MUSIC: Update your Playlist with these tracks...

Here's an "If..then" game. If you liked a hit single from one of these new artists, then I suggest you download these tracks and update your iPod.



If you liked Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I am," then download these tracks from her album Girls and Boys for their ability to capture non-generic, feminine, romantic emotions:
+ "Starting Now"
+ "Far Away"






If you liked Sara Bareilles's "Love Song," then download these tracks from her album Little Voice:
+ "Bottle it up": She admitted that her first single was about the record companies demanding a romantic hit and if you listen to this song it seems like the record companies were really breathing down her neck. I love it when singers sing about what they know, and when she says, "There’ll be girls across the nation that will eat this up/Babe I know that it’s your soul/but could you bottle it up?," I feel like she really captures what it feels like to be constantly asked to be a product instead of an artist, but not in that "woe is me" kind of way.
+ "Vegas": An indie blues song about thinking a new location will help you achieve your goals.
+ "Many the Miles": More and more often, Sara is reminding me of a female John Mayer, especially with this song production-wise.
+ "Come round soon": This one sounds like something Maroon 5 fans would appreciate.
You also might want to try: "Morningside," "Love on the rocks," and "Gravity."

If you liked Kate Voegele when she guest-starred on the CW's "One Tree Hill," then you might enjoy these hope-filled tracks from her album Don't Look Away:
+ "It's only life"
+ "I get it": This would be the first time I've heard a fire in her voice that shows she has Kelly Clarkson-pop/rock potential.
+ "Only fooling myself"





If you liked Brit-import Kate Nash's mischievous "Foundations," then you might want to try these tracks off of her album Made of Bricks:
+ "Shit song": If you happen to be pissed at someone right now, this would be the song to blast. "Darlin' don't give me shit/cause I know that you're full of it."
+ "Mouthwash": This is sort of her declaration song where she has a roundabout way of defining who she is and stating that she refuses to be anyone else.
+ "Pumpkin soup": This is one of a few songs on her album that has a sort of hip hop backbeat, while still sounding like indie pop.



If you liked the band OneRepublic's "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare," then you might want to try these other Snow Patrol-type epic ballads off their album Dreaming Out Loud:
+ "Mercy"
+ "All We Are"

VIDEO: John Krasinski interviews George Clooney

I kind of like John Krasinski more now after watching this interview. I don't have the benefit of enjoying "The Office," so I'm not quite as infatuated with him as other people are. He's kind of a mix of Matt Damon + Steve Carell + Shia Labeouf. Watch these two jokesters talk about their new movie Leatherheads.

MUSIC: Destiny Child's Michelle Williams, a pioneer for Christian Pop

Former Destiny Child's member Michelle Williams has released a new single, "We Break the Dawn," from her third album Unexpected, which will be released in August. I don't know about you guys, but I could kind of see this song as both being a club track and a semi-gospel track. What I mean is I don't see her making a video where she's shaking her ass or rubbing up against anything suggestively like her friend Kelly Rowland. Listen for yourself:

FILM: Box Office Results - 3/28/08

Even though I was more partial to Run, Fat Boy, Run this weekend, everyone else was aiming to hit 21, putting it at the #1 spot with close to $24 mil. Fat Boy didn't place in the top 10 and with a small release of about a thousand theaters only made $2 mil, but managed $25 mil overseas. Superhero Movie opened at #3 with a very unimpressive $9.5 mil. Maybe now they'll stop sucking the life out of the spoof genre. But hopefully this isn't the beginning of the end of Drake Bell's career. The indie Stop-Loss, which most critics enjoyed, came in at #9 with $4.5 mil. And Flawless, the uber-indie with a 35-theater release starring Demi Moore, grossed $180,000 in the states and about $2 mil overseas. It seems like only the critics are interested in Moore's return.

Horton Hears a Who! finally dropped out of the top spot to #2, reaching $117 mil after only 3 weeks, while Never Back Down, with the same amount of time, exited the top 10 with $21 mil. As for the rest of the box office:

4 - Meet the Browns: $33 mil.

5 - Drillbit Taylor: 21 mil

6 - Shutter: $19 mil

7 - 10,000 B.C.: is making its way out of the top 10 with a healthy $85 mil

9 - College Road Trip is ending its journey with $38 mil.

10 -The Bank Job, as the little indie that could, made an impressive $24 mil

Out in theaters this weekend is George Clooney and John Krasinski's 1920's romantic comedy Leatherheads, Horton's main competition Abigail Breslin's Nim's Island, the horror flick The Ruins, the long-awaited indie starring Nora Jones called My Blueberry Nights, and Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light.

TV: "Children of Men" = New TV show

2006's Children of Men didn't do too well in theaters and most people attribute that failure to the fact that it wasn't true to P.D. James' novel. Executive producer David Eick, whose "Bionic Woman" was canceled, is working on a script that'll rectify that and "focus on the cultural movement in which young people become the society's utter focus...it's about how, when you don't have a responsibility to the next generation and you're free to do whatever you want, where do you draw the line?" It'll examine how "humans will survive as a species" with a new set of responsibilities and values, and will stray away from the war-centered plot of the movie.

Will you watch it?

TV: Elisha Cuthbert moves to TV

You may know this wet dream as Elisha Cuthbert, the object of obsession in The Girl Next Door or the beautiful punching bag in House of Wax and "24," but not really for much more. Since she can't dominate the big screen, it's only natural that she'd try to get her own show. CBS offered her the leading role in a romantic dramedy called "Ny-Lon" as Edie, "a New York literacy teacher/record store clerk," who falls for a London stock broker and tries to maintain an overseas relationship with him.

While we're on the subject of romantic CBS pilots, newcomer Rachel Boston ("American Dreams"), will co-star in "Mythological," a story based on an Israeli series about a woman who goes to a psychic and learns that she's already dated the man she's supposed to marry. Naturally, she decides to search for him, sort of in the vein of "How I Met Your Mother," unaware of which guy is the perfect match. Boston will play the lead's feisty little sister.

