 10 with us http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/20/so-you-think-you-can-dance-judge-mary-murphy-dishes-about-season-10-with-us/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/20/so-you-think-you-can-dance-judge-mary-murphy-dishes-about-season-10-with-us/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 18:49:35 +0000 Meredith Engel http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=154030 LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 10: Choregrapher Mary Murphy attends 'Got Your 6' Press Conference on May 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 10: Choregrapher Mary Murphy attends 'Got Your 6' Press Conference on May 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)[/caption] “So You Think You Can Dance” may be in its 10th season, but judge Mary Murphy is having no less fun in her job. The bubbly ballroom pro chatted with us about season 10 while en route to the airport for a TV appearance, her chatter infused with a hint of southern twang and that signature gregarious laughter of hers. The show is almost 10 years old — how does that make you feel? It went by in a snap. I’m very grateful and really proud of the show, and all the dancers that come back. I would say a good half of [this year’s contestants] are probably 18 — people that we’ve never seen before, and they’ve just been waiting for the day [they can audition]. So many of them say, “I started when I was 9, dreaming about the day I’d be on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’” It’s starting to be like a rite of passage for some dancers, because they are very marketable after this and our past dancers have been very successful. Do you stay in touch with any former contestants? We certainly do. One of our guest judges this year is gonna be tWitch, who was one of our past contestants, and he’s engaged to Allison Holker, who was another one of our contestants. I think they’re really our first wedding, even though they weren’t on the same year — they met each other and did a lot of gigs together and fell in love and it’s just really the coolest thing. I think one of our executive producers is even gonna be marrying them! [Laughs] Kathryn McCormick, of course she got the lead role in the last “Step Up” movie, Alex Wong and Jess LeProtto, Neil [Haskell] too, they were all on Broadway. Danny Tidwell was on Broadway and of course Mark [Kanemura] is traveling with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Eliana just talked to me like 3 weeks ago — she was our prima ballerina last year that won  — and now she said “You’re not gonna believe what I’m doing — I’m traveling with Taylor Swift!” To have another career after she’s had a career is just so interesting, and they’re just so excited that other doors have now opened up for them. And Chehon [Wespi-Tschopp]  just did a movie with Witney [Carson], and of course Kherington [Payne] was the star of “Fame”  — so all the kids are doing really well they all seem to come back to see the show, or come to the auditions where they auditioned. You’re like the mama bear of the group, holding everyone together. It’s amazing that you can keep everyone’s names straight after 10 years of contestants! Well, I’ve been pretty good. I think the only hard year was the year that we did a double season, where we did auditions right after the season and I was also auditioning the Canadian show, so there was three sets of contestants and I think I do remember calling somebody by the wrong name. [Laughs] Are you sending any contestants on the hot tamale train this season? Oh, for sure. I certainly put a couple contestants on that train during the auditions, which is rare. And for the very first time I even [used] a cuss word — and I very rarely cuss in my life. I take that out of my vocabulary, mainly because you’re on live TV and you never want to let anything slip — it doesn’t go down well with the network. And it never sounds right and I don’t like it: I don’t like when it other people do it, and I don’t let the dancers around me do it either. I do sound so much like a mother, don’t I? [Laughs] And there was a spectacular kid this season doing animation and something came flying out of my mouth, and it just caught me so off-guard. How do you keep the show fresh and exciting after 10 years? Well, as far as any new format twists, they haven’t developed anything or let us know of anything that might change. I do know that they do plan on keeping the two winners this season and that was new last year. We have more new guest judges which is always fun. Minnie Driver is a new judge this season — she studied dance and royal ballet in England. Most of the people that we usually ask to guest judge, I think there’s only maybe that doesn’t really dance and that’s mark Diana stone she was from the new girl, but she was very good on performance tips and things like that. And Jason Derulo was a guest judge and Wayne Brady — he was a lot of fun. He does music in his dances and his videos and he also danced on Broadway, believe it or not, in “Chicago.” So I think people start getting kinda keyholed into one thing and then you find out a little bit more of how they got started. But a lot of these people have dance in their background and they love, love, love the show. You know that they’re huge fans when they sit there and they go over the different seasons and who their favorite dancers and what their favorite dance was that they have memories of a specific dance. It’s cool when you meet somebody like that and they’re so invested in the show. They care about the kids and they also know as far as auditioning all the time how tough that life is as well. So they’re very caring on what they say to the contestants and I’ve really appreciated that from the guest judges we’ve had so far. And no season would be complete without the opinions of your co-judge, Nigel Lythgoe. What’s your relationship like off-set? Me and Nigel went to England and met Prince Charles this year at Buckingham Palace, it was the coolest thing. It was really surreal for me. This woman I know invited me then I asked her if I could invite Nigel. Nigel’s a hard person to get something for and I know he’s really involved with England still — their soccer teams and the BAFTA and everything else — that I just felt really good about saying to him, “Would you like to go to Buckingham Palace and meet Prince Charles?” So it was one small thing that I could give back because I am so grateful to him and the other producers that chose me and had faith in me. Yes, you were gone for a season while you underwent treatment for thyroid cancer. Yeah, but everything’s worked out now and I’m very healthy. So everything’s worked out for the best. What’s your biggest piece of advice for dancers? I think it’s really important about doing your homework on who you choose to represent you. I think as far as dancing goes, most of them they get lost into accepting one initial manager. They really need to go around, they need to do their homework, they need to get references, they need to talk with other people. That’s the person that is going to be guiding your career. Obviously all of them are fantastic dancers, but you have to be careful in Hollywood. What would you tell yourself 10 years ago, just starting out on “SYTYCD”? I’d like to even take it back further than that. If I could talk to myself and all the other dancers, it’s about nutrition. Most of us dancers are skinny, and I used to be no exception. I was so skinny. I ate like a football player, and I ate fast food twice a day, I ate dessert — I was dancing 8 to 10 hours a day, it didn’t matter. But I think we relate being skinny as being in good health, and what kids need to understand in the dance industry right now, what you do to the body right now you’ll pay for later. … Nobody, as a dancer, ever talked to us about nutrition. Nobody talks about it because we’re so engrossed in getting ahead and dance practicing and not eating. If you eat properly your muscles will respond better and recover faster. If you keep yourself hydrated, your muscles will recover and respond better. So I think that’s my biggest note to myself, I feel like that’s part of my mission now. Joel McHale often teases you on “The Soup.” Does that ever get to you? I have to say, years and years ago, the first time he did it it really hurt my feelings. It made me cry. And the next time, he brought me down [to the show], and everybody from the set was running over to me, talking about the contestants and this that and the other. And he was in makeup and I said, “You know you made me cry a couple weeks ago.” And he said, “What? Mary, don’t you know I love you and I respect you?” He said, “I love what you guys do on that show, I love your enthusiasm. Don’t take it that way. That’s why I brought you here today, because we love you.” And so then I was always looking forward to it, and then I just started getting bummed when he wasn’t showing me. (Laughs)   “So You Think You Can Dance” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. Follow Meredith Engel on Twitter @MeredithAtMetro.]]> LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 10: Choregrapher Mary Murphy attends 'Got Your 6' Press Conference on May 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 10: Choregrapher Mary Murphy attends ‘Got Your 6′ Press Conference on May 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

“So You Think You Can Dance” may be in its 10th season, but judge Mary Murphy is having no less fun in her job. The bubbly ballroom pro chatted with us about season 10 while en route to the airport for a TV appearance, her chatter infused with a hint of southern twang and that signature gregarious laughter of hers.

The show is almost 10 years old — how does that make you feel?
It went by in a snap. I’m very grateful and really proud of the show, and all the dancers that come back. I would say a good half of [this year’s contestants] are probably 18 — people that we’ve never seen before, and they’ve just been waiting for the day [they can audition]. So many of them say, “I started when I was 9, dreaming about the day I’d be on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’” It’s starting to be like a rite of passage for some dancers, because they are very marketable after this and our past dancers have been very successful.

Do you stay in touch with any former contestants?
We certainly do. One of our guest judges this year is gonna be tWitch, who was one of our past contestants, and he’s engaged to Allison Holker, who was another one of our contestants. I think they’re really our first wedding, even though they weren’t on the same year — they met each other and did a lot of gigs together and fell in love and it’s just really the coolest thing. I think one of our executive producers is even gonna be marrying them! [Laughs] Kathryn McCormick, of course she got the lead role in the last “Step Up” movie, Alex Wong and Jess LeProtto, Neil [Haskell] too, they were all on Broadway. Danny Tidwell was on Broadway and of course Mark [Kanemura] is traveling with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Eliana just talked to me like 3 weeks ago — she was our prima ballerina last year that won  — and now she said “You’re not gonna believe what I’m doing — I’m traveling with Taylor Swift!” To have another career after she’s had a career is just so interesting, and they’re just so excited that other doors have now opened up for them. And Chehon [Wespi-Tschopp]  just did a movie with Witney [Carson], and of course Kherington [Payne] was the star of “Fame”  — so all the kids are doing really well they all seem to come back to see the show, or come to the auditions where they auditioned.

You’re like the mama bear of the group, holding everyone together. It’s amazing that you can keep everyone’s names straight after 10 years of contestants!
Well, I’ve been pretty good. I think the only hard year was the year that we did a double season, where we did auditions right after the season and I was also auditioning the Canadian show, so there was three sets of contestants and I think I do remember calling somebody by the wrong name. [Laughs]

Are you sending any contestants on the hot tamale train this season?
Oh, for sure. I certainly put a couple contestants on that train during the auditions, which is rare. And for the very first time I even [used] a cuss word — and I very rarely cuss in my life. I take that out of my vocabulary, mainly because you’re on live TV and you never want to let anything slip — it doesn’t go down well with the network. And it never sounds right and I don’t like it: I don’t like when it other people do it, and I don’t let the dancers around me do it either. I do sound so much like a mother, don’t I? [Laughs] And there was a spectacular kid this season doing animation and something came flying out of my mouth, and it just caught me so off-guard.

How do you keep the show fresh and exciting after 10 years?
Well, as far as any new format twists, they haven’t developed anything or let us know of anything that might change. I do know that they do plan on keeping the two winners this season and that was new last year. We have more new guest judges which is always fun. Minnie Driver is a new judge this season — she studied dance and royal ballet in England. Most of the people that we usually ask to guest judge, I think there’s only maybe that doesn’t really dance and that’s mark Diana stone she was from the new girl, but she was very good on performance tips and things like that. And Jason Derulo was a guest judge and Wayne Brady — he was a lot of fun. He does music in his dances and his videos and he also danced on Broadway, believe it or not, in “Chicago.” So I think people start getting kinda keyholed into one thing and then you find out a little bit more of how they got started. But a lot of these people have dance in their background and they love, love, love the show. You know that they’re huge fans when they sit there and they go over the different seasons and who their favorite dancers and what their favorite dance was that they have memories of a specific dance. It’s cool when you meet somebody like that and they’re so invested in the show. They care about the kids and they also know as far as auditioning all the time how tough that life is as well. So they’re very caring on what they say to the contestants and I’ve really appreciated that from the guest judges we’ve had so far.

And no season would be complete without the opinions of your co-judge, Nigel Lythgoe. What’s your relationship like off-set?
Me and Nigel went to England and met Prince Charles this year at Buckingham Palace, it was the coolest thing. It was really surreal for me. This woman I know invited me then I asked her if I could invite Nigel. Nigel’s a hard person to get something for and I know he’s really involved with England still — their soccer teams and the BAFTA and everything else — that I just felt really good about saying to him, “Would you like to go to Buckingham Palace and meet Prince Charles?” So it was one small thing that I could give back because I am so grateful to him and the other producers that chose me and had faith in me.

Yes, you were gone for a season while you underwent treatment for thyroid cancer.
Yeah, but everything’s worked out now and I’m very healthy. So everything’s worked out for the best.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for dancers?
I think it’s really important about doing your homework on who you choose to represent you. I think as far as dancing goes, most of them they get lost into accepting one initial manager. They really need to go around, they need to do their homework, they need to get references, they need to talk with other people. That’s the person that is going to be guiding your career. Obviously all of them are fantastic dancers, but you have to be careful in Hollywood.

What would you tell yourself 10 years ago, just starting out on “SYTYCD”?
I’d like to even take it back further than that. If I could talk to myself and all the other dancers, it’s about nutrition. Most of us dancers are skinny, and I used to be no exception. I was so skinny. I ate like a football player, and I ate fast food twice a day, I ate dessert — I was dancing 8 to 10 hours a day, it didn’t matter. But I think we relate being skinny as being in good health, and what kids need to understand in the dance industry right now, what you do to the body right now you’ll pay for later. … Nobody, as a dancer, ever talked to us about nutrition. Nobody talks about it because we’re so engrossed in getting ahead and dance practicing and not eating. If you eat properly your muscles will respond better and recover faster. If you keep yourself hydrated, your muscles will recover and respond better. So I think that’s my biggest note to myself, I feel like that’s part of my mission now.

Joel McHale often teases you on “The Soup.” Does that ever get to you?
I have to say, years and years ago, the first time he did it it really hurt my feelings. It made me cry. And the next time, he brought me down [to the show], and everybody from the set was running over to me, talking about the contestants and this that and the other. And he was in makeup and I said, “You know you made me cry a couple weeks ago.” And he said, “What? Mary, don’t you know I love you and I respect you?” He said, “I love what you guys do on that show, I love your enthusiasm. Don’t take it that way. That’s why I brought you here today, because we love you.” And so then I was always looking forward to it, and then I just started getting bummed when he wasn’t showing me. (Laughs)

 

“So You Think You Can Dance” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. Follow Meredith Engel on Twitter @MeredithAtMetro.

