Scores and Snores — Vote on Entertainment News

Here’s when I do a roundup of entertainment news from the past week and you tell me if it excites you (Score!) or if it’s a baaaad idea (Snore). Vote and see if others share your opinions and post additional thoughts in the comments section.

(Warning: The last poll, #7, includes a spoiler about House so don’t vote on that if you don’t want to know.)

 

PETA’s Controversial, Sexy Ad about Eating Veggies (video)

Have you seen this PETA ad yet? NBC has refused to air it during the Super Bowl this weekend, deeming it too sexy for the following reasons: (Warning—explicit language involved!)

•  licking pumpkin
•  touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli
•  pumpkin from behind between legs
•  rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin
•  screwing herself with broccoli (fuzzy)
• asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina
•  licking eggplant
• rubbing asparagus on breast

After reading the list of complaints, I thought, “Wow, those advertising standards people are thorough!”

I was watching CNN when they had viewers call in to express their opinions (after CNN played an edited clip) and it was interesting to hear opposing viewpoints. One man with four daughters said it was disgusting since it exploits women. A woman caller said it’s no racier than the Victoria’s Secret commercials and fashion show and might get her teenage son to eat more vegetables! 

I agree with the woman. This ad isn’t any more titillating than a lot of things I see on network TV and and its message is ultimately positive: Veggies are good for you. It doesn’t matter if NBC doesn’t air it; the controversy has already helped PETA get its point across. 

But you don’t have to be left out. Click below to see the spot then post a comment and tell me what you think. Remember, get the kids out of the room first or you’ll have some ‘splaining to do!

‘Veggie Love’: PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 Recap — NYC and San Juan

For the first time, auditions from two cities were combined in one hour. I’d read producers were disappointed with the Puerto Rico outing (only 9 singers got golden tickets versus 26 in NYC) so they probably didn’t get enough good material there for a show by itself. But, combined with New York City, tonight’s segment was still surprisingly lackluster. No one really stood out as a potential frontrunner. Let’s break it down:

Most Promising:

• Jorge Nunez from Puerto Rico, who sang a Spanish song called “My Way” with Marc Anthony-like intensity. The judges asked for a song in English and he sang “What a Wonderful World” with less passion but enough talent to get through to Hollywood. He’s cute, too.
• From NYC, Melinda Camille, a barefoot (what’s with the trend this year?), close-shaven girl with a great smile who likes to dance naked and wants to “uplift humanity” with her voice. She sang “Feeling Good,” the perfect song for her, in a nice, strong voice and Kara called her “a vitamin boost.” Four yeses.
• Also from New York, Jackie Tohn, a singer/songwriter/guitar player who gave off a brunette Sheryl Crow vibe. Her voice had a cool, husky quality and she was much better when she sang as herself than when she tried to sing like Jason Mraz.
• A Puerto Rico find, Kendall Beard appeared for only about 30 seconds but she sounded good and is a very pretty blonde so she’ll probably do well. 

Nicest Simon Moment:

• After Adeola Adegoke’s audition didn’t go well, Simon got on the phone with her boss at the job she had just quit the day before and asked if she could have her job back. The boss said yes. What choice did he have when Simon’s asking?

Most Annoying Person to Ever Get a Ticket:

• “Norman Gentle,” aka Nick Mitchell, who came dressed like a tacky tourist in a shiny shirt, head- and wristbands, and shorts with dark dress socks. His voice wasn’t bad when he sang “Amazing Grace” but he kept doing annoying shticky stuff, believing he was funny (which he wasn’t). Surprisingly, the judges were entertained and shockingly, Mitchell made it through to Hollywood. That disgusted me. He’s not going to take the competition seriously and will just be a waste of plane fare and everyone’s time.

People Who Made My Eyeballs Roll Back the Farthest:

• Joel Contreras, from Puerto Rico. Here’s another guy who wasn’t a bad singer if he’d just commit and take the singing seriously. He came in with a giant iPod cutout, called himself a guyPod, tried to sing “Circle of Life” with a lion puppet, screamed excitedly when he was rejected, then flipped into a pool while dressed in blue superhero tights. Whatever, guy. Lay off the Red Bull.
• Alexis Cohen, who’d already been rejected last year when she auditioned with glitter all over her face and a faux rock/punk ‘tude. She’d let loose a string of profanities and double-fingered everyone. (She admitted later her tirade was an act.) This year, she appeared all cleaned up and made nice with other hopefuls in the waiting area. It was SO fake. She then sang “Like a Prayer,” poorly, and flipped Simon off when she was denied again. She tried to get all indignant outside with Ryan but it was so obvious she was once again putting on an act. Producers, please retire this girl if she ever shows up again. 

So, we had some freaks tonight but they weren’t the entertaining type, just obnoxious. Did you think the jokesters were funny? Did you like anyone I didn’t include here? I can’t wait for next week when the competition gets serious in Hollywood and all the clowns will be weeded out.

