Love is crazy. And it’s also stupid. And only the acting prowess of Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone, could properly show why anyone in their right mind would engage in such an emotionally tumultuous activity. At the opening of this film, Cal (Steve Carell) gets dumped by his long-time wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), and in an effort to avoid her apologetic monologue, he literally jumps out of their moving car. She had an affair, and she leaves their marriage because it’s “broken.” Cal subsequently spends an inordinate amount of time lamenting to a bartender. It’s during these rants that Cal meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who can only be defined as a “pick-up artist.” Jacob takes an interest in Cal, and gives him a makeover to “get his manhood back.” The transformation becomes both external and internal, and the emotionally vapid Jacob unsuspectingly adopts some of Cal’s love-struck ideology in the process. There are some enjoyable sub-plots in this movie, which I won’t ruin, but let’s just say that Cal learns a thing or two about soul-mates from his un-jaded son. This movie proves that you don’t need a high-concept gimmick to keep a film afloat. When you have great actors who execute what is often thought of as ‘cheesy’ material, then you get an enjoyable movie that doesn’t feel like a chick-flick. My favorite line of this film came from Cal, who said, “I’ve loved her even when I hated her.” If you’ve ever been cursed and blessed with being in love — then I’m sure you can relate. OVERALL RATING: DISHTASTIC
Category: General
Ryan Murphy Cancels Glee Spin-Off — Blames His Actors
Has your poor behavior ever pissed someone off, yet their reaction is far worse than your original misstep? Such is the case with the consistently temperamental Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee. Murphy isn’t pleased with his three key players, which includes Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, and Cory Montieth. In case you have not heard, Murphy announced to the press that Colfer, Michele, and Montieth would be “graduating,” thereby taking them off the show (or at least seriously reducing their services on the show). The press got wind, and said the actors had been “fired,” and Chris Colfer subsequently claimed to have found out about this news via twitter. Murphy wasn’t pleased about Chris’ claim, presumably because it made Murphy look like a heartless prick who talked to the press before notifying his actors. Predictably — Murphy is firing back — and I can only assume these actors are running for cover. According to Murphy, they knew all along, and he was even in talks to do a spin-off with them after Glee. They were therefore aware that they were leaving the show, and were not “fired via twitter.” As a result of their alleged misrepresentation, Murphy and the powers-that-be over at Fox have decided to punish them by nixing the spin-off. I have a few things to say about this. Ryan Murphy might need some anger management counseling. Second, Having said that, he’s still the creator of the show, which means it’s extremely disrespectful and stupid to publicly insult him. But why should Lea Michele and Cory Montieth be punished for what Chris Colfer said? They smartly kept their mouth shut. Should the entire class be punished for the actions of that one student who throws paper airplanes at the teacher?
Kat Von D Gets Jesse James Tattoo Before Break-Up — Great idea
There is always a moment in every one of my past relationships where I have acted completely psychotic and fully expect to be dumped. After watching the clip below, I officially think I’m the most level-headed chick on the planet. In a clip from the upcoming season of ‘LA Ink,’ Kat Von D surprised Jesse James with a tattoo of his face that she copied from one of his childhood photos. In case you have not heard, they are now broken up. Have I mentioned the joy of being a Jew, and how I’ve happily complied with our no-tattoo policy? What the hell was she thinking? I won’t even show up to a dude’s apartment with a surprise dinner for fear that he’ll think I’m annoying, let alone getting permanently inked with his face! Furthermore, couldn’t she have just tattooed his name in small letters, instead of picking an unflattering, awkward picture of the guy? To make matters worse — he doesn’t look happy. The word “embarrassing” would be an understatement. When ‘Good Day LA’ aired the clip prior to her appearance, Von D was so pissed she left the show. Watch below.
Kat Von D Walks Out on GDLA Interview: MyFoxLA.com
Aaron Barnhart & The Revelators at ‘R Bar’ — Great Show
When you live in Los Angeles, you’re often exposed to a wide array of douchebags that lie about their accomplishments. So when you meet someone genuine and talented, you can’t help but root for their success. One such talented individual is a Mr. Aaron Barnhart, who I had the pleasure of watching perform at a fantastic Los Angeles venue in Koreatown known as ‘R Bar.’ He was joined by his “Revelators,” which included Robert Columbus (drums), Josh Jove (guitar), and Sam Skolfield (bass guitar). In addition to Aaron’s original material, they played some great blues music, and I looked around the room to discover the crowd feeling the groove. Aaron is about to release his sophomore album, and judging from what I’ve heard so far, it’s going to be damn good. Listen to a tune from his debut album below.
