Category: TV
Recent Red-Carpet Commentary: Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ali Larter and Others
A couple of recent red-carpet looks and my thoughts on each…
Jennifer Aniston at Daily Show taping
We all know I love Jennifer Aniston’s style–and this look is no exception. I think this black Nina Ricci dress is super cute, flirty and fun. And while she’s five minutes away from being too old to wear it, I think she looks fab. (Not the hugest fan of the shoes however.)
Ali Larter
Ali Larter had a baby around the time Kai was born. And needless to say, she looks AMAZING–it’s hard to believe she gave birth just six months ago. I think she’s gorgeous–and while I don’t love her dress, I think her hair and makeup look great. And I covet her shoes.
Jennifer Love Hewitt in Herve Leger by Max Azria
Yikes! Usually I’m a huge fan of Herve Leger dresses–in fact, if I had the figure to wear bandage dresses, I’d live in Herve Leger. But this isn’t working. Perhaps the dress is a size too small? And the top part? All wrong. (She does have great hair though.)
Ashley Greene wearing a nude lip
Ashley Greene is almost always photographed wearing red lipstick but in this photo, she’s wearing a sheer pink gloss–and it looks amazing! Greene is gorgeous but at times I’m distracted by what feels like heavy makeup. And this is a refreshing look for her. Check plus.
Selena Gomez is pretty in purple
Selena Gomez is only 18 years old but she’s one of the best dressed celebrities this year. She always looks classy and cute. I can’t wait to see how her style evolves and pray she avoids the path previously taken by Miley Cyrus.
Pippa Middleton in Tania black knit dress
Pippa Middleton’s maid of honor dress at the Royal Wedding was drop-dead gorgeous–but she’s yet to hit another high note (in my opinion.) Until this little black number. Middletown looks super cute in this Tania black knit dress. Young, flirty, fun… perfect. I wonder if it’s a fluke or if she’s back on track…
A Quick Review: 2010 Emmy Night’s Red Carpet
I’ll keep this short and sweet: there were two dresses that really jumped out at me on last night’s Emmy red carpet: Lea Michele’s navy Oscar de la Renta and Sofia Vergara’s gold Carolina Herrera.
Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta
Lea Michele has been kicking butt on the red carpet since the debut of Glee. Event after event, she shows up looking sharp and classy. Her stylist gets an A+ for sure.
And this navy blue Oscar de la Renta is no exception. It’s stunning from the fitted bodice down to the last ruffle on her mini-train. Absolutely stunning.
Sofia Vergara in Carolina Herrera
GORGEOUS! Love the cut, love the detailing — and love how confident she is wearing it. Her hair, makeup and jewelry perfectly compliment the dress as well. It was a good, good choice.
And seriously, how beautiful is she?
Sofia Vergara on the Red Carpet of 2010 Emmys
Other dresses I liked: Claire Danes’ Armani Privé gown, Heidi Kilum’s Marchesa gown (though for a different kind of event) and January Jones’ Versace. Yes, January’s dress was a bit crazy but I kinda like that she rocked it.
Claire Danes in Armani Prive
Heidi Klum in Marchesa
January Jones in Versace
And the Funniest Woman (and Author) in the World is…. Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Chelsea Handler is quite possibly the funniest woman on the planet. After reading her books and watching her ridiculously awesome TV show for many months, it’s time for me to sing her praises. I read her first book, My Horizontal Life about two years ago. This absolutely hysterical book chronicles Chelsea’s one-night stands of years past. She’s irreverent, honest, and blunt. Three of my favorite personality traits in another woman. Last year, she released her second book, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea. Awesome title, incredible read. It’s a great collection of short essays/observations. I read it on a plane and literally starting crying I was laughing so hard. People stared as tears ran down my face–it’s THAT funny.
Chelsea just released her third and latest book a couple months ago: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. I read that on a plane too. Same thing happened: Laughing out loud, tears running down my face, lots of looks from strangers. It’s another collection of stories from her life. While I assume she’s exaggerating in many of her recollections, you can’t help but picture these things really happening to her. It’s just amazingly funny.
In addition to her books, her daily show, Chelsea Lately is top notch comedy. The way she interviews people is just awesome. She’s blunt, calls everyone on their shit, and does it without offending anyone. There is no one else in the world I’d rather get a cocktail with then Chelsea Handler.
Buy her books. Trust me.
Arrested Development: I’m Still in Denial That It’s Off the Air
The cast
Anyone who knows me is aware that I’m completely obsessed with Arrested Development. And though it’s been off the air for four years (can you believe it’s been that long?!), I’m still missing the witty writing and great acting. There have been a few shows since that have similarities (good writing=Modern Family, impeccable timing=30 Rock), but none have captured the true brilliance of AD.
So why did I love it so much? Aside from pitch-perfect writing and insanely good timing, the cast was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Every last character was perfection. The casting of this show was just so good — each actor/actress played their character with enough charm and brash to make them simultaneously lovable and loathsome. I’m always having debates with other AD lovers about who the best character is — and it’s simply an impossible task! They are all too good.
Here’s what I love about each:
Michael Bluth
Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman)
First of all, Jason Bateman is gorgeous. I think he’s one of the best looking guys in Hollywood. I love his cute smile but I also like him because he’s so sneaky witty and funny. Also, so much of his character revolved around RE-acting to his cast mates and he was great playing off others. Michael Bluth was the “normal” one to a family of crazy people. And watching him play off all their craziness was great.
Gob Bluth
Gob Bluth (Will Arnett)
Will Arnett is great–and I think his character got some of the best writing on the show. Gob was an idiot who didn’t care about anyone–and that lent itself to some great situational comedy. I truly believe this is one of the greatest characters on TV ever. Example of Gob dialogue:
Marta: Te Quiero.
