Salon.com > Prachi Gupta http://www.salon.com Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 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/ 3 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 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 “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 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 Girl Talk says next album will be “harder hitting” than previous ones http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/girl_talk_says_next_album_will_be_harder_hitting_than_previous_ones/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/girl_talk_says_next_album_will_be_harder_hitting_than_previous_ones/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:26:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159977 In an interview published today on MTV Hive, music producer and mashup artist Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, revealed plans for his next album, which he says "sounds more inspired by traditional production." And although Gillis may arguably be more mainstream than electronica great DJ Shadow, his upcoming work will emulate the music producers who came before him. "It’s especially difficult using samples but the classic heroes of that world, the DJ Shadows, have it; it’s just immediate. So that’s always what I’m aiming for," he says.

Girl Talk on his next challenge:

I feel like the next level for me isn’t adding live instruments, it’s using samples in a different way. I’m diving into slightly more obscure samples and using popular samples in different ways and cutting them up a bit more. I’m taking a break from touring and for the first time ever I’m making music that’s not concerned with the live show, [which] is liberating. Working on it gets me so fired up. I’ve been obsessed with it. A lot of these ideas have been piling up for years.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/girl_talk_says_next_album_will_be_harder_hitting_than_previous_ones/feed/ 1 Conan O’Brien bringing sitcom to Fox http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/conan_obrien_bringing_sitcom_to_fox/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/conan_obrien_bringing_sitcom_to_fox/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159938 Conan O'Brien is bringing a 30-minute medical comedy sitcom to Fox. The show, "Bob's New Heart Show," a play on "The Bob Newhart Show," is about an ambitious young doctor who decides to take over a small medical practice in his hometown after a heart transplant compels him to reevaluate his life.

In addition to writing the script, "Community" writer Ben Wexler will executive-produce the show, along with O'Brien and Conaco's David Kissinger and Jeff Ross.

"Bob's New Heart Show" marks Conaco's first project with Fox, although Wexler and O'Brien worked together on a Fox script in 2010.

h/t Deadline

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/conan_obrien_bringing_sitcom_to_fox/feed/ 0 Andrew Sullivan to leave the Daily Beast, taking The Dish with him http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/andrew_sullivan_to_leave_the_daily_beast_taking_the_dish_with_him/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/andrew_sullivan_to_leave_the_daily_beast_taking_the_dish_with_him/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159736 Andrew Sullivan, the preeminent blogger whose platform, the Daily Dish, has been hosted by Time, the Atlantic and, currently, the Daily Beast, is making his boldest move ever: taking the site solo, hoping that readers will pay for content directly. The former New Republic editor and Salon columnist announced today that he, along with the Dish's executive editors, Patrick Appel and Chris Bodenner, has signed an agreement forming Dish Publishing LLC, an independent publishing company that will continue to run the Dish without the use of advertising revenue or venture capital.

The move is a gamble that he hopes will one day become the norm within the journalism industry. Recalling the old advertising adage, "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product being sold," he wrote in the announcement, "we felt more and more that getting readers to pay a small amount for content was the only truly solid future for online journalism."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/andrew_sullivan_to_leave_the_daily_beast_taking_the_dish_with_him/feed/ 4 Newspaper that published gun permit holder data hires armed security guards http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/newspaper_that_published_gun_permit_holder_data_hires_armed_security_guards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/newspaper_that_published_gun_permit_holder_data_hires_armed_security_guards/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159631 The Journal News, the Lower Hudson Valley newspaper that made headlines for publishing local gun permit holders' data last week, has now hired armed security guards to protect its headquarter office, effective until the end of the day today.

The Rockland County Times reports that "according to police reports on public record, Journal News Rockland Editor Caryn A. McBride was alarmed by the volume of 'negative correspondence'" she received following the publishing of the data, "namely an avalanche of phone calls and emails to the Journal News office."

The police, however, dimissed McBride's concerns, one of which was based on an email that questioned "what McBride would get in her mail now.” Police said that the email  “did not constitute an offense" or they did not consider it a threat, prompting McBride to hire a private investigation firm.

h/t Politico

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/newspaper_that_published_gun_permit_holder_data_hires_armed_security_guards/feed/ 18 Must-see morning clip http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/must_see_morning_clip_82/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/must_see_morning_clip_82/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:18:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159524 This video probably won't help you follow-through on your New Year's resolutions, but it will at least make your Wednesday morning a little brighter:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/must_see_morning_clip_82/feed/ 0 Concerns over e-voting push Oscar nomination deadline back by 24 hours http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:07:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159493 On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to extend the voting for Oscar nominations by 24 hours, to Jan. 4. The move comes as a sort of last-ditch effort to ease the transition from paper ballot voting to e-voting, which has been fraught with technical issues, including log-in issues, voter ID mismatches and concerns of hacking.  The Academy's chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, said in a statement that "By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible."

