Robert Downey Jr. Can Get It!

Confession time. I don't watch American Idol; never have and never will. However, I have seen very few performances posted on youtube e.g. Adam Lambert's take on Tracks of My Tears It was thus a great pleasure to see this next delight. In my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. is so cool and smooth in this. Jack Black although dramatic, has the moves down! I knew he can sing but I had no idea RDJ has some ballet and tap dance in his background. I'm loving this guy more and more. This clip is from from American Idol finale in 2008. I told you I don't watch that show!

My Eyes Are Green - Part Deux

Love the guts of the blonde lady who admitted she was pissed to see she missed out on Oprah's Favorite Things episode. She's right, the rest of the audience was lying! Here's the list:

• Apple ipad
• Classic sparkle UGG Boots
• Madison Patent Large Sofia satchel by Coach
• silk and cashmere tunic with hand beading with black silk and cashmere leggings from Magaschoni
• Hope in a jar by Philosophy customized with a baby picture of Oprah
• $500 lingerie gift certificate from Nordstrom for you and a friend
• Herb-Saver by Prepara
• Chicken Pie by Centerville offered by Harry and David
• 6.5 gallon Garrett's popcorn with a customized favorite things tin
• Le Creuset cast iron pots and pans 10 piece customized Oprah set
• Miracle body jeans by Miraclesuit
• Sophie Jewelry box from Pottery Barn
• Jessica Leigh diamond earrings by Dana Rebecca Designs (100 diamonds in each pair)
• $100 Donors Choose gift card provided by Bing. Bing will donate $1 up to $1M donors for everyone who visits www.bing.com/gives
• Mini Croissants from Williams-Sonoma
• Favorite Things Assortment by Talbott teas
• The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo
• A Christmas duet by by Johnny Mathis and Josh Groban
• Yes, it's not what you think!!! Oprah wanted to give VW's red beetle.
• Ok, 2012 VW Beetle instead. This is when I cry. Not from envy but I'm filled with joy for the audience. They'll be the first to own one when it debuts next year in May. 

Like Oprah said, something really magical, and joyful and magical can happen to you when you least expect it.

My Eyes Are Green

'Cause I eat a lot of vegetables. It has nothing to do with Oprah's final Favorite Things Episode. This year Oprah decided to do two episodes. For me, the best part of viewing this show is seeing the reaction of the audience. The black man in the red tie's reaction was simply put, priceless! Check out 0:13, 0:38 and 0:54



I wish I could hide my envy but the chosen audience was truly deserving. Here's a list of what they received.

• Philip Stein Dual time zone diamond watch specially designed for Oprah's 25th silver anniversary retailing $2,475
• Tory Burch tote in grey flannel and silver trimming with the ballerina flats
• Nikon Digital SLR D3100
• Ralph Lauren for Oprah customized cashmere sweater with a matching cashmere cable throw
• Judith Ripka eclipse earrings canary crystals with white sapphire set in sterling
• Andre Walker's (Oprah's hairstylist for 25 years) hair care system now this I would love to have
• 18 Lafco candles retailing $55 each
• Breville panini press from William's Sonoma
• Kyocera ceramic cutlery set
• Beechers World's Best Mac & Cheese
• Bakers Edge brownie and lasagna pan
• A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson
• The book Decoded Jay-Z
• 5 year netflix membership yeah, I could kill for this one! 
• 52inch Sony Bravia 3D flat screen plus blu-ray player this is the point where I said "Oh F*%*k" 
• Kiva gift card provided by Groupon who will match contributions
• Customized closet to be built by the Container Store
• Farewell season t-shirt
• Lululemon athletica drawstring pants
• 4 pairs of Nike Free Run+ shoes
• Everyone flies United Airlines to board Royal Carribean's Allure of The Seas for a 7 days cruise through the Caribbean now I'm pissed with goose bumps all over
• A performance by the Black Eyed Peas and their brand new cd, The Beginning.

Side note- I hope those medics and fedex guys are also getting some of the ultimate favorite things. I don't know if I can make it through part 2.

Run and Tell Dat Homeboy!

They're raping err body out here! We looking for you...we gon find you! Antoine Dodson fell into some fame accidentally. Someone broke into his family home and tried to rape his sister. The news crew run a report about it and obviously Antoine and his sister had something say about it. The rest of it, well, he took it to the bank with the Bed Intruder Song. And then to BET Hip Hop Awards last night. He's made so much money he was able to move his mom out of the projects. What can I do to move myself out of my current situation and pursue this entertainment writing thing full time? Pointers? Suggestions?

