RANT: MTV reality show

Over the years MTV has had a wide range of reality shows from pimping people's cars to forming a band (I mean, girl group) from scratch. But as I was cleaning out my e-mail box, I came upon an ad that read:

"Rolling Stone Magazine is looking for a group of talented writers to work for the summer in its New York offices as FULL-TIME STAFF WRITERS. Your experiences will be filmed for an MTV series exploring the exciting world of journalism...At the end of the summer, one outstanding writer will be chosen to receive a ONE-YEAR CONTRACT as a Contributing Writer to the magazine."

Maybe it'll make for good entertainment and maybe interns all over will learn from the applicants' mistakes...but like every reality show cast member, they're not going to get much respect from their peers and they'll probably have a more secure future in television than magazine writing. After "extensive" research, I learned that Rolling Stone is still a profitable enterprise and they recently reached their 1,000th issue. So, what's with the gimmick?

FILM STRIP: Hairspray

I don't frequent Broadway much, but if I were to get rush tickets I'd probably try and see Tarzan. I also don't see many recent movie musicals. However, I did give Chicago and High School Musical a shot. Both had their moments of enjoyment, and the second does in fact merit a sequel, as rumors have indicated. However, one musical I've always wondered about, and never quite obsessed over, is Hairspray. As the trend proceeds, following in the tracks of Rent and The Producers, Hairspray will hit the big screen within the year.

Its most newsworthy tidbit is its star-studded cast. John Travolta is headlining, while Michelle Pfeiffer is rumored to have been cast. The last musical films I saw them in were by the same name: Grease and Grease 2. Let's hope Pfeiffer has a better set of pipes in her old age. The most recent musical alums, Queen Latifah (Chicago) and Zac Efron (High School Musical), were also added to the roster. Billy Crystal, who's familiar with song and dance numbers from his several hostings of the Oscars, is an understandable addition. Rowan Atkinson (or as some would like to refer to him, Mr. Bean) is bizarre and unusual and could probably hold a note or two. Brittany Snow, a girl who appears so sweet she'd give you a tooth ache, looks like she could shriek a couple octaves. But, the only farfetched candidate so far is Amanda Bynes, who may have sung a couple of off-key notes on her Nickolodeon shows, but has never quite made a name for herself with vocal skills.

This just might become the highest grossing box office musical of our generation.
--Monica

BUZZ: Trying to pull a Brangelina?

I wonder if producers are pushing their stars to "date" for Hollywood-sake and get the film to be a blip on movie-goers' radar. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan of the new film Step Up are reportedly dating. The question is...does anyone give a crap?

--Monica

the BUZZ: Cameron Diaz + Justin Timberlake

They broke up.

Cameron went to the Bahamas with Drew Barrymore for some R&R. According to the press, Cameron’s biological clock is ticking and Justin feels he's too young to settle down. He's going on tour soon and wants to be an all-around "free man." I personally think he's just afraid to commit to someone after Britney ripped his heart out of his chest and danced all over it.

The most important news of all of this is the coincidental occurrence in which Cameron Diaz is single and People magazine just released their sexiest bachelor's list. Let's weigh her options:

She could settle down with Nick Lachey, 32,...except she doesn't have huge knockers, so he may not go for it.
Jake Gyllenhaal, 25, is still a tad too young for her and...no offense...but way too hot.

John Tenney, 44, (TNT's "The Closer"): He may be 10 years older than her, but he's got that bad boy authority figure thing going for him and who knows, maybe she'll discover that older is better.
Matthew McConaughey, 36: He's just a reminder that maybe bachelors just want to be bachelors.
Chris Evans, 25: He's extremely cute when he smiles and has a sense of humor. Although, he's still too young for the settling down bit.
Shawn Ashmore, 26: I thought he was dating Michelle Tratchenberg! Anyways, he looks like he could play her son, not her boyfriend...or at least her little brother.
Ryan Seacrest, 31: I'm sure there's something sexy about him, I just haven't quite grasped it.
Owen Wilson, 38: He's a player...a dirty old player. Plus, he might be intimated by her comic genius. I'd love to see them in a movie together though.
Wentworth Miller ("Prison Break"), 34: He's hot and worth dipping into the C list group, but not funny enough.
JC Chasez, 30: It would be sweet revenge to hook up with a fellow N'syncer, but it would also be torture to sink so low.

