The Dishmaster – Page 336

The Bachelor Producers Are Blood Sucking Maggots

If you’re not watching The Bachelor this season, allow me to explain the title of this post. There’s a girl on the show whose fiance died in an airplane crash just days before she found out she was pregnant. Her fiance was a NASCAR driver, and on next week’s episode, Brad Womack takes her to a race track. Can you guess why? Well, because the producers want good television, and they know that if they capitalize on this poor girl’s back-story, she’ll probably cry for the entire date. And tears are ratings gold! It isn’t shocking that the producers would pull such a trick, especially considering the many former cast members that have complained. When Jerry O’Connell’s brother (Charlie O’Connell) was on the show, the producers tried to get his parents drunk and kept yelling at them for being “boring.” Chris Harrison has consistently defended the producers of his cash-cow-show, and this date is no exception. When asked about it, he said it was “therapeutic.” Yeah, I’m sure that’s why you guys did it . . . for therapy.

Jon Stewart Calls Out Megyn Kelly and Fox News for Nazi Hypocrisy

Here’s the story in a nutshell. Democratic Representative Steve Cohen compared Republican “lies” about health care reform to Nazi Germany, and Republicans went nuts. When Megyn Kelly of Fox News was accused of making the same inappropriate, gratuitous comparisons, she denied it. Jon Stuart pounced on the opportunity to prove her wrong, which brings me to the clip below. Enjoy!

Dr. Drew on The Bachelor! — Is He a Celebrity Whore?

I’ve loved Dr. Drew since the days of Loveline on MTV, when he taught me everything I didn’t want to know about random callers with third nipples. He was the expert doctor who was there to help. At no point in the show did I believe he was in it for the fame. I’ve since changed my mind. I’m fine with him lending his expertise to Celebrity Rehab, but I draw the line at Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor. If you are going to whore yourself out for money, at least stick to your field. Watch his extremely uncomfortable and inappropriate appearance on Dancing With the Stars below, to see what I mean.

Advertisers Pull Out of MTV’s ‘Skins’ — Is it Teen Pornography?

Though I respect creative integrity, I also know a thing or two about our legal system. That being said, it was probably the world’s dumbest idea to cast actual teenagers for Mtv’s new controversial show, Skins. Apparently, the creators wanted to keep the series true to the British version, and that includes casting teenagers to engage in sexually explicit scenes, which may or may not be child pornography. Aside from the ridiculous legal issue, the show just doesn’t work. To help explain my point — I’d like to tell a little story about my childhood. Once upon a time, my father and I went to see an American movie in England. During one of the previews, I noticed a bunch of naked women in the shower, and I figured it was the trailer for some R rated film that was inappropriately placed before PG movie. At the end of the naked shower scene, the camera panned to the naked woman’s wrist, at which point I noticed a very nice looking watch. It was a watch commercial! I was somewhat traumatized — partly because I felt like I was watching porn with my father, and partly because I felt too young to be watching a shower orgy. So what’s my point? The point is that, while something might work for the sexually free England, here in America we are prude. And Skins just doesn’t translate. I tried watching the English version immediately after watching the American version, in hopes that the problem was merely an adaptation issue. Nope. I found the English version equally as offensive and terrible. I’m not sure I’d pull my advertisements from the show, but I certainly watched my first and last episode.

Jesse James Engaged to Kat Von D — Takes Jab at Sandra Bullock

What’s the shelf-life on using social media to flaunt your new relationship after cheating on your ex-wife? Not only has Jesse James used twitter to declare his love for Kat Von D, but he’s also made an official engagement announcement, saying that 2010 was the “best year of his life.” First, if it’s true that the year your marriage fell apart because of your infidelity was in fact your greatest year, keep it to yourself. There’s no need to tell the entire world (which includes your ex-wife). Second, using twitter to write sweet nothings to your new lady is completely inappropriate. Just ask Leann Rimes. It’s too soon — and tacky.