Watch the original newscast, then the video for the song, then his appearance on BET's Hip Hop Awards. PRICELESS!

Divorce Court - Tyler Perry Style

I happen to have too much time on my hands lately. This means a lot of tv watching. I came across an episode of Divorce Court. Man, this was the most hilarious episode of Divorce Court I have ever seen! D'Atra Hicks - an actress and amazing singer familiar to us in movies and plays by Tyler Perry - is in court with her estranged husband. She admits to being abusive towards him but she also caught him living a life with another woman out of town. Take note of how she is dealing with her anger issues. Priceless!!

Fall 2010 New Show: "$#*! My Dad Says"

Shit My Dad Says is a comedy based on a twitter account of the same name. The show stars Henry (played by Jonathan Sadowski) as a recently laid-off man, living with his 72 year old dad Ed (played by William Shatner) who never minces his word. I remember there being a lot of hoopla about "shit" in the title but thank goodness CBS didn't budge and kept the word "shit" - even if it is as $#*! *sidenote* HBO never had any problem with Senator Davis' impressive use of the word...sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

First, I enjoyed the Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps promo - $#*! Gordon Gekko says. Second, considering the source material and the fact that it came from Will & Grace producers, I was expecting a lot of zing. But this is cbs; how much of the vulgar nature of the real Ed can be portrayed on network TV? In my opinion, the show would be a better fit for cable tv, but on the other hand, the show can reach more viewers on network tv. However, is the latter worth deviating from the original feel of the tweets? How much of the spirit of "real Ed" from tweets can you fit in a half-hour comedy show?

In the end, I think the writers will have to feel comfortable enough to explore Ed - you know, flesh out the character past his quips - and grow past tweets less than a year old as source material. All in all, there's a lot of room for improvement. However, I will keep checking in hoping it will get better.

Every Little Step I Take

Funny or Die is filled with comedic gold moments. The sites latest offering just brightened my day. Wow Mike, dancing is not your strong suit but I gotta love him for being such a sport. Wayne Brady should do more comedy; rare episodes of How I Met Your Mother is not enough. Make sure to check the sites Hall of Fame section on the right. Enjoy!

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson

Fall 2010 New Show: Better With You

Better With You is a new comedy on ABC about 3 couples. Mia and Casey (Joanna Garcia and Jake Lacy) have been dating 7 and a half weeks. Their relationship has progressed very fast. Mia is pregnant and her and Jake are engaged. Her older sister Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) has been dating Ben (Josh Cooke) for 9 years. They are not married and continue to defend their "valid life choice". Mia and Maddie's parents (played by Kurt Fuller and the wonderful Debra Jo Rupp of That 70's Show) have been together 35 years. We are introduced to all three couples as Mia prepares to break the engagement rule to her family.

So that's the plot. Verdict? It's forgettable. It's a show I would put on if there was nothing else to watch really. There was nothing fresh or exciting about it - which is too bad because I find Josh Cooke super hot! Honestly, that's all I can say about the show...next!

Fall 2010 New Show: Mike & Molly

Mike & Molly is a sitcom on CBS brought to you by the creators of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. I'm not sure if this comedy will bring their batting average to 3-out-of-3. Mike is a cop in Chicago while Molly is a school teacher. They both meet at Over-eaters Anonymous. Mike is a great guy but filled with insecurities about his weight. Due to this, he's not able to see that Molly is interested in him. Plus, after his partner convinces him that Molly is interested, Mike has a hard time getting the words out.

The list of supporting characters include the highlarious Katy Mixon as Molly's sister and Swoosie Kurtz as Molly's mom. They could be in line for their own show. Mike's partner, Carl, on the other hand is an annoying, trying-too-hard, token minority of the show. His only redeeming quality is that he's Mike's constant champion and cheering squad.

The laugh track feels very forced. May be with time the show will find it's rhythm. I do believe that the characters that play Mike and Molly (Billy Gardell and the always lovely Melissa McCarthy) have great chemistry. They definitely do need this since the show is about them. Another show that it resembles is Dharma and Greg; also brought to you by Chuck Lorre, the producer of this show. The writers will have to tone down on the fat jokes. Yes, Mike's fat jokes could be masking something deeper but should the supporting actors constantly make fat jokes even unintentionally? I'll give this show 2 more viewings and see whether it will stay in my tv viewing schedule.