The post “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Mary Murphy dishes about Season 10 with us appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/20/so-you-think-you-can-dance-judge-mary-murphy-dishes-about-season-10-with-us/feed/ 0 Jenna Ushkowitz talks the power of positivity in ‘Choosing Glee’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/20/glee-star-jenna-ushkowitz-talks-the-power-of-positivity-and-her-new-book-choosing-glee/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/20/glee-star-jenna-ushkowitz-talks-the-power-of-positivity-and-her-new-book-choosing-glee/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 17:33:45 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=153929 WELL_Glee_0520 Is happiness something that happens to you, or something that you make happen for yourself? If you ask "Glee’s" Jenna Ushkowitz that question, she’ll tell you it’s the latter. In fact, she’s written the book on finding your own glee through the power of self-affirmation and positive thinking. “Choosing Glee: 10 Rules to Finding Inspiration, Happiness, and the Real You” is part memoir, part self-help tome, and all motivational. Written through anecdotal vignettes, personal photos, lists and charts, “Choosing Glee” is Ushkowitz’ way of giving back to the world, putting out positivity as a means of reaping more good vibes. “I like to think that positivity is a choice, and you wake up and make a conscious decision,” says the 27-year-old actress. And though she admits, “I’ve never been through any really dark times where I hit rock bottom,” she seems to know what she's talking about. So, what’s this book really about? It’s 10 rules that I live by, to success, to where I’ve gotten, where I am. I just wanted to share that with my fans and readers. You know, to tell them that it’s something you can choose to believe in every day. It’s like your mantra. You know, there are like people who feel that they’re the victim and it’s always happening to them? You can turn that around, and change your outlook on life, and it really makes life a little bit brighter. Have you always thought this way? Yeah, I think I’ve always been this way. You could say I was born this way, but I also think I owe it to my parents teaching me to have a good head on my shoulders, and rely on my support system, and always stay true to who you are. But what about somebody who wasn’t born that way? Well, again, it’s making it a choice. You make it a choice, and every day you wake up and make it your mantra and say today I’m going to make the best of every situation and look at every situation with the glass half full. And then, after awhile, it sort of becomes subconscious and it becomes a way of life. It’s a lifestyle change, it’s like a diet. People always say, oh, I’m going to diet for this amount of time — well, it’s actually a lifestyle change you need to make. Can you think of a recent situation where you had to make that choice? Sure, I mean there was a time in the industry where I did a pilot — my belief is that everything happens for a reason — so I was doing this pilot and it got picked up, and I was all excited, and then I got this phone call that they actually weren’t going to pick me up, that they were going to recast me. And the first thing I thought was, 'Oh, well, I’m not a good actor; I’m fat, I’m ugly, they hate me!' (laughs) And then you turn around and say, you know what? It wasn’t me, it wasn’t meant to be, and actually it turned out that the reason was that I was a little too young. But you still believe, Oh, they're lying,' so I went to my friends and we vegged out and did our thing, it’s like a breakup. But then you get over it. And I then went on to book “Spring Awakening,” and then “Glee,” and wouldn’t have finished college. So you have to look at it like, well, I wouldn’t have been able to experience those things. So you’re obviously a big believer in karma. Oh yeah, 100 percent. Everything happens for a reason and I believe in karma. I believe that what you give to the world — the energy that you give to the world — is what you get back. And it will come back to you if you’re not good to it. (laughs)]]> WELL_Glee_0520

Is happiness something that happens to you, or something that you make happen for yourself? If you ask “Glee’s” Jenna Ushkowitz that question, she’ll tell you it’s the latter.

In fact, she’s written the book on finding your own glee through the power of self-affirmation and positive thinking. “Choosing Glee: 10 Rules to Finding Inspiration, Happiness, and the Real You” is part memoir, part self-help tome, and all motivational. Written through anecdotal vignettes, personal photos, lists and charts, “Choosing Glee” is Ushkowitz’ way of giving back to the world, putting out positivity as a means of reaping more good vibes. “I like to think that positivity is a choice, and you wake up and make a conscious decision,” says the 27-year-old actress. And though she admits, “I’ve never been through any really dark times where I hit rock bottom,” she seems to know what she’s talking about.

So, what’s this book really about?

It’s 10 rules that I live by, to success, to where I’ve gotten, where I am. I just wanted to share that with my fans and readers. You know, to tell them that it’s something you can choose to believe in every day. It’s like your mantra. You know, there are like people who feel that they’re the victim and it’s always happening to them? You can turn that around, and change your outlook on life, and it really makes life a little bit brighter.

Have you always thought this way?

Yeah, I think I’ve always been this way. You could say I was born this way, but I also think I owe it to my parents teaching me to have a good head on my shoulders, and rely on my support system, and always stay true to who you are.

But what about somebody who wasn’t born that way?

Well, again, it’s making it a choice. You make it a choice, and every day you wake up and make it your mantra and say today I’m going to make the best of every situation and look at every situation with the glass half full. And then, after awhile, it sort of becomes subconscious and it becomes a way of life. It’s a lifestyle change, it’s like a diet. People always say, oh, I’m going to diet for this amount of time — well, it’s actually a lifestyle change you need to make.

Can you think of a recent situation where you had to make that choice?

Sure, I mean there was a time in the industry where I did a pilot — my belief is that everything happens for a reason — so I was doing this pilot and it got picked up, and I was all excited, and then I got this phone call that they actually weren’t going to pick me up, that they were going to recast me. And the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh, well, I’m not a good actor; I’m fat, I’m ugly, they hate me!’ (laughs) And then you turn around and say, you know what? It wasn’t me, it wasn’t meant to be, and actually it turned out that the reason was that I was a little too young. But you still believe, Oh, they’re lying,’ so I went to my friends and we vegged out and did our thing, it’s like a breakup. But then you get over it. And I then went on to book “Spring Awakening,” and then “Glee,” and wouldn’t have finished college. So you have to look at it like, well, I wouldn’t have been able to experience those things.

So you’re obviously a big believer in karma.

Oh yeah, 100 percent. Everything happens for a reason and I believe in karma. I believe that what you give to the world — the energy that you give to the world — is what you get back. And it will come back to you if you’re not good to it. (laughs)

The post Jenna Ushkowitz talks the power of positivity in ‘Choosing Glee’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/20/glee-star-jenna-ushkowitz-talks-the-power-of-positivity-and-her-new-book-choosing-glee/feed/ 0 The Word: Kanye’s second coming of Yeezus http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/19/the-word-kanyes-second-coming-of-yeezus/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/19/the-word-kanyes-second-coming-of-yeezus/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 20:13:47 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=153279 In a move that will come as a shock to exactly nobody, before performing two new tracks on "SNL" on Saturday, Kanye West announced that his new album (dropping June 18) will be called “Yeezus.” Are we the only ones who are starting to find Yeezy’s God Complex sort of tiring? We get it, you’re a big deal. Like, the hugest deal. If, however, those pesky gay rumors the tabloids are circulating turn out to be true, there may be a case for an immaculate conception situation with Ye and Kim K’s unborn spawn.]]>

In a move that will come as a shock to exactly nobody, before performing two new tracks on “SNL” on Saturday, Kanye West announced that his new album (dropping June 18) will be called “Yeezus.” Are we the only ones who are starting to find Yeezy’s God Complex sort of tiring? We get it, you’re a big deal. Like, the hugest deal. If, however, those pesky gay rumors the tabloids are circulating turn out to be true, there may be a case for an immaculate conception situation with Ye and Kim K’s unborn spawn.

The post The Word: Kanye’s second coming of Yeezus appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/19/the-word-kanyes-second-coming-of-yeezus/feed/ 0 Comedian Meyers to stay at NBC’s ‘SNL’ ahead of ‘Late Night’ gig http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/us-sethmeyers-snl/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/us-sethmeyers-snl/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 23:18:10 +0000 Pat Healy http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=152610 Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night" next season. Credit: NBC / Contributed Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night" next season.
Credit: NBC / Contributed[/caption] "Saturday Night Live" cast member Seth Meyers said on Thursday that he will stay on at the NBC live television comedy show until the end of the year, before he begins hosting the network's "Late Night" talk show in February 2014. Meyers, 39, will take the reins from Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night" in a programming shuffle at NBC. Fallon will succeed Jay Leno as host of the earlier "Tonight Show." Meyer's announcement comes ahead of the "SNL" Saturday season finale, which is expected to be the final show for several longtime cast members. "I'm nowhere near emotionally ready for Saturday to be my last show," Meyers said on NBC's "Today" show. "I am going to go back to 'SNL' in the fall and do the first half of the" television season. Comedian Bill Hader said earlier this week he will leave "Saturday Night Live" after this season. The show has served as a career springboard for several former cast members including Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase and Tina Fey. Longtime cast members Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are also expected to leave the show, though representatives at NBC would not comment on cast departures. Meyers has been an 'SNL' cast member since 2001 and host of its "Weekend Update" news segment since 2006. NBC is owned by Comcast Corp.  ]]> Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night" next season. Credit: NBC / Contributed
Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on “Late Night” next season.
Credit: NBC / Contributed

“Saturday Night Live” cast member Seth Meyers said on Thursday that he will stay on at the NBC live television comedy show until the end of the year, before he begins hosting the network’s “Late Night” talk show in February 2014.

Meyers, 39, will take the reins from Jimmy Fallon on “Late Night” in a programming shuffle at NBC. Fallon will succeed Jay Leno as host of the earlier “Tonight Show.”

Meyer’s announcement comes ahead of the “SNL” Saturday season finale, which is expected to be the final show for several longtime cast members.

“I’m nowhere near emotionally ready for Saturday to be my last show,” Meyers said on NBC’s “Today” show. “I am going to go back to ‘SNL’ in the fall and do the first half of the” television season.

Comedian Bill Hader said earlier this week he will leave “Saturday Night Live” after this season. The show has served as a career springboard for several former cast members including Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase and Tina Fey.

Longtime cast members Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are also expected to leave the show, though representatives at NBC would not comment on cast departures.

Meyers has been an ‘SNL’ cast member since 2001 and host of its “Weekend Update” news segment since 2006.

NBC is owned by Comcast Corp.

 

The post Comedian Meyers to stay at NBC’s ‘SNL’ ahead of ‘Late Night’ gig appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/us-sethmeyers-snl/feed/ 0 Summer TV Guide: What you’ll be watching http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/16/summer-tv-guide-what-youll-be-watching/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/16/summer-tv-guide-what-youll-be-watching/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 22:11:46 +0000 Meredith Engel http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=152603 WEK_Summertv_517 Breaking Bad CREDIT Ursula Coyote AMC From workplace dramas to scandalous series to the return of "Breaking Bad," here's what we bet you'll be tuning into this summer: May ‘Breaking Amish: Brave New World’ Sundays, 10 p.m., TLC What happens when young men and women leave their Amish and Mennonite upbringings? Find out in this series, which picks up where “Breaking Amish” left off. ‘Newlyweds:The First Year’ Mondays, 10 p.m., Bravo Sorry, Nick and Jessica fans — there’s no going back to those idyllic days. Instead, Bravo’s newest follows four newlywed couples, like bi-coastal Christians Kimberly and Alaska, domestic partners Jeff and Blair (16 years apart!) and suburb-dwelling Kathryn and John. ‘Family Tree’ Sundays, 10:30 p.m., HBO Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids”) stars in Christopher Guest’s new series about a man who traces his heritage in search of meaning in his life. ‘The Goodwin Games’ Premieres Monday, 8:30 p.m., Fox Scott Foley returns to TV on this comedy as Henry, a man estranged from his siblings who’s starting over with the money from his father’s inheritance. ‘Save Me’ Premieres Thursday, 8:30 p.m., ABC Also making a return to TV is Anne Heche, who plays a woman who talks to God after a near-death experience. ‘Does Someone Have to Go?’ Premieres Thursday, 9 p.m., Fox Ever want to fire one of your co-workers? Live your dreams vicariously through the employees on this reality show, who are suddenly thrown into managerial roles. ‘Bakery Boss’ Premieres May 27, 10 p.m., TLC “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro helps down-and-out bakers get their businesses in shape. ‘Family SOS with Jo Frost’ Premieres May 28, 9 p.m., TLC Supernanny Jo Frost hightails it to TLC, where she’ll dish out advice to families in a rough patch. ‘Brooklyn DA’ Premieres Tuesday, May 28, 10 p.m., CBS The six-episode reality series will take you behind the closed doors of the courtroom, profiling attorneys at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. ‘The American Baking Competition’ Premieres Wednesday, May 29, 8 p.m., CBS Jeff Foxworthy hosts this take on a popular British reality show, where 10 home cooks compete for the title of best amateur baker in the country. The winner will receive a cookbook deal and $250,000. ‘Dancing Fools’ Premiers Wednesday, May 29, 9 p.m., ABC Family This show, in which dancers from embarrassing YouTube videos compete for money, really epitomizes the whole “turning lemons into lemonade” thing. June ‘Princesses: Long Island’ Premieres June 2, 9 p.m., Bravo If you miss “Jersey Shore,” we predict you’ll quickly fall back into the habit with this show, which follows six college-educated women still living with their parents on Long Island. Roosevelt Field trip, anyone? ‘Mistresses’ Premieres Monday, June 3, 10 p.m., ABC We wish this were a reality show, but alas, it’s a nighttime soap with a cast of familiars, like Alyssa Milano and Yunjim Kim (“Lost”). It centers on four friends who, well, look at the title. ‘The Hero’ Premieres June 6, 8 p.m., TNT If you haven’t seen enough of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson lately — and really, who has? — set your DVR for this reality competition, in which he’ll pit nine people against one another to test their strength, courage and integrity. The winner is dubbed “The Hero” and gets a prize. ‘Graceland’ Premieres June 6, 10 p.m., USA Broadway vet Aaron Tveit joins Daniel Sunjata in this show about a group of law enforcement agents living together in SoCal. ‘Sinbad’ Premieres June 8, 9 p.m., Syfy This British import tracks the sea voyage of the eponymous hero who’s trying to get rid of a curse. Another “Lost” star, Naveen Andrews, is back on TV, here as Lord Akbari. ‘Primeval: New World’ Premieres June 8, 10 p.m., Syfy Animal experts and scientists try to uncover truths about paranormal events. ‘King and Maxwell’ Premieres June 10, 10 p.m., TNT Rebecca Romijn and Jon Tenney star in an adaptation of author David Baldacci’s best-selling books about a pair of Secret-Service-agents-cum-PIs. ‘Twisted’ Premieres June 11, 9 p.m., ABC Family Take that, Charlie Sheen: Denise Richards is working again. She stars as a mother whose son, Danny (Avan Jogia), killed his aunt five years prior. Danny is now the target suspect in the murder of one of his classmates. ‘My Teen is Pregnant and So Am I’ Premieres June 11, 10 p.m. Leave it to TLC to provide us with this gem. We’ve been told that “as their bellies grow, so does the tension.” ‘Devious Maids’ Premieres June 23, 10 p.m., Lifetime This Marc Cherry-led “Desperate Housewives” copycat follows the lives of women and the secrets they keep because of their jobs as maids to wealthy and powerful Beverly Hills denizens. ‘Under the Dome’ Premieres Monday, June 24, 10 p.m., CBS The Stephen King novel about a small town that gets trapped by an unbreakable dome gets a TV version. Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre and Dean Norris (“Breaking Bad”) star. July ‘Get Out Alive’ Premieres July 8, 9 p.m., NBC Bear Grylls may have gotten fired from “Man vs. Wild,” but he’ll be back this summer, leading 10 teams throughout New Zealand in this adventure-reality series. ‘Camp’ Premieres July 10, 10 p.m., NBC Relive your sing-song days around the campfire in this series starring Rachel Griffiths as a camp director for teens. ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ Premieres July 15, 8 p.m., The CW We’re totally counting this as a series premiere, even though it’s the return of a series that's been off the air for quite awhile. The new version marks the return of Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie (!) and is hosted by Aisha Tyler. ‘Perfect Score’ Premieres July 16, 9 p.m., The CW This half-hour dating game series pits friends against each other to see who can pick the best date based on compatibility. Arielle Kebbel (“The Vampire Diaries”) hosts. ‘Wedding Island’ Premieres July 17, 10 p.m., TLC Sandy Malone is the only wedding planner on beautiful Vieques Island. Paradise just got a lot more stressful. ‘The Vineyard’ Premieres July 24, 9 p.m., ABC Family A docu-drama about all the happenings in the lives of 20-somethings spending the summer at Martha’s Vineyard. Expect trouble against a pretty backdrop. ‘The Hunt’ Premieres July 31, 9 p.m., The CW It was only a matter of time before they made “The Hunger Games” into a TV show, somehow. This competition reality series pits 12 teams of two against each other as they live in an arena in the wild for one month, competing against other teens for resources. Hopefully no one dies. August ‘In the Flesh’ Premieres Aug. 3, 10 p.m., BBC America This three-part British import looks into a society post-zombie outbreak and focuses on an undead teen named Kieren trying to reconnect with his family. Returning favorites
  • "So You Think You Can Dance," Tuesdays, 8 p.m., Fox
  • "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," May 20, 9 p.m., E!
  • "The Bachelorette," May 20, 9 p.m., ABC
  • "Arrested Development," May 26, 12:01 a.m., Netflix
  • "The Killing," June 2, 9 p.m., AMC
  • "America’s Got Talent," June 4, 9 p.m., NBC
  • "Pretty Little Liars," June 11, 8 p.m., ABC Family
  • "True Blood," June 16, 9 p.m., HBO
  • "Dexter," June 30, 9 p.m., Showtime
  • "The Newsroom," July 14, 10 p.m., HBO
  • "Breaking Bad," August 11, 9 p.m., AMC
]]> WEK_Summertv_517 Breaking Bad CREDIT Ursula Coyote AMC

