‘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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

“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.”

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.”

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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…

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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.

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

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“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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We’ve all heard of latch-key kids, but backdoor teen moms? That’s a new one. (That’s a gross one.) It’s also the name of former Teen Mom “star” Farrah Abraham’s sex tape with porn star James Deen. “Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom” will be available for online viewing (ugh) tomorrow from Vivid Entertainment. (Side note: Abraham locked down a seven figure deal for this tape. Seven. Figures.) And — surprise, surprise — stills from the tape have already leaked online courtesy of TMZ.

Warning, these photos are by no means SFW but hey, it’s Sunday and you can leer at lurid photos of desperate young moms all damn day if you want, areweright?

On a serious note, though, this whole — increasingly creepy and tawdry — story of Abraham’s life post-Teen Mom (thanks MTV!) The latest in a string of misguided and obvious cries for attention (cries for help): Abraham took a pole dancing class…and invited a photog along to watch. (via HuffPo)

f/a/o of all young girls who want to be famous: please don’t do any of this.

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Um, as if we needed further evidence that Kevin Spacey — most recently killin’ it as smarmy politico extraordinaire on Netflix’s House of Cards — was a cool dude, he went and did THIS. This young lady was out for a stroll through the Public Garden in Boston on Monday, and had stopped to take this touristy photo in front of the George Washington statue, when homeboy — out for a jog of his own — allegedly yelled “PHOTOBOMB” and jumped into the frame.

And while screaming the B-word around Boston while leaping unannounced into strangers’ personal spaces might not be the most prudent move right about now (as Gawker — and many others — have pointed out) awesome this remains. Reminds us of when Tom Hanks did this. Tom Hanks is also awesome.

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Nada Bakos was reluctant to contribute to “Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden,” a documentary airing tonight on HBO. A CIA analyst who spearheaded the search for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from 2004 until his 2006 assassination, she had to be convinced by director Greg Barker that it would be, among other things, “politically agnostic.”

Not that viewers can’t come away with their own complicated feelings from the film’s revelations, made by her and many other seasoned analysts. “It leaves the audience free to judge the material however they see fit,” she says, “instead of telling that what they should and should not believe.”

Barker’s film goes deep into the nitty-gritty of both the decade-long search and the job. We learn quite a bit about the role of a targeting officer, where a team follows one single person at all times, becoming intimate with someone they will likely never meet.

“Manhunt” is also a portrait of how intel work functions, as opposed to how movies have classically shown it. “I think it’s hard to portray what intelligence work looks like,” Bakos admits. “It’s akin to how everybody thinks law enforcement works. It always looks more like Sherlock Holmes.”

It’s inevitable that “Zero Dark Thirty” comparisons come up. In January Bakos wrote a critique of the film for Pacific Standard, where she lumped it in with the rest of Hollywood fare, dwelling on how it follows one character (Jessica Chastain’s Maya) rather than groups.

But it wasn’t all wrong. “The level of intensity of sitting on the edge of your seat and constantly having to be on — I think it portrayed that quite well,” she confesses. “They get some of it right. Not all of it is that sexy. I think they did a good job showing the arc of one character. But I don’t think that’s accurate in terms of how intel [gathering] works.”

Bakos is seeking to correct the public view of her former job. She’s working on a book about her experiences, as well as a TV show. She says that even when she first got the job she was not prepared for how difficult it would be. “I had never been in a crisis mode, being in a constant 24/7 state of memorizing phone numbers associated with names,” she says. “You used a computer but also stored a lot in your head. Your personal life definitely takes a back seat.”

She says the demanding job doesn’t necessarily have a short shelf life. Many of her colleagues, some of them in the film, have been there since the ‘90s, despite the unusually rough last decade. For her it was different. “I think war changes you, in fundamental ways you don’t realize until you sit back and take a breath,” she says. “The stress of the job is one thing, but being in a war theater is another.”

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Here are two things most everyone can agree on about Olympic swimming stud Ryan Lochte. He is easy on the eyes and he is not a member of the Mensa society. To put that in terms that even Ryan Lochte could understand, what we’re saying here is that he’s big hunk of not-so-smart but really buff man meat. One more thing that most everyone can probably agree on is that this video of Fox29 Good Day Philadelphia anchors Mike Jerrick and Sheinelle Jones interviewing (well, trying to interview – bit of a stone/blood thing going on here) Lochte – whose new reality show What Would Ryan Lochte Do? premieres tonight on E at 10 pm - then cracking the eff up over it when the camera stops rolling is really funny. As fellow journalists, we are required by the Society of Professional News People (that’s not a real thing) to shake a tsk tsk-ing finger at Jerrick and Jones over their rather unprofessional News People behavior. As internet consumers and supporters of things that are funny and make Sunday nights a little less painful, however, we’re similarly required to share this video with you. At least you can start off another long work week secure in the knowledge that you – probably – never made a lady almost laugh her fake eyelashes off at your expense. [The hilarity starts at 3:50, you're welcome.] For further hilarity, tune in to his show tonight. Or, you know, don’t.

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Comic mastermind Jonathan Winters died Thursday at the age of 87, and while rooting around for his work online we happened upon this: “Davis Rules,” a sitcom he was on from 1991 to 1992. (We vaguely remember this show, because we’re old.) It was one of Winters’ rare steady TV gigs; he mostly stuck to guest appearances, of which he raked up hundreds. And it’s pretty surreal: the main cast included Randy Quaid and Patricia Clarkson, as mismatched a duo as one can imagine. (Clarkson had a very different career before her late ’90s renaissance made her PATRICIA CLARKSON. As a twentysomething she was Clint Eastwood’s romantic interest in the final Dirty Harry, “The Dead Pool.”)

The show only lasted two seasons, and was in fact bumped from ABC to CBS, who retooled it, chucked Clarkson and replaced her with Bonnie Hunt. Giovanni Ribisi was thrown in there, too, natch, as “Skinner Buckley.” Nevertheless, Winters won an Emmy for his role as Gunny Davis, father to Quaid’s widowed elementary school principal who takes care of his three button-cute grandsons and generally adds an unusual element to a show that already sounds pretty unusual. You can watch an episode here.

And while we’re on Winters, check out him bulldozing his way into the best part of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” Stanley Kramer’s miscalculated super sized comedy. Many comic greats flail desperately to make this three-hour (!!) all-star comedy hilarious rather than theoretically amusing (at best), but Winters briefly brings it to full life through sheer force of…I’m not sure there’s a word for it. Just watch.

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Annette Funicello, star of Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club” television program in the 1950s, has died, Disney said Monday.

“We’re sorry to report beloved Disney Mouseketeer and iconic teen star Annette Funicello has passed away at age 70,” the Walt Disney TV and movie studio said on its official fan club’s Twitter account.