Gob: English, please.
Marta: I love you.
Gob: Great, now I’m late.
Buster Bluth
Buster Bluth (Tony Hale)
“I guess we’re just gonna blow through naptime, huh?” Hysterical! Buster is another great character–a 30-something guy that still lives at home with his mom and loves his daily naps. High point? When his hand was eaten by a seal named Lucille.
George Michael Bluth
George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera)
The discovery of Michael Cera! No one else could have played this role as well as Michael Cera did. His teen confusion and angst was so believable! And his timing… it’s impressive someone his age did comedy that well. He’s very, very talented. And funny. And endearing. And cute.
Lindsay Funke
Lindsay Funke (Portia de Rossi)
My favorite Lindsay moment is when she visits her dad in jail wearing a t-shirt with SLUT emblazoned on the front. I love her complete narcissism and lack of desire to do ANY work. Portia de Rossi was awesome in this role. And I’m totally obsessed with her hair.
Tobias Funke
Tobias Funke (David Cross)
“I blue myself.” Need I say more?
George Bluth
George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor)
George Bluth’s facial expressions were priceless. And his one liners (“Daddy Horny”) were even better. Jeffrey Tambor was the perfect choice for this character – witty, respectable, and lovable.
Lucille Bluth
Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walters)
I hadn’t seen Jessica Walters in anything before and was BLOWN AWAY by how amazing she is. Her acting and timing is phenomenal. I could watch her play this character for years and never get bored. Her love of cocktails and driving cars is so funny and her constant ranking of her own children always makes me laugh.
Maeby Bluth
Maeby Funke (Alia Shawkat)
This character probably got the least amount of air time, but she did a lot with what she had… her stint as a movie studio executive (at age 15 no less!) was well executed and written. “Marry me!”
I Heart Richard Lawson… and by extension, American Idol
A friend of mine in Hawaii LOVES American Idol and for giggles, I decided to watch the entire season with her, beginning to end. It’s my first full season and it’s been different than I expected.
Crystal Bowersox
Frankly, I’m shocked at the lack of talent. Is it because it’s season 9? Or is it because pop music is really starting to bother me? To be fair, there is a little talent – Crystal Bowersox is awesome. I’m a big fan and if she doesn’t win then everyone in America is dumb. The weird girl with the weird scream is good too but she’s more of an act I’d see at a circus as opposed to something I’d buy on iTunes. And the tall blonde guy is hot and good. And hot. I also don’t hate the guy that sings all raspy. He’s cute with a nice smile.
But outside of those four, I have strong feelings of disgust for the remaining contestants. Tim Urban? I want to punch in the face. Paige? I’m glad she went home. She has pretty eyes but she was sucking it. And I can’t remember any of the other contestants. Yikes for them.
But, if there’s one thing American Idol has given me this year, it’s Richard Lawson. He’s a writer for Gawker and after every American Idol episode, he pens a recap. And they are hysterical, witty, delightfully honest, and spot-on. And mean. He’s really mean and rude! He nicknames each contestant and makes fun of Ryan Seacrest every chance he can. It’s awesome.
Richard Lawson‘s writing is close to flawless. He is one of the few talented pop culture writers published on the web today. As a writer myself, I’m continually impressed at his output and the ease with which he appears to write.
After a so-so season of American Idol, I can honestly say I’m only tuning in so I’ll have a frame of reference when I read Lawson’s recap the following day. Well, and to see just how much Kara can climb all over Simon…
Here are some of Lawson’s recent columns:
Lost: Only 8 Episodes Left! Ahhhh…
The cast of 'Lost'
I can’t believe Lost is ending in 8 episodes. While part of me is exited to see how the producers tie up all the loose ends, the other half loves seeing these characters each week. Particularly Jack, Kate, and Sawyer–their storylines are so interesting.
This season’s been pretty cool. Lots of seasons-old questions are getting answered and we’re seeing some characters address issues they’ve struggled with since the beginning of the show. The sideways stories of Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Ben, and Saied have really been neat to see. My favorite part of this season is how the producers and writer are weaving so many past island characters into sideways stories. Sideways = cool.
Some additional thoughts on the show:
– Miles is hilarious and I’m glad he gets as much air time as he does. Ditto on Hurley.
– I wish Claire wasn’t so crazy.
– If I were alone on an island and could only pick one person to have with me, I’d pick Saied. He’s just not messing around.
– Jacks hotter than Sawyer.
– I love Kate.
– Keep your fingers crossed I get a call to be an extra on the show. With only a few episodes left, it’s not looking good but I’m still hoping!
Gratuitous photo of Evangeline Lilly and me
Modern Family: Tonight’s Can’t-Wait-to-See Show
Modern Family poster
I’ve been obsessed with this show since it’s premiere episode. After one show, I said the unthinkable: this might be in the same realm as Arrested Development. It was a bold statement–and I stand behind it after half a season of episodes. It’s not AS GOOD as AD, but it’s the closest thing on TV in my opinion.
The writing is very good. VERY Good. Jokes have layers and each episode ties up nicely–usually in unpredictable ways. But the writing is kicked up a few notches by the actors delivering the lines. Man, the cast on this show is good. It’s hard to find the weakest link. I love Phil: his cool-dad character is hilarious to watch. I’m also a big fan of Jay, Gloria, and Manny-each are so funny. Manny is just great. I’m constantly trying to pick my favorite character but they are all so good, it’s impossible.
Tonight is a new episode and I can’t wait. Modern Family is gold.
(In Arrested Development news, Mike Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Felicity star Keri Russell is returning to TV for a new show by AD creator, Mitch Hurwitz. Mitch is bringing another Development writer with him AND it will also star Gob! I mean, Will Arnett… How awesome does this show sound?)
The Hot Pink List 