(Don’t miss out on any American Idol discussions this season—Subscribe to Obsessions of a Pop Culture Nerd by Email)

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 Recap — Salt Lake City

Now we’re talking. Tonight’s show had some very interesting, unique personalities who have Top 24 potential.

The Best:

• Frankie Jordan, a 23-year-old mom (with the cutest baby!) who stood out with Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.” She looked like Vanessa Carlton but had a Corinne Bailey Rae vibe. She’s spirited and cute and has a very likable persona.
• Megan Corkrey, 23, another mom, recently divorced, with gorgeous eyes, beautiful mane of long hair and a blanket of tattoos on her right arm. She sang “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” from the musical Showboat, not the most contemporary of songs, but her voice was so distinctive it’s undefinable, her range was impressive, and did I mention she was gorgeous? She’s off to Hollywood.
• David Osmond, 29, who’s living with MS. He’s Alan Osmond’s son (Donny and Marie’s nephew) but made it not because of his name; he could actually sing. Man, I really hope he stays healthy because the competition is going to be rough.
• Rose Flack, 17, the tearjerker of the day. Her parents both died within the last 4 years and she’s been living with a friend’s family. She’s a barefoot hippie wearing platinum blonde pseudo-dreads and a tie-dyed dress. Her look was already distinctive and I thought if she could sing, she’d be golden. Sure enough, she sang Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” with a maturity beyond her age and a soulful ache that made it believable. I hope luck will smile on this girl in Hollywood because so far, it seems to have kicked her in the teeth.

And the Next David Archuleta Is:

• Austin Sisneros, 17, an adorable little blond version of Archie. He made boring song choices, first Train’s “When I Look to the Sky” then Raffi’s “It Takes a Village,” but he’s a smiley, nice young boy with a big, mature voice. The tween girls are going to go nuts.

Most Ridiculous “Lucky” Charm:

• Why did Chris Kirkham bring his friend dressed in a pink bunny suit? Did he think he was auditioning for A Christmas Story 2? The whole thing was not only weird, it backfired. The judges liked the bunny friend more than they liked Kirkham.

Most In Need of a Massage:

• Tara Matthews, one of the most tense singers I’ve seen. She stood around stiffly, with her shoulders around her ears, and was completely humorless. Decked out entirely in black—dress, garters and gloves—she insisted she wasn’t trying to make a statement. She sang an awful version of “One Day I’ll Fly Away” from Moulin Rouge and then gave the camera the finger when rejected. Classy.

I think Salt Lake City provided the strongest batch of candidates since Phoenix. What’d you think? Check back tomorrow night for recaps of New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico!

(Don’t miss out on any American Idol discussions this season—Subscribe to Obsessions of a Pop Culture Nerd by Email)

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 Recap — Jacksonville, FL

The judges were on crack tonight. Right off the bat, they put through two super-cheesy contestants whom I’d bet will crash and burn in Hollywood while giving several good singers a hard time.  What is up?!

A rundown:

