Salon.com > Entertainment http://www.salon.com Fri, 04 Jan 2013 03:11:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Pick of the week: Beautiful white people hit by tsunami! http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161281 Using natural disaster – or manmade apocalypse, ecological catastrophe, alien invasion – as the backdrop for human drama goes clear back to the invention of cinema as spectacle, and arguably a long way before that. Of course we’re not supposed to think that the big, dramatic flood is the main point of the Noah story in the Book of Genesis, or in the Epic of Gilgamesh. But it certainly helped hold the audience’s attention. Given that, it’s surprising that mainstream filmmakers have all but ignored the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, an event that killed almost 100 times more people than the 9/11 attacks and may well have been the worst natural disaster in recorded history.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/04/pick_of_the_week_beautiful_white_people_hit_by_tsunami/feed/ 6 Vince Gilligan on last episodes of “Breaking Bad”: “It’s going to be polarizing” http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/vince_gilligan_on_last_episodes_of_breaking_bad_it%e2%80%99s_going_to_be_polarizing/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/vince_gilligan_on_last_episodes_of_breaking_bad_it%e2%80%99s_going_to_be_polarizing/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:25:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161288 Vince Gilligan and his writers are about two episodes away from writing the series finale of one of the best shows on television, "Breaking Bad," whose final half-season will air this summer on AMC.

Vulture interviewed Gilligan to find out what the writing team is thinking about in this "schizophrenic" time. “It’s going to be polarizing no matter how you slice it," he said. "But you don’t want 10 percent to say it was great and 90 percent to say it sucked ass. You want those numbers to be reversed.”

Gilligan didn't reveal any plot twists, but he did share what the writers are thinking about when writing the show's final episodes:

1. Even Gilligan doesn't know how the show is going to end, yet, but he's hoping to create something that will mix the element of surprise with a sense of inevitability:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/vince_gilligan_on_last_episodes_of_breaking_bad_it%e2%80%99s_going_to_be_polarizing/feed/ 2 Fake-ish singer shills for fake college http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/fake_ish_singer_shills_for_fake_college/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/fake_ish_singer_shills_for_fake_college/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:08:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161210 We're nearing the anniversary mark for last winter's great authenticity wars over the life and work of Lana Del Rey. For those who've forgotten, Del Rey is a singer, styled to seem whatever "indie" means in the early 2010s, who burst onto the scene with a "Saturday Night Live" performance last January so wan and disoriented that it prompted endless and wearying debate over whether this person could possibly be putting her audience on. Everything from her possibly medically enhanced face to her authorship of her music came in for questioning online, as documented by Sasha Frere-Jones at the New Yorker. The performance also got her the sort of mainstream attention that viral Internet fame hadn't quite merited. NBC anchor Brian Williams knew who she was — and couldn't stand her!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/fake_ish_singer_shills_for_fake_college/feed/ 9 Has Hollywood ruined Tolkien? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/has_hollywood_ruined_tolkien/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/has_hollywood_ruined_tolkien/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161054 Los
Angeles Review of Books
 HOW KIND OF Peter Jackson: for the price of one movie, he gave us two. One of these movies is about a heroic warrior prince fighting for his lost homeland, and some political intrigue with elves and wizards; the other, much shorter, movie concerns a hobbit.

Written by J.R.R. Tolkien as a book for children, The Hobbit is widely regarded as a prelude to the darker and more complex Lord of the Rings trilogy. The One Ring that is the focus of The Lord of the Rings, and which threatens to destroy Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth, is first discovered in The Hobbit by the protagonist Bilbo Baggins. The true nature of the ring is never revealed in The Hobbit — it is depicted simply as a magic ring that conveniently endows Bilbo with the ability to become invisible.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/has_hollywood_ruined_tolkien/feed/ 74 Al Jazeera different than Fox? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/can_al_jazeera_win_over_american_news_junkies/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/can_al_jazeera_win_over_american_news_junkies/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161180 Qatari network Al Jazeera’s purchase of Al Gore’s Current news channel, revealed yesterday, has already hit a snag: Time Warner Cable promptly dropped Current, denying the forthcoming Al Jazeera America access to Time Warner subscribers.

Though the Time Warner decision had reportedly been threatened due to Current’s low ratings, there’s no denying that at least some segment of the U.S. viewing public has long harbored antipathy toward Al Jazeera. An editorial published today by Fox News runs through the talking points about the network it calls “anti-American terror mouthpiece Al Jazeera.” Among them: “Al Jazeera, known as the network of the Arab Street, is also known for taking anti-American, anti-Israel and pro-terror positions.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/can_al_jazeera_win_over_american_news_junkies/feed/ 12 CBS drama “Hawaii Five-0″ plans choose-your-own ending episode http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/cbs_drama_hawaii_five_0_plans_choose_your_own_ending_episode/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/cbs_drama_hawaii_five_0_plans_choose_your_own_ending_episode/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:36:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161228 The reimagination of the 1968-1980 show "Hawaii Five-O," called "Hawaii Five-0" (zero), has announced that, for the first time ever, a prime-time drama will allow audiences to decide how an episode ends in real time.

