Month: February 2009

entertainment

Q&A: Jimmy Fallon

Becca

Fallon talks about filling the big shoes (and hair) of ‘Late Night’

NBC
NBC

Rebecca Ford
Metromix
February 24, 2009

For six years, Jimmy Fallon kept the laughs coming on “SNL.” We loved him for his stoner Jarret, his radio DJ Joey Mack and his eternal bedhead on “Weekend Update.” Then, he left the show to pursue a career in the movies. Now, he’s making his epic return to TV as a late-night talk show host, replacing Conan O’Brien on NBC’s “Late Night.”

Fallon hopes to change things up with his show, and has already booked Robert De Niro for his first show, and hired hip-hop group The Roots as his house band. We talked to Fallon about his guests, his nerves and how in the world he got Van Morrison to appear on his show.

You have some pretty big hair to fill. How do you feel about that?
You know, I got my own hair issues so I’m sure I’ll figure it out. My nerves have kind of gone now, to be honest. I’m more just anxious and excited. I’m not taking Conan away. He’s not leaving. So I think if you love your Conan, I’m not hurting you at all. It’s going to be a good show. I’m just looking forward to it. I’m anxious and I’m ready to go.

Do you still get nervous when you’re on the stage in the spotlight?
Yes, I definitely still get nervous. I’m doing stand-up these days and that first 30 seconds when I come on stage, I’m nervous. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Because you can do the same jokes, the same delivery, different audience, you get different response. And that’s what makes it kind of fun.

How do you think your late night show will be different?
I think ours will be different in the fact that we’re younger. We’ll treat a video game premiere like a movie premiere. And we’re not going to hide the fact that people are on the Internet all day. I’m currently on Twitter and Facebook and Flickr and Digg.

Tell us about your first guest—the one, the only Robert De Niro.
De Niro is my first choice. I think he’s quintessential New York. He’s a legendary actor. I love him. I worked with him once at “Saturday Night Live” and like a couple things here and there. I think he represents New York more than anyone. He’s the king and I was honored that he said yes.

He’s rumored to be a tough interview.
I thought that it’d be kind of good to have my first guy be probably one of the toughest people you can interview. It could be kind of fun to see if we can get anything out of it. I don’t know, and it might be terrible. It might be awful. But I’m excited.

And what about Van Morrison?
I just lucked out because he’s in the city. He’s performing the full album of Astral Weeks. And if you love any music you know that that’s a phenomenal record. He’s one of my favorites of all times. So the fact that he was in town is just pure luck.

Has Van Morrison actually seen your impersonation of him?
I can almost guarantee you he has no idea who I am. I don’t even know if I’m going to show it to him. I don’t know that guy at all. I was psyched just to book him. I don’t know if I want to piss him off before he comes on the show. I respect him, I love him and I could sing any song backup if he needs me.

Is there anyone that you’re really hoping to interview?
I’d love to talk to the Queen of England if you have any way to get in touch with her. I’d love to just pick her brain and just tell her how much I love her. I think she’s super cool. Also, I’d love to go into space with Richard Branson and David Bowie. I know Branson’s got that space machine he’s working on. And I could be the first talk show host in space so I would love to make that happen. That’d be my dream probably.

A lot of people forget that being an interviewer is a very tough skill. What are you doing to prepare to be a good interviewer?
Every morning I sit my wife to the right of me and I ask her what she’s going to do that day. We run a clip and then we go to commercial.

How did you decide to have The Roots as your house band? You seem to be making history by having a rap band as a late night house band.
I don’t know who to compare them to because they can play with Tony Bennett and they could play with Jay-Z and it sounds great. They’re so diverse. I don’t know who else could do that. Plus on top of that they’re funny as hell. And so they’re going to do sketches and it’s going to be good. I really, really, really struck gold and I’m so happy and honored that they would be my band.

For your sketches, are you going to be going outside the studio at all?
Completely. More than shows have in the past I hope. I think New York City is the greatest city in the world. You can do so much stuff here and it’s like a huge playground. So I think we’re going to be more New York-centric than the shows have been in the past.

