Author: The Dishmaster

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, interviewed Sam Wasson, the writer of Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m., the New York Times bestseller that details the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  They discussed the death of the romantic comedy, and though they justifiably slayed The Bounty Hunter, they also cited Knight and Day as a creative failure.  Many of my readers know my love for Knight and Day.  The filmed failed at the box office, which was due to the horrible marketing campaign, instead of the quality.  I liken it to Charade, though the story was admittedly weaker.  But in the creatively inept Hollywood, aren’t romantic comedies just a scapegoat?  Almost every drama I see is just as bad, and sadly, most of them are painful remakes.  So perhaps Dowd and Wasson should take a step back and assess the real problem — which is that Hollywood’s status as a members-only club is worse than ever, with absolutely no effort to nurture new talent.  Plus, don’t insult Knight and Day.

George Clooney’s girlfriend is the cover-girl for the Italian Vanity Fair and not surprisingly, the topic is Clooney.  The love he has for her is “overwhelming,” says Elisabetta Canalis, and he has put the “color back into [her] life.”  Aside from the vomitable and seemingly contrived cheesiness, I can’t quite figure out why she made it on the cover.  Oh wait — yes I can — she’s dating Clooney.  I’m actually on the fence about using your man’s fame to launch your own career.  After all, connections make the world go round in almost any business.  But when you discuss your A-list boyfriend on a magazine cover, instead of auditioning for roles, the line is crossed.  Canalis is an Italian model and actress, and has yet to make a break in the United States.  So dating Clooney certainly helps get her foot in the door.  It’s therefore unnecessary to prostitute her relationship in interviews.  I’d like to also note that I might be a jealous bitch, and I don’t appreciate her naively thinking that Clooney won’t leave her for me.  It’s only a matter of time.

Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, recently spoke out against the hit show Modern Family, saying that, it’s “ridiculous” that the gay couple doesn’t kiss.  This is not the first time that Murphy has vocalized his opinion about gay characters on television.  He also spoke out against Ramin Satoodeh, the writer for Newsweek, when Satoodeh claimed that gay actors can’t play straight.  At the time, Murphy said that he deliberately cast Jonathan Groff as Lea Michele’s love interest in Glee, fully aware that Groff is an out-and-proud homosexual. So is Murphy just a complainer, or is he a gay-rights champion?  I vote the latter.  One of my favorite shows of all-time is Showtime’s Queer as Folk, which not only involved straight male actors kissing other men on screen, but full-on sexcapading.  I realize Modern Family is network television, so the sexcapades must be kept to a minimum, but if your gonna play gay, then be prepared to play gay.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zac Efron discussed why he turned down Footloose, saying that it’s the kind of movie everyone would expect of him, and he wanted to do something challenging for the right reasons.  Though I’m absolutely fine with Efron’s rejection of what will likely be a painful remake, I’m not so sure it would have been the “type-casting” he fears.  After all, the man can sing and dance . . . so why not sing and dance?  Just because two roles involve the same talent, doesn’t mean you’re being “type-cast.”  Gene Kelly spent most of his career singing and dancing, and he’s a legend.  In fact, I challenge Efron to single-handedly revive the movie-musical for good.  You can still die in a Nicholas Sparks movie too, I promise.

Though The Bachelorette is barely watchable, I simply can’t turn away. In the midst of my eye-rolling over the cheesy dialogue, I saw that Ali rejected Chris prior to the final rose ceremony, which is a first for the show. I’m not sure whether this was her idea, or a creative twist from the producers, but the choice benefited everyone involved. Let’s not forget when Deanna Pappas’ delay led to Jason Mesnick’s one-knee descent. Or how about when Brad Womack knew prior to the final rose ceremony that he would not choose either woman, and claimed that the producers contractually forced him to continue. I’m embarrassed by my own knowledge of the show, but lets just keep it between us.  I’d like to blame my trainwreck obsession on the lack of summer show choices, and beg every network to come up with something even moderately entertaining.  Anyways, congratulations to the happy couple, may your six months of “amazing” post-show bliss bring you much happiness.