FILM: Patrick Wilson impregnates Judy Greer

If you've been watching ABC's "Miss Guided" lately and enjoying the delightful humor of Judy Greer (27 Dresses and 13 Going on 30), then you might be interested in knowing that she'll be joining the film cast of Barry Munday in her first leading role as the woman that Patrick Wilson (Little Children) has a fling with and eventually sues in a paternity suit. Even though the story is a black comedy and Wilson's character is a womanizer who gets his testicles chopped off, I know now for sure that it'll be hilarious. For your own reassurance, check out "Miss Guided" on Thursday nights and pick up the novel the film is adapted from, Life is a Strange Place, at your nearest book store.

TV: Next Season on "Prison Break" - Spoilers

"Prison Break" will be taking a page out of "Lost"'s master plan for their next season, employing flashbacks to explain how 1) Sarah isn't dead and 2) why she isn't living happily ever after with Michael. Once all is revealed, it'll turn back into a pseudo love story where Michael will try to get her back. However, I'm sure he'll also have to break someone out of prison, which'll probably put a crimp in their relationship.

FILM: Spiderman's next comic film

Tobey Maguire may not be donning a Spiderman suit anytime soon, but that doesn't mean he won't be starring in any more comic book movies. He's actually signed on for Afterburn, which hasn't even hit stands yet. The story takes place in a "post-apocalyptic Earth after a solar flare destroyed much of the Eastern Hemisphere, leaving only radiation and mutation in its wake...a group of treasure hunters, looking to capture artifacts like the Mona Lisa and the Rosetta Stone, fight pirates, mutants, and rival hunters along the way." So far there's no director or writer attached, but it's being produced by Neal H. Moritz who brought I Am Legend, "Prison Break," Vantage Point, Evan Almighty, XXX, and The Fast and the Furious to the big screen.

FILM: "Crank" sequel

Jason Statham may not be a huge worldwide action star, but he does have his own franchises, both Transporter and Crank. While Transporter has a semi-believable plot, where he plays a professional driver who often ends up transporting people who are wanted dead, Crank is a little more far-fetched. In the last film, his character had to keep his heart rate up so that the poison his enemy injected him with would not kill him. A sequel would have to be just as over the top. This time an old Triad member steals his heart and replaces it with a battery-powered one that needs to be consistently...uh, re-cranked with jolts of electricity. In one scene, he rubs against an old lady to get a static charge. This should be as nuts as it sounds.

FILM: "Underage" plot

I'm kind of excited about the newest script up for production, because it's centered around a teen female lead. The last comedy I saw centered around a teenage girl that I remember enjoying--besides Juno--is Mean Girls in 2004. I've been swimming through the male mind since Knocked Up and Superbad and will soon venture further with Harold and Kumar and Pineapple Express. So I was excited about the news of Underage, a comedy about a 17-year-old girl who seduces and blackmails a 20-something guy into being her boyfriend to make her ex jealous. Ok, so the plot is a little hokey and insulting to the female psyche, but at this point, I'll take anything I can get.

FILM: New in Theaters - 3/28/08

There are a few good options this week. I'm kind of interested in...renting 21. I mean, a story about a bunch of college students who get schooled on how to cheat casinos out of their cold hard cash by a professor sounds intriguing, but not even the promise of a comical Aaron Yoo (Disturbia) or an actor-in-the-making like Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) could make me sit through Kate Bosworth pretending to be a seductive female lead. If that heist story doesn't interest you, perhaps Demi Moore's latest attempt to get back in the film making business, Flawless, where she partners with Michael Caine to steal a huge diamond in 1960s London will. Or not. Stop Loss also looks kind of interesting, sporting Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Channing Tatum (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) as soldiers struggling with the toll that war has taken on them and their relationships. But if you want a story showcasing a different kind of bravery, maybe you'll entertain the idea that the spoof film Superhero Movie, starring Drake Bell ("Drake & Josh") and Sara Paxton (Aquamarine), will be good. Don't look at me like that. You could have an amazing imagination.

I, on the other hand, will be watching "Friends" alum David Schwimmer's feature film directorial debut Run, Fatboy, Run, starring Simon Pegg (Sean of the Dead) and Thandie Newton (Crash). It's a hilarious story about an overweight commitment-phobe who abandoned his pregnant fiancee 5 years ago and is trying desperately to get her back. His master plan consists of proving he's a new man and losing weight so he can beat her new boyfriend (Hank Azria from Along Came Polly) in a marathon. Sounds almost ridiculous enough to work. The story was written by Michael Ian Black ("Stella"), who's actually been guest starring on "Reaper" lately as a fallen angel out to dethrone the devil, and Pegg himself, who also co-wrote Hot Fuzz. Check out the trailer below to get in a few laughs:

FILM: Worst Comic Book Movies Ever!!

I was flipping through an EW slideshow about the worst comic book movies ever and I noticed they mentioned The Shadow. I vaguely remember watching this film from 1994 where Alec Baldwin plays a 1930s mysterious figure who can become invisible and cloud men's minds and whose evil counterpart is Shiwan Khan, a villain who is using an atomic bomb to hold the world ransom. What really stood out in the slide was the part where Jeff Jensen said: "...Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) was going to be Hollywood's next great action director. Then came The Shadow, an ambitious new take on the old pulp hero that flopped with audiences and critics and effectively dented the movie careers of its headlining talent." Although this may be true, it's fascinating that almost 15 years later, Baldwin is a hit TV star on "30 Rock" and Mulcahy has reemerged as a sequel maker, having directed Resident Evil: Extinction last year and presently wrapping up The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian.

It's hysterical that EW's list includes:
Barbwire, which I remember staring at perplexed when I was 10, thinking "Are those real?"
The Phantom, which my 8th grade class was entranced by when a substitute tried to tame us with it.
Tank Girl: Ok fine! It is. Rather. Stupid. BUT!!! It's still awesome. She is the pinnacle of girl power.
Howard the Duck: I have no recollection of watching this, but I'm sure it was hilarious.

What's the worst comic film you've ever watched?