From workplace dramas to scandalous series to the return of “Breaking Bad,” here’s what we bet you’ll be tuning into this summer:

May

‘Breaking Amish: Brave New World’
Sundays, 10 p.m., TLC
What happens when young men and women leave their Amish and Mennonite upbringings? Find out in this series, which picks up where “Breaking Amish” left off.

‘Newlyweds:The First Year’
Mondays, 10 p.m., Bravo
Sorry, Nick and Jessica fans — there’s no going back to those idyllic days. Instead, Bravo’s newest follows four newlywed couples, like bi-coastal Christians Kimberly and Alaska, domestic partners Jeff and Blair (16 years apart!) and suburb-dwelling Kathryn and John.

‘Family Tree’
Sundays, 10:30 p.m., HBO
Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids”) stars in Christopher Guest’s new series about a man who traces his heritage in search of meaning in his life.

‘The Goodwin Games’
Premieres Monday, 8:30 p.m., Fox
Scott Foley returns to TV on this comedy as Henry, a man estranged from his siblings who’s starting over with the money from his father’s inheritance.

‘Save Me’
Premieres Thursday, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Also making a return to TV is Anne Heche, who plays a woman who talks to God after a near-death experience.

‘Does Someone Have to Go?’
Premieres Thursday, 9 p.m., Fox
Ever want to fire one of your co-workers? Live your dreams vicariously through the employees on this reality show, who are suddenly thrown into managerial roles.

‘Bakery Boss’
Premieres May 27, 10 p.m., TLC
“Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro helps down-and-out bakers get their businesses in shape.

‘Family SOS with Jo Frost’
Premieres May 28, 9 p.m., TLC
Supernanny Jo Frost hightails it to TLC, where she’ll dish out advice to families in a rough patch.

‘Brooklyn DA’
Premieres Tuesday, May 28, 10 p.m., CBS
The six-episode reality series will take you behind the closed doors of the courtroom, profiling attorneys at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

‘The American Baking Competition’
Premieres Wednesday, May 29, 8 p.m., CBS
Jeff Foxworthy hosts this take on a popular British reality show, where 10 home cooks compete for the title of best amateur baker in the country. The winner will receive a
cookbook deal and $250,000.

‘Dancing Fools’
Premiers Wednesday, May 29, 9 p.m., ABC Family
This show, in which dancers from embarrassing YouTube videos compete for money, really epitomizes the whole “turning lemons into lemonade” thing.

June

‘Princesses: Long Island’
Premieres June 2, 9 p.m., Bravo
If you miss “Jersey Shore,” we predict you’ll quickly fall back into the habit with this show, which follows six college-educated women still living with their parents on Long Island. Roosevelt Field trip, anyone?

‘Mistresses’
Premieres Monday, June 3, 10 p.m., ABC
We wish this were a reality show, but alas, it’s a nighttime soap with a cast of familiars, like Alyssa Milano and Yunjim Kim (“Lost”). It centers on four friends who, well, look at the title.

‘The Hero’
Premieres June 6, 8 p.m., TNT
If you haven’t seen enough of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson lately — and really, who has? — set your DVR for this reality competition, in which he’ll pit nine people against one another to test their strength, courage and integrity. The winner is dubbed “The Hero” and gets a prize.

‘Graceland’
Premieres June 6, 10 p.m., USA
Broadway vet Aaron Tveit joins Daniel Sunjata in this show about a group of law enforcement agents living together in SoCal.

‘Sinbad’
Premieres June 8, 9 p.m., Syfy
This British import tracks the sea voyage of the eponymous hero who’s trying to get rid of a curse. Another “Lost” star, Naveen Andrews, is back on TV, here as Lord Akbari.

‘Primeval: New World’
Premieres June 8, 10 p.m., Syfy
Animal experts and scientists try to uncover truths about paranormal events.

‘King and Maxwell’
Premieres June 10, 10 p.m., TNT
Rebecca Romijn and Jon Tenney star in an adaptation of author David Baldacci’s best-selling books about a pair of Secret-Service-agents-cum-PIs.

‘Twisted’
Premieres June 11, 9 p.m., ABC Family
Take that, Charlie Sheen: Denise Richards is working again. She stars as a mother whose son, Danny (Avan Jogia), killed his aunt five years prior. Danny is now the target suspect in the murder of one of his classmates.

‘My Teen is Pregnant and So Am I’
Premieres June 11, 10 p.m.
Leave it to TLC to provide us with this gem. We’ve been told that “as their bellies grow, so does the tension.”

‘Devious Maids’
Premieres June 23, 10 p.m., Lifetime
This Marc Cherry-led “Desperate Housewives” copycat follows the lives of women and the secrets they keep because of their jobs as maids to wealthy and powerful Beverly Hills denizens.

‘Under the Dome’
Premieres Monday, June 24, 10 p.m., CBS
The Stephen King novel about a small town that gets trapped by an unbreakable dome gets a TV version. Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre and Dean Norris (“Breaking Bad”) star.

July

‘Get Out Alive’
Premieres July 8, 9 p.m., NBC
Bear Grylls may have gotten fired from “Man vs. Wild,” but he’ll be back this summer, leading 10 teams throughout New Zealand in this adventure-reality series.

‘Camp’
Premieres July 10, 10 p.m., NBC
Relive your sing-song days around the campfire in this series starring Rachel Griffiths as a camp director for teens.

‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’
Premieres July 15, 8 p.m., The CW
We’re totally counting this as a series premiere, even though it’s the return of a series that’s been off the air for quite awhile. The new version marks the return of Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie (!) and is hosted by Aisha Tyler.

‘Perfect Score’
Premieres July 16, 9 p.m., The CW
This half-hour dating game series pits friends against each other to see who can pick the best date based on compatibility. Arielle Kebbel (“The Vampire Diaries”) hosts.

‘Wedding Island’
Premieres July 17, 10 p.m., TLC
Sandy Malone is the only wedding planner on beautiful Vieques Island. Paradise just got a lot more stressful.

‘The Vineyard’
Premieres July 24, 9 p.m., ABC Family
A docu-drama about all the happenings in the lives of 20-somethings spending the summer at Martha’s Vineyard. Expect trouble against a pretty backdrop.

‘The Hunt’
Premieres July 31, 9 p.m., The CW
It was only a matter of time before they made “The Hunger Games” into a TV show, somehow. This competition reality series pits 12 teams of two against each other as they live in an arena in the wild for one month, competing against other teens for resources. Hopefully no one dies.

August

‘In the Flesh’
Premieres Aug. 3, 10 p.m., BBC America
This three-part British import looks into a society post-zombie outbreak and focuses on an undead teen named Kieren trying to reconnect with his family.

Returning favorites

  • “So You Think You Can Dance,” Tuesdays, 8 p.m., Fox
  • “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” May 20, 9 p.m., E!
  • “The Bachelorette,” May 20, 9 p.m., ABC
  • “Arrested Development,” May 26, 12:01 a.m., Netflix
  • “The Killing,” June 2, 9 p.m., AMC
  • “America’s Got Talent,” June 4, 9 p.m., NBC
  • “Pretty Little Liars,” June 11, 8 p.m., ABC Family
  • “True Blood,” June 16, 9 p.m., HBO
  • “Dexter,” June 30, 9 p.m., Showtime
  • “The Newsroom,” July 14, 10 p.m., HBO
  • “Breaking Bad,” August 11, 9 p.m., AMC

The post Summer TV Guide: What you’ll be watching appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/16/summer-tv-guide-what-youll-be-watching/feed/ 0 PHOTOS: Never Nudes go bananas for ‘Arrested Development’ in Times Square http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/photos-never-nudes-go-bananas-for-arrested-development-in-times-square/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/photos-never-nudes-go-bananas-for-arrested-development-in-times-square/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 20:59:40 +0000 Lenyon Whitaker http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=152522 Fans, Taylor McFadden, Sabrina Bennett, George Vega, Veronica Austin in the cut off shorts pose with Chance Blakeley and Hannah Scott in the Banana Stand. Credit: Bess Adler Garrett Hill poses with the banana stand. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman arrives. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman chats with Chance Blakeley and Hannah Scott in the Banana Stand. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman and Will Arnett pose at the banana stand. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman and Will Arnett give out frozen bananas to fans. Credit: Bess Adler All the Never Nudes waiting to receive their free frozen banana. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman and Will Arnett give out frozen bananas to fans. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman and Will Arnett give out frozen bananas to fans. Credit: Bess Adler Jason Bateman and Will Arnett give out frozen bananas to fans. Credit: Bess Adler A fan waits in the crowd for her frozen banana. Credit: Bess Adler Bernie Coleman came with a pair of cut off shorts and pants. Credit: Bess Adler

It was the Bluth Banana Stand’s last day in New York City today and all the Never Nudes stopped by in their cutoffs to receive a frozen banana and celebrate the upcoming episodes of “Arrested Development” on Netflix. Jason Bateman and Will Arnett from the show dished out bananas to the hungry fans that came out.

 

Photos: Bess Adler

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]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/16/photos-never-nudes-go-bananas-for-arrested-development-in-times-square/feed/ 0 Martinis with ‘Lucille Bluth’: Jessica Walter spills on the new ‘Arrested Development’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/gossip/2013/05/16/jessica-walter-the-bluth-is-back/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/gossip/2013/05/16/jessica-walter-the-bluth-is-back/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 13:46:59 +0000 Cassandra Garrison http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=151996 Jessica Walter attends The Netflix Original Series "Arrested Development" Press Conference at Sheraton Universal on May 4, 2013. Credit: Getty Images Jessica Walter is grateful for "Arrested Development" for allowing her career to transcend generations.
Credit: Getty Images[/caption] By her count, Jessica Walter has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild for 50 years, a period of time that encompasses a vast body of work — dramatic ("Grand Prix"), suspenseful ("Play Misty for Me"), supernatural ("Dr. Strange") and, most recently, comedic ("Archer"). But for Walter, the forthcoming return of "Arrested Development" offers a reassuring reminder that her career has transcended not just different genres, but different generations. [related tag = Arrested-Development] "Certainly demographically, there are probably people who thought I was dead," Walter says candidly. "I have people that are my age and older who know who I am, who remember some of my work from the old days, and then I used to get, 'Wow, my mother really likes you.' Then I'd get, 'My grandma really likes you.' And now I get, 'I really like you!' So how can I be unhappy about that?" According to Walter, who plays boozy matriarch Lucille Bluth, virtually every line of dialogue in the 15 new episodes creator Mitchell Hurwitz wrote has a double (or even triple) meaning, much like those in the 53 episodes of the show that were broadcast during its three seasons on Fox. But because each episode now focuses on a different character instead of simply following Jason Bateman's Michael Bluth, conversational contexts shifted frequently — a change that provided a considerable challenge for Walter and her co-stars as they navigated Hurwitz's latticework of plot strands and one-liners. "We didn't know a whole lot a lot of the time, which makes it much more difficult," she admits. "In the end, it all worked out, but it's a strange way to work because you don't have all of the materials." [related tag = frozen-banana-stand] Still, the actress says she slipped easily back into the role, even after a seven-year hiatus between the show's cancellation and its rebirth on Netflix. "The thing about our show which I think you probably realize from watching it is that the writing is so character-specific," she observes. "Once I heard Tony [Hale]'s voice and once I saw him, there he was with the hook and his pathetic demeanor, he was my little Busty again." Between Lucille on "Arrested Development" and Mallory Archer on "Archer," Walter finds herself in the midst of a remarkable career renaissance, a fact she's grateful for, regardless of whether people know her prior to playing these cantankerous, irresistibly manipulative mothers. "I'm so glad they think of something," she says humbly. "At my age I'm privileged that they think of something, so it doesn't bother me a bit if they think of me as Lucille. And people have been really nice — they don't seem to think of Lucille as horrible, thank God. But as long as they're thinking of me, it makes me happy."]]> Jessica Walter attends The Netflix Original Series "Arrested Development" Press Conference at Sheraton Universal on May 4, 2013. Credit: Getty Images
Jessica Walter is grateful for “Arrested Development” for allowing her career to transcend generations.
Credit: Getty Images

By her count, Jessica Walter has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild for 50 years, a period of time that encompasses a vast body of work — dramatic (“Grand Prix”), suspenseful (“Play Misty for Me”), supernatural (“Dr. Strange”) and, most recently, comedic (“Archer”). But for Walter, the forthcoming return of “Arrested Development” offers a reassuring reminder that her career has transcended not just different genres, but different generations.

