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Golden Globes: Amy Poehler roots for “Avatar” and Tina Fey wants best picture

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:48:00 +0000

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."

David Letterman kisses Amy Poehler while talking about Joe Biden

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:42:00 +0000

On last night's "Late Show," "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler told host David Letterman what it was like for her character, Leslie Knope, to meet vice president Joe Biden. Biden, who performed a cameo on the show, is Leslie Knope's biggest crush (Knope's ideal man would have "the brains of George Clooney and the body of Joe Biden," says Poehler). At the end of her meeting with Biden, "just for the heck of it," Poehler "went in for a kiss." And then Letterman went for it, too.

Joe Biden is excited for tonight’s “Parks and Recreation” episode

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Vice President Joe Biden will star in a cameo role on tonight's "Parks and Recreation." As if America wasn't excited enough, the Office of Joe Biden tweeted this awesome picture of him and Amy Poehler cracking up on set at the White House:

[embed_tweet id="269115432710070273"]

Joe Biden’s new role: “Parks and Recreation” guest star

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Oh, life, thank you thank you thank you. In what sounds like the greatest pairing since that first pretzel got dipped in a jar of Nutella, it's been announced that Vice President and cantankerous, malarkey-calling uncle to an entire nation Joe Biden is guest-starring on next week's episode of "Parks and Recreation." What is there to say today but, "Wheeeeeeeeee!"

It helps, of course, especially for those of us here in the godless left-wing media in the Gotham full of sodomites, that Biden makes his appearance as a man heading into his second term. For Amy Poehler's city councilwoman Leslie Knope to have a brush with a guy who'd just lost to Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap would have been a downer moment for the sitcom, a little hiss of air going out of the bit's tires. The scene, which was gently adjusted for two possible election outcomes, had to be kept top secret until after Nov. 6, lest "some provision might have to be made to give the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Representative Paul Ryan, a similar cameo."

The political evolution of Leslie Knope

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:28:00 +0000

There is a moment during "Parks and Recreation’s" second season when Leslie Knope, the department’s effervescent and overachieving deputy manager portrayed by Amy Poehler, breaks down and has a libertarian moment. An attempt to fill in a pit adjacent to the house of her friend Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) is progressing slowly, and when it seems like Leslie’s efforts to better her community – a consistent "Parks and Rec" theme – have stalled indefinitely, she vents: “I have never realized how frustrating it is to be in the government. In my next life, I am going into private industry, maybe strip mining.”

“Parks and Recreation”: One of the only sitcoms that knows how to portray love

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:15:00 +0000

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Last night’s episode of “Parks and Recreation” was titled “Halloween Surprise,” but it overflowed with treats, not tricks. They started small and sweet — Donna’s art-imitates-life arc as a prolific tweeter, Ron trying out Solomonic wisdom on two little girls, Leslie’s Rosie-the-Riveter-Is-a-Total-Hottie costume, Tom trying to make fart attack happen, among others – and ended with the big tear-jerking sugar rush of Leslie and Ben’s perfect engagement.

The proposal came as a surprise to Leslie. Ben wrapped up his campaign in D.C., only to get offered a job in Florida that would keep him and Leslie long distance. Ben loves his job, but as the end of the episode made clear, he loves Leslie more. He showed up at the house they had been planning to lease together and dropped to one knee. ”I am deeply, ridiculously in love with you …" he began, only to be interrupted. “Wait, I need to remember this, give me a second,” Leslie said. “I need to remember every little thing about how perfect my life is right now at this exact moment.” The writing in this scene was good, but it was Amy Poehler and Adam Scott’s teary happiness and cracking voices that made the moment so contagiously happy.

Candy Crowley, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler: Hosts with the most

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:51:00 +0000

What a difference a few months makes. Sure, we women are still fighting for our reproductive rights and having to defend ourselves against sexist creeps — sorry, feminists — but at least we can say this was the month America discovered that women can actually steer a public event. Progress!

It was just last summer that the possibility that yet another series of presidential debates would go by without a female moderator for any of them was looking mighty real. Things were so bleak a group of Montclair High School students had taken to petitioning the Commission on Presidential Debates to bring in the first female moderator in two decades. When teenagers are asking on the Internet for something that should at this point be a no-brainer, we are living in grim times. So it came as refreshing news in August when CNN's Candy Crowley was named as moderator for this Tuesday's event.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host Golden Globes

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are teaming up for the Golden Globes.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Dick Clark Productions and NBC announced Monday that the pair of "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation" stars have signed on to host the 70th annual Golden Globes ceremony after British comedian Ricky Gervais' three-year reign as the show's acerbic emcee.

"The unparalleled comedic timing of Tina and Amy will surely have viewers wanting to tune-in to see them in action," said Takla-O'Reilly, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which honors film and TV at the Beverly Hills Hilton ceremony. "The HFPA is thrilled to have the magnetic duo be a part of the show's 70th anniversary!"

The funny lady duo previously starred together in the films "Mean Girls" and "Baby Mama" and on "Saturday Night Live." They co-hosted the NBC sketch comedy series' "Weekend Update" segment from 2004 to 2006.

"Having both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on board to host this year's festivities is a major coup," said Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming at NBC. "Tina and Amy have a proven chemistry and comedic timing from their many years together on 'SNL' to their successful co-starring roles in 'Baby Mama.'"