Mariah Carey on HSN — Strange Behavior
Perhaps Mariah Carey should have waited a little longer for her first television appearance since the birth of her twins. I’m not sure what’s wrong with her, and I don’t know when Mariah changed from being extremely down to earth to saying the word “dahhhh—-ling” with every sentence. I hate to compare her to Paula Abdul, but the HSN segments are awfully similar. Either it’s difficult to fill time in a coherent way while selling a product, or there’s something strange going on. To remind you of the days when Mariah Carey was extremely likable and normal, I’ve posted a vintage interview with her in addition to her HSN appearance.
Vintage Quote-of-the-Day — Led Zeppelin’s Plagiarism
“Well, if you listen to the two songs, you can make your own judgment. It’s an exact… I’d say it was a rip-off. And the guys made millions of bucks on it and never said, “Thank you,” never said, “Can we pay you some money for it?” It’s kind of a sore point with me. Maybe some day their conscience will make them do something about it. I don’t know. There are funny business dealings between record companies, managers, publishers, and artists. But when artists do it to other artists, there’s no excuse for that. I’m mad! [laughs]” The late Randy California of the band ‘Spirit, ‘ discussing how Led Zeppelin ripped-off of his song, ‘Taurus,’ for the intro to ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ Listen to the two songs below.
Tabloid Gossip — Week-in-Review
- Amy Winehouse’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, may inherit her estate. Pop Dust
- Rhys-Ifans, that guy from ‘Notting Hill’ who once dated Sienna Miller, was arrested at Comic Con. Hot Momma Gossip
- The Oasis brothers, Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, still hate each other. Huffington Post
- Bar Rafaeli has the best body I’ve ever seen. Just Jared
- ‘Gossip Girl’s’ Leighton Meester is suing her mother. DListed
- Kristin Cavallari called off her engagement to Jay Cutler. People
Howard Stern Quote of the Day
Russell Brand Writes Tribute to Amy Winehouse — Beautiful
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Russell Brand has been very vocal about his own struggles with addiction, so his open tribute to her was especially moving. I’ve posted a few choice quotes below. To read his entire letter, click here.
- “When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone. Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make it must be received. It is impossible to intervene.”
- “Winehouse and I shared an affliction, the disease of addiction. All addicts, regardless of the substance or their social status share a consistent and obvious symptom; they’re not quite present when you talk to them. They communicate to you through a barely discernible but un-ignorable veil.”
- “It was only by chance that I attended a Paul Weller gig at the Roundhouse that I ever saw her live. I arrived late and as I made my way to the audience through the plastic smiles and plastic cups I heard the rolling, wondrous resonance of a female vocal. Entering the space I saw Amy on stage with Weller and his band; and then the awe. The awe that envelops when witnessing a genius . . . . She wasn’t just some hapless wannabe, yet another pissed up nit who was never gonna make it, nor was she even a ten-a-penny-chanteuse enjoying her fifteen minutes. She was a f**king genius.”
- “Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticized, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease.”
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Paris Hilton Walks Out of Interview — Dan Harris Sucks
Paris Hilton’s interview with ‘Good Morning America’ proves why celebrities need to hand-pick interviewers that they trust. I understand that Paris Hilton might be a faux celebrity whose fame came from her family’s empire, but so are a lot of other very respected individuals that don’t get the same level of criticism. Ever heard of Christian Slater? His mother was a Hollywood agent who gave her son a ticket into the business, and he’s been acting ever since. Sure he might be a good actor, but would you ever know his name if not for nepotism? So when Paris Hilton sits down for an interview, is it really fair for the jackass (also known as Dan Harris) asking her questions to inquire whether she’s “washed up?” It’s a rude sneak-attack, and don’t invite someone onto your network if your only intention is to embarrass and humiliate them. And furthermore, it’s extremely unfair to blast her in a voice-over, especially when she has no final approval over the segment. This brings me to my original point — only do an interview with Barbara Walters. Other than that — stay away.