TV: Rumer Willis on "Miss Guided" & Superman Flies

Tonight on the mini tube Rumer Willis, Demi and Bruce's oldest spawn, makes her TV debut, playing a vandal on her stepdad Ashton's ABC show "Miss Guided." He is really going all out with the stunt casting. Who's next? The entire cast of "That 70's Show" or maybe even an homage to Wilmer Valderrama's foreign exchange student Fez. Heck, as long as it's funny, I don't care who he casts. In fact, I'd even welcome Sean William Scott from his Dude, Where's My Car? days.
UPDATE: Rumer will be on next week's episode. EW can't be right every time.

Also on tonight, at the exact same time, is "Smallville." Everybody knows that the main character is supposed to be a younger Superman, but they're not allowed to use that superhero moniker. They can play with the image of his S-emblem, use his signature red and blue colors, and even call him Clark Kent, but no super suit and till recently no flying. Well, tonight Clark flies. Granted, we've already seen Clark fly before in 2006, but that was Clark as Jor-El, and more recently when he was impersonated by a criminal of the Phantom Zone. But tonight Kara teaches the farm boy, Lana-loving Clark how to fly. Should be awesomely funny.

FILM: Kapur takes over for Minghella

As reported a couple weeks ago, Anthony Minghella passed away. He was in the middle of filming a segment of the sequel to Paris Je T'aime, which has been dubbed New York, I Love You. But before he went into surgery, Minghella had asked Shekhar Kapur, the director of Elizabeth and The Four Feathers, to take over if anything should happen.

TV: Spoilers for Returning Shows

Here are spoilers lifted from the pages of Entertainment Weekly for each of the shows that I watch religiously. If your fave show is missing, go grab the March 28th issue before it's removed from the newsstands.

"Samantha Who?" (April 7)
Sam and her bff Andrea will start competing for their hot boss's attention. Who's the hot boss in question? Timothy Olyphant of Hitman, Live Free or Die Hard, and Catch and Release.
Shocking news: Sam will be moving in with her boyfriend Todd...and his girlfriend.

"30 Rock" (April 10)
Will Arnett will return as the thorn in Jack's side and get married to their boss's daughter, despite his super gayness. There will be a bachelor party episode that I'm sure will have some seriously questionable antics. Liz's exes--Dennis, the beeper guy, and Floyd, the guy who moved to Ohio--will both return to shake things up in her life...
Shocking news: ...and give her a pregnancy scare. Who's the daddy?

"Scrubs" (April 10)
Dr. Cox gets promoted. Zach Braff will direct a Princess Bride homage episode where the actors will act out a fairytale that Cox reads to his kid.
Shocking news: Somebody gets fired. Since Cox gets promoted, I'm assuming its Dr. Kelso.

"Desperate Housewives" (April 13)
Bree and her nemesis, Katherine, will be starting a catering business together and at some point Bree will poison her. You'll learn what happened to Katherine's previous husband (Gary Cole from "The West Wing"), why her daughter doesn't remember the neighborhood, and what was on that note she burned. Bree will continue living with Susan, and Orson will eventually admit to running Mike over. Susan's cousin, played by Chris Carmack ("The O.C."), will help her with Mike's rehab issues. Carlos, who is permanently blind, will trick Gabrielle into remarrying him. Something happens to Rick, the man who almost seduced Lynette, and Tom might be to blame. The ladies will be even bitchier to Edie, when they start to believe that she's having an affair with one of their husbands. The 2hr finale will have a huge twist.
Shocking news: What could be more shocking than all that? The series will end after 3 more seasons.

"Bones" (April 14)
Obviously after the mistletoe kiss, they're going to act weird around each other. But the fact that there'll be episodes where they have to take care of a baby and Brennan ends up singing, won't help alleviate the tension.
Shocking news: They'll reveal the Gormogon/Gorgamon killer's identity and it might not be Dr. Sweets.

"Back to You" (April 16)
Suzy Nakamura ("Help Me Help You") will play the new owner of the station. Chuck will buy a house and...
Shocking news: ...tell Gracie he's her dad.

"Brothers & Sisters" (April 20)
Isaac and Nora will be moving pretty quickly in their relationship, as will Kevin and Scotty. Kitty and Robert will continue to try to have a baby and Robert will wrap up his presidential story line.
Shocking news: They will reveal if Rebecca is really a Walker or if she's actually related to her mom's ex-boyfriend. The answer will stir up even more trouble.

"Gossip Girl" (April 21)
As I've reported before, Blair and Jenny will go head to head. But contrary to previous news, Jenny and Nate will be somewhat romantically involved after all. She'll try to seduce him, but...
Shocking news: ...he'll start liking Vanessa instead. Meanwhile, Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) will reveal the REAL reason Serena left town! OMG!

"Ugly Betty" (April 24)
Betty, Henry, and Gio will still be in a love triangle. And there will be a Meade publications softball game. That might sound weird, but magazine publishing companies actually have morale-building sporting functions all the time. Although I doubt Meade will be building anyone's morale.
Shocking news: Wilhelmina will return to Mode (probably because she succeeds in "birthing" a Meade through Christina).

"Grey's Anatomy" (April 24)
The Chief will start to mentor George to get him back to the guy he used to be. Ava will stick around in Alex's life for 3 more episodes. Addison will be returning for an episode to perform a surgery (and I hope to give romantic advice to all three of her exes: McDreamy, McSteamy, and McGrumpy--Alex).
Shocking news: Rose will be in all 5 episodes, but Meredith and McDreamy will inevitably take the next step in their relationship.

"Moonlight" (April 25)
Mick is temporarily human and Beth is going to be a nitwit and probably forgo jumping his bones.
Shocking news: There'll be a lot more vampire interaction with people who blend into everyday life, buying blood instead of murdering for it.


ALREADY BACK...
"How I Met Your Mother"
One of Barney's exes is stalking him and the gang has to figure out which one. There will be an emotional season finale cliffhanger.
Shocking News: You will hear the breakup ballad that Robin recorded when she was a pop singer with the last name Sparkles. Laugh at...I mean, listen to her first single: "Let's go to the Mall."