Her family told television program “Extra” that Funicello died in a Bakersfield, Calif., hospital while in a coma due to suffering from multiple sclerosis, which was diagnosed in 1987. It was not immediately clear when she died.

Funicello was America’s peaches-and-cream girl, portraying the innocence of the 1950s and 1960s, first as a Disney Mouseketeer and then as the star of a series of beach movies.

• 
  View Slideshow

  PHOTOS: A look back on the career of Annette Funicello

But in later life, she was remembered for what many say was her greatest role: a valiant fight against multiple sclerosis, a crippling disease of the nervous system which reduced the once perky and vivacious singer and actress to depend progressively on a cane, a walker and finally a wheelchair.

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A word of caution to angry Internet commenters and recappers: “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner knows what you’re writing about his show. Or at least he used to until he was banned from visiting blogs and sites by his wife and writing staff. “This is a terrible job for someone as oversensitive as I am. When I was on ‘The Sopranos,’ [blogs] didn’t even exist,” Weiner says. “I try and stay away from it. What usually happens now is somebody — a friend — will send me something. And it’s still this addiction.”

To Weiner, it’s pointless to fight the compulsion to seek out criticism. “This is human nature,” he says. “There’s two jars in the next room. One of them is filled with little fortune cookie fortunes, and the other one has two of them in it. [The big jar] is the good things about you, [the little jar] is the bad things about you that people have written. Go in there. You get to pick one piece of paper. You pick the bad one. I will keep looking until I find something bad. I don’t even know how it works.”

For an example, he offers an episode from last season, “Signal 30,” that garnered some reactions he didn’t appreciate. “It was Vincent [Kartheiser]‘s performance, you know, when he’s in the elevator and says, ‘We’re supposed to be friends. I have nothing,’” Weiner remembers. “That to me is like the saddest thing I ever wrote. I was very emotional about it, and when it aired people are like, ‘A Pete story. I hate that.’ So I just try and stay away from that stuff as much as possible.”

Hence the banning. And he’s been good for the most part, but he did slip up a few times last season. “I really was off it for a while, and then [the season five episode] ‘The Suitcase’ happened and everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to read this. You have to read what people said about this thing,’” he says. “So I read it and I loved that episode, but the episode that was on the week after that was actually my favorite of the season, ‘The Summer Man.’ It’s a very emotional story for me. So of course I read [the reactions] the next week and it’s, like, brutal. The immediate response is, you know, hatred, anger, disgust, betrayal. And I kind of am like, I can’t believe I let these strangers hurt me.”

With season six debuting, maybe it’s time for Weiner’s wife and staff to look into some parental controls for his web browser.

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When Elisabeth Moss found out last year that her “Man Men” character, Peggy Olson, would be leaving her job at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, she had just one question. “He called me before the Episode 11 script came out, and he told me the whole thing,” she recalls. “He called me and said all this stuff’s going to happen and you’re going to leave. I literally was like, ‘That sounds amazing: Am I still on the show?’ He was actually a little bit offended and he was like, ‘Of course! Yes!’ I was like, ‘Well, it’s a logical question.’”

While doing press for the new season of the hit series, Olson even acknowledged her own presence in interviews didn’t necessarily mean Peggy would be seen much in season six. “Maybe this is a huge trick. This is a big red herring,” she jokes. “They’re like, ‘You have to come do press.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not on the show any more!’ No. I am on the show. My joke is like I can only say I play Peggy Olson and I work in advertising. I can’t even say like where I work or who I’m working with. Super boring.”

One thing she can talk about, though, is the impact Peggy’s mentor and former boss, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has had on her — and the repercussions that may have going forward. “I think Don is what her idea of what a boss is, so obviously she’s learned how to be a boss from him,” Moss says. “She tries her hand at that a little bit, but ultimately she’s still Peggy and she’s not Don. What actually makes Don love her and respect her so much is that she’s better than him. She has a heart and I think it brings up an interesting kind of thing about female bosses and how they might be different than male bosses, especially at that time. I think that she’s going to have to learn like every other season how to do it her way. How to be herself. And not follow other people, specifically Don.”

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Shain Gandee, the former trash collector who found fame as the star of the MTV reality hit “Buckwild,” was found dead along with his uncle and an unidentified person in a truck in West Virginia Monday morning.  Shain was last heard from around 3 a.m. on Sunday at a local bar,  when he and his uncle told people they planned to go 4-wheeling. The truck where they were found was stuck deep in mud, leading investigators to think the three died of carbon monoxide poisoning. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them,” MTV said in a statement, saying Shain “touched everyone he met.”

“Glee” star in rehab
“Glee” star Cory Monteith, 30, has “voluntarily admitted himself to a treatment facility” his representative told People magazine. The reason for the rehab stay is unspecified. He reportedly checked in Monday morning. Monteith, 30, plays Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series. His girlfriend and costar on the series, Lea Michele, 26,  gave the following quote to People: “I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision.” Monteith has struggled with substance abuse in the past.  In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, Monteith admitted to a rehab stay when he was just 19.  “I burned a lot of bridges,” he said. “I was out of control.” At the time, he said he had a “serious problem” and was using “anything and everything, as much as possible.”  “Glee” is currently filming their latest season and has two more episodes left to shoot. Deadline Hollywood reports that filming will continue and Finn’s absence will be explained through plot lines.

Tick-tock goes the Bieber
The clock is ticking on Justin Bieber‘s career, according to top music manager Peter Mensch, who reps acts like Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mensch doesn’t see much of a future for the Canadian pop star after a month of hospitalizations, canceled concerts and dust-ups with the paparazzi. “His manager, Scooter Braun, is scared s—less. I don’t know what Bieber’s problem is. His career is over in three years anyway,” Mensch tells the Sun. “I’d take Bieber to the woodshed and spank him.”

Schwarzenegger and Shriver: No drama?
There didn’t seem to be much tension between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver when the separated couple sat down this weekend an Easter brunch at a Santa Monica restaurant with their children, according to E! News. Dressed casually, Schwarzenegger and Shriver reportedly sat next to each other in a corner booth in Coast Cafe in the Shutters on the Beach hotel. While Schwarzenegger has admitted to hopes of a reconciliation with Shriver, he has reportedly been dating another woman, Heather Milligan, since the fall. Milligan was not present at the family brunch.

Adele might be fat, but you’re still old
Joan Rivers is doubling down on her criticisms of Adele‘s weight. Asked during a HuffPost Live chat to defend a joke she made at the British singer’s expense during a “Late Show with David Letterman” appearance, Rivers took things even further. “It’s not mean. She’s a chubby lady who’s very, very rich, and she should just calm down — or lose weight,” Rivers replied. “She wanted an apology, so I took an ad out on her ass. I said, ‘You are not fat.’ And then I had room for a lot of other ads. Adele is beautiful and successful and has what, $100 million? Let’s face reality: She’s fat!”