On Jan. 14, viewers will log into CBS and Twitter to vote for one of three alternate endings in an episode that investigates the death of an Oahu State University professor. “I've always felt the most fun aspect of watching a mystery is trying to figure out ‘whodunit,’” executive producer Peter Lenkov said.  “Now the 'Hawaii Five-0' viewers will actually get the chance to tell us who they think committed the crime and we will listen. I love that our dedicated and attentive fans will actually play a part in resolving our story.”

But wait -- isn't the best part of a murder mystery being surprised by the reveal? Well, let's hope that the move to involve the audience is not part of a wider social experiment that results in a twisted new genre of scripted reality TV shows reality scripted TV shows.

CBS plans to publish all three alternate endings on CBS.com after the episode airs. Watch the promo below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/cbs_drama_hawaii_five_0_plans_choose_your_own_ending_episode/feed/ 0 Golden Globes: Amy Poehler roots for “Avatar” and Tina Fey wants best picture http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:48:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161102 If the promos are any indication, you'll want to tune into 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards this year, hosted by comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. In a newly released video, the two speculate on who the big winners will be: Tina Fey and "Avatar." "I, personally, would like to win best picture," says Fey. "Just me, like, as a person, winning best picture, I think would be unprecedented especially because I didn't even really make a movie this year."

And, spoiler alert, but Daniel Day-Lewis might be up for something, too:

Poehler: I haven't been keeping up with pop culture, is it "Avatar" this year?
Fey: Yes, yes.
Poehler: We've been practicing: And the winner for best actor in a drama is ...
Fey: Daniel Day-Lewis.
In unison: For "Avatar."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/golden_globes_amy_poehler_roots_for_avatar_and_tina_fey_wants_best_picture/feed/ 2 Tim O’Brien tries to make sense of wartime chaos http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/tim_obrien_tries_to_make_sense_of_wartime_chaos/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/tim_obrien_tries_to_make_sense_of_wartime_chaos/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13161000 Tim O’Brien is best known as the writer of “The Things They Carried” and “In the Lake of the Woods” — two works of fiction about the Vietnam War and its aftermath that can be safely counted among the most accomplished, affecting, important, troubling and pleasurable documents of the 20th century.

The foundation for those books was laid in Vietnam itself, where he began writing his first book, “If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home,” a memoir, in the last hour or two of daylight, from the foxhole he had dug to keep himself alive, a story he recounts in an interview bundled with the newly released 40th anniversary audiobook edition of the memoir. By the end of his tour, he had accumulated, by his count, 30 or 40 handwritten pages, which represented the beginning of a lifelong reckoning with what O’Brien now calls “that terrible decision”: “What do you do when you get a draft notice and you think a war is wrong? And I struggled with that for months prior to my being inducted into the army, and I’m still struggling with it, 40 years later.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/tim_obrien_tries_to_make_sense_of_wartime_chaos/feed/ 2 Weird news: Watch a Los Angeles station’s bizarre NYE broadcast http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/weird_news_watch_a_los_angeles_stations_bizarre_nye_broadcast/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/weird_news_watch_a_los_angeles_stations_bizarre_nye_broadcast/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 18:17:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160957 The LAist has shared a national treasure with the rest of America: Los Angeles station KDOC's strange New Year's Eve production, one that tops even Kathy Griffin's cringe-worthy behavior on CNN that night. The event was broadcast live and hosted by comedian Jamie Kennedy, featuring a performance by a seemingly confused Macy Gray, uncensored inappropriate language, numerous technical issues, and a fight on stage (Uproxx describes it as "a disaster on at least five or six levels").

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/weird_news_watch_a_los_angeles_stations_bizarre_nye_broadcast/feed/ 1 “Community” writer Megan Ganz leaves for “Modern Family” http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/community_writer_megan_ganz_leaves_for_modern_family/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/community_writer_megan_ganz_leaves_for_modern_family/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:41:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160911 After losing its showrunner and executive producer Dan Harmon and actor Chevy Chase, NBC's dwindling comedy "Community" is facing a third major blow: the departure of one of its top writers, Megan Ganz, who as of today writes for "Modern Family."