Related Articles

“Certainly demographically, there are probably people who thought I was dead,” Walter says candidly. “I have people that are my age and older who know who I am, who remember some of my work from the old days, and then I used to get, ‘Wow, my mother really likes you.’ Then I’d get, ‘My grandma really likes you.’ And now I get, ‘I really like you!’ So how can I be unhappy about that?”

According to Walter, who plays boozy matriarch Lucille Bluth, virtually every line of dialogue in the 15 new episodes creator Mitchell Hurwitz wrote has a double (or even triple) meaning, much like those in the 53 episodes of the show that were broadcast during its three seasons on Fox. But because each episode now focuses on a different character instead of simply following Jason Bateman’s Michael Bluth, conversational contexts shifted frequently — a change that provided a considerable challenge for Walter and her co-stars as they navigated Hurwitz’s latticework of plot strands and one-liners. “We didn’t know a whole lot a lot of the time, which makes it much more difficult,” she admits. “In the end, it all worked out, but it’s a strange way to work because you don’t have all of the materials.”

Related Articles

Still, the actress says she slipped easily back into the role, even after a seven-year hiatus between the show’s cancellation and its rebirth on Netflix. “The thing about our show which I think you probably realize from watching it is that the writing is so character-specific,” she observes. “Once I heard Tony [Hale]‘s voice and once I saw him, there he was with the hook and his pathetic demeanor, he was my little Busty again.”

Between Lucille on “Arrested Development” and Mallory Archer on “Archer,” Walter finds herself in the midst of a remarkable career renaissance, a fact she’s grateful for, regardless of whether people know her prior to playing these cantankerous, irresistibly manipulative mothers. “I’m so glad they think of something,” she says humbly. “At my age I’m privileged that they think of something, so it doesn’t bother me a bit if they think of me as Lucille. And people have been really nice — they don’t seem to think of Lucille as horrible, thank God. But as long as they’re thinking of me, it makes me happy.”

The post Martinis with ‘Lucille Bluth’: Jessica Walter spills on the new ‘Arrested Development’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/gossip/2013/05/16/jessica-walter-the-bluth-is-back/feed/ 0 Diddy on ‘Downton Abbey’? PBS says no http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/15/us-diddy-downtonabbey/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/15/us-diddy-downtonabbey/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 00:52:24 +0000 Pat Healy http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=151745 What kind of character do you think Diddy would have played, alongside Lord and Lady Grantham? (PHOTO CREDIT: Reuters/Danny Moloshok/Files) What kind of character do you think Diddy would have played, alongside Lord and Lady Grantham?
Credit: Reuters[/caption] Music mogul and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs will not be appearing in British period TV drama "Downtown Abbey," U.S. broadcaster PBS said Wednesday, despite tweets saying he would be joining the hit show's upcoming season. Diddy set social media abuzz Wednesday after posts on his verified Twitter account said, "MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show+i'll be debuting a sneak peek tonight 12am PST!." "It's not true," PBS spokeswoman Carrie Johnson said in an email to Reuters. It is unknown whether or not Diddy's Twitter account @iamdiddy, followed by 8.7 million people, was hacked after the "Downton Abbey" logo was added as the avatar and background on the account. A representative for Diddy, 43, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Emmy-winning series "Downton Abbey," about the lives of aristocratic Britons and their servants in the early 20th century, is broadcast on Britain's ITV and on public broadcaster PBS in the United States. The show's third season U.S. premiere in January attracted a record 7.9 million viewers for PBS. The fourth season is currently being filmed in Britain. Diddy, 43, rose to prominence in the 1990s for founding New York rap label Bad Boy Records, which helped launch the career of late Notorious B.I.G. He also scored No. 1 hits in the late 1990s with rap songs "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "I'll Be Missing You."]]> What kind of character do you think Diddy would have played, alongside Lord and Lady Grantham? (PHOTO CREDIT: Reuters/Danny Moloshok/Files)
What kind of character do you think Diddy would have played, alongside Lord and Lady Grantham?
Credit: Reuters

Music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs will not be appearing in British period TV drama “Downtown Abbey,” U.S. broadcaster PBS said Wednesday, despite tweets saying he would be joining the hit show’s upcoming season.

Diddy set social media abuzz Wednesday after posts on his verified Twitter account said, “MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show+i’ll be debuting a sneak peek tonight 12am PST!.”

“It’s not true,” PBS spokeswoman Carrie Johnson said in an email to Reuters.

It is unknown whether or not Diddy’s Twitter account @iamdiddy, followed by 8.7 million people, was hacked after the “Downton Abbey” logo was added as the avatar and background on the account.

A representative for Diddy, 43, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Emmy-winning series “Downton Abbey,” about the lives of aristocratic Britons and their servants in the early 20th century, is broadcast on Britain’s ITV and on public broadcaster PBS in the United States.

The show’s third season U.S. premiere in January attracted a record 7.9 million viewers for PBS. The fourth season is currently being filmed in Britain.

Diddy, 43, rose to prominence in the 1990s for founding New York rap label Bad Boy Records, which helped launch the career of late Notorious B.I.G.

He also scored No. 1 hits in the late 1990s with rap songs “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and “I’ll Be Missing You.”

The post Diddy on ‘Downton Abbey’? PBS says no appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/15/us-diddy-downtonabbey/feed/ 0 VIDEO: Two minutes of Tobias http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/15/video-two-minutes-of-tobias/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/15/video-two-minutes-of-tobias/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:20:16 +0000 Lenyon Whitaker http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=151406 Two minutes of one of “Arrested Development”‘s greatest characters, Tobias Fünke, played by David Cross.

The post VIDEO: Two minutes of Tobias appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/15/video-two-minutes-of-tobias/feed/ 0 Fox, NBC turn to familiar faces to boost viewership http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-upfronts/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-upfronts/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 22:03:50 +0000 Pat Healy http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=150064 Fox and NBC are looking to stars who were on TV when it looked like this. Fox and NBC are looking to stars who were on TV when it looked like this to boost their fall show rosters.[/caption] Broadcast networks Fox and NBC are turning to proven favorites to lure new viewers next season, with Fox rebooting the defunct Kiefer Sutherland action series "24" and NBC bringing back Michael J. Fox in a comedy loosely based on his life. [related tag= “24”] The two networks pitched their TV schedules to advertisers Monday at the start of the upfronts, an annual rite when broadcasters try to persuade advertisers to shell out billions of dollars in advance for their new shows. NBC and Fox need new hits to fill out their lineups, which may explain why both are bringing back stars from the past. Primetime ratings at News Corp-owned Fox slumped 16.7 percent this year, according to Nielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based on live viewing and those who record and watch the show the same day. The decline stemmed largely from a dwindling audience for singing contest "American Idol." Viewership at Comcast-owned NBC remained flat this season while that of its rivals declined. NBC is so far in third place this year among total viewers based on same-day viewing, but has been in the ratings cellar for years. At a presentation at New York's Radio City Music Hall, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt highlighted "The Michael J. Fox Show," a new semiautobiographical comedy about a father with Parkinson's. Fox starred on NBC in 1980s sitcom "Family Ties." The network also announced the return of "Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes to its schedule in "Sean Saves the World," a sitcom about a divorced gay dad, and trumpeted its broadcast of the Winter Olympics early next year. Greenblatt said the network's performance needs to improve. "We have no illusions about how much work is ahead of us in order to grow our business," Greenblatt told advertisers at the presentation. Jay Leno, who will be replaced by comedian Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" in early 2014, joked in a video duet with Fallon about NBC's struggles. "Who knows? We may beat Univision," Leno sang. NBC lost the February sweeps ratings period this year to Spanish-language network Univision. Fallon told the crowd to send any complaints about the late night schedule to Greenblatt and flashed an authentic email address for the NBC executive on the screen. Attendees at NBC's event said they were impressed with the initial glimpses of the Michael J. Fox comedy as well as drama "The Blacklist," which stars James Spader as an ex-government agent who is one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives. "'Blacklist' stood out to me. I thought it was high drama," said Greg McLelland, vice president of national sales for Canadian firm Shaw Media, following the event. Fox also unveiled five new comedies and four dramas. They include "Dads," the first live-action comedy from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, and "Almost Human," from J.J. Abrams, creator of "Lost." Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said that Fox was making "the biggest investment" to date in programming for the network but declined to comment on the amount. Reilly said it was likely "American Idol," which lost 20 percent of its audience this season, would have three judges next year rather than four. Last week, veteran judge Randy Jackson said he would be leaving the show after 12 years. Wall Street analysts expect broadcast networks to have to settle for lower ad rate increases than they have enjoyed in recent years. Average prime-time ratings this season have declined 7.5 percent at the four broadcast networks as they compete with cable hits like "The Walking Dead" and "Duck Dynasty," and streaming services like Netflix Inc. Netflix, in a bid to shift attention away from the broadcast networks, had a man in a banana suit give out stickers to ad executives outside of the NBC upfront. The stunt promoted "Arrested Development," a former Fox network sitcom that the Internet streaming service is reviving this month online. ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., will present its new schedule to advertisers on Tuesday, followed by CBS on Wednesday.]]> Fox and NBC are looking to stars who were on TV when it looked like this.
Fox and NBC are looking to stars who were on TV when it looked like this to boost their fall show rosters.

Broadcast networks Fox and NBC are turning to proven favorites to lure new viewers next season, with Fox rebooting the defunct Kiefer Sutherland action series “24″ and NBC bringing back Michael J. Fox in a comedy loosely based on his life.

Related Articles

The two networks pitched their TV schedules to advertisers Monday at the start of the upfronts, an annual rite when broadcasters try to persuade advertisers to shell out billions of dollars in advance for their new shows.

NBC and Fox need new hits to fill out their lineups, which may explain why both are bringing back stars from the past.

Primetime ratings at News Corp-owned Fox slumped 16.7 percent this year, according to Nielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based on live viewing and those who record and watch the show the same day. The decline stemmed largely from a dwindling audience for singing contest “American Idol.”

Viewership at Comcast-owned NBC remained flat this season while that of its rivals declined. NBC is so far in third place this year among total viewers based on same-day viewing, but has been in the ratings cellar for years.

At a presentation at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt highlighted “The Michael J. Fox Show,” a new semiautobiographical comedy about a father with Parkinson’s. Fox starred on NBC in 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.”

The network also announced the return of “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes to its schedule in “Sean Saves the World,” a sitcom about a divorced gay dad, and trumpeted its broadcast of the Winter Olympics early next year.

Greenblatt said the network’s performance needs to improve.

“We have no illusions about how much work is ahead of us in order to grow our business,” Greenblatt told advertisers at the presentation.

Jay Leno, who will be replaced by comedian Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in early 2014, joked in a video duet with Fallon about NBC’s struggles.

“Who knows? We may beat Univision,” Leno sang. NBC lost the February sweeps ratings period this year to Spanish-language network Univision.

Fallon told the crowd to send any complaints about the late night schedule to Greenblatt and flashed an authentic email address for the NBC executive on the screen.

Attendees at NBC’s event said they were impressed with the initial glimpses of the Michael J. Fox comedy as well as drama “The Blacklist,” which stars James Spader as an ex-government agent who is one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives.

“‘Blacklist’ stood out to me. I thought it was high drama,” said Greg McLelland, vice president of national sales for Canadian firm Shaw Media, following the event.

Fox also unveiled five new comedies and four dramas. They include “Dads,” the first live-action comedy from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, and “Almost Human,” from J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost.”

Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said that Fox was making “the biggest investment” to date in programming for the network but declined to comment on the amount.

Reilly said it was likely “American Idol,” which lost 20 percent of its audience this season, would have three judges next year rather than four. Last week, veteran judge Randy Jackson said he would be leaving the show after 12 years.

Wall Street analysts expect broadcast networks to have to settle for lower ad rate increases than they have enjoyed in recent years.

Average prime-time ratings this season have declined 7.5 percent at the four broadcast networks as they compete with cable hits like “The Walking Dead” and “Duck Dynasty,” and streaming services like Netflix Inc.

Netflix, in a bid to shift attention away from the broadcast networks, had a man in a banana suit give out stickers to ad executives outside of the NBC upfront. The stunt promoted “Arrested Development,” a former Fox network sitcom that the Internet streaming service is reviving this month online.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., will present its new schedule to advertisers on Tuesday, followed by CBS on Wednesday.

The post Fox, NBC turn to familiar faces to boost viewership appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-upfronts/feed/ 0 PHOTOS: ‘Arrested Development’ frozen banana stand in NYC http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/photos-arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-in-nyc/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/photos-arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-in-nyc/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 20:35:42 +0000 Mary Ann Georgantopoulos http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=150018 Gothamist, 1,500 frozen bananas are available each day. When the bananas run out, fans will likely be given a chance to go into the banana stand. They will also distribute stickers and photos. Terry Crews, known from his Old Spice commercials, will put in a turn as a guest star on the new "Arrested Development" season on Netflix. He will make an appearance at the banana stand Tuesday at Columbus Circle from noon to 1 p.m. to promote the show. We leave you with one of our favorite "Arrested Development" quotes about frozen bananas. Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant]]> Credit: Angelina Levy Credit: Angelina Levy Credit: Eric Levy Credit: Julie Balise

The “Arrested Development” Bluth’s Original Banana Stand has landed in New York City.

The banana stand was across from Radio City Music Hall on Monday.

Related Articles

According to Angelina Levy, who took the above photos, there was an impressive wait for frozen bananas and a photo op.

“The line was incredibly long and stretched far around the block,” Levy said. “I thought they might run out of bananas.”

Don’t fret if you couldn’t make it today. The banana stand will be in New York City for another three days, through Thursday.