• Joshua Ulloa, who sang Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” complete with annoying vocal sound effects as if he were a DJ scratching a record. Even if he’d omitted all that scratchy wackiness, his voice was average at best. But they all voted him through without much fuss. What?!!
• The next girl, Sharon Wilbur, came in with her shih tzu and sang an unrecognizable version of Karen Carpenter’s “Superstar.” She had interesting husky tones but all she sang was “baby, baby, baby, baby” over and over. I said, “There are other words in the song!” (Yes, I talk to the TV while watching this show.) Didn’t matter—she got through. My jaw fell on the floor and rolled under the couch in protest. To borrow Randy’s favorite phrase this season: “Bizarre season 8!”
• Dana Moreno, who strangled Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.” Oh, please, no. Finally, the judges agreed with me.
• Kaneswa Finnie, a 16-year-old who was really loved by her mother. The came into the room all confident then butchered Anita Baker’s “Rhapture of Love.” She did musical sound effects between the lyrics, too! (She and Joshua must jam together.) She claimed her mama thinks she’s good so the judges called Mom into the room and Simon asked her point blank if she thought Kaneswa was good. What’s Mom gonna say in front of her kid, for goodness sakes?! Mom finally said, “She sings all over Jacksonville,” which is not an answer at all but the best thing she could’ve said.
• Julissa Veloz, a “candidata” (candidate) in the Miss Florida Latina USA beauty pageant. She actually wore a tiara and sash in the room. She seemed totally cheesy until the opened her mouth to sing Whitney’s “I Have Nothing” and I went, “Damn!” She was amazing! Such a powerful voice and remarkable control! It was so obvious this girl could mop the floor with Justin Guarini Guy but the judges hemmed and hawed before finally letting her through.
• Darin Darnell, who started out really happy, smiling, talking to everyone, dancing, making friends in the crowd. Then a guy he just met got rejected by the judges and Darnell started to fall apart. When he went into the room, he could barely hold back tears. When the judges asked what was upsetting him, he said, “Everything.” Huh? Is he bipolar? I’m worried. He sang Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Good-bye” completely off-key and I don’t think it’s because of the crying.
• Naomi Sykes, a blonde who made such a mess of Minnie Ripperton’s “Loving You,” even her friend, who was sitting on Randy’s lap in the room (don’t ask), could barely prevent herself from laughing.
• Jasmine Murray, a beautiful 16-year-old who had the most ebullient, supportive family. Her mama and sisters came with her and after Jasmine got a golden ticket for belting out Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” her family whooped and hollered, held hands and jumped for joy. The excitement was contagious.
• George Ramirez, an 18-year-old physics student with a jungle-man beard who sang Katrina and the Waves’s bouncy “Walking on Sunshine” like he was performing at a funeral. At first, I had no idea what song he was singing because he drained it of all lightness. And melody, too.
• T.K. Hash, who sang “Imagine” with wayyy too many runs. When he got to the line, “No need for greed or hunger,” I was thinking, “No need for runs or riffing.” But his voice was good and he got through.
• Michael Perrelli, who plays guitar everywhere he goes. Except in the audition room. When he found out he couldn’t accompany himself on guitar, he panicked. But he finally belted out a decent rendition of Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper.” The judges were on the fence so he started to beg and that’s when it all went wrong. Simon said Perrelli’s pleading made him mad (what?! Everyone begs!) and eventually they all said no. That made me mad. This guy wasn’t great but he was better than Shih Tzu Girl or Justin Guarini Guy. Foul!
• Finally, my favorite contestant of the evening—Anne-Marie Boskovich. This pretty brunette came in wearing a perfectly acceptable denim jacket over denim miniskirt with a white cami underneath. She said she was a huge fan of Kara’s and sang a few bars of a song Kara had sung at a Nashville event Boskovich attended. Just from those few notes, which did not represent her official audition, you could tell she had a gorgeous voice. I’d have said yes on the spot. But nooo. The judges said she didn’t exude a “star persona” so she needed to go away and come back “as a different person.” The girl went out, conveniently found a makeup artist walking around on the streets (?) and went from Sandy to Pink Lady. She came back, sang Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” in a crystal clear, Carrie Underwood voice and got a ticket. That’s a good thing but it was ridiculous how they made her jump through hoops, especially since they’d been saying yes to sub-par people all day!

What did you think of tonight’s show? Who were your faves? Did you think the judges were fair to Michael Perelli and Anne-Marie Boskovich? Tune in tomorrow for auditions in Salt Lake City!

(Don’t miss out on any American Idol discussions this season—Subscribe to Obsessions of a Pop Culture Nerd by Email)

Production Begins on Tintin Movie!

This is probably the most exciting movie news I’ve heard in a long time. How long? About thirty years.

I grew up reading Tintin in Vietnam, where the books had been translated into Vietnamese. Much to my chagrin, I had to leave them all (and everything else) behind when I left home. Luckily, they were easy to find in the States and I got to read them all over again in English. I’m such a fanatic that, besides the books, I also have Tintin glasses, mugs, T-shirts and calendars. I want to go to Belgium just to see all things Herge- and Tintin-related.

I’ve always thought the exotic adventures would make great movies. There was an animated series in the ’90s but Tintin’s voice was too high for me so I couldn’t really watch. Then, a few years ago, I heard Steven Spielberg was teaming up with Peter Jackson to produce and direct a trilogy of Tintin films.

I was so excited I almost wet myself. These are two of the best directors working today. I waited with bated breath to see who would be cast as the boy reporter and was happy to hear it was Thomas Sangster, a fine young actor probably best known as Liam Neeson’s son in Love Actually.

But then the budget issues and delays happened and Sangster had to bow out and I wondered if the projects would ever happen. Well, Variety reported yesterday that not only has the first movie, titled The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, started production in L.A. with Spielberg at the helm, Jamie Bell has inherited the role of Tintin and Daniel Craig will be the villainous pirate Red Rackham!

All my friends know I have a serious jones for Craig so his joining the franchise is almost more than I can bear. And I’ve liked Bell since Billy Elliott (and most recently in Defiance, with Craig) so I think he’s a good choice. At first, I felt he might be a little too tough but then I remembered Tintin got into quite a few fistfights and knows his way around a gun so perhaps not. The important thing is, Bell is a fine actor.

The awesomeness doesn’t stop there. Andy Serkis, who’s so talented he can play anyone or anything, had previously been announced as Captain Haddock and the hilarious duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) will be the bumbling Thompson and Thomson, respectively. This is all very good but I’m also anxious to see who gets cast as Snowy!

Peter Jackson is set to direct the second movie while Guillermo Del Toro and James Cameron are rumored as possible candidates for the third if the first two make money. If I had to make up a dream list of directors, I couldn’t have come up with better ones. Pan’s Labyrinth was mind-blowing, as was Titanic. Let’s hope Spielberg’s and Jackson’s films do well enough so that we get that third installment. I know I’ll be doing my part in shelling out money at the box office.

Any other Tintin fans out there? How do you feel about Jamie Bell as Tintin and the rest of the cast?