"Smallville"
Tom Welling will direct the 150th episode broadcasting on May 1st, where he'll go up against Brainiac one last time.
Shocking News: A main character dies, which will start an even greater war between Clark and Lex. (This is the show that needs an end date. Geesh.)

"Reaper"
Sam's on the hunt to find the missing pages of his soul contract as he tries to get from under the devil's thumb.
Shocking News: Sam will stumble upon a few other fallen angels. (I could've sworn the devil was the only one.)

TV: Updated Schedule for Returning shows

APRIL
2nd (Wednesday)
9PM: "Criminal Minds"
3rd (Thursday)
8PM: "My Name is Earl"
9PM: "CSI"
10PM: "Without a Trace"
7th (Monday)
9:30PM: "Samantha Who?"
8th (Tuesday)
8PM: "NCIS"
10th (Thursday)
8:30PM: "30 Rock"
9PM: "The Office"
9:30PM: "Scrubs"
13th (Sunday)
9PM: "Desperate Housewives"
14th (Monday)
8PM: "Bones"
15th (Tuesday)
10PM: "Law & Order: SVU"
16th (Wednesday)
8:3oPM: "Back to You"
20th (Sunday)
10PM: "Brothers & Sisters"
21st (Monday)
8PM: "Gossip Girl"
24th (Thursday)
8PM: "Ugly Betty"
9PM: "Grey's Anatomy"
9PM: "Supernatural"
25th (Friday)
9PM: "Moonlight"
28th (Monday)
9PM: "House"

Check out the SUMMER 2009 SCHEDULE!

FILM: Jake Gyllenhaal gets "Nailed" & Kristen Bell goes to "Rome"

Just when you thought they cut James Marsden (27 Dresses) some slack by letting him have a leading role, they put him smack dab in the middle of a romantic comedy where he plays second fiddle to none other than Jake Gyllenhaal. Geez. If you are familiar with Jake's career, then you know he only does romantic comedies--a genre truly loathed by hoity toity critics-- if they're super f*ing quirky (Bubble Boy), and more often than not he veers towards romantic dramas (Brokeback Mountain, Moonlight Mile, and The Good Girl). So after reading the plot of his latest, Nailed, where Marsden plays the boyfriend of Jessica Biel's character, who begins to behave erratically when she gets a nail shot into her head and decides to fight for better health care in Washington where she fall for a budding congressman (Jake), I can't help but wonder how far he'll go to not do a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. I mean, whatever happened to boy sees cute girl, boy spends the next hour and a half trying to make said girl fall in love with him, girl takes the bait, end of movie? Either way, the film should be mildly funny since it's being co-penned by Kristen Gore ("Saturday Night Live"). Who knows? This could be her career-maker.

Here's an update on a Kristen Bell romantic comedy that I mentioned last month called When in Rome. The story was said to be about a girl who steals a coin at the Trevi Fountain and then is pursued by a bevy of guys all the way back to New York. It's just been reported that joining the cast are Josh Duhamel ("Las Vegas"), Jon Heder (Blades of Glory), and Dax Shepard (Employee of the Month). So I'm assuming those three idiots will be competing for her love, which means that she has a choice between the hot guy (Duhamel), the dorky sweet guy (Heder), or the self-proclaimed bad ass (Shepard). Hmmm. So difficult to choose. According to reports, Heder will also be a street magician--add an extra emphasis to the dorky then--Duhamel is the romantic lead--naturally--and Shepard will be an aspiring model. Okayyyy. Maybe Duhamel won't be playing hot. Maybe he'll be a toned-down everyman. And if he manages to pull that off, the Academy should give him an award. That's about as plausible as Jake playing second fiddle to Marsden.

FILM: Twilight Zone "Death Ship" Episode = "Countdown" Movie

There have been so many remakes of Asian horror films lately that people forget that American writers are just as terrifying. Granted, I only know of one (Steven King), but what about the writers of "The Twilight Zone." That series was creepy and mind boggling, so why not turn every single one of the episodes into a movie? lol Alright, just start with one to test the waters.

Summit has decided to rechristen the "Twilight Zone" episode "Death Ship" as Countdown and turn it into a feature film. The author of I Am Legend, Richard Matheson, wrote the original episode. It takes place in outer space where three astronauts are searching for a new world for Earth to colonize. In the process, they spot a crashed spaceship that looks exactly like theirs and quickly discover corpses inside that look just like them. I didn't watch the episode--or the series because I'm a chicken--but that sounds like time travel or...cloning. I don't know. But according to reports, the team has to figure out where they are and whether or not they're already dead. The key thing to remember is that a lot of the series's plots revolve around deja vu, so I doubt the movie will have a happy ending. If you want to spoil the fun and read what happens, click here. However, newcomer Michael Brandt will be making his directorial debut and co-writing with Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma & Wanted), and they could always give a surprise ending.

Watch a clip of the episode below:

TV: "Prison Break" will return; "Jericho" dropped

You've probably already heard that "Jericho" has been canceled, despite the efforts of its peanut-pelting fans. But I was almost certain that "Prison Break" would've been ultimately canned as well. I diligently watched this season even though it was dragging on and barely had any interesting characters, but I don't know if I can take one more season. FOX, however, has dedicated itself to 22 more episodes, because this season was cut short by the strike making them end on a mid-season cliff hanger.

The season will mainly focus on Michael getting revenge for Sarah's death. So no more LJ whining or looks of desperation from Lincoln. However, there's a chance that Michael will eventually spring Sucre from his wrongful imprisonment and T-Bag will still be plotting his escape. The only thing keeping me interested is the inclusion of Susan B. If he doesn't off that bitch before the finale, I will be pissed. Screw your conscience Michael. Put her out of her misery.

TV: Did Britney bring the funny on "How I Met Your Mother"?