Committed

So I finally got around watching Why Did I Get Married Too? The film is now available on dvd. I was eager to see how this sequel would hold up to the original and I was pleasantly surprised; but not that much. For one, all the main actors from the first movie were on board for the sequel. It has been a few years since we last saw them and they’ve all gone through changes. Tyler Perry and Sharon Leal’s characters now have kids and seem happier. Jill Scott and Lamman Rucker’s characters have relocated to Georgia with a baby. Malik Yoba and Janet Jackson’s characters are still married but body language says a lot. Tasha Smith and Michael J. White’s characters are still as dysfunctional and loud as ever. However, White’s character now has a steady job as a sportscaster.

Much like the previous Tyler Perry films without Madea, everyone is not leading the life they want their friends to see; they all have something to hide. Their annual couple’s retreat has a crasher; Richard T. Jones, who now realizes he let go of a great woman (Jill Scott’s character) and wants her back. Why now? That’s revealed much later in the film.
I felt that these couples were handed too many obstacles. Does everyone’s marriage have to be falling apart? Isn’t there one couple actually happy? A few performances stood out to me. Angela (Tasha Smith) brought on all the laughs but unlike the first film, she went way overboard with her over-the-top antics. Sidenote: The actress has a body to die for!

Patricia (Janet Jackson) really moved me. Much of this is to be credited to Janet Jackson. Her breakdown scenes alone are worth the admission price to this film. For the first time I actually saw Janet Jackson as an actress. I also couldn’t help but wonder if she taped the scenes before or after her famous brother’s death. Patricia, in my opinion, went through too much in one lifetime. The loss of a child, now a divorce and the surprise ending that I don’t want to spoil for anyone who hasn’t watched the film. This is definitely one of Perry’s stronger films.

Emmys This Weekend

It's a great weekend for fellow television lovers. Primetime Emmy Awards air tomorrow night. As usual, I have picked those that I think should win. Here are my votes:

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine "Old Christine" Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - this is a hard one but I'm picking Matthew Fox as Dr. Jack Shepard on Lost over Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House on House M.D. 
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Glenn Close as Patty Hewes on Damages
• Outstanding Comedy Series -  As much as I love Glee, I give this one to Modern Family
• Outstanding Drama Series - There'll be another year for True Blood, I give this one to the spectacular final season of Lost
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jon Cryer as Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Martin Short as Leonard Winstone on Damages
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester on Glee
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons on Damages

Throwback

Do you remember that Joe Lawrence used to sing? Do you remember it was actually a hit song? Whoa! I bet that tidbit skipped your mind. In Celebration of his new ABC Family sitcom premiering on August 17th, Melissa & Joey, enjoy Nothin' my love can't fix.

2010 Emmy Nominations

Today morning, the 2010 Emmy nominations were announced. The show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will air on Sunday August 29th at 8pm EST. You can view the full list here.

Thoughts on the nominations:

• Didn't know there was a category for Outstanding Choreography. Go ahead with your bad self Derek Hough!
• Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit from How I Met Your Mother was nominated. LOVE IT!
• So happy that Matthew Fox finally got nominated. He definitely put in his best work during the last season of Lost. The complete collection is $150 (Amazon) and available on August 24th; you can pre-order now. Yeah, I'm saving up for that one!
• Maybe it's time I start watching Friday Night Lights....ah, who am I kidding...can't be bothered.
• Would have been a shame if Michael Sheen didn't get nominated for playing Tony Blair...again. But he's safe.
• Community was ROBBED!!! It should have replaced Modern Family. I have watched the first three episode of Modern Family and I just couldn't get into it.
• Jon Cryer is awesome in Two and a Half Men. So glad he got nominated and I hope he repeats a win like last year.
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama series looks real tough this year. But Martin Short stands out to me. He was brilliant in Damages. But then there's Michael Emerson as Ben Linus on Lost. I just can't decide. 
• Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony's may have forgotten you but the Emmys have you covered.
• Please let Lost win for Outstanding Drama!
• Yay! True Blood was nominated for Outstanding Drama!!
• And the best revenge for Conan O'Brien; get nominated for an Emmy while Jay Leno gets zilch...SWEET!

Good luck to all the nominees!

Jam of The Day

This 21 year old South London MC,Tinie Tempah, has been on the music scene since 2005. His claim to fame was a YouTube video he shot for his underground hit Wifey. Five years later, MTV has nominated him as an artist to watch for MTV's 10 for 2010. He is set to release his first studio album, The Disc-Overy, this August. Pass Out is his first single and is already a UK number 1 hit. His second single, Frisky, is sitting stead at no. 2; right behind England's World Cup anthem, Shout by rapper Dizzee Rascal and. actor James Corden of Gavin and Stacey fame.