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“Glee” star Cory Monteith, 30, has “voluntarily admitted himself to a treatment facility” his representative told People magazine. The reason for the rehab stay is unspecified. He reportedly checked in Monday morning.

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  PHOTOS: Cory Monteith heads to rehab

Monteith, 30, plays Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series. His girlfriend and costar on the series, Lea Michele, 26,  gave the following quote to People: “I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision.”

Monteith has struggled with substance abuse in the past.  In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, Monteith admitted to a rehab stay when he was just 19.  “I burned a lot of bridges,” he said. “I was out of control.” At the time, he said he had a “serious problem” and was using “anything and everything, as much as possible.”  Monteith spent his teen years attending up to 12 different schools, including alternative programs for troubled teens.

“I don’t want kids to think it’s okay to drop out of school and get high, and they’ll be famous actors, too,” he told Parade. “But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go after it.”

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  VIDEO: Cory Monteith and Lea Michele do lunch in NYC

“Glee” is currently filming their latest season and has two more episodes left to shoot. Deadline Hollywood reports that filming will continue and Finn’s absence will be explained through plot lines.

“Cory is a beloved member of the ‘Glee’ family and we fully support his decision to seek treatment,” Fox said in a statement. “Everyone at the show wishes him well and looks forward to his return.”

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Credit: ABC/ Colleen Hayes

Masquerade! Masquerade! Anyone else singing the “Phantom of the Opera” theme song along tonight’s festivities? Just me? OK, moving on…

Well tonight was a rough one for Nolan, right? At the start of the episode, he’s calling the detective for any leads on Padma, but nothing’s come up yet. Also, he’s a disheveled mess. I kind of like the scruffy Nolan though. Anyone else? He tells Amanda he’s got to believe she’s still out there, and Amanda says she has an idea on how to find her.

Victoria is counting her RSVPs to her annual Halloween masquerade (we skipped a few months here, I guess, but nothing makes sense in this “Revenge” world, you may recall). Too bad one invitee can’t make it because she has a destination divorce to attend to. Aah, rich people! Anyways, one RSVP catches her eye—it’s postmarked 1973, and inside is a “Yes! I will attend with pleasure,” note, signed “from your loving son.” Victoria has a flashback about when she was a teen and found out she was pregnant by her mother’s boyfriend. She didn’t live with her parents at the time.

Amanda wants to move ahead and drain Trask’s money from Grayson Global. She needs Aidan to do it. Elsewhere, Conrad is doing some media training at the Stowaway, with Jack offering his counsel as the “every man” (tip #1: Don’t use the words “working class.” No one likes it.). Ashley tells Conrad about the strange RSVP Victoria got and they decide it’s probably from his political opponents. To make sure they’re answering questions properly, they decide Jack will coach Conrad throughout his speech through an ear bud. Jack’s got his own idea though: He’ll have Nolan rig the earpiece to broadcast the taped convo between Conrad and the Ryan brother. That’ll get voter attention!

Aidan drains the money out of Trask’s account, much to Daniel’s fury. Trask shows at the office. This was all part of Aidan’s plan, so he calls Amanda to tell her everything worked. Amanda intrudes on Victoria (in her vanity room…seriously, how does she keep getting in this house uninvited?) and asks for an invite to the Masquerade, but Victoria says no can do, you weren’t invited, sorry! Amanda accepts this and leaves.

Trask confronts Daniel about the missing funds, and he tries to pin it on Aidan and says he’ll get it back. But he warns him that he knows Trask is threatening him. He thinks he sent the picture of him dining with Amanda. But Trask says he wouldn’t do threats “in two dimensions” for “we act in three dimensions.” Yowza! Trask tells Daniel a lot has changed since they worked with his dad and says the real money is now in rebuilding after a big crime. And yes, he will take the Initiative’s funds out of GG. As Trask gets in his car to leave, Aidan pulls a gun on him from the backseat and forces him to take them to Padma.

Daniel invites Amanda as his date to the ball—suck on that, Vicky—and back in the Hamptons, Victoria gets another ominous delivery: a beautiful bouquet of black roses. There’s only 11, but the note from her adopted son says that he’ll be wearing the 12^th.

At Conrad’s press conference, a friend of Amanda Clarke’s asks if the David Clarke case will be reopened. Then, to everyone’s horror, the taped conversation plays. But Conrad handles it all extremely well: He says if there’s an opportunity he will secure a presidential pardon for David Clarke. Back at home, Conrad finds the mysterious RSVP—did Victoria really never tell him she had another kid? Wow, way to keep secrets, girl. She makes her hubby believe she had an abortion.

Oh no, this part was sad. Trask and Aidan get to some warehouse and lying on what appears to be a cold metal table is the body of Padma. We’re asked to believe she’s dead—“she’s with her father,” Trask tells Aidan—but being that this is “Revenge” I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes a surprise return (maybe for ratings later).

Ah, and it’s time for the Grayson obligatory party of the evening: Tonight, it’s the Masquerade ball! Everyone looks all shiny in their dresses and masks. Victoria presumably doesn’t care; she’s just on the hunt for that 12^th black rose. Jack, Amanda and Daniel have an awkward reunion, but Daniel does manage to thank Jack for all his help on the campaign. Conrad, who looks ridiculous in his outfit, is busy fielding phone calls from reporters (Note to Conrad: Don’t hate. They’re just doing their job.) when Ashley appears and surmises that Conrad’s campaign manager was behind the tapes being played earlier that day. Conrad doesn’t want to hear any of it and goes off on her, all with Jack listening in the wings.

Sloane, Daniel’s ex, is at the ball and shows a recent Page 6 clipping of Amanda and Daniel at their secret hideaway dinner to Victoria, who freaks out. Also upset is Aidan, to see that Daniel and Amanda are back together. Victoria and Daniel spar over his freedom to make his own choices, and he gives her her bullets back. Based on his little chat with Trask earlier, he knows they weren’t from the Initiative.

Oh no, sad part redux. We have to break the news to Nolan about Padma. He’s pretty crushed, but vows to Amanda that he’ll be OK and just has to deal with it his own way, alone. Amanda is once again shown the collateral damage all this revenge business is causing her.

Upstairs, Charlotte punches a girl who was talking smack about Amanda Clarke (Emily, the dead one), and Declan comes in to save the day. Jack is icy to Victoria after she makes some blue collar statement to him, and Victoria has another flashback. Back in the present, she sees someone wearing a black rose, so she follows him, but it eventually turns out to be Aidan. She passes out.

The next day, Conrad’s numbers are up, thanks to the whole David Clarke promise (must be the liberals, he supposes). He wants to know what happened to Victoria last night, and he calls her out on the aborted first kid story. She says she’s got proof and will show him if he vows to drop it after that.

Aidan is “disgusted” with Amanda, who tells him that Trask is going to look into his past based on his convo with Daniel earlier. Aidan wants to be alone, so he heads to the city.

