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November 6, 2009
Posted: 12:07 PM ET
Thank you Dwight! The “sixth housewife” said what so many were thinking Thursday night on part two of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion when he remarked on the ladies' decidedly low-key manner. After quipping that he felt like he was in church, he called the peaches out for their new it’s-all-love-spiel. Now while I don’t necessarily want to see the women at each other’s throats constantly, I agree with Dwight that they seemed to be almost suppressing their natural personalities to keep the peace. The only time things got even mildly spicy was when Lisa took on Dwight and Sheree for their comments about her fashion show, which she insisted was not a runway show (despite the presence of a runway). The only redeeming moment came for me when the camera caught Dwight’s face as Kim casually mentioned his new penile implant. I love that he shrugged it off, but for a minute there I thought he was going to leap over and test her new “can’t be pulled off” wig! At the very least I would have liked to have seen him come out and pull a Kanye West-type interruption while Kim sang “Tardy for the Party.” Did you like the show or did you fly above it? Posted by: CNN.com writer Lisa Respers France Posted: 11:30 AM ET
![]() Oh, “Parks and Recreation,” how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: 1. Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope may have met her match with Megan Mullally’s Tammy. The library director may be an even bigger nemesis for Leslie than Halloween prankster Greg Pikitis last week. Tammy wanted to build a library over Leslie’s beloved pit, instead of a park as originally planned, and Leslie - who had had run-ins with the library department before (comparing them to a biker gang: “Instead of shotguns and crystal meth, they use political savvy… and shushing”) - was ready to declare war. Poehler’s development of her character this season has been great to watch, and Mullally’s portrayal of Tammy, who would go to any lengths to build a library purely out of spite, was Emmy-worthy. Here’s hoping we see more of Tammy. 2. Leslie’s boss Ron (Nick Offerman, Mullally's real-life husband), who was completely helpless to resist ex-wife Tammy’s charms as part of her diabolical library plans. At the same time though, when he was not with her, he had no problem coming up with ways to describe how much he hated her: “Tammy and I don’t work. We are oil and water. Or oil and TNT and C4 and a detonator and a butane torch.” 3. Aziz Ansari as Tom, who is always good for a one-liner. His advice to Mark on dealing with Ann’s ex-boyfriend trying to get her back was to take the high road: “I have never taken the high road. But I tell other people to, because then there’s more room for me on the low road.” 4. And then there was the aforementioned Andy, attempting to get closer to his ex, Ann, by taking a job as a shoe-shiner at city hall. His shoe-shine station quickly became a creepy shrine to her. Are you loving “Parks and Recreation” this season as well? Do you hope to see more of Megan Mullally in the future? Share your thoughts on video or in the comments below. Filed under: television November 5, 2009
Posted: 02:47 PM ET
An article posted on Hollywood scoop specialist Nikki Finke's Deadline.com claims that Oprah Winfrey will leave her syndicated talk show in 2011 and move it to her cable network, OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network). But the "Queen of Media" isn't going anywhere, according to Winfrey's Harpo Productions... at least not yet. "She has not made a decision yet," reads a statement to CNN from Harpo Productions. "As she has previously stated, she'll be making an announcement before the end of the year." So it sounds like a change is coming... we just don't know when. Or where: according to Finke, the move would involve the show being produced in Los Angeles, not its longtime home in Chicago. That said, if Oprah decides to make a move... how will it affect her show? Will fans still watch? Posted by: CNN Entertainment Producer Jack Hannah November 4, 2009
Posted: 06:02 PM ET
Celebrities packed the red carpet at the 2009 Soul Train Awards at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Tuesday evening. In attendance were stars from the past, present and future. Hosted by Academy Award nominated actors Taraji P. Henson Terrence Howard, this year's show honored the careers and musical influences of Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid, and Kenny"Baby Face" Edmonds. Singer Charlie Wilson made a courageous appearance on the red carpet after recently recovering from early-stage prostate cancer. He encouraged fans to “get tested and learn your status.” Beyonce, Maxwell and gospel group Mary Mary all won awards but were no shows at the event. Famed crooners Boyz II Men were down to just two members after Shawn Stockman contracted the H1n1 virus. Were told it left the group scrambling to find replacement since the group was slated to perform. Lisa Wu Hartwell of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" shared some advance scoop on Thursday’s reunion show, dishing that the final episode will include more drama and she is a possible target. Twitter was also in the house with celebrities like Claudia Jordan, Latoya Luckett, and Ginuwine all admitting to being just a little addicted to the micro-blogging site. The 2009 Soul Train Music Awards is slated to air at 9 p.m. November 29 on BET. Posted by: CNN Assignment Editor/ Field Producer Divina Mims Posted: 10:43 AM ET