In-office poll [6 voters]

3: Matthew McConnaghey
1: John Tenney
1: Ryan Seacrest [chosen out of spite]
1: Other: Dermot Mulroney, 43, (Wedding Date)

Resulting Conversation:
"Now me and my ex-boyfriend [Justin Timberlake] can get back together."--Lauren
*consuming laughter from all the girls at her delusions*
"I think she should be the one to snag George Clooney."--Lauren
*resounding group agreement*
Even though she chose McConnaghey, Annie said: "Keanu Reeves because he's looking for someone to settle down with."
After hearing all the options, Lauren blurts: "Ryan Seacrest? She's like...so above him. Who is Ryan Seacrest? He should date like some stupid B-list actress. He could date Hilary Duff..." [This rant was cut off abruptly due to unprintable content.]

--Monica

MUSIC: our PLAYLIST

Annie

-All American Rejects "Move Along"
-Ataris "Boys of Summer"
-The Fray "Over my head"
-John Mayer "Comfortable"
-Nelly Furtado "Loose"

Gabrielle

-Christina Aguilera "Aint no other man"
-Dashboard Confessional "Vindicated"
-Kanye West "Roses"
-Nelly Furtado "Loose"
-Pussycat Dolls "Buttons"


Jill

-Camera Obscura "Anti-Western"
-Kings of Convenience "I'd rather dance with you"
-Ryan Adams "Come pick me up"
-Tilly and the Wall "Nights of the Living Dead"
-Wilco "Shot in the arm"


Melissa


-The Beatles "Eleanor Rigby"
-Dispatch "Bats in the Belfry"
-Jason Mraz "Did I fool ya"
-Rilo Kiley "Better sons and daughters"
-Wilco "Jesus, etc."


Monica

-Black Buddafly "Bad Girl"
-Jay-Z feat. Sean Paul "What they gonna do?"
-Pink "Long way to happy"
-Rihanna feat. Sean Paul "Break it off"
-Sugarcult "What you say"


Russell


-Coldplay "In my place"
-Dave Matthews Band "Dancing Nancies"
-The Fray "How to save a life"
-Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"
-Thirteen Senses "Into the fire"

FILM STRIP: Breakout Actress

Jenna Dewan: You may have seen her heating up the big screen in Take the Lead. Or maybe not since it only grossed about $35 mil while it was in the box office. Had you seen it, you would've noticed how intensely she dances. I personally saw the movie after seeing her impressive skills in the commercials.

Next up on her schedule is the movie Step Up, another venue for her dancing prowess. She plays opposite Channing Tatum, who happens to be a breakout actor himself. After starring opposite Amanda Bynes in She's the man as a jock, he gets to show his range portraying a thuggish outsider who has some secret street-dance moves of his own. And instead of playing the sassy, sexy Latina, like she did in Lead, Dewan will play the clean cut, straight-arrow, strictly trained diva. But hopefully she'll breakout of the dancing genre and into a more diverse career.

FILM STRIP: Update

http://www.imdb.com figures:

1. Cars, Disney, $33,731,634, 2 Wks. ($117,055,283)
2. Nacho Libre, Paramount, $28,309,599, [New]
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Universal, $23,973,840, [New]
4. The Lake House, Warner Bros. $13,616,196, [New]
5. The Break-Up, Universal, $9,831,145, 3 Wks. ($92,260,160)
6. X-Men: The Last Stand, 20th Century Fox, $7,820,253, 4 Wks. ($216,218,853)
7. Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, 20th Century Fox, $7,288,977, [New]
8. The Omen, 20th Century Fox, $5,640,849, 2 Wks. ($47,188,054)
9. The Da Vinci Code, Sony, $5,266,560, 5 Wks. ($198,767,811)
10. Over the Hedge, DreamWorks, $4,339,015, 5 Wks. ($139,047,483)

As you can see Nacho Libre did extremely well as my friend predicted and, for an action movie, Tokyo Drift did horribly. Maybe they should've premiered on the Fourth of July weekend, but I see how competing with Superman Returns is a tad far fetched. Guess there won't be a sequel. However, they don't have much competition this weekend with the releases of Click (Adam Sandler) and Waist Deep (Tyrese Gibson). We just might be able to see whether Jack Black has taken Sandler's spot as every age's favorite comedian.

FILM STRIP: Tokyo Drift

What were you in the mood for this past weekend?

Ridiculous Humor [Nacho Libre]...Heart-wrenching romance [The Lake House]...or Adrenaline-Pumping Action [The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift]?

I braved the blazing heat to sit in an air conditioned theater for some admittedly mindless action, but nevertheless truly entertaining stunts for Tokyo Drift. Sure, the sexy and mischievous Paul Walker wasn't in it, but that was actually half the attraction. With an all knew cast, the audience was challenged to keep up with an extensive introduction into a new racing world. The stunts, needless to say were incredible to see on such a huge screen. But most interesting of all (besides the crowd-cheer inducing, amazing surprise in the end), was the birth of what could be a lucrative future for several of the cast members. You may be surprised by a couple of their backgrounds.