I was already cringing when the episode began, because I was anticipating the worst. And although it wasn't the best performance done by a guest star in the history of celebrity guest stars, I will say that there were a few moments that didn't suck. My personal favorite was when Britney called her object of obsession Sir Ted, then spastically scolded herself for being such a dork, and proceeded to announce his arrival by phone to the doctor who she knew was already standing behind her. Watch it below:

Seriously, she made me look like an amazing flirt. But if we're being honest and grading on an actor's scale, not a pity scale, then I'd have to say she needs more acting classes. She sounded a little too much like she was reading the script out. Sometimes it worked for the moment and at other times it was a little too rigid.

What did you guys think?

MUSIC: Santogold "L.E.S. Artistes" Video

Normally, I post a music video of a song I can't get out of my head or that I think has potential to get stuck in everybody else's. But ever since the MTV Music Awards last year, I've been thinking about how many videos get left out that are actually quite creative...unlike one of the nominees they had last year ("Umbrella" by Rihanna).

So in the spirit of that, I thought you should see this video by Santogold, a singer from Philly, for the song "L.E.S. Artistes." She kind of sounds like a mix of Tegan & Sara and Macy Gray vocally, and she's singing about sacrificing for what she believes in. But the real focus here is the semi-graphic images that are being shown in the video with internal organ prosthetics sewn into clothes and artistic forms of depicting blood gushing. I think it's unique, but if you've ever seen anything like this, clue me in.

TV: Gossip Girl's Chuck coming out of the closet?

At the Paley Center conference, the cast of "Gossip Girl" announced that one of the boys will be coming out of the closet when it returns April 21st. My money is on Chuck. Honestly, the way that Nate and Dan pine after Serena, it's highly unlikely that it's either of them--even though Dan was bisexual in the books. However, Chuck shows--at times--a peculiar attachment to Nate. It's a whole different level of guy love. Of course, I may be jumping the gun here. After all, Serena's little brother Eric does seem a little feminine sometimes...actually, all the time.

MORE SPOILERS:

+ There are plans to make Vanessa more of a fleshed out character with her own life and not just a tag-along for Dan and Serena.

+ Blair's minions, tentatively known as the Asian girl (Kati) and the black girl (Isabel), will no longer be a twosome. The actor that plays Kati went off to Brown University, so Isabel's going to have to lead the evil squadron on her own.

+ There are five episodes left and it'll end with a wedding. We're expecting one between Lily and the evil Bart Bass, but who knows who will get hitched.

+ There was speculation that Nate would start dating Jenny, but since he's 8 years older than she is in real life, that would be a resounding NO! They supposedly have a brother-sister relationship. Whatever! She already has a brother. Screw that.

+ Needless to say, Blair and Jenny will be going to war and Chuck will be actively playing the annoying brother to Serena.

ABOUT THE CAST:

+ Originally Ed Westwick (Chuck) auditioned for both his role and the role of Nate, and he did it both in his real accent (British) and an American accent. Can you imagine Westwick as Nate?

+ Jessica Szohr (Vanessa) got the part when she crashed Josh Schwartz's barbecue. He saw her and knew immediately that it was Vanessa. Wow, she's even a nuisance in real life.

FILM: Box Office Results - 3/21/08

Horton Hears a Who! did it again! I think it might be Spring Break for little rascals everywhere which might explain the $86 mil take in just two weeks. The films that took in the most per theater were newcomers Meet the Browns at #2 with $20 mil and Under the Same Moon at #10 with $3.3 mil. The horror movie Shutter managed to come in at #3 with $10.7 mil. But unfortunately, Drillbit Taylor came in at #4 with $10.2 mil. It seems the Apatow crew doesn't quite nail the top spot with the childish humor every single time.

As for last week's entries, Never Back Down dropped from #3 to #6 with close to $17 mil. I guess Sean Faris is going to have to wait a little longer to launch his career. Doomsday ended its journey after two weeks dropping to #11 with $9 mil. Rounding out the top 10 are 10,000 B.C. at #5 with $76 mil, College Road Trip at #7 with $32 mil, The Bank Job at #9 with $19 mil, and Vantage Point heading out at #9 with a respectable $65 mil.

Next week, will make for an interesting mixture of genres. There's the British romantic comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, the war drama Stop Loss, the teen spoof film Superhero Movie, the gambling heist film 21, and...the heist film Flawless. Alright, so it isn't that diverse of a mix, but there's bound to be crossover sometimes. I wonder which of the heist films, including The Bank Job, will be #1 next week.

TV: "Grey's Anatomy" on The CW

The CW has picked up a new pilot for next season that is remarkably similar to "Grey's Anatomy," but it'll have a "24" twist. The show will be called "Austin Golden Hour." It'll be about "a close-knit team of young emergency room surgeons and EMTs during the critical, adrenaline-filled 60 minutes immediately following a trauma." The scribe behind it all has also written for "Third Watch" and "ER." I'll probably give it a 2-episode shot.

CAST WHO?: "Kick-Ass" Comic Adaptation

Mark Millar, the creator of the upcoming action comic Wanted, will get another one of his comics, Kick-Ass, adapted for the big screen by Matthew Vaughn (Stardust and Layer Cake). No worries. For those of you that are fans of the comic, he promises that this one will be more faithful to the text than Wanted. For those of you who never heard of it, it's about a teenager who decides to dress up like a superhero and fight crime after his mother dies from an aneurysm. But unlike Spiderman, he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider, and unlike Superman, he does not have hidden super strength. No, no. He gets his ass beat regularly by all of his opponents, and I don't mean a black eye. I'm talking violence of the stabbing nature.

So who do you think should play Kick-Ass? I favor Michael Cera for the role. When I hear non-athletic comic geek, I think Cera.

FILM: Diablo Cody makes Adam Brody Funnier

Diablo Cody's next film, Jennifer's Body, is already set with a dark horror/comedy plot: "A newly possessed cheerleader turns into a killer who specializes in offing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?" It's already got the main character with the hot bod in question: Megan Fox (Transformers), and the nerdy best friend who will try to stop her: Amanda Seyfried ("Big Love"). Now all they need is the comic relief that would spout Cody's hilarious words. Hence, the new addition of Adam Brody ("The O.C."). According to reports, "Brody will play Nikolai, a hot lead singer of an up-and-coming rock band with a penchant for evil."