Jack recruits someone else for his bring-down-the-Graysons-team: Ashley. He knows they’ve never treated her well. She knows it too. She’s in.

Poor Nolan goes beserk in his office, smashing things and crying, when the detective comes in. Padma’s only been dead for a day. What did you do after we spoke, he wants to know? He thinks Nolan killed her. But Nolan won’t talk. I’m confused about this also. I guess he doesn’t want to say because that would mean unleashing all the info about the Initiative?

Victoria pays a visit to the nun who took her baby in when she showed up with him many years ago. In a flashback, we see that the nun made her promise not to ask of what became of her son once she gave him up. But here’s Victoria, looking for info. All the nun will tell her is that he came by a few years ago, looking for information. Victoria asks if he looked happy, but the nun will only reply that he was on a hopeful quest. She leaves, the nun prays, and then Amanda pulls up to the bench and takes a seat next to the nun. She says she’s pregnant and has nowhere to turn. What is this about? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out. Til then, Happy Easter if you’re celebrating, and thanks for taking time out of your chocolate bunnies to read along!

The post ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 18, ‘Masquerade’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Cate Edwards, the eldest daughter of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, has had a rough couple of years, to say the least.

In the past few years the 31-year-old has had to deal with her father’s affair with Rielle Hunter, which resulted in six felony charges of violating federal campaign laws to conceal an extramarital affair and him fathering a child with Hunter. All this happened while Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth Edwards, was dying of cancer.

In an interview set to air Friday on TODAY and “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” Cate opens up about her family, her father’s affair and her mother’s death.

“I was devastated,” Cate says about learning of her father’s affair. In a promo video for the interview she says that her father told her himself. “I guess he and my mom decided that was, you know, how it needed to be done.

She goes on to say that she was disappointed because she had grown up with a lot of love in her family.

Cate’s mother, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with breast cancer and died on Dec. 7, 2010.

“I miss her in sort of big ways and small ways,” Cate says. “You know, it’s big things that go by, like my wedding. She wasn’t able to be there. But we got to talk about it. And I felt incredibly lucky that I got the chance to even have that conversation with her.”

Cate has taken on her mother’s vision and is working to promote the efforts of the Elizabeth Edwards Foundation, a charity that provides educational opportunities for children who have limited support and resources to reach their potential.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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We’re all anxiously awaiting the return of “Breaking Bad.” Having to wait until July to find out what happens to televisions best drug dealer is driving us crazy. Crazy in the sense that we can’t stop talking about it, not criminal crazy.

It turns out some are less patient than we are. A New Mexico man, Xavier McAffee, was taken into custody on suspicion of one felony. He is accused of breaking into Bryan Cranston’s – aka Walter White – Audi last December and swiping a brown shoulder bag, which contained a number of personal items including a “Breaking Bad” TV script.

“We received info from a confidential informant that he knew of an individual having a script from Breaking Bad and wanted to know if anyone wanted to buy an iPad,” Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Aaron Williamson told E! News.

A police spokesperson said Cranston’s car was targeted randomly and not because of his role in the popular television series.

Stay off the blogs, though, folks. The screenplay has yet to be recovered, which means spoilers can pop up online at any point.

Here’s hoping nothing related to the final season of “Breaking Bad” appears online. We waited far too long to have the season ruined by online spoilers.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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Things are heating up on “The Voice” with Shakira and Usher coming on as the new judges.

Shakira, who recently had a baby, and Usher replaced the original coaches, Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. Blake Shelton and Adam Levine stayed on as judges this season.

The new judges brought in decent ratings. Last night’s premiere had 13.4 million viewers and a 4.7 rating among adults 18-49, which considering the judge shake-ups are very good numbers.

Both Shakira and Usher were charming and visibly comfortable in the judge’s seat.

But the night belonged to contestant Judith Hill, who performed Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants.” The audition had all four judges fighting for a chance to be her coach. Hill was a backup singer for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour, which was canceled due to the King of Pop’s untimely death. She later sang “Heal the World” at Jackson’s memorial service.

“You are the first person that’s every come on this show and done a Christina song as well as Christina Aguilera,” Levine said.

With all four coaches vying for her, Hill chose Levine as her coach.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant.

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Credit: ABC

I am mad, for two reasons. First, the whole “Eli started the fire, but not really, he just relit Amanda’s, which I guess counts?” thing that happened. Second, last week “Revenge” promised that the last five minutes of tonight’s episode would be explosive. And while yeah, it was I guess a revelation, but was it explosive? No. Am I peeved? Yeah.

OK, to the recap. Tonight, we meet Meredith Hayward (shoutout to another Meredith), who was Eli and Amanda’s foster mom. Apparently she was a bitch who took government money for herself and locked her foster kids in a Hansel and Gretel-style metal cupboard. Tonight, we take her down.

Aidan tells Amanda that Daniel’s gotten quiet since promoting him. It won’t last forever, Amanda says. Daniel will need someone to confide in about all his problems. Aidan knows that someone will be Amanda. So, Daniel books a table at a small restaurant where no one will recognize them, and even refers to her as “Mr. Taylor” so that his assistant Grace doesn’t catch on.

Elsewhere, Conrad’s political polling numbers are terrible, and Eli has a way of both raising money for the Amanda foundation and restoring Conrad’s good name: donating to Meredith Hayward’s house for foster kids. Amanda, who Eli hired to help out on the committee (much to the chagrin of Victoria), will join Eli to give Meredith the good news.

Padma gets an order that she must drop off the Carrion program in three days. Nolan swears he won’t let her or her dad get hurt, and adds that they’re gonna need backup in the name of Aidan. And huzzah, an animal flashdrive returns! This time as a turtle USB with a removable head that serves as a tracking device. Aidan plans to kill the terrorists going after Padma and her father, but he’s got some bad news: In order to keep Padma safe, she’ll have to take on a new identity, possibly keeping her forever separated from her one true love, Nolan!

Elsewhere, Amanda wants to know Eli’s endgame. Meredith was horrible to him, why do they want to help her? Turns out she saved letters that David Clarke wrote to Amanda, and Eli wants to get them back for her. Eli made a promise to look out for Amanda, you guys! Meredith deserves to be punished, too. OK, Amanda’s down for the mission, but being the control-freak she is, she wants to do things her way.

Speaking of freak, Amanda freaks out to Nolan about the letters. Had she known about them, she would have written back, and maybe her whole life would be different.

Declan walks in on a snoozing Jack, who can’t get any answers about the Ryan brothers and the night Emily died. Declan’s got an idea. He’ll swipe the Nolans’ nephew’s cell phone (remember, Declan “robbed” their house with him over the summer) and text Kenny to meet somewhere — only when he shows, it’ll be Jack meeting him, not his nephew.

Nolan tells Padma about the new identities plan, and they’re both very sad about it. Then they both say “I love you”! How cute. I hope these two stay safe.