Tuesday’s location is Columbus Circle from noon to 7 p.m.

“Everyone seemed excited to get free frozen bananas and possibly catch a glimpse of someone from the ‘Arrested Development’ cast,” Levy said.

According to Gothamist, 1,500 frozen bananas are available each day. When the bananas run out, fans will likely be given a chance to go into the banana stand. They will also distribute stickers and photos.

Terry Crews, known from his Old Spice commercials, will put in a turn as a guest star on the new “Arrested Development” season on Netflix. He will make an appearance at the banana stand Tuesday at Columbus Circle from noon to 1 p.m. to promote the show.

We leave you with one of our favorite “Arrested Development” quotes about frozen bananas.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/photos-arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-in-nyc/feed/ 0 Kiefer Sutherland’s ’24′ returns to TV with limited-run series http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/kiefer-sutherlands-24-returns-to-tv-with-limited-run-series/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/kiefer-sutherlands-24-returns-to-tv-with-limited-run-series/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 18:13:11 +0000 Cassandra Garrison http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149841 Cast member Kiefer Sutherland. Credit: Getty Images Cast member Kiefer Sutherland.
Credit: Getty Images[/caption] Jack Bauer is set to have another pretty terrible day, as Fox's real-time action series "24" will return next year with a limited-run, 12-episode series, "24: Live Another Day," the network announced this week. Series star Kiefer Sutherland will return as anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, whom he played for eight seasons until the show wrapped up in 2010. For this new, condensed version, the 12 one-hour episodes will cover another 24-hour period in Bauer's life. [related tag = television] "The response to '24' is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before," says Sutherland. "To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. The story ideas from Howard Gordon are exciting and fresh and will not disappoint." The 12-episode series is set to debut in the summer of 2014 on Fox. Sutherland most recently starred on Fox's drama series "Touch," which was canceled last week. A movie version of the series had been discussed for several years, but development of that project has stalled.]]> Cast member Kiefer Sutherland. Credit: Getty Images
Cast member Kiefer Sutherland.
Credit: Getty Images

Jack Bauer is set to have another pretty terrible day, as Fox’s real-time action series “24″ will return next year with a limited-run, 12-episode series, “24: Live Another Day,” the network announced this week. Series star Kiefer Sutherland will return as anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, whom he played for eight seasons until the show wrapped up in 2010. For this new, condensed version, the 12 one-hour episodes will cover another 24-hour period in Bauer’s life.

Related Articles

“The response to ’24′ is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before,” says Sutherland. “To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. The story ideas from Howard Gordon are exciting and fresh and will not disappoint.”

The 12-episode series is set to debut in the summer of 2014 on Fox. Sutherland most recently starred on Fox’s drama series “Touch,” which was canceled last week. A movie version of the series had been discussed for several years, but development of that project has stalled.

The post Kiefer Sutherland’s ’24′ returns to TV with limited-run series appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/kiefer-sutherlands-24-returns-to-tv-with-limited-run-series/feed/ 0 VIDEO: Arrested Development trailer is live and, oh good, it still looks funny http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/13/video-arrested-development-season-4-trailer-is-live-and-omg-it-still-looks-funny/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/13/video-arrested-development-season-4-trailer-is-live-and-omg-it-still-looks-funny/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 17:26:13 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149722 'Wet Hot American Summer' would make good on those long-standing prequel rumors...]]> Oh man, you guys, it’s really happening. Rumors of a new season of “Arrested Development” — plus rumors of a still-unconfirmed movie — have been bandied about the Internet for, what, years now? And it’s finally happening. The above trailer for the fourth season just hit YouTube, and has people all kinds of amped. the eff. up. Season four’s 15 episodes will be streamed in their entirety beginning May 26 exclusively on Netflix, company that is killing it recently, by the way. Pro tip: Check out “House of Cards” and torture porn/schlock horror maestro Eli Roth’s “Hemlock Grove.”

And, thank the gods of comedy and Internet buzz, it looks like it’s still funny. (What is also funny is how few people gave a crap about this show while it was on the air and how many, many, many people became invested in it once it was gone. But such is the way of these things.)

The gang’s all here in this trailer that looks like it picks up right where it abruptly left off seven years ago — Gob, Buster, Lucille, George Michael and co. haven’t missed a beat in their knack for dysfunctional hilarity and talent for non sequiturs. Plus, the awesome Judy Greer is back as Kitty Sanchez. It’s safe to say we’re as pleased about this as the rest of the world.

Now if only the cast of ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ would make good on those long-standing prequel rumors…

The post VIDEO: Arrested Development trailer is live and, oh good, it still looks funny appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/13/video-arrested-development-season-4-trailer-is-live-and-omg-it-still-looks-funny/feed/ 0 Barbara Walters announces her retirement on ‘The View’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-barbara-walters-retires/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-barbara-walters-retires/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 07:49:00 +0000 Tony Metcalf http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149376 Journalist Barbara Walters arrives for the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year, in New York, April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Journalist Barbara Walters arrives for the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year last month. Credit: Reuters/Lucas[/caption] Pioneering journalist Barbara Walters, the first woman to co-anchor a U.S. evening news program, announced her retirement on "The View" on Monday, the host network ABC said. In an entertainment blog posting on Sunday, the network said Walters, 83, would announce on Monday on "The View," the all-women talk show she created in 1997, that she would retire from television journalism next summer. [embedgallery id = 149633] "Until then, she will continue to anchor and report for ABC News, appear on "The View," and anchor specials throughout the year," the blog stated, noting that Walters would remain an executive producer of the show. "I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View' and with ABC News," the blog quoted her as saying. "I created ‘The View' and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it." ABC sources said in March that, after more than five decades as a prominent figure on U.S. television, Walters planned to retire in May 2014. Walters had open heart surgery in 2010. She fainted, hit her head and suffered a concussion in January, and was then diagnosed with chicken pox, causing her to miss more than a month of work. She is best known as one of the top interviewers on U.S. television, counting an array of world leaders as subjects, including Cuba's Fidel Castro, Britain's Margaret Thatcher, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and every U.S. president since Richard Nixon. Walters got her start in television journalism in 1961 as a writer on NBC's "Today," a show she would later become the first woman to co-host. In 1976, she became the first woman to co-anchor a television evening news broadcast on any U.S. network for "ABC Evening News." Walters has also worked as a producer and host of the ABC news magazine "20/20" and as a correspondent for ABC News.]]> Journalist Barbara Walters arrives for the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year, in New York, April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas
Journalist Barbara Walters arrives for the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine’s naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year last month. Credit: Reuters/Lucas

Pioneering journalist Barbara Walters, the first woman to co-anchor a U.S. evening news program, announced her retirement on “The View” on Monday, the host network ABC said.

In an entertainment blog posting on Sunday, the network said Walters, 83, would announce on Monday on “The View,” the all-women talk show she created in 1997, that she would retire from television journalism next summer.

“Until then, she will continue to anchor and report for ABC News, appear on “The View,” and anchor specials throughout the year,” the blog stated, noting that Walters would remain an executive producer of the show.

“I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View’ and with ABC News,” the blog quoted her as saying. “I created ‘The View’ and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it.”

ABC sources said in March that, after more than five decades as a prominent figure on U.S. television, Walters planned to retire in May 2014.

Walters had open heart surgery in 2010. She fainted, hit her head and suffered a concussion in January, and was then diagnosed with chicken pox, causing her to miss more than a month of work.

She is best known as one of the top interviewers on U.S. television, counting an array of world leaders as subjects, including Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and every U.S. president since Richard Nixon.

Walters got her start in television journalism in 1961 as a writer on NBC’s “Today,” a show she would later become the first woman to co-host.

In 1976, she became the first woman to co-anchor a television evening news broadcast on any U.S. network for “ABC Evening News.” Walters has also worked as a producer and host of the ABC news magazine “20/20″ and as a correspondent for ABC News.

The post Barbara Walters announces her retirement on ‘The View’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/2013/05/13/us-barbara-walters-retires/feed/ 0 ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 21 (Part 1 + 2), ‘Truth’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/revenge-recap-episode-21-part-1-2-truth/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/revenge-recap-episode-21-part-1-2-truth/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 04:21:06 +0000 Meredith Engel http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149355 One of these people will not be back for Season 3! Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC One of these people will not be back for Season 3! Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC[/caption] Well guys, this is it. The two-hour (!) finale of season 2. What did you think? Were you surprised to see who died? How about those last 10 seconds? Let’s get right to recapping… We pick up where we left off last week, with the city in darkness. Nolan, Aidan and Amanda are trying to figure out what to do. Elsewhere, Charlotte tells Daniel she doesn’t want their parents to know she’s with child. Victoria visits Jack at the Stowaway and he tells her about the laptop that has all the evidence to incriminate Conrad, not realizing that Amanda had tossed it into the ocean. Victoria, of course, already knows that this laptop exists, but she plays dumb. Nolan realizes that by draining the Amanda Clarke Foundation’s account, they were led right into the Falcon’s trap, which set off Carrion. Aidan’s fingerprints are all over the bank account withdrawal, which means the Initiative will try to pinpoint him as the next David Clarke. Amanda won’t have any of this. Victoria and Jack search Grayson Manor for the laptop and find a gun instead. That’ll come in handy later. He also finds a file CLEARLY LABELED “Jack Porter” and is all like, what is this? Oh, just Conrad keeping records on everyone, Victoria says, adding that there’s one for Amanda too that he can have since she doesn’t “need it anymore” (yowch). Jack tells Victoria that he’s gonna turn the leverage tape recording in the press. Declan is still trapped in a bank with that bitch Regina. He notices that she’s got that liplock she had with Charlotte outside the club downloaded onto her phone, which he finds totes creepy. She’s not too pleased with him and when the lights come on a few seconds later, plants the money they nabbed from the ATM in his pocket (but how did he not notice? This show, I swear…) Charlotte and Daniel make it back to Conrad’s campaign HQ. Conrad tells Daniel to shut down Grayson Global and then be back for his 4 p.m. speech. But Daniel wants to make sure Aidan is blamed for the blackout first. Back at their mansion, Victoria, now in on Jack’s secret, tells Conrad about Jack’s plan to sabotage his upcoming speech, and oh yeah, Ashley is in on the plan too. Amanda and Nolan head to Takeda’s house — they need his words of wisdom — but when they get there, all they find is his lifeless body. Oh no! Amanda has a flashback to very early in their mentoring relationship, and back in the present, she loses it. She tries to piece together how it happened — the murderer must have gained Takeda’s trust and used a certain type of sword to produce the wound he has. While Amanda tries to figure it out, they come across … Takeda’s personal revenge box! Inside is a photo of a very pretty Asian woman and a man who kind of looks like Aidan. Amanda and Nolan surmise that this man is Takeda’s killer, and Aidan — or Amanda — could be next. I can’t figure out which is more unrealistic: Victoria DISPOSING OF HER FILES OUT BACK (girl, get a shredder) or finding Charlotte’s positive pregnancy test AT THE VERY TOP OF THE TRASH HEAP. Anyway, that happened. At Conrad's HQ, Regina tells Charlotte that Declan beat her up. He also has the bail money on him, but Charlotte doesn't believe him when he says it was planted by Regina. Meanwhile, Victoria heads to Daniel’s office, while news is breaking that the blackout originated in Tehran and Bahrain (two places where Aidan had recently done deals). She thinks it’s Amanda who’s pregnant, but Daniel has to tell her it’s not Amanda’s test. Victoria is horrified. Conrad tells Ashley to block Jack from the upcoming speech, but of course she’s texting Jack all this immediately after. Conrad sees this all go down. Jack, looking at Amanda’s file, wants to know why she hightailed it to Japan last year. Aidan asks Amanda to disappear with him — he’s got bags packed and passports ready to go. Just then she sees the marks on his arm and realizes it was he who killed Takeda. Aidan, who Amanda has now pinned against a wall, tries to explain that it was Takeda’s fiancé on that plane, and that he had a revenge mission of his own. He only killed Takeda to protect her and to get her to stop her mission. Amanda is pissed that Aidan knew this the whole time and didn’t tell her. She advises him to run as the cops are likely now onto him. At Grayson Global, an IT guy lets Daniel know the servers are gonna be down for awhile. Amanda is there visiting (she has a real knack for compartmentalizing her life, honestly.) She’s hugging Daniel when she realizes that that IT guy is none other than the guy who Takeda circled on the picture in his revenge box. Trouble looms! A Porter has reached the campaign, much to Conrad’s fury, but it’s just Declan. Victoria tells him that Charlotte’s pregnant — whoops, cat’s out of the bag! She adds that if he ever comes near her again, his "ability to procreate will be a distant memory." At this time, sneaky Conrad texts Jack from Ashley’s phone saying that she has the computer and to meet at Grayson Global. Bad idea! More on that in a few. Aidan tells Nolan he killed Takeda but did it for Amanda. He says he was a fool for thinking she’d walk for love. Nolan tells him that she did once before — for Jack. The whole Japan thing was for Jack. Aaw, man, poor Aidan. Regina is trying to drive a wedge between Declan and Charlotte, but Declan is trying to maintain that it’s Regina, not he, who’s crazy. He’s actually really happy about the baby. It works. Charlotte chooses Declan. Nolan and Amanda do some sleuthing on the fake IT guy and find out it’s an assassin named Gregor Hoffman. Jack calls, needing Nolan's help for Conrad's computer password, and Amanda's all like, "Whaaa? I threw that into the ocean months ago!" They realize Jack’s walking into a trap by going to GG and rush out to try to stop him. Too late; he gets in the building. At Conrad’s speech, Conrad gives the IT guy/assassin in the crowd a nod of approval. Just then, everyone’s phone flashes with a message that says “Long live David Clarke.” And THEN, a bomb goes off across the street, at Grayson Global. To further his good-guy image, Conrad is first on the scene (how nice of him). Amanda goes inside frantically looking for Jack. She hears some groans and we see some fidgeting legs and assumes Jack is hurt but alive. Turns out it's not Jack — he got Nolan’s messages just in time. But a) who was hurt in the building? And b) how did Nolan know the building was gonna explode? Jack wants answers. Nolan lies and says he stumbled upon the whole plan when he was helping Victoria find Patrick. Jack then confronts Ashley — he thinks she is lying to him, but she swears she never sent that text. Jack realizes that Conrad is playing him — and also that Conrad knew about the explosion in advance. Turns out it was poor Declan in the bombed building. Ashley tells Jack. Amanda will help Jack visit his brother in the hospital. He realizes now he has to start trusting her again (and the whole godmother thing is back on, by the way). At the hospital, Jack sneaks in pretending to be a male nurse (Amanda’s years in juvie taught her how to sneak into places.) Declan tells Jack about Charlotte’s pregnancy. It’s sweet. Later, Charlotte visits Declan and he tells her everything is gonna be fine. Back at Amanda’s, Aidan is waiting on the porch. He tries to apologize again but it’s no use to Amanda. He knows she won’t walk away for him. He leaves a key for a villa in Capri that they once talked about. He says that hopefully one day she’ll change her mind and that he hopes she gets what she's looking for — "no one has ever deserved it more than you." They share a final embrace and then that’s it — Aidan is officially on the lam. Later, Amanda is upset that Nolan told Aidan about her jetting off to Japan for Jack. But Nolan didn't realize it was a secret. She acknowledges that Jack deserves better. Speaking of ... where is Jack? Nolan and Amanda have one of those "I thought he was with you!" moments. We'll get there... Conrad and Daniel go through the rubble and Daniel is losing it because he realizes the family is now penniless thanks to Aidan. Nonsense, Conrad says, because they still have the Grayson name, and they will rebuild (he’s awfully optimistic). Daniel says he’s leaving to start a new life in Paris, but that doesn’t sit well with Conrad. As they continue talking Conrad admits he was behind the bombing, and that it was a great success in fact because nobody died and they’ll still be able to profit. He adds that by telling him to get away from Grayson Global, Daniel now owes him, and it's time to pay up — first by being at daddy's speech later that day. Declan actually is a lot worse than we thought — he needs heart surgery. At the Graysons, Amanda shows up uninvited (again) and has a little chat with Victoria. Victoria says she will never be convinced that Amanda is marrying Daniel for love and that one day she’ll tire of the charade. She says the two of them share a trait — voracity — and that if she harms her kids Amanda will suffer big-time. Meanwhile, on the news, we see that Aidan has been arrested at the Canadian border. Aidan, haven’t you ever watched TV? Don’t flee to Canada! You’ll definitely get caught! Silly boy. Conrad admits to Victoria that the Initiative — if that’s what you want to call it, though Conrad says there really is no such group — is behind the bombings. You see, they're a group of wealthy businesspeople who profit off of fear. In the wake of terror, the public’s spending goes up. If Conrad played God, so to speak, and orchestrated disasters, he could profit off of them. He had accepted Helen’s proposal awhile back to join her efforts, with the promise that their money would triple if he did. Well, Victoria is disgusted, to say the least. They have a little physical altercation before Victoria pulls a Kate Winslet and spits on him. Oh no, this part really got me down, you guys. Jack visits Declan but he’s not there — it’s just Nolan, in tears, with a recorded message of love from Declan. Declan’s dead, Nolan tells Jack. His aorta ruptured. Poor Jack, hasn’t he been through enough? Good God, I can only hope he’s happy at the end of this series. Anyone else really sad to see Declan go? Admittedly, it makes sense to drop him as opposed to say Conrad or Aidan, but still. I'm sad! And so is Jack. First, he is crying, devastated, but then his sadness quickly turns to rage — he’s got another reason to want to kill Conrad. He goes back to the Grayson manor and steals that gun he and Victoria came across earlier in the episode. Nolan calls Amanda and has him try to stop Jack. When Jack gets his hands on the gun at Grayson Manor, Victoria is there. He points the gun at her — she even asks him to shoot, I think she’s gonna done with life right about now — but he won’t pull the trigger. No, he wants her to have a miserable life instead. Victoria goes to deliver the bad news about Declan to a sleeping Charlotte, but she chickens out. Aidan gets out of jail, and Nolan gets arrested for the bombing instead. Daniel heads to Amanda’s house, and Amanda isn’t there, but Aidan is. Aidan tells Daniel he knows everything is on the Graysons’ hands. They fight, and Aidan spares Daniel, but does call for him to break off his re-engagement to Amanda. In police questioning, Nolan is asked who released Carrion and why. Nolan mentions the Falcon but it was she who brought them to Nolan instead. Then, we get another shocker: video of Padma taken before her death, admitting that she was part of the Initiative and saying that Nolan was the mastermind behind all of this. So she was bad all along I guess? This was sad. Poor Nolan. Oh yeah, Conrad becomes governor. Victoria decides to stay home for the acceptance speech (there’s only so far you can go to support your husband, she told Amanda earlier), and while she’s home, she gets a knock on her door — a shadowy figure by the name of … Patrick! Guess we’ll see where that goes next season. So Victoria’s not at the acceptance speech, but Daniel is, concealing a wound he got during his fight with Aidan. Also there is Jack, in a totally not obvious disguise (newspaper boy hat + glasses ... hmmm). He's ready to shoot Conrad, all John Wilkes Booth style. Amanda is also there, trying to stop Jack. She reaches him just before he’s about to pull the trigger and tries to get him to stop. This isn’t about her, he tells her, but she says he shouldn’t have to pay for her decisions. What decisions? I think you knew all along, she tells Jack, as Amanda flashbacks conveniently start to appear in his mind. Suddenly, I can’t believe it, she tells Jack that she’s really Amanda. Damn, it's about time. But before we can really have a chance to let this sink in, the two-hour finale is complete. We will just have to wait until September to see how this all plays out. Until then, happy summer, and stay away from the Hamptons!]]> One of these people will not be back for Season 3! Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC
One of these people will not be back for Season 3! Credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC

Well guys, this is it. The two-hour (!) finale of season 2. What did you think? Were you surprised to see who died? How about those last 10 seconds? Let’s get right to recapping…

We pick up where we left off last week, with the city in darkness. Nolan, Aidan and Amanda are trying to figure out what to do. Elsewhere, Charlotte tells Daniel she doesn’t want their parents to know she’s with child.

Victoria visits Jack at the Stowaway and he tells her about the laptop that has all the evidence to incriminate Conrad, not realizing that Amanda had tossed it into the ocean. Victoria, of course, already knows that this laptop exists, but she plays dumb.

Nolan realizes that by draining the Amanda Clarke Foundation’s account, they were led right into the Falcon’s trap, which set off Carrion. Aidan’s fingerprints are all over the bank account withdrawal, which means the Initiative will try to pinpoint him as the next David Clarke. Amanda won’t have any of this.

Victoria and Jack search Grayson Manor for the laptop and find a gun instead. That’ll come in handy later. He also finds a file CLEARLY LABELED “Jack Porter” and is all like, what is this? Oh, just Conrad keeping records on everyone, Victoria says, adding that there’s one for Amanda too that he can have since she doesn’t “need it anymore” (yowch). Jack tells Victoria that he’s gonna turn the leverage tape recording in the press.

Declan is still trapped in a bank with that bitch Regina. He notices that she’s got that liplock she had with Charlotte outside the club downloaded onto her phone, which he finds totes creepy. She’s not too pleased with him and when the lights come on a few seconds later, plants the money they nabbed from the ATM in his pocket (but how did he not notice? This show, I swear…)

Charlotte and Daniel make it back to Conrad’s campaign HQ. Conrad tells Daniel to shut down Grayson Global and then be back for his 4 p.m. speech. But Daniel wants to make sure Aidan is blamed for the blackout first. Back at their mansion, Victoria, now in on Jack’s secret, tells Conrad about Jack’s plan to sabotage his upcoming speech, and oh yeah, Ashley is in on the plan too.

Amanda and Nolan head to Takeda’s house — they need his words of wisdom — but when they get there, all they find is his lifeless body. Oh no! Amanda has a flashback to very early in their mentoring relationship, and back in the present, she loses it. She tries to piece together how it happened — the murderer must have gained Takeda’s trust and used a certain type of sword to produce the wound he has. While Amanda tries to figure it out, they come across … Takeda’s personal revenge box! Inside is a photo of a very pretty Asian woman and a man who kind of looks like Aidan. Amanda and Nolan surmise that this man is Takeda’s killer, and Aidan — or Amanda — could be next.

I can’t figure out which is more unrealistic: Victoria DISPOSING OF HER FILES OUT BACK (girl, get a shredder) or finding Charlotte’s positive pregnancy test AT THE VERY TOP OF THE TRASH HEAP. Anyway, that happened. At Conrad’s HQ, Regina tells Charlotte that Declan beat her up. He also has the bail money on him, but Charlotte doesn’t believe him when he says it was planted by Regina. Meanwhile, Victoria heads to Daniel’s office, while news is breaking that the blackout originated in Tehran and Bahrain (two places where Aidan had recently done deals). She thinks it’s Amanda who’s pregnant, but Daniel has to tell her it’s not Amanda’s test. Victoria is horrified.

Conrad tells Ashley to block Jack from the upcoming speech, but of course she’s texting Jack all this immediately after. Conrad sees this all go down. Jack, looking at Amanda’s file, wants to know why she hightailed it to Japan last year.

Aidan asks Amanda to disappear with him — he’s got bags packed and passports ready to go. Just then she sees the marks on his arm and realizes it was he who killed Takeda. Aidan, who Amanda has now pinned against a wall, tries to explain that it was Takeda’s fiancé on that plane, and that he had a revenge mission of his own. He only killed Takeda to protect her and to get her to stop her mission. Amanda is pissed that Aidan knew this the whole time and didn’t tell her. She advises him to run as the cops are likely now onto him.

At Grayson Global, an IT guy lets Daniel know the servers are gonna be down for awhile. Amanda is there visiting (she has a real knack for compartmentalizing her life, honestly.) She’s hugging Daniel when she realizes that that IT guy is none other than the guy who Takeda circled on the picture in his revenge box. Trouble looms!

A Porter has reached the campaign, much to Conrad’s fury, but it’s just Declan. Victoria tells him that Charlotte’s pregnant — whoops, cat’s out of the bag! She adds that if he ever comes near her again, his “ability to procreate will be a distant memory.” At this time, sneaky Conrad texts Jack from Ashley’s phone saying that she has the computer and to meet at Grayson Global. Bad idea! More on that in a few.

Aidan tells Nolan he killed Takeda but did it for Amanda. He says he was a fool for thinking she’d walk for love. Nolan tells him that she did once before — for Jack. The whole Japan thing was for Jack. Aaw, man, poor Aidan.

Regina is trying to drive a wedge between Declan and Charlotte, but Declan is trying to maintain that it’s Regina, not he, who’s crazy. He’s actually really happy about the baby. It works. Charlotte chooses Declan.

Nolan and Amanda do some sleuthing on the fake IT guy and find out it’s an assassin named Gregor Hoffman. Jack calls, needing Nolan’s help for Conrad’s computer password, and Amanda’s all like, “Whaaa? I threw that into the ocean months ago!” They realize Jack’s walking into a trap by going to GG and rush out to try to stop him. Too late; he gets in the building. At Conrad’s speech, Conrad gives the IT guy/assassin in the crowd a nod of approval. Just then, everyone’s phone flashes with a message that says “Long live David Clarke.” And THEN, a bomb goes off across the street, at Grayson Global.

To further his good-guy image, Conrad is first on the scene (how nice of him). Amanda goes inside frantically looking for Jack. She hears some groans and we see some fidgeting legs and assumes Jack is hurt but alive. Turns out it’s not Jack — he got Nolan’s messages just in time. But a) who was hurt in the building? And b) how did Nolan know the building was gonna explode? Jack wants answers. Nolan lies and says he stumbled upon the whole plan when he was helping Victoria find Patrick. Jack then confronts Ashley — he thinks she is lying to him, but she swears she never sent that text. Jack realizes that Conrad is playing him — and also that Conrad knew about the explosion in advance.

Turns out it was poor Declan in the bombed building. Ashley tells Jack. Amanda will help Jack visit his brother in the hospital. He realizes now he has to start trusting her again (and the whole godmother thing is back on, by the way).

At the hospital, Jack sneaks in pretending to be a male nurse (Amanda’s years in juvie taught her how to sneak into places.) Declan tells Jack about Charlotte’s pregnancy. It’s sweet. Later, Charlotte visits Declan and he tells her everything is gonna be fine.

Back at Amanda’s, Aidan is waiting on the porch. He tries to apologize again but it’s no use to Amanda. He knows she won’t walk away for him. He leaves a key for a villa in Capri that they once talked about. He says that hopefully one day she’ll change her mind and that he hopes she gets what she’s looking for — ”no one has ever deserved it more than you.” They share a final embrace and then that’s it — Aidan is officially on the lam. Later, Amanda is upset that Nolan told Aidan about her jetting off to Japan for Jack. But Nolan didn’t realize it was a secret. She acknowledges that Jack deserves better. Speaking of … where is Jack? Nolan and Amanda have one of those “I thought he was with you!” moments. We’ll get there…

Conrad and Daniel go through the rubble and Daniel is losing it because he realizes the family is now penniless thanks to Aidan. Nonsense, Conrad says, because they still have the Grayson name, and they will rebuild (he’s awfully optimistic). Daniel says he’s leaving to start a new life in Paris, but that doesn’t sit well with Conrad. As they continue talking Conrad admits he was behind the bombing, and that it was a great success in fact because nobody died and they’ll still be able to profit. He adds that by telling him to get away from Grayson Global, Daniel now owes him, and it’s time to pay up — first by being at daddy’s speech later that day.

Declan actually is a lot worse than we thought — he needs heart surgery. At the Graysons, Amanda shows up uninvited (again) and has a little chat with Victoria. Victoria says she will never be convinced that Amanda is marrying Daniel for love and that one day she’ll tire of the charade. She says the two of them share a trait — voracity — and that if she harms her kids Amanda will suffer big-time. Meanwhile, on the news, we see that Aidan has been arrested at the Canadian border. Aidan, haven’t you ever watched TV? Don’t flee to Canada! You’ll definitely get caught! Silly boy.

Conrad admits to Victoria that the Initiative — if that’s what you want to call it, though Conrad says there really is no such group — is behind the bombings. You see, they’re a group of wealthy businesspeople who profit off of fear. In the wake of terror, the public’s spending goes up. If Conrad played God, so to speak, and orchestrated disasters, he could profit off of them. He had accepted Helen’s proposal awhile back to join her efforts, with the promise that their money would triple if he did. Well, Victoria is disgusted, to say the least. They have a little physical altercation before Victoria pulls a Kate Winslet and spits on him.