FILM: New in Theaters - 3/21/08

My pick this week is Drillbit Taylor. No, not out of pity for Mr. Owen Wilson. The trailer is actually hilarious. And why wouldn't it be? The movie was co-written by Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown ("Beavis and Butthead"). Although you'd think I--and every other theater-goer--would be tired of the Superbad-genre of films that the Apatow crew have been dishing out, I just can't resist. In this one, three social outcasts hire a bodyguard to protect them from a formidable bully. Granted, the bully is Josh Peck from "Drake & Josh," but Peck's obviously on a mission to revamp his Nickelodeon reputation--what with his casting in the indie The Wackness--so I doubt he'll be smacking them around with daisies. As for the victims, they're your average, overlooked, geeky weaklings who are smart enough to know they can't win a fight on their own, but dumb enough to entrust their safety to some half-wit. And that is where the sure-fire comedy begins.


Your other options this week include the romantic dramedy Meet the Browns from Tyler Perry, featuring a comeback from the once unstoppable Angela Bassett. She plays a financially-struggling single mother who goes to her estranged father's funeral and inherits a little more than she bargained for. For those in the mood for something a little more cryptic and terrifying, there's Shutter with Joshua Jackson--yet another Asian film remake. This time the plot revolves around newlyweds who find ghosts in the images they develop after a tragic incident. Cue the creepy music and the rigid, crawling spirits. And for you indie lovers there's Under the Same Moon, a heartwarming film about a boy who misses his mother so much that he crosses the Mexican border by himself just to get to her.

TV: Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother"

If you watch CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," then you probably heard that Britney Spears got a guest spot on it playing a receptionist. Here are two sneak peaks to the episode where she's apparently incapable of ripping her eyes away from Ted because of her major crush on him:



What do you think? New and improved Britney?

TV: Jamie Lynn Spears on "Miss/Guided"

Perhaps it's a tad early for stunt-casting, but ABC's "Miss/Guided" isn't taking any chances. Not only does tonight's episode have a guest appearance from Ashton Kutcher, playing a Spanish substitute teacher, but Jamie Lynn Spears--the super preggers Nickelodeon star of "Zoey 101"--will also guest star in the future. Watch a clip!

TV: Michelle Trachtenberg on "Gossip Girl"

Last month, I told you that Mischa Barton was offered a role in "Gossip Girl," but turned it down. The producers, of course, denied it and said they never offered her the role. Then rumors floated around that Mischa and her publicist had spread the rumor to make it seem like she was in demand.

Either way, the part that Mischa was allegedly offered has officially went to Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), who returns to the WB/CW after starring in Eurotrip and Mysterious Skin, and guest-starring in "Six Feet Under."

The part she'll play is of a teen socialite named Georgina Sparks who used to be Serena's booze buddy and general enabler. After she gets sent to rehab, she returns to Manhattan and starts to wriggle her way back into Serena's life, stirring things up. This could of course mean a number of things. Last we saw the gossip girls, Blair was no longer the Queen B and she was looking for revenge against Jenny. Serena had solidified her relationship with Dan by making sweet sweet love to him. Chuck had officially rejected Blair, and Nate had officially rejected them both. Georgina's entrance could mean a new love interest for either boys, a new rival for both Blair and Jenny, or even a new wedge--since Blair's waved her white flag--between Serena and Dan. Either way, it's sure to be scandalous. Hopefully fans won't turn on her like they did Vanessa.

2008 will surely be a reboot for Trachtenberg's career. Not only will she be co-starring with Topher Grace and Anna Faris (Just Friends) in the comedy Kids In America, but she'll be playing Zac Efron's love interest alongside Matthew Perry and Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) in Seventeen Again.

ALBUM REVIEW: Danity Kane's "Welcome to the Dollhouse"

You're probably just as amazed as I am that Diddy's "band" Danity Kane are still together. I guess the third time's a charm. When they dropped their first self-titled album in 2006, I gave it an unbiased shot and managed to enjoy half of it. While I may not listen to it as much as I do a few other old tracks, I stand by my opinion of it and endeavor to give its sophomore album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, the same treatment.

Once again, the girls--with the assistance of several producer heavyweights--managed to issue a B+ album. My favorites were "Damaged," their first single, and "Bad Girl," featuring Missy Elliott. "Damaged" is a nice ballad cleverly disguised by a club beat. "Bad Girl" had a great choir harmony, but I hate the part in the chorus when they say, "when/the/red/light/comes on/I transform."



There were also a few interesting tracks that weren't a part of their earlier repertoire. Both "Pretty Boy" and "2 of You" have 90s rap beats, and the latter uses old school slang like "juicy humps," "fly as hell," and "if you feel me." The song is very much an arena song, because of the chorus where they beckon the listener to clap a certain amount of times. It will be perfect for their tour. The only flaws for "Pretty Boy" is the line where one of them says, "come and wipe me down." Gross! The most surprising part of the song "Strip Tease" isn't the seductive lyrics, but the fact that the lead singer sounds like Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls. Despite the title of the song, they managed to keep it relatively PG. It could make for a cool concept video if done tastefully. The somewhat enjoyable "Lights Out" is the real seduction song.

The album also has several interlude songs and my favorite was "Flashback." I have pretty high standards when it comes to slow songs/ballads. I listened to half of Mariah Carey's collection this weekend and she was the queen of ballads in the 90s. That's a hard act to follow, so whenever I hear slow songs I usually give it a couple of seconds before I turn them off from disappointment. "Flashback," however, is a beautiful snippet of a song about regret.


They should've built on that instead of including a few duds. Speaking of which, the tracks you should just ignore include their duet with Diddy's other band Day 26 called "Aint Going." Day 26 sounded more like background singers. I don't picture myself even reviewing their album.