At the Hayward House, Amanda sneaks off downstairs to the basement and finds the metal cupboard hidden behind a bookshelf. Cut to Meredith at the Graysons, going over the details of how she’ll get her money the next day. It’ll pay off her mortgage and ensure that future generations of foster kids are taken care of.

At the Stowaway, Conrad asks Jack to be his “Joe the Plumber” — a poor guy asking others to vote for the rich guy. Outside of Montauk, Amanda and Daniel meet, and he confides in her (as expected) that Aidan is set up to take the fall for the Graysons. Yikes! This is bad news to Amanda, though Daniel ensures it’s not about jealousy. Just then, her phone rings: It’s Aidan, and the meet time for Padma has been moved up — they need to drop off Carrion in a half hour, but oh no, there’s no way Amanda will be able to make it because she’s so far away. Nolan and Aidan will have to do this one themselves.

Nolan is panting heavily as they load their guns from the rooftop above Padma, to the annoyance of Aidan. Then comes my favorite line of the night, no surprise it’s from Nolan: “I’m sorry to bother you, Lee Harvey, I guess I get nervous when I’m about kill people.” Their main goal is to keep Padma safe, but that’s not what happens. Trask comes and gets Carrion from her, but when she asks to see her father, they kidnap her in the back of their van. They take her to a warehouse, where she can hear that her dad is still alive, but they put her in front of a video camera instead of reuniting them.

So Jack confronts Kenny at the park about the night Emily died, but of course Kenny has no idea what’s going on, because he wasn’t really the one who saved him. Instead, I think he’s going to help Jack. Jack tells him this is his chance to prove that he’s different from his brother. Kenny tells Jack that Nate taped all of his conversations with the Graysons, and Jack wants to get a hold on those tapes.

At the presser for Hayward House, instead of toasting to Meredith, Eli exposes her wicked ways, and even has other past Hayward kids in the crowd to attest to her criminal behavior. But Meredith turns the tables on him: She’s like, why don’t you tell everyone that you started the fire that burned down the house, not Amanda Clarke?

Well, this is (somehow) news to Amanda? That she didn’t start the fire that she actually did? OK… hmm… a little bit of a stretch here, “Revenge.” Well, anyways, Amanda is beyond pissed (somehow) to learn the truth — again, her whole life could have been different! Eli’s just trying to make things right between the two of them, he says. She wants him to go.

Aw nuts, Aidan and Nolan track the device, but the Initiative is one step ahead of them — they’ve left the turtle head for the two guys, just to show they knew the whole time what they were up to.

Jack and Declan listen to the Grayson/Ryan tapes and yup, it’s pretty clear that Grayson practically ordered a hit on Jack. But what’s the leverage, Declan’s wondering? Jack starts to explain that Amanda was collecting evidence against Conrad for something, and she used it to blackmail him so that she could get the Stowaway back for them. Declan wants to go the police, but Jack says they can’t trust the cops, just each other. Now he knows Conrad was behind Nate being on the boat, and wants some paper proof of a contract. Declan wonders how Jack will get a hold of a contract, but Jack’s got an idea — accept Conrad’s offer to join the political campaign.

Eli gets some alone time with Meredith. They took her kids away from her and are gonna open an investigation. Eli says he owes Amanda, and that’s in fact why he’s here.

Nolan catches up with Amanda, and she expresses remorse for not helping them earlier that day. Nolan assures her it wouldn’t have mattered, that they were ahead of them the whole way, and Amanda says he can’t give up on Padma, and that he’s the only one who can save her, even if it takes weeks of coding. She vows to help him. Eli calls and Nolan insists she take it—he’s got some coding to start.

On the phone, Eli tells Amanda he’s gonna get her letters back. We can hear Meredith howling from the metal cupboard in the background. Revenge! Amanda goes through her revenge box and x’s out Meredith’s picture. When Eli gets to her house, he says he won’t be able to bring the letters after all, because Meredith sold them years ago. He wonders if she will forgive him, and she replies (wearing a serious power suit) that what’s done is done. But she does thank him?

While coding, Nolan comes across the Falcon’s signature. The Initiative must have hired him off the Graysons. Meanwhile, at Daniel’s office, someone mails Daniel a picture of he and Amanda at their clandestine lunch meeting, plus two bullets. Ominous! Who is this note from? Cut to Victoria’s bullet stash (hidden in her jewelry box, because she is a lady) conveniently boasting two open spaces.

Our final scene of the night has Amanda visiting Mason in jail. She wants the letters he bought off of Meredith, but no can do, he says, for they burnt to the ground when she burned down his house last season. Potential roadblock, but Amanda’s sure Mason must remember the content of the letters. But what’s in it for him, Mason wonders, if he shares this juicy info? She reminds him that she’s the only one in charge of whether he stays in jail or gets freed. Well, OK, he complies. He says that David was worried that Amanda was at “some Dickensian foster home,” because he saw someone else give up their kid to a gross foster home — a 16-year-old girl who would eventually become very close to David. Victoria, of course! Yes, that’s right: The big revelation is that Victoria has another son. Another tiny plot twist, I suppose. But where’s the real drama here? Maybe we’ll find out next week (but probably not).

The post ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 17, ‘Victory’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Williams’ daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” is nationally syndicated.
Credit: Karl Giant for “The Wendy Williams Show”

Wendy Williams opens the door to her dressing room wearing fuzzy green frog slippers. On the wall are caricatures of the talk show host, plus a print of her PETA ad, for which she went nude. She takes a seat on her couch, which is adorned with a plush pink throw pillow and is underneath a giant sequined pink marlin. Despite the girliness of the room, Williams — hanging loose post-show in a wavy blonde wig (think Beyonce at the Super Bowl) — has a serious business side to her. It’s to be expected from the mogul, whose show has been renewed through 2014 on FOX and is airing new episodes in June and July (most daytime talk shows go on a summer hiatus).

But all of this television success was never the original plan for Williams, who built her career in radio.

“I always thought I’d stay on radio because I was good at radio,” Williams says. “And at the time that this talk show came along I had 23 years in radio, was making a terrific salary, I was able to live the life that I never thought I’d live, and I was comfortable with that. It was my dream. Growing up in Jersey, I wanted to be a news broadcaster or I wanted to be a radio personality, and when I got to college my freshman year I was reading the news for the college radio station and the DJ was sick one night and they asked me to fill in. I was like ‘Well I’m not this cool,’ and I’m gonna stick with the news items — it was more who I was raised to be, with a sensible haircut and short non-painted nails.”

But the life of a newscaster, Williams soon discovered, wasn’t what she wanted. “You’ve got to live a newscaster’s lifestyle,” she says. “You’ve got to be married to the right guy — not the right guy for you but also the right guy for public perception  — you’ve got to have the right hairstyle, your nails have got to be a particular length, you cannot be seen having fun. That’s not fair, but it’s the way newscasting is, so I said I’m gonna go with this radio thing. Once I got on the radio I was sideswiped by it and I never looked back.”

