So why aren't you watching Big Brother? I mean, that guy on the right there is one of the contestants! And while he's yet to wander around in his tighty-whities, he does appear to be allergic to shirts. Every year I watch the first episode with every intention of hating it and not watching any more of them. And every year, I get sucked right back in. Sigh.
This time it only took me until the second episode to declare my love. This season is already off to a great start. The grandpa was Head of Household, but Will-wannabe Brian decided to use his superior cell-phone selling skills to try and manipulate him into nominating the people he wanted up for eviction. And when Grandpa went along with the plan, Brian smiled smugly. But in the second episode, Brian went a little too far with his scheme. He started going to everyone in the house and promising them safety if they did his bidding. Like he can promise safety! And naturally, all it took was for a couple houseguests to put their heads together and compare stories. And very quickly the situation snowballed and the majority of the house basically cornered Grandpa in his HOH room to tell him that he had to put Brian up on the block or else. Well, maybe not as blatantly threatening as that, but very nearly.
Grandpa felt bad about going back on his word to Brian, but clearly Brian's word wouldn't be nearly as reliable down the line, so this was probably his best move. Especially since 80% of the house promised Grandpa safety if he helped them get rid of the snake in the grass. Brian was completely blindsided, and it's going to be very interesting to see if he's able to manipulate his way out of being the first idiot sent packing.
I'm hoping he won't, because the other person up on the block is Renny, who is the most awesome broad this show has ever cast. She pretty much acts crazy or drunk all the time, and nobody can understand half of what she says. Oh, and she wears awesome mumus and wigs. And turbans! With '60s mod sunglasses! Seriously, it's like having a Southern Gloria Swanson in the house! She's a little annoying, so it looked like people would've been happy to get her out, but it seems like this batch might be smart enough to vote out a possible threat instead of the awesome Renny. She'll never win, but I want her in the house as long as possible, simply for the entertainment value of her insanity!
So what are you waiting for? Tune in, then head over to the forum thread and discuss!
The Onion's A.V. Club has a feature examining the "Darrin Effect," that unfortunate phenomenon when a character is recast mid-season or between movies. Conspicuously absent from the list is Harriet from Family Matters, who quit and was replaced before the last season. You know, the one with all the time travel and cloning and stuff. Man, that show jumped like fifteen sharks, didn't it?
The Darrin Effect: 20 jarring cases of recast roles [A.V. Club]
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Carson Kressley will be starring in his own talk show on the Lifetime network. The show will be focused on features and interviews with "real people" that may or may not include Tom Cruise's fifth grade math teacher.
Keep in mind, this is from the same producer that brought us The Greg Behrendt Show. Ugh.
Carson Kressley does talk for Lifetime [Hollywood Reporter]
Seriously, guys. They're not. They're here to win. In case that wasn't clear.
An independent publisher is currently shopping around an animated series that stars John Oates' mustache.
The mustache, to be voiced by Dave Attell (oh, it talks, by the way), has the ability to give superpowers to its former owner, the guy from Hall & Oates that isn't Hall. Oates attempts to regain his rock star status and battle villains with their own supernatural mustaches.
John Oates' Moustache Cartoon Sounds Amazing [Rolling Stone]
Get ready to visit the Black Lodge, check up on Annie, and commune with lumber. Not only does Fancast.com have every episode of Twin Peaks available for streaming (minus the feature-length pilot), actress Lara Flynn Boyle is blogging this week about her work on the bizarre David Lynch mystery series, as well as her other projects including The Practice and Threesome.
Take an educational children's film from early eighties England, add a fresh dose of absurdity, and you've got the first season of Look Around You. The BAFTA-nominated shorts started broadcast in 2005, but you might not guess so right away from the deadpan eighties camp factor.
You can find the entire first series on Youtube if you look hard enough. Topics range from sulfur to ghosts.
The higher-budget Adult Swim incarnation of Channel 102's sci-fi web comedy Gemberling is aptly titled Fat Guy Stuck in Internet. Drawing inspiration from Tron as well as nerd culture in general, the actors in the first episode of Fat Guy include Liz Cackowski, comedian Victor Varnado, and my girls Julie and Jackie in an early cameo.
Fat Guy premieres tonight at 12:15 on Cartoon Network, or right now on the Internet itself.
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet Spoofs Tron, Star Wars [Wired]
After a long stretch of experimentation with quantum metaphysics, scientists have at long last succeeded in making High School Musical even gayer.
While watching Disney's wildly popular made-for-TV sleeper hit, your gaydar would have to have a pretty big blind spot not to pick up on the character of Ryan, the fashionable Drama Club co-president with chameleonic hat-wearing abilities. In the stage version of the movie, however, the implied sexuality of Ryan is even more overt, thanks to out playwright David Simpatico and interestingly progressive Disney producers. Simpatico comments:
"I wanted to present Ryan as something from my own past, a version of me, I guess -- though he's a lot better dancer than I ever was!" David says. "In the movie, the character has a gay tint. But in the stage version, I wanted to more fully articulate that tint and say, hey, this kid is who he is. Yes, I consider him a young gay guy without ever having to say it. I'd rather say it with behavior and action. And we do."
"High School Musical" Character Outed in Disney Stage Production [AfterElton]
Possible details have surfaced regarding a miniseries remake of the cult British series The Prisoner for both AMC in the US and ITV in the UK. Sir Ian McKellen may be playing the sinister Number Two, and Jim Caviezel (Jesus in Passion of the Christ) has been linked to the main character Number Six, also said to possibly be the title of the miniseries itself.
That's a lot of maybes, I know...but then, The Prisoner was never exactly known for its unambiguity. For those unfamiliar, it was a little like Lost except considerably less successful and with a white balloon thing instead of a smoke monster.
Sir Ian McKellen To Play The New Number Two In THE PRISONER Remake Miniseries?? [Ain't It Cool News]
It looks as though MTV's The State will finally be out on DVD after an incredibly long delay. Cast members of the mid-nineties cult sketch comedy show will reunite for a Comedy Central special to coincide with the fall DVD release.
Fans of The State can bide their time by rewatching The Ten, or by consuming $240 worth of pudding.
The State DVD Release to Coincide With Televised State Reunion [CHUD]
PBS's new animated comedy Click & Clack's As the Wrench Turns is based upon Car Talk, the NPR show hosted by wisecracking car repair specialists Tom and Ray Magliozzi. The brothers will play fictionalized versions of themselves in the series, which will follow them as they run both their radio show and their auto shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A zany cartoon debut for an animated pair [Boston Globe]