TV: "Miss/Guided" Review

I watched the pilot episode of "Miss/Guided" last night. It stars Judy Greer, who was a hilarious scene stealer in 27 Dresses and "Two and a Half Men." She plays Becky Freeley, a grown up geek living with her mom, who returns to her high school to become its guidance counselor. When I first heard about the premise of this show, I knew that there were a few gags that it could dish out. The fact that she was a loser back in high school and probably has no good advice to bestow upon the student body is a definite running joke. But I wasn't positive there was anymore to it. Then I watched last night's episode and I was formally introduced to the other amusing factors of the show.

Factor #1: She's in love with one of her fellow teachers Tim (Kristoffer Polaha from "North Shore"), who happens to be the only attractive teacher at the school. He's also a little dense. He use to teach auto-shop and now he's teaching Spanish...badly, because apparently "La biblioteca esta en la playa" (The library is in the beach). She might actually have a chance with him, since he willingly eats lunch with her every day and respects her as an inspiring individual. So in high school he probably would've been the artsy bad boy with a heart of gold a la Lucas Scott in "One Tree Hill."

Factor #2: She has an arch nemesis, Lisa (Brooke Burns also from "North Shore"), who used to be the most popular girl in school. The principal hired her to teach English. Not only are all the students drooling over, but so is Tim. She's recently divorced and out on the prowl. Her claws are so sharp that she tried to talk trash about Becky to Tim, but being the awesome guy that he is, he defended her. And being the manipulator that she is, she pretended he misunderstood her comments. Her cunning evil ways will most likely develop over the season.

Factor #3: The rest of her supporting characters--students excluded--are a group of pathetic men. Principal Huffy (Earl Billings) has a disturbing, adulterous crush on her, which is why he hired her. Vice Principal Bruce Terry (Chris Parnell from "30 Rock") is socially retarded, controlling, awkward, and obnoxious. And the math teacher Peter (Tim Bagley from "Monk") is so boring that he seems to answer most questions in a long-winded manner that often include equations. Together, they make her seem normal.

Factor #4: As for the students, they're all nearly certifiably insane, yet relatable. I don't know what that says about youth today, but they are. Vanessa Marano (Luke's daughter in "Gilmore Girls") plays a girl who is very similar to Becky's former self and is very attached to her. Newcomer Chad Broskey plays a kid who considers a girl who is two years older than him to be "an older woman." Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids) plays an awkward kid she mentors that can't find his place in any clique and prefers to watch and criticize from the sidelines. That definitely sounds like high school.

Factor #5: It's being directed by Todd Holland, who did "Malcolm in the Middle," and written by Caroline Williams, who may be a novice, but has had experience writing for "The Office"--both of which would explain those frequent heart-to-hearts directed towards the camera.

Despite these enticing factors, I refuse to make a final judgment on this so-far-funny show until I watch the two new episodes airing this Thursday at 8pm & 8:30pm with executive producer Ashton Kutcher guest starring.

TV: New Pilots

ABC
Sam Raimi (Spiderman) will start his first venture in directing television with a miniseries called "Wizard's First Rule." It'll be an hour-long series based on Terry Goodkind's novels in the Sword of Truth saga. Twenty two episodes will be developed from the eleven published volumes. The story follows Richard Cypher, "a young man who makes his living leading people through dangerous forests, as he investigates the murder of his father and finds himself opposing Darken Rahl, the son of an evil wizard." No one has been cast yet.

NBC
Christian Slater use to be huge in the 90s, but at some point he slowly became a disruptive, womanizing drunk. Yet somehow, NBC is trusting him to play the lead part in an untitled drama about "a mild-mannered suburban dad who learns that his alter ego is a spy." Schizo may not be a stretch for Slater, but steady work, responsibilities, and press junkets might be pushing it. It doesn't help that the writer-producer of the series will be Jason Smilovic. I loved his feature film debut Lucky Number Slevin, but he seems to keep fumbling with his shows, which consist of "Kidnapped," "Karen Sisco," and the recent disappointment "Bionic Woman." However, according to Hollywood sources, Slater has been on the wish list of many networks and TV shows, which is probably why he scored "My Name is Earl" last season, and story arcs in "Alias" and "West Wing." But trusting an entire show to him is a whole different ball game.

CBS
Geena Davis ("Commander in Chief") will headline a drama called "Exit 19." She'll play "a quirky murder detective balancing her job as a Manhattan crime solver with her role as a single suburban mom raising two kids on Long Island." What's with this sudden slew of quirky detectives. I seriously doubt she'll be able to top Damian Lewis' "Life" character.

The CW
Here's an update for the "90210" spin-off: "The new version will focus on the Mills family of Beverly Hills. Tabitha Mills, the matriarch, is a 60-something actress/alchoholic who was a major star in the 1970s. After her last stint in rehab, she is trying to live on her own at her Beverly Hills estate. Tabitha's son Harrison ''Harry'' Mills, a 1980s graduate of Beverly Hills High, moves back home after years in St. Louis to be with his mom. He brings along his wife, Celia, an Olympic athlete, who winds up working as a personal trainer, and their two 16-year-olds: Daughter Annie and adopted son Dixon. Annie is a theater kid desperate to fit in with the cool crowd, while Dixon is a smart bad boy with social and behavioral issues. The breakdowns reportedly show that producers are open to all ethnicities for Dixon, making it possible that he'll be played by a non-white actor. Other characters listed by Variety include: Silver, aka Daphne Silver, a wannabe socialite who hosts her own YouTube series; Max Silver, Daphne's 24-year-old brother, a working man who manages the family movie theater; Navid Shirazi, who produces the high school's student-run video newscast; Ethan Ward, a jock who falls out of favor with the A-list crowd and ends up hanging with the ''90210'' crew; and Naomi Bennett, Ethan's super-hot, ultra-rich ex-girlfriend." So far, this leaves it open for a cameo from Brian Austin Green ("The Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles").

Sci-Fi Channel
The series will be adapted from the comic book "The Stranded," which--similarly to USA's "The 4400"--is about people who discover that they're actually aliens with special abilities. You could even think of it as a Superman-type story, which would suggest that perhaps these aliens were "stranded" for a purpose and their mission may not exactly be something they are willing to execute. What's most interesting about this comic is that it's being created simultaneously with the series, kind of like "Heroes."