And indeed, the Academy has been working hard to make its first electronic vote seamless for its members, who, until Dec. 14 of this year, still had the option to vote via a paper ballot. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

A mailing went out several months ago offering members the option to vote by paper ballot, as long as they requested one by Nov. 30 -- a deadline that later was extended to Dec. 14. The Academy subsequently sent paper ballots to any members who paid their dues but never replied with a preference. It also set up e-voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, where Academy officials can help walk members through the process. And there's also a toll-free help line, with Academy operators available 24/7.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/concerns_over_e_voting_push_oscar_nomination_deadline_back_by_24_hours/feed/ 1 Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio explain choices behind “Argo” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156045 In an interview issued by TheWrap today, director-writer duo Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio talked about the challenges and scene-by-scene decisions they made when working on the critically acclaimed film "Argo." (Note: The interview and this post contain spoilers.) Set during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, the film tells the true story of six Americans who escaped under Iran's watchful eye on the premise that they were actors in a Hollywood film, an outlandish plan concocted by CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck).

Affleck and Terrio explained that the most intriguing aspect of the story -- its Hollywood twist -- also gave them the biggest challenge: combining, as Affleck stated, "the absurdity of the blue Wookie and the guy with his skintight suit saying, 'Fire the thrusters!' and then the propaganda, and seeing how the hostages were brutalized...."

In the excerpts below, Affleck and Terrio elaborate on some of their key concerns with the film.

On balancing the conflicting moods of the movie, Affleck said:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/ben_affleck_and_chris_terrio_explain_choices_behind_argo/feed/ 2 Weird news: 60-foot beached whale dies on shores of New York City http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/weird_news_60_foot_beached_whale_dies_on_shores_of_new_york_city/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/weird_news_60_foot_beached_whale_dies_on_shores_of_new_york_city/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156000 The "sickly" and "emaciated" 60-foot finback whale beached on the shoreline at Breezy Point in Queens, New York, yesterday, is now dead. The whale was originally given a grim prognosis, as biologists noticed that at 60 tons, the whale was extremely underweight. Mendy Garron, a marine-mammal rescue coordinator with the National Marine Fisheries Service, told the New York Times, "When large whales strand, it’s very difficult,” adding, "The minute they get on the beach they’re being compromised because their internal organs are being crushed by their weight.”

Now biologists are working on a necropsy plan and will determine how to dispose of the whale's large body; the finback whale is the second-longest animal on Earth, behind the blue whale.

Video of the beached whale via the New York Post, below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/weird_news_60_foot_beached_whale_dies_on_shores_of_new_york_city/feed/ 3 Paul Thomas Anderson on upcoming Pynchon adaptation: Screenplay is “more secretarial” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:20:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155963 In a profile issued online today by the New York Times, preeminent director Paul Thomas Anderson, who researched Scientology extensively to portray the relationship between the cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) in 2012's critically acclaimed "The Master," also elaborated on his upcoming project, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel "Inherent Vice." Although news of the project has been around for a while, Anderson revealed new details about its vision and hinted at a possible collaboration with the reclusive author:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/paul_thomas_anderson_on_upcoming_pynchon_adaptation_screenplay_is_more_secretarial/feed/ 1 Quentin Tarantino reveals details about “Inglourious Basterds” spin-off, “Killer Crow” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155870 Hot on the heels of "Django Unchained," Tarantino's latest slavery-era Western, the director has opened up about plans for another film, adding substance to the rumor that "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained" might be part of a trilogy. Like the two previous films, Tarantino's next would also revolve around characters who overthrow historically oppressive groups, this time telling the story of rebellious black American military troops in 1944, after Normandy.

In an interview with The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Tarantino reveals his plans for "Killer Crow":

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/quentin_tarantino_reveals_details_about_inglourious_basterds_spin_off_killer_crow/feed/ 5 Judd Apatow fights with MSNBC host on Twitter http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13155771 Last night, MSNBC host Touré slammed Judd Apatow's new comedy, "This Is 40," with a short tweet, saying "Warning: 'This Is 40' is a horrible mess with a meandering plot and few laughs and characters who are hard to like. What happened?" Apatow noticed it immediately, however, and fired back an insult, prompting Touré to back down:

[embed_tweet id="284154790898982912"]

[embed_tweet id="284155740199993345"]

A guy named Bruce then butted in, and Apatow unleashed his sardonic wit on him, too:

[embed_tweet id="284159085232930817"]

For the next several hours, Apatow tweeted and retweeted reviews of "This Is 40," throwing in wisecracks at those who dared to insult him:

[embed_tweet id="284158842382729216"]

[embed_tweet id="284096693610364929"]

[embed_tweet id="284091194810716160"]

So, what is the main takeaway from all of this?:

[embed_tweet id="284158693426212864"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/27/judd_apatow_fights_with_msnbc_host_on_twitter/feed/ 15