Don’t Play Scary Trailers in My Romantic Comedies

Can anyone guess what my favorite movie genre is? You got it — romantic comedies. Why? Because I go to movies as an escape, and I generally like to turn my brain off for the entire two hours. Every so often I’ll make an exception for a Tom Cruise action flick, but overall, the schmaltzier the better. So you can imagine my angst when I went to see Country Strong, and I saw an extremely disturbing trailer for a horror film. I was traumatized, and I found it very difficult to reset my mind in time for the cheesiness I desired. I thought trailers were supposed to match the genre of the movie. Are there just too few movies now to meet my interests?

Music Spotlight: Lykke Li

I’ve recently discovered my affinity for Swedish musicians. First, Erik Hassle, and now Lykke Li. Sure, they have much different musical styles, but perhaps Sweden is churning out some really good musicians. As per my usual routine, I discovered Lykke Li on Pandora through my Florence + The Machine station. I then went to Grooveshark and listened to her entire Youth Novels album, which is incredible. She has yet to achieve mainstream success in the United States, with the exception of her appearance on Last Call With Carson Daly in 2009 (yes, Carson Daly is still alive) and a performance at the 2009 Lollapalooza Music Festival. Listen to her music below. I recommend Little Bit.

[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/lykkeli/sets/lykke-li[/soundcloud]

Movie Review: Country Strong

I delayed seeing this film, because the trailer made it look cheesy and ridiculous. On a whim I watched it, and it was shockingly good. The film follows the career of Kelly Canter, a country music superstar, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s been to rehab multiple times, and her husband, James Canter (Tim McGraw), takes her out of rehab early so she can continue her tour. Garrett Hedlund plays her “sponsor,” and he objects to Canter’s early release, partly because she isn’t ready and partly because they’ve been carrying on an affair in rehab, and he doesn’t want her to leave. Canter wants him close, so she tells her husband she wants him as her opening act on tour. Her husband complies, but only if he shares the stage with Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester), a very pretty and talented aspiring country music star. Though I was impressed with all the actors in the film, I was particularly impressed with Tim McGraw, who I couldn’t decide whether to love or hate throughout the entire film. It’s clear much he loves his wife, despite the way he mistreats her. It’s also clear how much Beau loves his wife, so it’s impossible to predict the end result. Until the last twenty minutes, I had no idea who the characters would end up with. It’s the least predictable romantic movie I’ve ever seen.

Ricky Gervais Defends Himself to Piers Morgan — Makes Sense!

Would you judge me if I admitted I’m attracted to Ricky Gervais? Sure, he’s openly gay, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve liked a gay man. Okay, it was high school — don’t judge. So why the attraction? Because, as you can see from the video below, Gervais won’t cower to the criticism about his Golden Globes performance. He insists he did nothing wrong, saying that if he kissed celebrity ass instead, it would be “nauseating.” I completely agree. First, what do you expect when you hire Gervais for the job? And second, most celebrities are raging narcissists with no sense of humor. So it’s only fitting to take them down a peg.

UPDATE: Well, this is embarrassing. Ricky Gervais isn’t gay. The kind commenter below pointed out that he’s had the same girlfriend for the last 29 years. Next time I make a personal confession on my blog, I’ll be sure to do my research.

Jennifer Lopez Threatens Ricky Gervais — Admits She’s Humorless

Jennifer Lopez wasn’t pleased with Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes, saying that there was an uncomfortable silence in the room while he was telling his jokes. And Lopez had no problem threatening Gervais directly. Upon seeing him backstage, she said, ‘Listen! I will kill you, you understand, I am from New York, my husband fights, we both fight, we will beat you up after the show … with a couple of bleep bleeps in there.” First of all, I imagine that the Lopez wasn’t sitting at the “fun table,” during the show, so it doesn’t surprise that her friends are also humorless. Second, if you can’t take a joke, then don’t go to an awards show hosted by Ricky Gervais. Having said that, I fear for Gervais, who would likely lose in a throw-down with Jennifer Lopez.