FILM: "Harold & Kumar" Spinoff + "Boondock Saints" sequel

If you loved Harold & Kumar go to White Castle and you're amped for the April 25th release of Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, then you might be excited to know that the directors are considering a spin-off featuring the scene stealer Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met your Mother") playing a psychotic, straight, sex-crazed, and over-exaggerated version of himself.


Boondock Saints, an Irish shoot-em-up film that is a cult favorite of most men, will start filming a sequel this summer, subtitled All Saints Day. The original cast, Sean Patrick Flanery ("The Dead Zone"), Norman Reedus (American Gangster) and Billy Connolly (Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties), will be returning, as well as the writer and director, Troy Duffy.

FILM: The Spook's Apprentice adaptation

Kevin Lima (Enchanted) will be adapting the mystical series The Spook's Apprentice, a novel in the Wardstone Chronicles trilogy written by the British author Joseph Delaney. The story focuses on Thomas Ward, "the seventh son of a seventh son who is being trained to be an exorcist in the 1700s." A child being trained to be an exorcist? I'm sold.

TV: The Andromeda Strain

A&E isn't exactly known for its miniseries collection. Not like HBO ("John Adams," and "Angels in America"), which has won several Emmy's over the last decade, or TNT ("In to the West"). It's actually not even known for original scripted content period, but it managed to scoop up the adaptation of Michael Crichton's (Jurassic Park) scifi novel The Andromeda Strain.

The story follows a team of experts who must figure out a way to contain a deadly alien virus, codenamed Andromeda, found on a satellite that crashed in Utah. Their only clues for a cure lie in two survivors, a baby and an old man. The government is eager to expose of the contaminated region by nuking it, but it feeds on radiation, so it would mutate and/or spread. If you love apocalyptic films, you might want to check out this miniseries premiering this Spring. Watch the trailer!

What's even more noteworthy is that it was directed by Mikael Salomon, who is a pro at TV miniseries production, having done TNT's "The Company," "Nightmares & Dreamscapes," and "The Grid," ABC Family's "Fallen," and a segment of HBO's "Band of Brothers."

It's apparent that cable miniseries shows have become a sleeper trend. Last year, AMC, a channel that is barely watched by a large demographic, won an Emmy for its miniseries "Broken Trail." But normally, cable channels stick to shows that return sporadically throughout the year in makeshift seasons. For example, the Scifi channel, where scifi shows ("Roswell," "Dark Angel") once went to be put to rest, now has a steady crop ("Battlestar Galactica," "Eureka," "Stargate Atlantis") of buzzworthy content. But it's not exactly known for its miniseries output, despite the fact that in 2000, they had the respected "Dune" and in 2003 it won an Emmy for Stephen King's "Taken." But then in 2004, both "Earthsea" and "The Dark Kingdom" were given bad reviews, as well as 2005's "The Triangle" and 2007's "Tin Man." Its last respected hit was 2006's "The Lost Room." However, in spite of its missteps, the channel shows no signs of slowing down in production.

What is your favorite miniseries?

FILM: Professor McGonagall has Cancer

Maggie Smith, the actress who plays Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter sagas, has breast cancer. Although, I, as well as her fans, hope she gets better, there is still the question of what will happen to her part if she were too ill to continue filming.

With the recent death of Heath Ledger, which sort of threw his director Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) for a loop, and even more recent demise of the director Anthony Minghella, who was in the middle of shooting a short for the film New York, I Love You and was about to start filming the adaptation of The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, this question has suddenly become an imminent inquiry in Hollywood.


Gilliam solved his problem by casting Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell as different versions of the mystical doc that Ledger played. But in 2002, when Richard Harris, the 72-year-old Irish actor who played Albus Dumbledore, died before the other 6 movies were made, the studios decided to replace him with 67-year-old Irish actor Michael Gambon (above). One review from movieweb.com expressed my opinion of his performance perfectly:

"For one, he had a totally different look than the late Richard Harris did as Dumbledore. They changed his wardrobe extensively, even though it had been nearly identical in the first two movies. They obviously couldn't make Gambon exactly like Harris, but the way he portrayed Dumbledore, it was like they wanted to create a totally different character. Gambon was more playful and curious, contrasting the stoic nature that Harris portrayed so nicely in the first two movies. The changes were just too drastic, especially this deep in the series, and especially given the immense popularity of the books and the movies."

I worry about Gambon's drastic change in personality, because Dumbledore has a huge part in The Half Blood Prince and a lot of backstory in the Death Hallows. All of this needs to be laid out poetically and memorably. And with David Yates (Order of the Phoenix) directing the next two films, I'm afraid his story will be butchered. Hence the reason why I'm worried about McGonagall's part. I am definitely not saying that Smith should grin and bear it. I'm just asking for a little more continuity. After such an amazing adventure, I think they owe it to kids (and adults) to make an effort--if it's necessary--to find a proper replacement for the amazing actress. What do you think?

UPDATE: I want to apologize if I've offended anyone. I thought I made it clear that I too hope Maggie Smith gets better, and in no way implied that she was going to die. I agree that she's an amazing actress, which is why I didn't want her performance tainted by some crappy replacement IF they should replace her while she seeks treatment. Once again, sorry if I offended you.

TRAILERS: Tropic Thunder, Van Damme, Son of Rambow

Tropic Thunder
All I have to say is: Robert Downey Jr. impersonating a black man. Funniest shit I have ever seen. I'm black and I just...I can't stop laughing.


JCVD
I thought that whatever movie was named after Jean Claude Van Damme would be ridiculous, but then I saw the trailer for this dark comedy about the falling star that is Van Damme and its comical take on what it's like to be a broke, out-of-work, action star. Not only is it pathetic, but surprisingly funny.


Son of Rambow
You know how precocious kids are fun to youtube? Well, think of this movie as a really long youtube video with Hollywood funding and non-animated Disney imagination. How much would you love to make your own action movie when you're like 10? Live in envy...