Ganz made a heartfelt announcement to her fans on Reddit yesterday, describing the moment she first considered herself a TV writer (Ganz entered TV writing with comedy sketch show "Important Things With Demetri Martin," after working her way up at the Onion):

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/community_writer_megan_ganz_leaves_for_modern_family/feed/ 0 “Downton Abbey”: Hard times hit the estate http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/downton_abbey_hard_times_hit_the_estate/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/downton_abbey_hard_times_hit_the_estate/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:37:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160794 A few nights ago, I dreamed about “Downton Abbey.” Mr. Bates had taken Matthew Crawley hostage and was holding him at knife point in some soignée drawing room, a costume dream remake of “Misery.” Other people’s dreams — particularly the ones that do not contain the existence of you — are, as a rule, dull, so I won’t go on about the drapery patterns or the motive or Bates' strange expertise with knots. The basic outline makes my point: Over its first two genteel, delectable seasons “Downton Abbey” has sunk its well-manicured hooks in me, lodging so deep that my subconscious now spews out alternative story lines in which the pious Mr. Bates has been made over into a villain (which, not for nothing, would make him a whole lot more interesting).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/downton_abbey_hard_times_hit_the_estate/feed/ 8 “Skyfall,” “Django Unchained” earn Producers Guild Nominations http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160763 The Producers Guild of America, hailed by statistician Nate Silver as one of the more reliable predictors of Oscar success, revealed its nominations yesterday afternoon. In step with other major film associations, the PGA hailed "Argo," "Lincoln," "Les Miserables,"  "Life of Pi," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty," in the running for best theatrical motion picture.

Four wild cards rounded out the list of 10 nominees, however, shutting out Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master": the James Bond film "Skyfall" made the cut, as did Wes Anderson's indie film "Moonrise Kingdom." The appearance of "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which was surprisingly left out from the Golden Globe nominations, another strong Oscar predictor, suddenly became a viable contender in the race. And, though critically acclaimed, The Hollywood Reporter notes that "Django Unchained" was a wild card because guild voters didn't get screeners due to its late completion.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/skyfall_django_unchained_earn_producers_guild_nominations/feed/ 0 Hillary, coming to a theater near you? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:49:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160677 As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to recuperate from a blood clot, there’s some good news for her — presuming she has some Hollywood aspirations. Politico reports today on the screenplay "Rodham," one that ranked on last year’s Black List poll of Hollywood types on the best unproduced scripts.

While there’s no guarantee that "Rodham" will be made (and while its existence isn’t exactly new — Slate reported on Young Il Kim’s screenplay last month), the Politico brief is evidence of a level of public interest in Secretary Clinton that's high even by the usual standard.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/hillary_coming_to_a_theater_near_you/feed/ 3 Broadway’s “Wicked” earns new record http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/broadways_wickedearns_new_record/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/broadways_wickedearns_new_record/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160722 NEW YORK (AP) - Oz has reclaimed the box office crown on Broadway.

The Broadway League reported Wednesday that the nine-year-old "Wicked" took in a whopping $2,947,172 over nine performances last week, which is the highest single-week gross of any show in Broadway history.

It squeaked by the old record - $5,382 more to be exact - set by "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," which earned $2,941,790 over nine performances last year during the holidays. Back then, the webslinger had swiped the title from "Wicked." (For the record, the "Spider-Man" musical earned $2,716,990 last week over nine shows.)

Both musicals' huge hauls reflect the use of premium seating, in which producers charge higher prices for certain days and certain seats. "Wicked" managed to command as much as $300 for a top premium seat - second only to the "Book of Mormon," which has a top premium of $477. The average paid admission was $181 to "Wicked."

But making its feat more impressive is the fact that it is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, has about 100 seats less than the 1,930-seat Foxwoods Theatre, home of the superhero musical.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/broadways_wickedearns_new_record/feed/ 0 Justin Bieber calls for tough rules after paparazzo death http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/bieber_calls_for_tough_rules_after_paparazzo_death/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/bieber_calls_for_tough_rules_after_paparazzo_death/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:30:00 +0000 http://http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/bieber_calls_for_tough_rules_after_paparazzo_death/ LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 29-year-old photographer had just snapped shots of Justin Bieber's exotic white Ferrari when he was struck and killed by a passing car — a death that has spurred renewed debate over dangers paparazzi can bring on themselves and the celebrities they chase.

The accident prompted some stars including the teen heartthrob himself on Wednesday to renew their calls for tougher laws to rein in their pursuers, though previous urgings have been stymied by First Amendment protections.

In a statement, Bieber said his prayers were with the photographer's family. Ironically, the singer wasn't even in the Ferrari on Tuesday.

"Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves," Bieber said in the statement released by Island Def Jam Music Group.