“Iron Chef’s” Mark Dacascos and former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin didn’t look surprised to be in the bottom three on “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesday night. Singer Aaron Carter, on the other hand, looked stunned. Just the day before, he received two perfect scores for an energetic jive that got rave reviews from the judges. Carter, who has been struggling so far in the competition, seemed ecstatic. Fast-forward to elimination night and the mood was quite different. The singer couldn’t seem to believe that he would either be cut right away or have to fight to stay in the show in a dance off. Irvin was the first celebrity to be shown the door, which left Carter and Dacascos to battle it out for a spot in the competition. Dacascos, who was pummeled by the judges on Monday for his samba, performed the cha cha for the dance off, which judge Len Goodman called “top notch.” (Judge Bruno Tonioli expressed his admiration by throwing in a “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss reference, which left the audience stunned for a moment.) Carter did another great jive, which tipped the scales in his favor and meant he could stay in the competition - for now. What did you think of the results? Posted by: A. Pawlowski, CNN.com Posted: 09:29 AM ET
It's officially a "So You Think You Can Dance" season now that we've been blown away by a few dances, and had a couple of emotional goodbyes to some early favorites on Tuesday night's show. Last week's injured Noelle was back but the judge's chair set aside for Paula Abdul, alas, remained empty as the top 18 took the stage. ![]() Unfortunately for Noelle, her first performance with Russell didn't fit the bill. Their tennis-inspired hip-hop dance was just a mess, and it just goes to show you that not every routine involving a prop is a winner. Also looking bad out there were Channing and Phillip, who admitted that they struggled through a samba with some of the most awkward lifts I've ever seen on the show. I had high hopes for Victor and Bianca's "Color Purple"-inspired routine but they just didn't bring the passion that was required. By this point, it was pretty clear to see that two of these six dancers probably wouldn't be back. But enough about the sub-par performances, because there was also plenty to cheer about last night: Jakob continues to blow everyone away, and his partner Ashleigh finally matched him in their Viennese waltz. Fellow ballroom dancer Karen shined brightly as well, absolutely nailing a NASCAR-inspired hip-hop dance with partner Kevin. The judges heaped praise on her, and this week, at least, I agree with them. So far, this show has batted 1,000 with Bollywood routines, and I have to agree with judge Mary Murphy that Nathan and Mollee brought a new energy to it. Mollee especially took it to the next level. Legacy, however, brought it to the next dimension. He and Kathryn, whose contemporary routine about fear brought the house down, are quickly becoming my favorite couple. I have to agree with the judges that he is surprising us at every turn with his growth. The excellent performances continued, as Peter and Pauline flawlessly inhabited characters trapped in a Van Gogh painting (a Wade Robson production, of course, which I definitely liked more than the judges), and Ellenore delivered an incredible Argentine tango with Ryan, despite the fact that her dress was caught in her heel during most of it. As the judges made their picks for the bottom four, it was already clear that this would be tapper Phillip's swan song, and he gave an emotional goodbye speech, mentioning the fact that half of the dancers showed up at his father's funeral just days before, and even the unflappable Cat Deeley couldn't hold back the tears. It was less predictable, and a real shame to say farewell to another tapper on the same night: Bianca, who had one of the most infectious personalities of anyone in the top 20. Next week, the audience finally gets to weigh in on who should stay and who should go. Do you agree that Bianca deserved another shot? Did Ashleigh, Mollee, Legacy and Karen wow you this week as well? Post a video iReport or comment below. Posted by: CNN.com associate producer Henry Hanks Posted: 09:23 AM ET
It was pretty much impossible to avoid the promos for ABC's remake of the 1980s miniseries-turned-series "V" the past few weeks. And at long last, it was unleashed on the viewing public Tuesday night. The basic plot, as anyone who saw the original knows, involves a massive invasion by dozens of alien ships, whose passengers, the Visitors, "come in peace," merely wanting to meet other, newly-discovered forms of intelligent life, and to borrow some of their resources. The reality, of course, is something far more sinister. Fans of the original probably won't miss the '80s hair, the aliens' orange jumpsuits or the oftentimes wooden acting. But many of the trademarks are there: Reptilian skin underneath human-like features, check. Weird alien technology and weapons, check. A slowly-forming resistance to the Visitors, check. A big fight/shoot-out between resisters and Visitors, check. No doubt the special effects, and indeed, most of the performances are better than the original. "Lost's" Elizabeth Mitchell shows she can probably carry this series as a suspicious FBI agent. Logan Huffman, plays her son, a wide-eyed teen all too