Williams attributes the success of her show to her producing staff and also her TMI personality. “One of the fatal flaws of my personality that my parents would attest to is, ‘You’ve given too much information. Everybody didn’t need to know that Aunt Florence is wearing a wig and she’s in the bathroom readjusting,’” she says. “I think people feel comfortable with people that they get to know long enough.”

When she’s not working on her show, Williams has other projects on her brain, like her forthcoming “Ask Wendy” book (her sixth) based on a popular advice segment from the show, and also her upcoming wig line, Wendy Williams Hair World, which debuts in June. Williams has been wearing wigs for the past 12 years, after being was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She says her new line will have “everything respectful that wiggies want and that newbies can get used to” and that she’s out to disprove the idea that wigs are “old and tired and ridiculous.” “You don’t necessarily expect a fly girl looking at 50 — that’d be me — wearing a wig,” she says.

Williams will debut her wigs on air when they become available this spring. At that point, her goal for the show will be the same as it is now, as it always has been: to make her guests comfortable.

“When people walk through the double doors and you see my whole colorful crowd …it can take you back, even as a trained actor. And then you’re being hugged by a 6-foot-5 black woman with a lot of hair and a lot of boob — it’s a lot! So my producers [do pre-interviews and] give me all I need to know, and then I go out there and make people feel as warm as I possibly can, because the goal of me as a host is to keep you coming back for more.”

The post How you doin’, Wendy Williams? appeared first on Metro.us.

Credit: ABC

Tonight we see more of Eli James, Amanda’s foster brother, but it only raises more questions. What does he want? Why is he here now? Amanda and Aidan talk this over as they relax in Aidan’s secluded “safe haven.” He’s the last thing she needs right now, she says. Eli was her protector, and she promised to never separate us, and nothing did until she set the fire that burned their house down.

At the Graysons, Charlotte is so proud that Mommie Dearest is starting a charity in Emily’s (“Amanda’s) honor. Daniel is trying to figure out the Initiative and what they want, and Victoria and Conrad warn him to watch out for Aidan.

Elsewhere, at the Stowaway, Jack decides to set up an insurance policy for baby Carl, in case another tragedy strikes. Declan informs Jack that the night Emily died, someone told him that they had safely made it to their hotel in Nantucket.

Emily gets wind of the foundation and offers her services as co-chair. She also donates $250,000. Just then Eli shows up at the Graysons. He tells Victoria about his past in London working in the rare books industry (a lie) and that he went to Columbia (another lie). Victoria introduces him to Amanda and he’s suspicious of her. Victoria invites him to be an honored guest at the foundation’s kick-off. Nolan calls and Amanda uses it as an excuse to leave. She hightails it to his house and tells him about Eli. Could this be another Tyler? Nolan will check him out. Amanda wants to get to Jack before Eli does.

Conrad visits Daniel in his office and says that everything they do is “for something beyond ourselves,” for the Graysons and all future Graysons. Just then Aidian interrupts.

Eli has already beaten Amanda to the Stowaway. Emily asks Jack for forgiveness but he’s suspicious of her—Eli has told him that Amanda hated her dad, and if that’s the case why would she risk everything to prove that the Graysons were after him? Uh-oh, someone smells trouble. And Eli does too: Jack steps out, and Eli confronts Amanda. He knows her real identity, telling her she looks pretty good for a dead girl.

After a quick commercial break, Eli tells Amanda that he had spent years searching for her but that he could only find the stripper. When Amanda explains the whole switching-identities thing, Eli says it’s a bum deal: Emily got a broke boyfriend and ended up dead, and Amanda got a ton of money. Speaking of which, Amanda wants Eli to have her money if it means he’ll leave her alone. She can’t have him staying here and screwing up her plan. Her incentive: He’s got a criminal past—if she can have his record wiped clean (by Nolan, who can do anything), maybe he’ll leave her alone.

Some smartass starts a fight with Daniel at a bar and Aidan breaks up the fight, much to the disappointment of Daniel. He doesn’t want Aidan to defend him. They’re officially in a fight, I guess, which makes Aidan all the more likely to be receptive to Conrad’s call just a few moments later.

Jack asks someone at the dock about the night his wife died. He knows somebody pulled him out of the wreckage and saved him. The man says someone—he didn’t catch his name—paid him money to keep quiet about that night. When the man describes him as a tall, sandy-haired guy with blue eyes, Jack figures out it’s Nolan.

At the party for Amanda’s charity, Amanda brings Nolan (who looks spiffy in a gold tux). Victoria says Amanda can’t be co-chair because all her other philanthropic duties mean she doesn’t have the time needed to the devote to this. Burn! But fine, whatever, no problem for Amanda. She gets right down to business, introducing Nolan to Eli and having him wipe his record clean, plus giving him $100,000 to start over. But Eli’s not going without a fight.

Declan gets jealous when he realized Charlotte took the day off to hang with Eli. Amanda has a plan to kick Eli out—she tells Ashley that he and Amanda were not close and that he was in trouble and needed money. Ashley will do her part to dispose of Eli, except when Victoria hears this from Ashley, she’s all the more inclined to keep him around because the damaging words came from “Emily Thorne.”

In another corner of the sprawling Grayson mansion, Daniel and Aidan argue. Aidan, like it or not, has a stake in Daniel’s wellbeing. He says he’s moved on from Emily but that Emily hasn’t moved on from Jack. He tells him that Conrad was actually the one who sent him back to Daniel, which sends Daniel through the roof.

Friends, give it up for Henry Czerny in tonight’s episode. Homeboy had some serious angry face going tonight, and it was mighty convincing. That whole scene when he told Daniel that the charity was a front to keep their assets out of government reach? Kudos. They’re gonna make it look like Aidan ran off with their money, and the next move is in Daniel’s court.

Back at the party, Eli donates his check from Amanda to the foundation. Jack makes a special appearance at the party and takes the mic, thanking the Graysons for everything (lying through his teeth). He hands the mic over to Victoria, who names Eli the co-chair of the foundation, to the anger of Amanda. Nolan corners Jack—what are you doing? Jack tells him he knows that he was there the night Amanda died and is done listening to him. Nolan makes up a story that the boat was registered to Kenny Ryan and Jack buys it.

In a rather bold move, Daniel confides in Amanda about the Initiative and their plan to have Daniel take part in their next plot. He says he’s trapped, and he tells her that the charity is a front for his parents’ assets, much to the surprise of Amanda. Elsewhere, Conrad counts his charity money to the tune of just about $5 million. Daniel tells Conrad that it’s a lock that Aidan will be named to the board, and then gives a check of his own to the foundation (it’d look weird if he wasn’t helping his parents’ cause). Victoria thinks he got the money from Amanda (“Emily”).