I'm Mental!

Lost is over, Flash Forward is over, New Adventures of Old Christine is over. I now will have to get a life and leave the house! What will be my new addiction? I'm running out of Japanese and Korean dramas to watch. I may now have to join mom and watch Filipino dramas and Telenovelas. What suggestions do you have? I know summer has not officially started but I'm already worried about my fall tv schedule. This year I have so many openings that I fear I may have to start watching Dancing With The Stars and, God forbid, Survivor and American Idol out of boredom. Oh the horror!

Killers

As previously mentioned, my brother and I continued with our tradition of movie marathons. The second and final on our list was "Killers" starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigel. Ashton plays Spencer Aimer, a government assassin on a mission in Nice. Jen Kornfeldt (played by Katherine) is a computer tech also vacationing there with her parents, played by Tom Selleck and the delightful and crazy Catherine O'Hara after a bad break-up. Once Spencer meets Jen, he walks away from the spy life to lead a happy normal life in a community filled with neighbors. Three years into the marriage, their happy life is soon thrown upside down when a hit is put on Spencer and there's no knowing which of their seemingly nice neighbors and friends are sleepy agents bent on collecting the $20M bounty. Spencer soon has to confess to Jen about his previous life while trying to save both their lives and marriage.


At times Spencer's spy life seemed like a scene from any Bond film. The beautiful women, killer cars I would kill for given the chance and exotic locations I can only dream of visiting. Spencer also seems to settle in well in suburbia. But much like the beautiful Wisteria Lane neighborhood of Desperate Housewives you never truly know your neighbours; everyone has something to hide. The first sleeper agent to emerge is a surprise, but the next few become to predictable and almost boring. Even the reveal of the spy who ordered the hit could be seen a mile away. But with every moment, Mrs. Kornfeldt provided alcohol filled hilarity. That is one boozy lady! 

This role was something different for Ashton in my books. For the first time, I saw him as a man and not a man child stuck in his Punk'd days. He was quite a delight. Demi Moore is one lucky lady. Katherine played the usual characters she's known to play; no stretch whatsoever. May be it's time to challenge yourself a bit more. While the film is enjoyable and filled with enough "awww" moments for the ladies, this is one film I could have waited to watch on pay cable or netflix. 


*Rating - Rent it!

Get Him To The Greek - Review

I love when my brother visits. It means we'll do back to back movies, talk about random stuff and have so much fun together. Too bad A-Team was not opening this weekend. My brother really wanted to watch Get Him To The Greek starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. I wanted to watch A-Team  but it was the wrong weekend as my luck would have it. I wasn't expecting much from this film. Boy was I wrong. First, I had forgotten Aldous Snow was in the forgettable (pun intended) Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Second, two minutes into the film I almost died from laughing.

First, about the film. Hill plays Aaron Green, a record company intern. He lives with his girlfriend played by Elisabeth Moss of Mad Men fame. During a meeting at work, he pitches the idea of staging the 10th anniversary concert of Aldous Snow at the Greek Theatre. His boss played by P. Diddy (more on him later) is not too keen on the idea but later tasks Aaron to collect Aldous Snow from London and get him to the Today show in New York then to the Greek Theatre in L.A. It is what happens during this trip that makes the movie.

As soon as the movie started, I thought I was in the wrong movie hall. Why? The movie starts with the Aldous Snow's video for the worst single EVER "African Child". You'll want to click on that link; trust me! The first few minutes of the film chronicles his notoriety through magazine covers and paparrazi run ins with stars such as Pink, Christina Aguilera etc. The celebrity that kills it for me is on-again/off-again girlfriend Jackie Q; played hilariously by Rose Byrne currently seen in the FX drama Damages. It also includes the funniest line I have heard all year. It's a response to Snow sr.'s claim that he managed Aldous' first two years of his career. It's too dirty to quote here but hilarious.

The most memorable supporting character is P. Diddy as Aaron's over-the-top music mogul boss, Sergio. I would not be surprised if this character get's his own movie. Initially I thought Diddy would essentially play himself in this film. I'm sure there was a bit of that but he sure was memorable. The scene where he eats his own head during Aaron's drug filled haze should convince anyone that Diddy should venture into comedy. Some of his memorable lines include "You ever been mind f***ed before? I'm minding f***ing you right now. You feel my d**k in your mind? I hope you are wearing a condom cause I have a dirty mind!", 

All in all, my brother and I left this movie theatre extremely happy. And we learned one thing from Aldous, "When life hands you a Jeffrey, stroke the furry wall!"


*Rating - GO WATCH!