What type of advice did Conan give you?
I think the thing he’s repeated is that you’ve just got to do it. Just do it, just keep doing it because then that’s how you learn how to do it. Just get up there and just start swinging.

How do you plan to keep people tuned in night after night?
I honestly don’t know. I just know that every night I’m going to go out and give the best I can. And try to make you forget about your life and the bills you have to pay and your job. Just give me 10 minutes at 12:30 a.m. and I’ll make you laugh and then you can go to sleep or stay awake.

If you could write a new tag line for your show, what would it be?
“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”— coconutty, carmelly, little chug of chocolate on it.

See Metromix.com

animals, entertainment

Veggie lovers make better lovers?

Becca

So, I’m driving down Sunset Blvd, and one of those obnoxious electric billboards catches my attention. (How could it not? Those things are BRIGHT!)

It is all these women in their skivvies caressing–wait for it–vegetables.

Right before I drove away, the screen said “Studies show that vegetarians have better sex” or something like that.

First of all, gotta love Sunset Blvd.
Secondly, who made this ad, and is it true?

I did some digging and turns out it’s probably a PETA ad, similar to the one that was banned from the Super Bowl for being too naughty.

I’m almost a vegetarian (thinking about taking the plunge now) and fan of PETA, so here’s the ad. Way to get creative, people.

entertainment

Happy love day

Becca

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On this day, we hear a lot of grumblings about , “I’m single on Valentine’s Day.” “I don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day.” “This is my third year without a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day.”

But to me this day is about LOVE, in all forms. Love for your friends, your family, for your city, for travel, for the future, for whatever. Love takes so many different forms, and all of them should be appreciated. We’re lucky to even have the opportunity to find out what love feels like. I love it!

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entertainment

Top ten infomercials

Becca

Counting down our favorite infomercials of all time (now with 50% more commercial!)

Rebecca Ford
Metromix
February 5, 2009

941107_ratio3x4_width180Infomercials get a bad rap, but they’re really like itty-bitty movies. They’ve got a crisis (“I’m too fat!” or “My knives are dull!” or “My shammy is insufficiently absorbent!”), a climax (usually accompanied by ooohs, aaahs and canned applause from a nonexistent studio audience) and a resolution (“Thank you, Thighmaster!”). They’ve got all the glitz and glam of Hollywood, plus a creepy vibe from someone trying to convince you to buy a personal dehydrator.

We’ve gathered up the craziest, strangest and most illogical infomercials from the past couple of decades. From exercise equipment to culinary swag, our list of the best infomercials this side of 3:30 a.m. will make you want to pick up the phone and dial for your very own Snuggie, Miracle Blade or [gulp] Tiddy Bear…..

See the list (with video!) at Metromix.

animals

Poor Mr. Opossum

Becca

A poor little opossum was shot in Van Nuys. What kind of jerk would do this?

Luckily, they saved the guy. Here’s the story:

 

WOODLAND HILLS – It took two surgeons 3 1/2 hours to plug a 9 mm bullet hole through his head.

It may take another operation – or a total $9,000 worth of surgery – and months of intensive care to save him.

The victim: a Virginia opossum gunned down Saturday in Van Nuys.

“He’s really a lucky guy,” said Brenda Varvarigos, founder of Valley Wildlife Care in Woodland Hills, who is nursing the wounded critter. “I have a soft spot for opossums because people hate them, misunderstand them.

“Most people don’t realize that (we) would save an opossum.”

It took a village to save this one.

It was just after dark Saturday when a woman called the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services to report an opossum down in front of her apartment complex.

An adult male had a bloody hole in its head.

When West Valley shelter Officer G. Hartel arrived, she found the marsupial wrapped in blankets, defended by neighborhood children.

“Kids were standing around it; they thought I was going to harm it,” Hartel said.

Hartel, who has a penchant for diverting injured wildlife from almost-certain euthanasia, knew just where to take the wheezing animal.

At 10:30 p.m., she carried him to Varvarigos, a mother-of-three whose backyard rescue center rehabilitated 920 injured birds and mammals picked up by animal control officers last year….