Emily tells Nolan about the Graysons’ charity front. She has a plan—if she gets a hold of Carrion, now that she knows where all the Graysons’ fortune lies, she can bankrupt the family. Intriguing! She needs Nolan’s help.

Cut to Emily at Aidan’s place. She’s not gonna do anything about Eli right now. She and Nolan get started on their bankruptcy mission, but Carrion’s got a bug. Nolan’s seen this bug before. In a flashback, we see him telling David about it. But David doesn’t want to hear it. He’s done fighting, he’s accepted his fate, and he just wants to make sure Amanda gets the revenge box he’s made for her (“It’s her future”). Back in the present, Nolan tells Amanda that whoever wrote the code protecting the account sealed her father’s fate, and that that hacker, dubbed “the Falcon,” is back on the Graysons’ payroll. What’s Amanda’s next move? “Let’s go hunting,” she tells Nolan.

The post ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 16, ‘Illumination’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Dick Cheney refers to himself as the “most consequential” vice president in American history, and a new, incredibly candid documentary by R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) delves into just what those consequences might be — though Cheney quickly proves himself to be not one for re-evaluation. After premiering the film at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Cutler brings his portrait of the divisive political figure to Showtime.

Was it difficult to set aside whatever opinions you might have had of Cheney to make this film?
I mean, of course I have opinions about him. I have my politics, but this isn’t really a film about politics — from my perspective. I’ve made films about people whose politics I agree with and I’ve made films about people whose politics I don’t agree with. In this case, I’m exploring the man but I’m also telling his story from what I believe will be a rich and valuable historical perspective as time passes.

So my politics are kind of beside the point. Really beside the point. I’m not interested in films about my politics. I’m interested in Dick Cheney. I could not possibly care less about the politics of a documentary filmmaker. I was curious about who he was and how he thinks and what led him to the decisions he made, and how he acquired the power that he had and what he did with that power once it was acquired.

What do you think of the manner in which Bush and Cheney have in a way retreated from the public stage since leaving office?
Vice President Cheney has not shied away from the public eye and has not resisted the temptation to opine on the current administration and its policies and its relationship to the policies he supported when he was in office. He appears to be breaking the mold in terms of that return to center stage.

We do live in a moment where the opportunity to return to center stage is far more present than it was 8 years, 12 years, 16 years ago, 20 years ago. But even in that context I think it’s interesting how much he’s staying in the fray. But you know, there are no laws or rules that say you can’t remain in the fray. Bill Clinton has remained in the fray in a different way. He hasn’t really retreated. I don’t agree with you necessarily just as an observer of politics about former President [George W.] Bush. He seems to be laying pretty low in the way that former presidents historically have done. I know he’s given a speech or two, but I don’t really feel like we’re hearing from him in the way we’ve consistently been hearing from [former] Vice President Cheney.

There’s a lot of conjecture and hyperbole about Cheney while he was in office, especially in the second term, from social critics and comedians. Was it difficult to avoid that level of discourse?
No, not really. It’s not at all difficult to avoid the level of discourse because I focused on serious-minded people who had examined his life and career and had written extensively about it. It’s an extremely prominent group of both supporters and detractors in the film. You know, the emotion of the debate and the more extreme theories that Cheney’s detractors developed. … Listen, I understand why people are emotional about him. I myself as a citizen share a lot of those emotions, but as a filmmaker it’s very easy to separate what’s emotional from what the evidence supports.

What was the biggest surprise for you in your dealings with Cheney for this film?
I think I was most struck by the manner in which he discussed honor and duty, the fact that he felt that when put up against each other, there’s no question that duty trumps honor and that in fact the debate is a nonstarter. I was very struck by that. To me, representatives and soldiers who serve with honor, I’d understood that to be a defining characteristic of our country and the way we not only wish to be understood in the world, but the way we choose to be understood in the world and the way that we choose to act so that we are understood that way in the world. And when Cheney dismissed honor as a value, I was really very struck by that.

The post R.J. Cutler separates emotion and evidence for Cheney documentary appeared first on Metro.us.

Update: Justin Timberlake appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and addressed the Kanye West controversy … sort of.

Fallon pointed out that that Timberlake changed the lyrics of “Suit & Tie” during his Saturday Night Live performance. Timberlake responded “Did it seem that way? … Did I change a line? It is live. You know, really, everyone, keep calm.”

“Keep calm and Kanye on,” Fallon swiftly responded.

There are no hard feelings on Timberlake’s side as he announced his admiration for the rapper.

“Let me just, for the record … I absolutely love Kanye. So there’s that. We love Kanye, right?” Timberlake asked the audience.

So there’s that indeed, readers. The feud between the two stars seems to be water under the bridge … for now, at least.

 Metro’s original story below:

Everyone wants to be Jay-Z’s best friend. Even mega-stars Kanye West and Justin Timberlake are feuding over who is Mr. Carter’s bestie.

It all started a few weeks ago when Kanye went on a rant about how “he got love for Hov, but he ain’t fucking with that ‘Suit and Tie.’”

We all knew it was a matter of time before Timberlake responded. In true JT fashion, though, he took the classy, high-road approach.

Midway through his performance of “Suit and Tie” on Saturday Night Live, Timberlake changed the line “shit so sick got a hit and picked up a habit” to “my hit’s so sick got rappers acting dramatic.”

And then Jay-Z appeared on stage, so it’s safe to assume who won this feud.

For those of you wanting to hear it for yourself, the dis comes at approximately the 2:15 mark of the video.

On the topic of Justin Timberlake, he killed it on SNL. His skits were funny and his performances of “Suit and Tie” and “Mirrors” were the best ones so far.

JT and JayZ for the win, folks.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post UPDATE: Despite ‘SNL’ dis, Justin Timberlake loves Kanye West appeared first on Metro.us.

Credit: ABC

With every ending comes a new beginning, and tonight, in the wake of Emily’s death, we meet another character from Amanda’s past. More on that later.

So what did we think of Helen Hunt’s “Revenge” directorial debut? That’s right, your favorite 90s actress has a new obsession, just like the rest of us. Let’s play catch-up.

Amanda is still a wreck after Emily’s death aboard the boat last week. Nolan’s trying to be the voice of reason as she searches for her gun—she needs to slow down—but Amanda’s shaking and warns him not to tell her to let go of her plan for retribution. She finds the Emily’s locket, which has on one side a picture of baby Carl, and on the other Jack—it’s pasted over a photo of her and Amanda.

Conrad and Victoria are stressed about the computer on board that boat—it has all the evidence to implicate them. Daniel can’t believe all this is still going down and vows to “shut these barbarians down.” That creepy new Initiative leader Trask calls and Conrad tells him it’s not what they’ve done, but what Nate Ryan has done. They meet with Trask and blame Nate for this mess—he tricked them into confirming the computer existed and Emily used the evidence as ransom. That’s not really what happened, but Jack’s the only one who can refute this story; therefore, it’s important they place nice with him. And they also want Trask to leave Daniel alone.