For example, the bad ass of the entire flick known as DK, the Drift King, is played by Brian Tee a completely obscure and all-over-the-place asian actor. Since 2000, he's appeared in the soap opera "Passions," the comedy "Monk," crime thrillers like "Without a Trace" and "The Unit," and rounded out his resume with Nickolodeon's "Zoey 101." None of these scream rebel, but his amateur acting may have snagged him a couple more big screen grimaces.

DK's side kick and mini-bad ass, Morimoto, was played by Leonard Nam. The guys may best know him for his hilarious stoned-smart-asian act in The Perfect Score...and the ladies may have a soft spot for his endearing performance as a gamer opposite Amber Tamblyn in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Thus, Tokyo Drift was definitely a change of pace for Nam. It took me a while to recognize him, but once I did, I was amazed by how unfunny his psychotic behavior was. Perhaps he truly is a multi-faceted actor.

Sung Kang, who plays Hans, the simultaneous voice of reason and cause for disaster, also has a spotty record on TV with the one exception of executive producing and starring in the asian revenge, stereotype-bashing film, "Better Luck Tomorrow." But unlike Tee, he already has another film in the bag, taking a major back seat to Jet Li, Devon Aoki (who happens to have appeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious), and Jason Statham in Rogue (2007). No worries. His performance in Tokyo Drift was reminiscent of Chow Yung Fat in Replacement Killers, which if I'm not mistaken was Fat's official debut in American cinema, leading him to a critically acclaimed performance in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

However, the most astonishing revelation of all the cast members is the fact that this was the leading lady, Nathalie Kelley's, first acting gig. She was pretty damn good for a newbie. According to a few forums, she was born in Peru and raised in Australia. Bearing the aussie accent may get her a few interesting gigs. Or she could americanize herself as others have and steal all of Eva Mendes' jobs.

The leading man, a tad more well known than the rest of the cast, Lucas Black, the literal Paul Walker replacement (attitude, cockiness, and all), has already appeared in Friday Night Lights and Jarhead. Now he's headlining movies. After the box office numbers come in tomorrow morning, we'll see if there's a new Black in town to stay.

Speaking of which, Jack has done it again...burned an unsightly performance into our retina with the completely bizarre and ridiculous Nachoooooooo Libre. I didn't watch the flick, but I was begged several times, while waiting for Tokyo Drift to begin, by my friend to ditch the action thriller and sneak into the sure-to-be hilarious comedy. I would've, since I almost died laughing when I first saw the trailer, but I really really really wanted to see how the third installment of Fast and the Furious was without being soiled by the critics.

As for the Lake House, I cheated and went to www.imdb.com 's forums to read the ending, because I really hate crying in movie theaters and I knew it would compel me to make a scene, but I had to know if they would meet in the end. If you're as much of a sap as I am, sneak a peek. But since I did read it and I can gauge what kind of performance I can expect from Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves from the clips shown on daytime television, I'd say it's worth a look-see on a rainy summer day.

--Monica

MUSIC: New Singles

New singles are dropping like flies all over the web, and by the sound of most of them I wouldn't be surprised if there was an actual corpse lying in sight.

Everyone from Janet Jackson to Paris Hilton to Christina Aguilera are gracing gossip blogs with their break out singles as they either emerge from an exstensive hiatus or debut their unknown "talents" to the world.

As Christina's reawakening, she opted for a soulful, jazz-based profession of love to her husband called, "Aint no other man" . I'm not quite sure her fans, who've grown up to the ripe old age of 18-22, are ready for such an aged vibe. But if they're dedicated enough, I'm sure they'll tolerate it for at least two more singles before they start begging for some raunch.

Meanwhile Janet, Ms. Jackson if you're nasty, chose to reclaim her fans with a slow number, caked with sensual romance, dubbed "Call me" . On the track is a short appearance from her boyfriend Jermain Dupri, and a familiar soft spoken southern drawl from Nelly. Knowing that Dupri worked on Mariah Carey's album and having also heard it, pains me as I realize how similar their beats sound.

Lucky for Paris Hilton, there were no major expectations for the heiress's debut, "Stars are blind". They were fairly low considering her reputation for mindless debauchery. But several celebrities and critics have audibly gasped when notified that the reggae love song they're bopping and flailing to is being sung by the one and only Ms. Hilton. For a summer release, it does the trick. But after all her bragging about her amazing violin and paino skills, I was expecting probably a whole lot more than everyone else.

Christina isn't the only one channeling the oldies. Since her divorce with the quick-to-bounce-back Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson has been reassessing her musical interests with a hint of Madonna and a dash of Motown in her new single "Public Affair" that will be released this Friday, June 23rd. But until then we can satisfy ourselves with her little sister Ashlee's makeover in her new single "Invisible." Changing it up with the addition of a country guitar, she keeps it signature with her usual angry/sad vocals.