Read the rest here

entertainment, news

Give up the yacht AND the personal trainer?

Becca

Check out LA Times’ Steve Lopez column….so funny:

WALL STREET CEO: Hi, honey, I’m at the office and I’ve got horrible news.

CEO WIFE: Oh, my gosh. Is Obama cutting back on the bailout?

CEO: It’s worse than that. He’s ordering pay cuts for Wall Street bosses whose companies get handouts.

WIFE: Is that even legal?

CEO: I think so, and I’m afraid we’re going to have to tighten our belts.

WIFE: What kind of a pay cut are you talking about?

CEO: Brace yourself. It’s $500,000.

WIFE: Well, that’s harsh, and Obama must not have any idea how hard you work. But I think we can get by on $10.5 million a year.

CEO: No, you don’t get it. My pay would be $500,000. That’s it. Honey? Honey, are you there?

WIFE: Yes, I’m here. I’m breathing into a paper sack.

CEO: Should I call 911?

……….see the rest here

entertainment, film

‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ review

Becca

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By Rebecca Ford

A week ago, I was perusing the bookshelves at my local dollar bookstore, when I noticed it. There, next to a Hillary Clinton biography, it sat screaming at me with its pink and green cover.

“He’s Just Not That Into You”

This instant-hit of tough love advice took the world of single, clingy, broken-hearted women by storm a few years back. It’s combination of honest-ugly truth and empowering mantra was just what women needed.

I admit I’d never read the thing, but with a screening of the new film a week away, I thought I should do some research.

While the book is clearly self-help, it’s also funny and not quite as painful as you’d think. Sure, the authors, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, give it to you straight (some guys just won’t think you’re all that special), but they also remind you that you are worth someone thinking you are special.

Now, to the film. Based on the book, I would expect this film to be a lot of really insecure women crying over their men, and making excuses for their bad behaviors. And, sure, there is some of that.

But the movie surpasses the book on so many levels. It’s funny, and real, and imaginative all at the same time. I’m not saying it’s going to change the world any time soon, but it is a valiant effort in examining the messy dating game, and the causalities it can leave behind.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” tells the story of a group of interconnected Baltimore-based twenty- and thirty-somethings involved in all levels of the dating scene from casual dating to married.

The cast is all-star, to say the least. Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Connolly, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Kris Kristofferson, Bradley Cooper and Ginnifer Goodwin play the main characters, and do it well. The real standouts are Goodwin, who plays Gigi, an insecure, and somewhat clingy single girl, and Bradley Cooper, who plays a married man whose eyes are straying towards Scarlett Johansson. Both of their performances are honest, and endearing, even when their characters are doing all sorts of embarrassing and hurtful things.

Perhaps the best thing about this movie is that we finally get to see how we act in the dating game. And the reflection isn’t pretty. Overanalysis, stalking, and passive aggressive behavior are just a few of the tricks that we all know too well.

The dialogue is genuinely funny, mostly because it’s so relatable. Often, it is secondary or tertiary characters who have the best lines. Each “chapter” of the movie is introduced with a random person talking straight into the camera (like the Sex and the City TV show of yore) about their troubles of the heart. These monologues are witty, creative, honest and a nice addition to the film.

There were a few problems with the film, especially with such a large cast of characters. While having so many main characters was important to exploring all the different types of relationships, it also meant that you had to keep straight how all these people knew each other.

Also, because—by movie magic—all of these characters are somehow connected, it begins to feel a little incestual. Really, when I thought about it, I realized there were a set of best friends, that through a chain of five hookups, had been passing around the same germs, but never realize it.

Finally, the movie can’t help but slip into the Hollywood happy endings for some of the characters. After spending two hours trying to tell us that the kind of love you see in movies is “the exception,” while most of us are just “the rule” in real life, it feels like a cop-out to give these love sick puppies their own happy endings.

But I can’t help but notice that those are the moments everyone loves. It feels so good to watch things end happily ever after, even if we know that’s not how it really works. It’s a lot like how I feel about this movie actually: You know it’s wrong to love it, but it just feels so right.

Rating: B+

………See the whole article at The Cinema Source