Authorities have withheld the name of the photographer, killed after being hit by a Toyota Highlander, pending notification of relatives.

Much of Hollywood was abuzz about the death, including Miley Cyrus, who sent several tweets critical of some of the actions of paparazzi and lamenting that the unfortunate accident was "bound to happen."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/bieber_calls_for_tough_rules_after_paparazzo_death/feed/ 3 Must-see morning clip http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/must_see_morning_clip_83/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/must_see_morning_clip_83/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:05:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160653 Comedian Fred Armisen dropped by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night to promote the season premiere of his award-winning sketch show,"Portlandia." The two SNL comedians ended up performing a sketch of their own, rehearsing bits from their old bands, like Little Baby Sparrows, Nothingness and Birds Tree:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/must_see_morning_clip_83/feed/ 0 “Girls”: Zosia Mamet swears she’s nothing like Shoshanna http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/girls_zosia_mamet_swears_shes_nothing_like_shoshanna/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/girls_zosia_mamet_swears_shes_nothing_like_shoshanna/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160135 Actress Zosia Mamet wants you to know that she is not like Shoshanna, her sheltered, awkward, ditzy, yet oddly endearing character on HBO's "Girls." In a recent New York Times Magazine profile, writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner writes, "her fans really believe she’s that girl, drifting through her confused and crazy 20s just the way they are. But she’s not that girl."

Except that the way she comes off in her profile might make you think that she, like, totally is that girl.

Mamet, like all of the central actresses in the show, is a product of the cultural elite: She is the daughter of famed playwright David Mamet and actress Lindsay Crouse. And, by starring in a show about privileged 20-somethings that's created by a privileged 20-something, it makes sense that Mamet might feel the need to draw a line that separates her from the cozy, sheltered world of "Girls" and her actual life. In a four-page profile, Brodesser-Akner attempts to draw that line by saying that Mamet, a loner, does not enjoy much of the publicity that being a celebrity brings:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/girls_zosia_mamet_swears_shes_nothing_like_shoshanna/feed/ 0 Senate investigating contact between CIA and “Zero Dark Thirty” filmmakers http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160584 The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, headed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has launched an investigation into the CIA's involvement with the Osama bin Laden manhunt dramatization, "Zero Dark Thirty," in an effort to determine what role government staffers had in a movie that politicians have sharply criticized as being "misleading" and "grossly inaccurate."

Reuters broke the news last night, paraphrasing a source close to the Committee, which "will examine whether the spy agency gave the filmmakers 'inappropriate' access to secret material." "They will also probe whether CIA personnel are responsible for the portrayal of harsh interrogation practices and in particular the suggestion that they were effective," Reuters reported.

The investigation comes weeks after Feinstein, along with Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Carl Levin, D-Mich., wrote a letter to Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton criticizing Kathryn Bigelow's film:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/senate_investigating_contact_between_cia_and_zero_dark_thirty_filmmakers/feed/ 4 How fracking is corroding small-town America http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160312 This isn't an article about the method of extracting natural gas from deep subterranean rock called hydrofracturing, or fracking, because you either already know where you stand on that issue or you're not much interested. And it's not exactly an article about Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant's fracking drama "Promised Land," even though the movie surprised me with the grace and sophistication of its portrayal of small-town America, along with nice supporting performances from Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt and John Krasinski. (I wish it hadn't been crammed into the most crowded season of the year, amid all kinds of movies with more star power and sizzle.) It might be about why "Promised Land" hit me so hard, and may hit you hard too if you spend time in the parts of America where the fracking debate is defining the future.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/03/how_fracking_is_corroding_small_town_america/feed/ 53 “Tennessee Waltz” singer Patti Page dies at 85 http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/tennessee_waltz_singer_patti_page_dies_at_85_2/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/tennessee_waltz_singer_patti_page_dies_at_85_2/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:46:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13160266 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Unforgettable songs like "Tennessee Waltz" and "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window" made Patti Page the best-selling female singer of the 1950s and a star who would spend much of the rest of her life traveling the world.

When unspecified health problems finally stopped her decades of touring, though, Page wrote a sad-but-resolute letter to her fans late last year about the change.

"Although I feel I still have the voice God gave me, physical impairments are preventing me from using that voice as I had for so many years," Page wrote. "It is only He who knows what the future holds."

Page died on New Year's Day in Encinitas, Calif., according to publicist Schatzi Hageman, ending one of pop music's most diverse careers. She was 85 and just five weeks away from being honored at the Grammy Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Recording Academy.

Page achieved several career milestones in American pop culture, but she'll be remembered for indelible hits that crossed the artificial categorizations of music and remained atop the charts for months to reach a truly national audience.

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