Amy Poehler to co-produce Comedy Central pilot

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

If you've never heard of Ilana Glazer or Abbi Jacobson, you're about to. Glazer is the sister of Vulture writer and "It Gets Better-ish" creator, performer and writer Eliot Glazer. She performed with him in the viral "Sh-t New Yorkers Say" comedy video earlier this year. Now, Ilana and fellow Upright Citizens Brigade alum Abbi Jacobson are teaming up with comedy fairy godmother and UCB co-founder Amy Poehler to produce a pilot based off of Glazer and Jacobson's Web series, "Broad City."

Kent Alterman, Head of Original Programming and Production at Comedy Central didn't need much convincing, saying, "Amy Poehler told me this would be a great show for us, and that's good enough for me." From the press release:

“Broad City” follows two girls, played by Jacobson and Glazer, throughout their daily lives in New York City, making the smallest and mundane events hysterical and disturbing to watch all at the same time...

Is Obama too inscrutable to impersonate?

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:00:00 +0000

For a comic, trying to impersonate the self-possessed, intellectual manner of President Obama is about as thankless a task as having the world leader’s job. It takes a level of mastery, creativity and maybe even a little perversion to chip away at Obama’s impenetrable reserve, and wedge your way into — or invent whole cloth — his inscrutable psyche. Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, better known as Comedy Central’s comic duo Key and Peele, are arguably the best in the Obama-impression biz, with their “Obama’s Anger Translator” shtick: Peele plays Obama as the carefully compartmentalized, deliberately even-keeled, poised and well-spoken world leader, while Luther (Key), his unabashedly angry black sidekick — the id to the president's superego — parses the subtext of his words, and translates them into a profanity-laden raging tirade. (Here they are on the 47 percent.)

Emmy’s best moments

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:57:00 +0000

It was a night that was dominated by lackluster bits – let's never speak of that lame Tracy Morgan Twitter "prank" again -- and few surprises. "Modern Family" won and Jon Hamm lost as usual. But for those viewers who had the patience and fortitude to stick with this year's broadcast (which mercifully wrapped up not one minute overtime), there were a few moments of genuine levity and warmth among the forced smiles and awkward patter. The best theme of the night? Nominees who showed they know how to play well with each other. Herewith our picks for the evenings brightest highlights.

Eric Stonestreet's pitch-perfect acceptance

Acknowledging his sitcom husband, Stonestreet said, "I wouldn't be standing here without Jesse Tyler Ferguson. There is no Cam without Mitch." Then he continued, beautifully, "We get the awesome opportunity to play these two characters on TV and show America and the world what a loving couple we can be, just like everybody else, and it's an honor to do that," and added, "I never knew I'd be on TV as a gay man, but I love the pictures of hairy chests you guys are sending me." Sweet and touching and very funny.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus' win … for Amy Poehler

The no good, very bad Emmys

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:28:00 +0000

Well, that was painfully dull. The Emmys, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, proved to be an extremely good night for “Homeland,” “Modern Family,” “Game Change” -- and no one watching at home. Those three programs swept the drama, comedy and miniseries awards, respectively, winning almost every single category they were nominated in and turning the Emmys into a long, boring, predictable coronation.

“Homeland” kept “Mad Men” from winning its fifth straight best drama award in a row, but by the time this award — the second to last of the night — was announced, “Homeland” not winning something, anything, would have been the surprise. As Jon Stewart put it, after beating out “The Colbert Report” yet again, in the future aliens “will find a box [of his Emmys], and find out just how fucking predictable they are.” Or, to put it another way, this year Jon Cryer won best actor in a comedy for his role in “Two and a Half Men.” Oh boy.

Leslie Knope meets John McCain

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:30:00 +0000

“Parks and Recreation” kicked off its fifth season with its much-heralded spin on the celebrity cameo: Sens. Barbara Boxer, Olympia Snowe and John McCain appearing, briefly, as themselves. The senators were game — John McCain even acquiesced to a little ribbing — but the most notable thing about their guest spots was that they occurred in an episode critical of the “stupid swamp town” of D.C. and the bureaucratic federal government. In “Parks'” beguiling, understated way, the season premiere was a Washington smackdown.

Leslie arrived in D.C. with a two-pronged mission, to see her boo Ben Wyatt, hard at work on a congressional political campaign, and to try to get federal funding to clean up the Pawnee River. Neither was successful. Ben, swamped with work, had to leave Leslie to fanatically visit tourist attractions by her lonesome. The Department of the Interior official Leslie had scheduled a face to face with blew her off. Leslie was forced to leave her meticulously assembled grant proposal — with a CD inside! — in a bin with all the other proposals, as likely to be read as a piece of junk mail.

America’s funniest divorce

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:50:00 +0000

The only celeb couple America ever believed in is splitting up. If marriage doesn't last for the massively talented and all-around-cool Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, then what hope is there for the rest of us?

Us Weekly reports that after nine years of marriage, the two comedians -- who looked great together as Gob Bluth and that woman he married on "Arrested Development" -- are getting a divorce. To add to America's collective frustration at seeing the two split, a source told the magazine that "It's very amicable." They have two children, Archie, 3, and Abel, 2.