If you too are searching for some new tunes or beats to change up your every day routine, you can try one or all of these three acts:
The Fray: The lead singer is a cross between Gavin Degraw and John Mayer vocally. I'd recommend "Over my head" and "How to save a life."
Josh Hoge: After checking out his website www.joshhoge.com, I realized he sort of has a different vibe for every song. In "360" he's soft spoken like Frankie J. In "Work that Body," he makes you move your feet and swoon like Justin Timberlake. But in "Take it or leave it" he'll have you guessing whether he has some country roots. (He is indeed from Nashville.) You can tell by his lyrics, "I don't pretend to be pretty/Sometimes I tend to talk dirty/I can be country or city/Welcome to my world," that he's not looking to be a crowd pleaser.
Brooke Hogan: Known for being babied and stalked by her infamous father Hulk Hogan on VH1's "Hogan Knows Best," Brooke hasn't exactly gotten a great head start in Hollywood. After her poppy "Everthing to me" failed to shoot her into stardom, she ventured off to reinvent herself ala Madonna with the single "About Us" featuring rap artist Paul Wall. Usually when pop artists revamp their sound, they veer off into punk or rock, but Brooke plunged into hip hop. She's successful in not sounding too much like a poser, but I still can't decide if it suits her.

--Monica

Music Minute: Holly Brook

I discovered Holly Brook while I was searching for songs by Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley from "One Tree Hill"). They sound remarkably similar. Brook, however, is less angst ridden. You get a sense that the love she's experienced has lead her more to sadness rather than anger. I later encountered her in a Fort Minor song you might already be tired of hearing called, "Where'd you go," lead by Mike Shonda, the rap counterpart of the amazing rock band Linkin Park. She lends her voice to the chorus, truly delivering the message of loss.

Her new album Like Blood and Honey features soft-spoken, instrumental-driven ballads recorded live in the studio. "What I wouldn't give" and "Saturdays" are my favorites from the album.

You never know...download a few of her songs...listen to a few bars...maybe you'll find extra space in your iPod or your dusty music collection for a new voice. And just to make the journey even more simple, head to www.hollybrookmusic.com/ and listen for free.

--Monica

RANT: Does a celebrity getting behind a cause help it out at all?

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t know about most charities or causes if a celebrity weren’t involved. I am ashamed as most Americans are of that fact. However, just because I’m slightly informed due to their presence, doesn’t mean that I’m eager to adopt enough children to create my own United Nations or fork over my minimum wage savings to stop world hunger. I’m too busy wondering what the hell Jessica Simpson knows about being born with a deformity on her campaign for Operation Smile or how crazy any celebrity has to be to accuse the rest of America of being wasteful and materialistic. Congratulations! You’ve purchased an eco-friendly vehicle. I’m glad you could afford it with the 20 million dollars you receive for every film you’re in Mr. DiCaprio.
--Monica

All American Rejects

I’ve been a fan of the All American Rejects ever since 2003 when a friend in high school said I’d like their single “Swing, Swing.” So when I found out that they’d be at Bamboozle and then at a radio station show I just had to go for both concerts.
The differences of the audience of both concerts were immense. Bamboozle was the more punk, crowd-surfing, moshing type of crowd while the radio concert, entitled Popfest was, well, you guessed it- more poppy and relaxed.
The journalist in me came in handy after Popfest when a friend and I found their tour bus and interviewed Tyson Ritter (lead vocalist/bassist) of AAR. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few other celebrities before and I’m always so incredibly shocked of how down-to-earth and honest they are. Who knew, they’re actually real people just like us!
I asked Tyson about the difference in a show like Popfest and the more punk show like Bamboozle.
“[There is] definitely a different energy though, at a pop show, people don’t move as much,” he said, then describing how he enjoys playing Bamboozle more.
“That’s like [Bamboozle] the voice of a generation all in one spot at the same time. They’re the future leaders of America even though they may listen to music that’s not contemporary or run of the mill, those people are a lot different when they go to Bamboozle.”
“People who go to Bamboozle are more cerebral than normal people, I find. Whereas at these shows people scream and go crazy like five seconds after they see us, at Bamboozle a kid will be like ‘What’s up Tyson?’ and try to talk to you, as opposed to try to bombard you or scream until you give into some weird wish that they want. But it’s all fun,” he said.
And, what makes AAR stand out from the other bands at a radio show like Popfest is that they rock their instruments.
“We don’t like bands that don’t rock their instruments. There’s a difference between playing your instrument and rocking it. I don’t play my instrument.”
-Annie