Oh no, this part really got me down, you guys. Jack visits Declan but he’s not there — it’s just Nolan, in tears, with a recorded message of love from Declan. Declan’s dead, Nolan tells Jack. His aorta ruptured. Poor Jack, hasn’t he been through enough? Good God, I can only hope he’s happy at the end of this series. Anyone else really sad to see Declan go? Admittedly, it makes sense to drop him as opposed to say Conrad or Aidan, but still. I’m sad! And so is Jack. First, he is crying, devastated, but then his sadness quickly turns to rage — he’s got another reason to want to kill Conrad. He goes back to the Grayson manor and steals that gun he and Victoria came across earlier in the episode. Nolan calls Amanda and has him try to stop Jack. When Jack gets his hands on the gun at Grayson Manor, Victoria is there. He points the gun at her — she even asks him to shoot, I think she’s gonna done with life right about now — but he won’t pull the trigger. No, he wants her to have a miserable life instead. Victoria goes to deliver the bad news about Declan to a sleeping Charlotte, but she chickens out.

Aidan gets out of jail, and Nolan gets arrested for the bombing instead. Daniel heads to Amanda’s house, and Amanda isn’t there, but Aidan is. Aidan tells Daniel he knows everything is on the Graysons’ hands. They fight, and Aidan spares Daniel, but does call for him to break off his re-engagement to Amanda.

In police questioning, Nolan is asked who released Carrion and why. Nolan mentions the Falcon but it was she who brought them to Nolan instead. Then, we get another shocker: video of Padma taken before her death, admitting that she was part of the Initiative and saying that Nolan was the mastermind behind all of this. So she was bad all along I guess? This was sad. Poor Nolan.

Oh yeah, Conrad becomes governor. Victoria decides to stay home for the acceptance speech (there’s only so far you can go to support your husband, she told Amanda earlier), and while she’s home, she gets a knock on her door — a shadowy figure by the name of … Patrick! Guess we’ll see where that goes next season.

So Victoria’s not at the acceptance speech, but Daniel is, concealing a wound he got during his fight with Aidan. Also there is Jack, in a totally not obvious disguise (newspaper boy hat + glasses … hmmm). He’s ready to shoot Conrad, all John Wilkes Booth style. Amanda is also there, trying to stop Jack. She reaches him just before he’s about to pull the trigger and tries to get him to stop. This isn’t about her, he tells her, but she says he shouldn’t have to pay for her decisions. What decisions? I think you knew all along, she tells Jack, as Amanda flashbacks conveniently start to appear in his mind. Suddenly, I can’t believe it, she tells Jack that she’s really Amanda. Damn, it’s about time.

But before we can really have a chance to let this sink in, the two-hour finale is complete. We will just have to wait until September to see how this all plays out. Until then, happy summer, and stay away from the Hamptons!

The post ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 21 (Part 1 + 2), ‘Truth’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/13/revenge-recap-episode-21-part-1-2-truth/feed/ 0 [VIDEO] Happy Mother’s Day from two mother lovers and three moms much worse than yours http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/12/happy-mothers-day-from-two-mother-lovers-and-three-moms-much-worse-than-yours/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/12/happy-mothers-day-from-two-mother-lovers-and-three-moms-much-worse-than-yours/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 18:19:37 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149074 still call her up let her know she's appreciated. Because, no matter what maternal flaws she might have, she's still probably a better mom than these ladies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOILKHmZBwc Because your mom probably let you use whatever hangers you wanted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ujb5Yv3ygw Because your mom probably didn't try to kill you before the big dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-YhhiZy53w Because your mom...well, actually, Kathleen Turner as "Serial Mom" is just awesome.]]> Uh oh, did you forget that today was Mother’s Day? Take a cue from these mother lovers and give dear old ma something she really wants this year. Hint: it’s not a macaroni necklace.

Even if you’re not gifting mom with hot sex from a young mustachioed stud today (your dad might not be so into it, you should check with him first) you should still call her up let her know she’s appreciated.

Because, no matter what maternal flaws she might have, she’s still probably a better mom than these ladies.

Because your mom probably let you use whatever hangers you wanted.

Because your mom probably didn’t try to kill you before the big dance.

Because your mom…well, actually, Kathleen Turner as “Serial Mom” is just awesome.

The post [VIDEO] Happy Mother’s Day from two mother lovers and three moms much worse than yours appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/12/happy-mothers-day-from-two-mother-lovers-and-three-moms-much-worse-than-yours/feed/ 0 Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on ‘Late Night’ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/12/seth-meyers-will-replace-jimmy-fallon-on-late-night/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/12/seth-meyers-will-replace-jimmy-fallon-on-late-night/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 18:19:19 +0000 Meredith Engel http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=149078 NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Comedian Seth Meyers attends 'A Funny Affair for Autism' at The Plaza Hotel on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images for Autism Speaks) NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Comedian Seth Meyers attends 'A Funny Affair for Autism' at The Plaza Hotel on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images for Autism Speaks)[/caption] SNL star and head writer Seth Meyers has been tapped to take over Jimmy Fallon's spot on Late Night, NBC announced. Meyers will begin at the 12:35 a.m. time slot next year when current host Jimmy Fallon moves to The Tonight Show. “We think Seth is one of the brightest,  most insightful comedy writers and performers of his generation,” said NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt. “His years at SNL‘s Weekend Update desk, not to mention being head writer of the show for many seasons, helped him hone a topical brand of comedy that is perfect for the Late Night franchise.” Emmy-Award winning Meyers will keep at least one of his bosses: SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels also serves the same post at Late Night. “I only have to work for Lorne for five more years before I pay him back for the time I totaled his car,” Meyers said. “12:30 on NBC has long been incredible real estate.  I hope I can do it justice.” Meyers has been on SNL for 12 seasons. He has been a head writer for eight and a "Weekend Update" anchor for seven. NBC recently renewed Last Call with Carson Daly, which will follow Late Night.]]> NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Comedian Seth Meyers attends 'A Funny Affair for Autism' at The Plaza Hotel on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images for Autism Speaks)
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 05: Comedian Seth Meyers attends ‘A Funny Affair for Autism’ at The Plaza Hotel on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images for Autism Speaks)

SNL star and head writer Seth Meyers has been tapped to take over Jimmy Fallon’s spot on Late Night, NBC announced. Meyers will begin at the 12:35 a.m. time slot next year when current host Jimmy Fallon moves to The Tonight Show.

“We think Seth is one of the brightest,  most insightful comedy writers and performers of his generation,” said NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt. “His years at SNL‘s Weekend Update desk, not to mention being head writer of the show for many seasons, helped him hone a topical brand of comedy that is perfect for the Late Night franchise.”

Emmy-Award winning Meyers will keep at least one of his bosses: SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels also serves the same post at Late Night.

“I only have to work for Lorne for five more years before I pay him back for the time I totaled his car,” Meyers said. “12:30 on NBC has long been incredible real estate.  I hope I can do it justice.”

Meyers has been on SNL for 12 seasons. He has been a head writer for eight and a “Weekend Update” anchor for seven.

NBC recently renewed Last Call with Carson Daly, which will follow Late Night.

The post Seth Meyers will replace Jimmy Fallon on ‘Late Night’ appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/12/seth-meyers-will-replace-jimmy-fallon-on-late-night/feed/ 0 This week in videos: Celebrities read mean tweets, Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/05/10/this-week-in-video-celebrities-read-mean-tweets-hipster-wedding-proposal/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/05/10/this-week-in-video-celebrities-read-mean-tweets-hipster-wedding-proposal/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 19:31:28 +0000 Cassandra Garrison http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=148810 "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You" , has a special message to share for all the mothers in the world. Here are the ten things moms need to know. Happy Mother's Day!     [videoembed id = 148206] The point here — that we were trying to make before getting distracted by spirit hoods and very decent indie-folk music — is that this proposal video, while undeniably adorable and heartwarming, if you're into that kind of thing, is not hipster. We'd argue that enlisting a group of people in giant animal costumes to converge upon the unsuspecting object of your affection as a way of saying "I'll love you forever and ever, want in?" is actually a little bit terrifying.     [videoembed id = 148248] We cannot stop watching this video and wondering how something like this even happens. In the video, at approximately 0:29, you see the man’s parachute open and him getting sucked out like his body is a ragdoll. Reddit user CBalls, posted the video and the below explanation: "This guy is the Jumpmaster on this plane (ie. The guy who looks for the drop zone and determines when everybody should jump). While looking for the DZ it appears the rip cord on his reserve parachute gets caught on something on the ramp and deploys. He's still got his main chute attached to the plane though, so he's now got two parachutes opening at the same time. [...] I assume he just rode it in. The reserve should have been fully opened by the time the main chute opened, so entanglement shouldn't have been an issue. But, I've heard landing with two parachutes open is not a pleasant experience."   [videoembed id = 148055] Spock will always live long and prosper in pop culture, thanks to the iconic performance of the "Star Trek" character by Leonard Nimoy and the rebooted version that Zachary Quinto portrays in the J.J. Abrams films. In this "showdown" between the two actors, Nimoy and Quinto face off in a race to the golf course. We won't spoil who is victorious in the end, but keep in mind that there is only one true Mr. Spock.   [videoembed id = 147722] New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got help from celebrities, including Jon Bon Jovi and Alec Baldwin, in the latest video in which the popular politician pokes fun at himself. The video, posted Tuesday, had more than 45,000 views on YouTube as of 8:15 a.m. Thursday. It shows Christie enlisting the help of Baldwin, Bon Jovi, Bobby Moynihan of "Saturday Night Live" and others, including Democratic strategist James Carville, as he searches for the blue "Chris Christie — Governor" fleece he wore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.   [videoembed id = 146823] Blogger Rita, like thousands of college students every year, spent a semester abroad in the United Kingdom. While there she shared an apartment with four British roommates. Realizing that American food and British food varies greatly, Rita decided to introduce a number of American snacks to her foreign friends. She filmed their reactions and asked them to rate the treats from one to five, one being absolutely horrible and five being the best.   [videoembed id = 146924] WARNING: Some may find this graphic. A monkey forced to ride a bicycle in a Chinese circus act was mauled to death by a bear in the same show. A video of the incident shows the monkey, one of two in the show, doing two circuits of the circus ring at the Shanghai Animal Show in China. The money is followed by a black bear, also on a bicycle. The audience cheer and laugh at the animals, but then one of the monkeys crashes off its bike just as the bear passes by. The monkey is trapped beneath its machine and, immediately, the bear pounces, mauling the monkey in front of dozens of children in the audience.   [videoembed id = 146551] Charles Ramsey was sitting at home eating his McDonald's when he heard screaming. When he came outside he saw “a girl going nuts. Ramsey is the good Samaritan and neighbor who helped rescue three missing Cleveland women from a house where they had been held captive for 10 years. Ramsey spoke with reporters following the girls’ rescue and gave a memorably animated interview. It wasn't long before the auto-tuned versions hit the web! ]]> In case you missed this week’s best videos, here’s a recap. Happy watching!

The Met Gala is supposed to be one of the premiere events where celebrities, designers and socialites wear their most fashion-forward formal garb. But, not everyone makes the headlines for choosing the right outfit. Frequent fashion victim Kim Kardashian showed up wearing a floral one-piece mumu, featuring a high slit and what looked like attached gloves.

 

In honor of Mother’s Day, Kid President, the adorable 9 year-old Internet star who became popular for the video “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You” , has a special message to share for all the mothers in the world. Here are the ten things moms need to know. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

 

The point here — that we were trying to make before getting distracted by spirit hoods and very decent indie-folk music — is that this proposal video, while undeniably adorable and heartwarming, if you’re into that kind of thing, is not hipster. We’d argue that enlisting a group of people in giant animal costumes to converge upon the unsuspecting object of your affection as a way of saying “I’ll love you forever and ever, want in?” is actually a little bit terrifying.

 

 

We cannot stop watching this video and wondering how something like this even happens. In the video, at approximately 0:29, you see the man’s parachute open and him getting sucked out like his body is a ragdoll. Reddit user CBalls, posted the video and the below explanation:

“This guy is the Jumpmaster on this plane (ie. The guy who looks for the drop zone and determines when everybody should jump). While looking for the DZ it appears the rip cord on his reserve parachute gets caught on something on the ramp and deploys. He’s still got his main chute attached to the plane though, so he’s now got two parachutes opening at the same time. [...] I assume he just rode it in. The reserve should have been fully opened by the time the main chute opened, so entanglement shouldn’t have been an issue. But, I’ve heard landing with two parachutes open is not a pleasant experience.”

 

Spock will always live long and prosper in pop culture, thanks to the iconic performance of the “Star Trek” character by Leonard Nimoy and the rebooted version that Zachary Quinto portrays in the J.J. Abrams films. In this “showdown” between the two actors, Nimoy and Quinto face off in a race to the golf course. We won’t spoil who is victorious in the end, but keep in mind that there is only one true Mr. Spock.

 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got help from celebrities, including Jon Bon Jovi and Alec Baldwin, in the latest video in which the popular politician pokes fun at himself. The video, posted Tuesday, had more than 45,000 views on YouTube as of 8:15 a.m. Thursday. It shows Christie enlisting the help of Baldwin, Bon Jovi, Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” and others, including Democratic strategist James Carville, as he searches for the blue “Chris Christie — Governor” fleece he wore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Blogger Rita, like thousands of college students every year, spent a semester abroad in the United Kingdom. While there she shared an apartment with four British roommates. Realizing that American food and British food varies greatly, Rita decided to introduce a number of American snacks to her foreign friends. She filmed their reactions and asked them to rate the treats from one to five, one being absolutely horrible and five being the best.

 

WARNING: Some may find this graphic. A monkey forced to ride a bicycle in a Chinese circus act was mauled to death by a bear in the same show. A video of the incident shows the monkey, one of two in the show, doing two circuits of the circus ring at the Shanghai Animal Show in China. The money is followed by a black bear, also on a bicycle. The audience cheer and laugh at the animals, but then one of the monkeys crashes off its bike just as the bear passes by. The monkey is trapped beneath its machine and, immediately, the bear pounces, mauling the monkey in front of dozens of children in the audience.

 

Charles Ramsey was sitting at home eating his McDonald’s when he heard screaming. When he came outside he saw “a girl going nuts. Ramsey is the good Samaritan and neighbor who helped rescue three missing Cleveland women from a house where they had been held captive for 10 years. Ramsey spoke with reporters following the girls’ rescue and gave a memorably animated interview. It wasn’t long before the auto-tuned versions hit the web!