Trask calls Daniel and introduces himself, since Helen Crowley has “moved on” (really, she’s lying in a ditch somewhere). Aidan comes into Daniel’s office asking for another chance to be part of his team.

Amanda is at the Stowaway looking around Emily’s room when who pops in with a fake search warrant but Trask. It’s about time they met. Trask gets a call that they’ve found a female’s body and that “Amanda’s” sister is going to identify the body. Poor Charlotte!

Ashley is getting a bit sassy—“did you kill Amanda Clarke?” she asks Conrad point-blank. But as much as she thinks she’s removed from this, Conrad reminds her that she’s been his architect through this whole mess.

Padma’s deadline to give Carrion to the Initiative is fast approaching. Nolan says he won’t hand it over until they prove her dad is still alive. He doesn’t know Helen is dead and says he’ll go through her phone records for information. She gives him a tender kiss on the cheek. While he’s investigating, Nolan realizes the Graysons killed Helen and tried to make it look like Amanda did it. Later, Daniel confronts Nolan at the office to make sure the Carrion program gets destroyed.

After IDing Emily’s body, Charlotte talks Victoria with baby Carl in the room. Victoria, menacing beast she is, is using this sad time as an opportunity to get close to Charlotte again. They’re chatting about Grandma Grayson’s funeral, and Charlotte is sad that she can’t think of anyone who will come to Emily’s (Amanda’s) service. Daniel texts Victoria that he needs to see her, and Charlotte uses the alone time to do some Googling on her half-sister.

Amanda’s looking for the computer while on the phone with Nolan, who, God bless him, refers to himself as “life’s pawn. Who’s moving me next?” Poor guy! Just then they get word that Jack’s coming out of his coma. Everyone heads to the hospital.

Jack wakes up and immediately asks about Amanda. Emily tells him. He’s understandably devastated, though I thought it was a little unrealistic he came to his senses and could fully grasp this situation so quickly. Conrad is at the hospital too, and although Amanda tells him now’s not the best time to be here, Jack is insistent on speaking with him alone.

Conrad says he’ll pay for Jack’s hospital bills (anyone else get a “Walk to Remember” flashback here? Just me? OK, moving on.) Going with his plan, Conrad is kissing Jack’s ass. But when Conrad leaves, Jack tells Amanda that he knows the real story, about them framing her father and having to murder her next. He needs the computer with the evidence against the Graysons. Amanda insists that he not tell anyone this and that he’s much safer in the hospital than running out and trying to exact revenge. After all, that’s her job.

Over drinks at a swanky bar, Daniel tells Victoria that he wants out. Everything they have is blood money. Victoria says that if he wants to rid himself of them, he has to do it strategically. Where to start: Seeing if Aidan is trustworthy, since he’s recently come back in the picture. Victoria suggests having him execute some trades that Trask ordered. If he does it, we’ll know he’s OK, because if he was evil, he wouldn’t want his hands all over those deals.

Jack asks Amanda to give his wife’s eulogy, since in the wake of everything he feels like he didn’t even know his wife. Amanda tries to coax him that the love she had for him was real. Jack gets really mad and smashes the jar of seaglass “Amanda” and he had collected when they were younger. Inside the broken pieces, Jack spots a key.

Charlotte continues Googling “Amanda”s history –she tells Amanda she’s sad that she never really got to know her, especially since she had this whole foster system past she never knew about. Amanda leaves and Charlotte gets an IM from someone named Eli James asking if she’s still looking for Amanda’s foster brother. The plot thickens! Elsewhere, Daniel asks Aidan to make those trades and he’s happy to go through with it.

Jack knows just where the code leads—a locker at a marina, where inside he finds the computer that everyone’s been looking for. Too bad he can’t figure out the password. Because he’s Nolan and has access to every technology ever, Nolan realizes that someone at the Stowaway turned on the computer. Oh no, not Jack! If Jack gets a hold of all the information, they’ll come after him next. And, he’ll figure out that his wife wasn’t really Amanda after all.

Sporting a seriously uneven sunburn, Amanda finds Jack as he’s getting ready for the funeral. He found “Amanda’s” old diaries, which reveal that she and Em were more like sisters than strangers. Jack’s furious that she lied to him and also that she could put her in danger like she did. He asks her to leave.

Enter Padma in a tantalizing red dress, as ominous music plays in the background. This doesn’t look good. It’s all very dramatic as Nolan hands over the finished Carrion (he was up all night the night before finishing it, and it shows on his haggard face and messy hair). He tells her that the fingerprint does indeed match her father’s, and that the Initiative doesn’t exactly have the best track record in holding up their end of the bargain, before he hands over the program. It’s all in Padma’s hands now.

This week’s big “Revenge” party is actually…womp womp, Emily’s funeral. She’s buried right next to David Clarke, her “dad.” Amanda is giving the eulogy as promised, even though Jack pretty much hates her right now, and Daniel tells Victoria that they can trust Aidan, who made the trades. Cut to Aidan breaking into the Stowaway (more on that in a minute). We continue to see Amanda show real emotion as she lays a flower down on the coffin. She’s afraid Jack will never forgive her. She wants to tell him the truth, he deserves that, but Nolan says something poignant: You can’t take Amanda away from him again. Also surprisingly upset at the funeral is Victoria. This is all taking place steps away from the grave of the man she loved. Before they all leave, Jack asks Nolan for computer help.

Upon returning to the Stowaway, Jack and Nolan discover that the place has been turned upside down (by Aidan). Of course, the computer is stolen. Jack blames the Graysons. Aidan brings the computer back to Amanda, “right in your hands as it belongs,” but Amanda pulls a total “Titanic” and heaves the laptop into the ocean. She’s doing it to protect Jack, she says, even though that evidence could have put the Graysons away for life. No more distractions now, she tells Aidan. This isn’t about prison. This is far worse.

In the show’s final moments, Daniel asks his assistant to have the clock from the office (the one with the camera in it) taken away, so the Initiative can no longer watch him, and yet not realize that they know he’s onto him. Amanda’s at the gravesite, it’s raining, it’s all very moody, and a strappingly handsome black man approaches her, asking if he knew the deceased. Yes, she did very well, she says. And so did he. She burned our house down, he says. Who is he? “I’m her brother.” Whoa!

The post ‘Revenge’ recap: Episode 15, ‘Retribution’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Update: Booo the video has been taken down due to a copyright claim.

We were trying to stifle our laughter when we saw this re-imagining of “Breaking Bad” as a ’90s cable show. Watch this and try not to burst into happy tears.

The post Watch this: ‘Breaking Bad’ as a ’90s family sitcom appeared first on Metro.us.