'Amazing Race' insider tips and tricks
When Amazing Race co-creator Bertram van Munster is available to chat, we take him up on it and our reporter (and Amazing Race fan) Gayle Carter did just that recently. He was eager to share how he picks the Race teams, his favorite reality show, his well-tested travel tips, his favorite locale and more. Everything but his age (“I don’t want you to know. Is that OK?" he asked politely.) We also wanted to know where else he’d like to take the Race (“A lot of places, but I don’t want to say it.”) Click read more for the whole conversation.
Ashley Jensen's American future
I got a funny phone call from a newspaper in Glasgow, Scotland yesterday. They are doing a profile on Ugly Betty actress Ashley Jensen, a Scot who plays Betty's work friend Christina, and they had questions about how Jensen is seen in the States. The writer said he had observed her on American talk shows and thought audiences may not "get" her because her accent can be hard to decipher, she uses lots of Scot words or phrases that don't translate the same way here and she may be too bawdy for our audiences.
I had a chance to talk on the phone with Ashley (she's on the right of the photo, with co-star America Ferrera) a few months ago and found her charming. She had me laughing about her adjustment to living in Los Angeles, where it's sunny all the time and the women don't eat. And I love her accent, which she gets to use on Ugly Betty, unlike many other international actors (Simon Baker, Damian Lewis, Hugh Laurie) whose parts require American accents.
But, what do you think? How is Ashley seen by American audiences? Are you fan? Tell us by posting below.
(photo by Ron Tom/ABC)
Kathy's Weekend Outlook: Halloween costumes and candy
I hope you've got your Halloween costume ready to go. Let us know in the comments below what you're dressing up as this year -- I expect there will be plenty of Sarah Palin and Mad Men-inspired costumes, but who's got something really creative? My friends and I are going as contestants on Supermarket Sweep. If you're looking for me, I'll be in the blue sweatshirt, team #2, carrying around a bottle of detergent (expensive) and a 1-lb. bag of coffee (remember those $100 bonus tasks).
If you'd prefer to steer clear of trick-or-treaters tomorrow but want to stay in the Halloween mood, consider seeing The Haunting of Molly Hartley. I'm guessing this will just be your standard (and by "standard" I mean ridiculous plot and bad acting) scary movie, but it does get bonus points for starring Gossip Girl cutie Chace Crawford. I interviewed him just before that show started airing, and I can tell you that he was as funny and laid-back as you'd expect a Texas college guy to be.
Another movie option for those of you who (like me) hate scary movies is Zack and Miri Make a Porno. While I love star Seth Rogen, I'd prefer that he keep his shirt on (though he has been slimming down for his role in The Green Hornet), but our movies editor, Craigh Barboza, told me he was laughing within the first five minutes of this movie.
Paul Rudd (at right), has joined Rogen as a supporting actor in several recent comedies. He's got his own new flick, Role Models, out next weekend, but we have an interview with him this weekend. I've liked him since Clueless, continued my fandom through Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old-Virgin and this interview solidified how much I like him: He's not only funny, but he also says some really sweet things about his 4-year-old son, Jack.
Here's a fun Halloween quiz for all you junk food lovers out there: See if you can identify classic candies just by looking at a picture. It's much harder than it sounds: I only got 3 out of 5 right, and I eat a LOT of candy.
(Supermarket Sweep photo courtesy rickbluhm.com; Rudd photo by Dale Robinette/New Line Cinema)
Celebrity Birthdays: Peter Jackson, Rob Schneider
Forget the candy corn; these men are going for the cake today. Happy 47th birthday to Peter Jackson, who will soon be getting to work on two highly anticipated movies: The Hobbit and its sequel. Actor Rob Schneider is 45 today; will he take the day off from filming his new comedy, Virgin on Bourbon Street, in Detroit to celebrate? More birthday men include television journalist Dan Rather, 77, and rapper Robert Van Winkle, a.k.a. Vanilla Ice, who turns 41.
Tell us: What's the best country music live act?
The magazine has a great interview this weekend with all three members of country music super trio Rascal Flatts. Bassist Jay DeMarcus talks about which member is the dreamer, the soul of their sound, and the geek, while lead singer Gary LeVox dishes on growing up with Jay and guitarist Joe Don Rooney gives an inside look at their life on the road. The band is nominated for its sixth straight CMA award this year, so it's no secret they put on a good performance. But we want to know if you think they're the best live country music act. So vote below for Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney, and then tell us in the comments who you chose and why.
More with Roger Moore
We managed to fit four questions with Roger Moore, who played James Bond in seven movies (he's shown at left in 1974's Man with the Golden Gun), into the magazine this week, but have a few leftovers we wanted to share. Wonder what role Moore, whose book My Word Is My Bond: A Memoir is in stores now, wishes he'd gotten? Read on below to find out.
Q. Americans see your life as defined by Bond, do Britons see you that way?
“I have no idea how they see me, maybe as just another geriatric actor!”
Q. Any roles you turned down you wished you hadn’t?
“It would not be fair to the actors who did play them to name them. I do wish that I had been offered Lawrence of Arabia.”
(photo courtesy MGM Home Entertainment)
October 30, 2008
Special presentation of 'All the President's Men' this weekend
We're officially in politics overdrive, with the presidential election just around the corner and TV ads (including Barack Obama's full 30-minute commercial last night) ramping up. And this weekend, TCM takes a look at one of the country's biggest politcal moments ever by airing All the President's Men (Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. ET), about the investigation that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The film will be paired with an interview with John Dean, former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon, who
will give viewers an inside look at the Watergate scandal before the
movie airs. It's also a good way to find out a little more about the
scandal before Frost/Nixon hits theaters on Dec. 5. That film takes a look at the
series of interviews that aired in 1977 between Nixon (played by Frank
Langella) and David Frost (Michael Sheen) and should offer an interesting perspective on the media's role in politics -- a question that's more timely now than ever.
Celebrity birthdays: Gavin Rossdale, Henry Winkler
Happy 41st birthday to new dad Gavin Rossdale, who was out and about with wife Gwen Stefani and new son Zuma last night. Henry Winkler turns 63 today, but if you're itching to see the Fonz again, you can see Winkler below, back in his leather jacket in the ad supporting Barack Obama (it's directed by Ron Howard). Also celebrating birthdays today are Nia Long, 38, and Harry Hamlin, 57.
October 29, 2008
Celebrity birthdays: Winona Ryder, Dan Castellaneta
We haven't asked this question a while...Who do you think is older today: Winona Ryder or Gabrielle Union (at left)? We'll give you the answer in a moment, but first let's send happy birthday wishes to actor Richard Dreyfuss, who turns 61 today, and Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, who turns 51. Now, for the answer to which actress is older: Ryder is, by two years. She turns 37 while Union turns 35.
(photo by Eric Liebowitz/Sony Pictures Entertaiment)
October 28, 2008
Celebrity birthdays: Julia Roberts, Bill Gates
Happy 41st birthday to one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Julia Roberts (at right). We're looking forward to her role opposite Clive Owen in Duplicity, due out in March. Jane Alexander turns 69 today, and Trista Rehn turns 36. She's got something even more exciting to celebrate: She's pregnant with her second child. Bill Gates, whose Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave out $2 billion in grants in 2007, turns 53 today and author Michael Crichton turns 66.
(photo by Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