The post This week in videos: Celebrities read mean tweets, Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/05/10/this-week-in-video-celebrities-read-mean-tweets-hipster-wedding-proposal/feed/ 0 Elisha Cuthbert and April Reimer give each other the stink eye at Bruins/Leafs game http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/elisha-cuthbert-and-april-reimers-stink-eye-exchange-at-last-nights-bruins-v-leafs-game-is-amazing/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/elisha-cuthbert-and-april-reimers-stink-eye-exchange-at-last-nights-bruins-v-leafs-game-is-amazing/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 21:41:48 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=148351 How have we not talked about this insanely amazing stink eye exchange between actress Elisha Cuthbert (Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf's fiancee) and April Reimer (Leafs goalie James Reimer's wife) — caught on video and herein looped in eternal awesomeness via Vine — at last night's Bruins v. Leafs game yet?? According to the two ladies in question, it was merely an "awkward moment" taken out of context but, uh, we know a stink eye when we see a stink eye. So yeah, now we're talking about it. (Warning: this can't be watched just once. There are too many amazing nuances. These girls give good sass.) (Oh yeah, go Bruins!)]]>

How have we not talked about this insanely amazing stink eye exchange between actress Elisha Cuthbert (Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf’s fiancee) and April Reimer (Leafs goalie James Reimer’s wife) — caught on video and herein looped in eternal awesomeness via Vine — at last night’s Bruins v. Leafs game yet??

According to the two ladies in question, it was merely an “awkward moment” taken out of context but, uh, we know a stink eye when we see a stink eye. So yeah, now we’re talking about it. (Warning: this can’t be watched just once. There are too many amazing nuances. These girls give good sass.)

(Oh yeah, go Bruins!)

The post Elisha Cuthbert and April Reimer give each other the stink eye at Bruins/Leafs game appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/elisha-cuthbert-and-april-reimers-stink-eye-exchange-at-last-nights-bruins-v-leafs-game-is-amazing/feed/ 0 VIDEO: Old Spock vs. new Spock http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/09/video-old-spock-vs-new-spock/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/09/video-old-spock-vs-new-spock/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 17:26:56 +0000 Cassandra Garrison http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=148055 Spock will always live long and prosper in pop culture, thanks to the iconic performance of the “Star Trek” character by Leonard Nimoy and the rebooted version that Zachary Quinto portrays in the J.J. Abrams films.
Related Articles

In this “showdown” between the two actors, Nimoy and Quinto face off in a race to the golf course. We won’t spoil who is victorious in the end, but keep in mind that there is only one true Mr. Spock.

The post VIDEO: Old Spock vs. new Spock appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/09/video-old-spock-vs-new-spock/feed/ 0 Steve Hofstetter brings comedy without apology to Philadelphia http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/steve-hofstetter-brings-comedy-without-apology-to-philadelphia/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/steve-hofstetter-brings-comedy-without-apology-to-philadelphia/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:06 +0000 Michael Greger http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=147757 hofstetter Hofstetter will perform two shows at the Hard Rock Cafe in Center City on Sunday.[/caption] Steve Hofstetter comes right out and says what he feels. He sees himself as more social critic than comedian — but please keep buying tickets to see his act, which will be at the Hard Rock Café on Sunday. "I do not hold back," Hofstetter told Metro. "I research my stances enough to know that my facts are 100-percent accurate and my opinions are reasonable. And if anybody gets offended by anything, it's their fault, and frankly I don't care." Hofstetter's brand of comedy doesn't appeal to everyone. It can be offensive, insulting, even somewhat vindictive — as evidenced by his "Cure for the Cable Guy" CD/DVD that pummeled popular blue-collar comedian Larry the Cable Guy. Some people can't handle that; others relish it. Hofstetter's fans adore him because he insists on interacting with them. On album release dates, he promises a "million free downloads" on his website. He responds frequently to Twitter messages and loves replying to fan mail, something he credits to his love of baseball. "I wrote to [baseball player] Paul Molitor when I was growing up," he said. "I wasn't a Brewers fan, but I always liked Paul Molitor, so I sent him a baseball card. Not only did he send it back with an autograph, he sent it back in a self-addressed envelope. So once people started writing to me, I realized that it might not mean that much to you, but it means that much to them." And while Hofstetter, a lifelong New York Mets fan, still loves sports — he writes for Sports Illustrated — he promises he'll take it easy on Philadelphia fans. "This is the same city that had a courthouse built into the stadium, that threw snowballs at Santa Claus, that throws batteries at opposing players and your own players. Philly is bad a—. If there's a city I'm not getting to mess with, it's you guys." That's not to say he won't mess with the audience. Sunday is Mother's Day. Heckle at your own risk. "Hopefully, it's not a bunch of people with their mothers there, or they are going to feel very awkward." Steve's best heckling moment Hofstetter isn't afraid to call unruly crowd members out. While he doesn't set out to embarrass people, once someone starts jawing, all bets are off. He once told a Denny's waitress she was boring. Another time, at a show in Port Charlotte, Fla., he had to put a drunk woman who was insulting him in her place. Hofstetter bet her $100 that she couldn't do five minutes of stand-up and get a laugh. As she trotted onto the stage he produced a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and asked her to do the same. Unfortunately, she couldn't. She was broke. "I told her, 'Not only are you not good enough at my job to make $100, you are not good enough at your job to make $100.' Man, I wish I had that one on tape, the crowd exploded." If you go Steven Hofstetter Sunday, 8 p.m. (sold out); 10 p.m. (few tickets left) Hard Rock Café Market Street in Center City $20 (18+) www.stevehofstetter.com]]> hofstetter
Hofstetter will perform two shows at the Hard Rock Cafe in Center City on Sunday.

Steve Hofstetter comes right out and says what he feels. He sees himself as more social critic than comedian — but please keep buying tickets to see his act, which will be at the Hard Rock Café on Sunday.

“I do not hold back,” Hofstetter told Metro. “I research my stances enough to know that my facts are 100-percent accurate and my opinions are reasonable. And if anybody gets offended by anything, it’s their fault, and frankly I don’t care.”

Hofstetter’s brand of comedy doesn’t appeal to everyone. It can be offensive, insulting, even somewhat vindictive — as evidenced by his “Cure for the Cable Guy” CD/DVD that pummeled popular blue-collar comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

Some people can’t handle that; others relish it. Hofstetter’s fans adore him because he insists on interacting with them. On album release dates, he promises a “million free downloads” on his website. He responds frequently to Twitter messages and loves replying to fan mail, something he credits to his love of baseball.

“I wrote to [baseball player] Paul Molitor when I was growing up,” he said. “I wasn’t a Brewers fan, but I always liked Paul Molitor, so I sent him a baseball card. Not only did he send it back with an autograph, he sent it back in a self-addressed envelope. So once people started writing to me, I realized that it might not mean that much to you, but it means that much to them.”

And while Hofstetter, a lifelong New York Mets fan, still loves sports — he writes for Sports Illustrated — he promises he’ll take it easy on Philadelphia fans.

“This is the same city that had a courthouse built into the stadium, that threw snowballs at Santa Claus, that throws batteries at opposing players and your own players. Philly is bad a—. If there’s a city I’m not getting to mess with, it’s you guys.”

That’s not to say he won’t mess with the audience. Sunday is Mother’s Day. Heckle at your own risk.

“Hopefully, it’s not a bunch of people with their mothers there, or they are going to feel very awkward.”

Steve’s best heckling moment

Hofstetter isn’t afraid to call unruly crowd members out. While he doesn’t set out to embarrass people, once someone starts jawing, all bets are off. He once told a Denny’s waitress she was boring. Another time, at a show in Port Charlotte, Fla., he had to put a drunk woman who was insulting him in her place.

Hofstetter bet her $100 that she couldn’t do five minutes of stand-up and get a laugh. As she trotted onto the stage he produced a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and asked her to do the same. Unfortunately, she couldn’t. She was broke.

“I told her, ‘Not only are you not good enough at my job to make $100, you are not good enough at your job to make $100.’ Man, I wish I had that one on tape, the crowd exploded.”

If you go

Steven Hofstetter
Sunday, 8 p.m. (sold out); 10 p.m. (few tickets left)
Hard Rock Café
Market Street in Center City
$20 (18+)
www.stevehofstetter.com

The post Steve Hofstetter brings comedy without apology to Philadelphia appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/09/steve-hofstetter-brings-comedy-without-apology-to-philadelphia/feed/ 0 ‘Arrested Development’ Frozen Banana stand in NYC Monday (UPDATED) http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/08/arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-coming-to-nyc/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/08/arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-coming-to-nyc/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 23:27:37 +0000 Mary Ann Georgantopoulos http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=147591 www.twitter.com/arresteddev www.twitter.com/arresteddev[/caption] Update: The Bluth's Orignial Banana Stand will land in New York City on Monday, May 13. The Banana stand will be located diagonally across from Radio City Music Hall from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Original Metro story before Calling all Arrested Development fans: Get ready to visit the Original Bluth’s Frozen Banana Stand is headed our way. Netflix is launching the Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana Stand World Wide Tour today in London. The tour will include special surprise appearances by the Bluth family and friends. The Banana Stand will also stop by New York City and Los Angeles. The dates have not been revealed but we assume will be closer to when the new episodes air on May 26. The location of the banana stand will also be revealed on the official twitter account, @ArrestedDev. Browsing the Twitter feed, it seems like they’ll actually be making frozen bananas. We can’t wait to have one frozen banana, what could it cost after all, ten dollars? Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant    ]]> www.twitter.com/arresteddev
www.twitter.com/arresteddev

Update: The Bluth’s Orignial Banana Stand will land in New York City on Monday, May 13. The Banana stand will be located diagonally across from Radio City Music Hall from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Original Metro story before

Calling all Arrested Development fans: Get ready to visit the Original Bluth’s Frozen Banana Stand is headed our way.

Netflix is launching the Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana Stand World Wide Tour today in London. The tour will include special surprise appearances by the Bluth family and friends.

The Banana Stand will also stop by New York City and Los Angeles. The dates have not been revealed but we assume will be closer to when the new episodes air on May 26.

The location of the banana stand will also be revealed on the official twitter account, @ArrestedDev.

Browsing the Twitter feed, it seems like they’ll actually be making frozen bananas. We can’t wait to have one frozen banana, what could it cost after all, ten dollars?

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

 

 

The post ‘Arrested Development’ Frozen Banana stand in NYC Monday (UPDATED) appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/television/2013/05/08/arrested-development-frozen-banana-stand-coming-to-nyc/feed/ 0 Carrie Underwood to sing NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ theme http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/08/carrie-underwood-to-sing-nbcs-sunday-night-football-theme/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/08/carrie-underwood-to-sing-nbcs-sunday-night-football-theme/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 15:51:17 +0000 Dorothy Robinson http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=147134 Carrie Underwood In Concert - Cedar Park, TX Country singer Carrie Underwood will sing the opening theme to NBC's "Sunday Night Football" program, one of the United States' most-watched television broadcasts, when the new season kicks off in September, the network said Tuesday. Grammy winner Underwood will take the reins from fellow country singer Faith Hill, who had sung the theme "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" before each telecast since 2007. Underwood's performance will be prerecorded. "I'm very excited," Underwood, 30, said in a conference call. "I think it's a perfect fit and I am such a sports fan and football fan, and we love Sunday nights around my household, so for me to be a part of it is something really special." Underwood, who shot to recognition by winning the TV singing competition "American Idol" in 2005, is married to Canadian ice hockey player Mike Fisher and sang the national anthem at the 2010 Super Bowl. A prominent musical introduction is a staple of U.S. primetime football broadcasts after Hank Williams Jr. reworked his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" as the theme for the "Monday Night Football" program in 1989. "Sunday Night Football" begins its weekly run on Sept. 8 with a game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.]]> Carrie Underwood In Concert - Cedar Park, TX

Country singer Carrie Underwood will sing the opening theme to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” program, one of the United States’ most-watched television broadcasts, when the new season kicks off in September, the network said Tuesday.

Grammy winner Underwood will take the reins from fellow country singer Faith Hill, who had sung the theme “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” before each telecast since 2007. Underwood’s performance will be prerecorded.

“I’m very excited,” Underwood, 30, said in a conference call. “I think it’s a perfect fit and I am such a sports fan and football fan, and we love Sunday nights around my household, so for me to be a part of it is something really special.”

Underwood, who shot to recognition by winning the TV singing competition “American Idol” in 2005, is married to Canadian ice hockey player Mike Fisher and sang the national anthem at the 2010 Super Bowl.

A prominent musical introduction is a staple of U.S. primetime football broadcasts after Hank Williams Jr. reworked his song “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” as the theme for the “Monday Night Football” program in 1989.

“Sunday Night Football” begins its weekly run on Sept. 8 with a game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

The post Carrie Underwood to sing NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ theme appeared first on Metro.us.

]]> http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/08/carrie-underwood-to-sing-nbcs-sunday-night-football-theme/feed/ 0 The Charles Ramsey auto-tunes have begun! http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/07/the-charles-ramsey-autotunes-have-begun/ http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/2013/05/07/the-charles-ramsey-autotunes-have-begun/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 16:11:02 +0000 Alexandra Cavallo http://www.metro.us/newyork/?p=146483 the Ramsey auto-tunes are not top-notch. Internet, you can do better. And you will, we know you will. Because you've brought us Lady in the Gas Station Backing Up. And Double Rainbow. We'll be right here waiting.  ]]> Frankly, Internet, we’re surprised it took you this long. The minute we saw this interview between Charles Ramsey (nominee for best interviewee of 2013 thus far) and a super uncomfortable reporter (LOL at how fast he GTFO there when things got weird — after awkwardly patting Ramsey’s chest to say g’bye) we thought, well there’s the next “Bed Intruder” just waiting to happen.

“Well, I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wroooong here. Dead giveaway. Dead giveaway. Deeeaaad giveaway.”

You can’t make this stuff up. (Also shout-out to the stone-faced guy to his right in the leather vest. Why so serious, bro?)

Internet meme trollers, we said, get thee to your auto-tune machines! And so they did.

So far, though, the Ramsey auto-tunes are not top-notch. Internet, you can do better. And you will, we know you will. Because you’ve brought us Lady in the Gas Station Backing Up. And Double Rainbow. We’ll be right here waiting.

 

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