happy to sign up with the really, really ridiculously good-looking Visitors. "Firefly's" Morena Baccarin strikes just the right tone, as the Visitors' charismatic yet creepy leader. "Party of Five's" Scott Wolf has the toughest job here, as a well-coiffed reporter who sells out his principles for fame. Like most remakes, it has to strike the right balance between pleasing the fans and bringing enough originality to the table to make it all worthwhile. The last 15 minutes or so of the series certainly did that by adding some twists (the spray-painted "V" now has the opposite meaning, Mitchell's closest friend is a Visitor, and the Visitors have been among us for years). The problem will be sustaining that for an ongoing series, and keeping the suspense up week after week for an audience used to the brilliance of "Lost." After a while, "Whoa! That person was a Visitor the whole time!" will get old. And with only three more weeks to prove itself before going on hiatus, the pressure is on. Did you watch the premiere of "V?" Will you be watching again? And if you saw the original, how do you think it measured up? Check out what iReporters have to say about it, and share your own comments on video or below. Posted by: CNN.com associate producer Henry Hanks November 3, 2009
Posted: 08:18 PM ET
This just in: to counter the widespread belief that the Motion Picture Academy is dominated by old white guys, the 82nd Academy Awards will be hosted by... two old white guys! Okay, Alec Baldwin is barely past the half-century mark, and doing what many consider the best work of his career on "30 Rock," but Steve Martin will be eligible for Medicare next year. (Man, now I feel old.) Martin has proven his chops writing as well as performing, and it's a good bet they'll make at least a few references to the comedy "It's Complicated," which comes out this Christmas and stars Baldwin and Martin as rivals for Meryl Streep's affections. And Baldwin will probably take a jab at his co-host by mentioning his 2004 Oscar nomination, as Best Supporting Actor for "The Cooler," a few times: Martin has never received a nod from the Academy, not even for his marvelous screenplay for 1987's "Roxanne." As for hosting, Baldwin is something of a novice, but Martin hosted the Academy Awards in 2001, earning an Emmy nomination, and again in 2003. Interestingly, when our Denise Quan interviewed Martin this May about his new bluegrass album, she asked him about a possible return as Oscar host. His reply: "I don't think so... I did it twice, that was enough... as soon as you say yes to the Oscars, that's the only thing you think about for three months." Guess we know what he'll be thinking about between now and next March 7. The "mature" pair probably won't dance about the stage as Hugh Jackman did last year, though there's a good chance Martin will pull out his banjo at least once... and they're definitely both funny. How do you think they'll do as Oscar hosts? Posted by: CNN Entertainment Senior Producer David Daniel Posted: 11:20 AM ET
The competition is getting tougher and so are the judges’ comments on “Dancing With the Stars.” Last night, the biggest zingers were reserved for Mark Dacascos, host of Food Network's "Iron Chef America," who has had a good run on the show until now. His samba - performed with new dance partner Anna Trebunskaya, filling in for Lacey Schwimmer who was under the weather this week – seemed like a nice, energetic routine but it really didn’t go over well with the judges. It was like “Kung Fu Panda doing the samba on the ‘Planet of the Apes,’ ” said judge Bruno Tonioli. (Ouch.) “It was a mess,” added judge Carrie Ann Inaba. Maybe it was the jarring black and green costumes the couple wore during the routine? All of the professional dancers sported outfits designed by their celebrity partners on last night’s show, with mixed results. Louis Van Amstel tried to make the best out of the electric blue, fringe-gone-wild pants picked out for him by Kelly Osbourne. Fringe worked better for Karina Smirnoff, who wore a great pink dress chosen by singer Aaron Carter. But it was their amazing footwork that earned them a couple of perfect scores for their jive. “That had enough energy to light up Hollywood,” said judge Len Goodman. (Not to take anything away from Carter's routine, but does it seem like the famously cranky Goodman has been told to be more generous with praise? He's been uncharacteristically complimentary of most couples over the last couple of episodes.) Two celebrities will be eliminated from the competition tonight. Who do you think should go? Posted by: A. Pawlowski, CNN.com November 2, 2009
Posted: 04:09 PM ET
Game Five of the 2009 World Series is scheduled to begin at 7:57 p.m. ET tonight in Philadelphia, and hitting the national stage is seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette. She'll be performing the National Anthem. It's not an easy song to sing, and having a stadium-sized audience of fired-up sports fans – not to mention millions more watching on TV – is either one hell of an inspiration or a recipe for total disaster. Morissette is certainly no shrinking violet, as the lyrics to her songs attest. I'm guessing she'll nail it. Not everyone has managed to, though, and I'm betting you can remember a few botched attempts. Who do you think has performed the worst rendition of the National Anthem ever? Posted by: CNN Entertainment Unit Supervising Producer Jennifer Wolfe |
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