For Christina - Jason's Exit Q&A

Since you are such a faithful reader, Christina, I will reward you with a 3-page interview with Jason Castro, courtesy of EW.com:

American Idol Exit Q&A

Excerpt:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You always seemed so mellow even when the judges were slamming you. How do you do that?
JASON CASTRO: Well, it's just my mentality. They're just people. We're all just people. There were times early on where you could see my face just die. That was because I didn't feel confident and I'm kicking myself and they just confirmed it. But if I'm sure of a performance I feel confident.

When Paula prejudged your second song, what was going through your head?
I didn't know what was going on. I was so confused. I was standing next to David and I wanted to turn to him and say, ''What?'' I thought the second song was good. I was just confused. It was too funny. But it was an honest mistake.

Did that psych you out of singing your second song well?
It might have a little. I don't really remember. I remember going into it I had a choking fit right before the commercial break. I remember thinking I hope that doesn't happen again. That first line I felt a cough. I just didn't feel right. I didn't have the feel of the song. That was my stronger song in rehearsal, but it became my weaker one.

Lusting for Wayne?

Here's a blurb from EW.com re: a new reality show from Scott Baio (does this mean Scott isn't going to be "47 and Married... with Children" or what? Dang!):

Cue the high-pitched squeals: VH1 is greenlighting a reality series in which eight male teen idols from the 1980s and '90s shack up together and reflect on the highs and lows of heartthrobbery. After receiving mentoring from a life coach and industry experts, each one decides whether to attempt a career comeback or to swear off Hollywood for good. Executive producers on the still-untitled show — which is slated to debut early next year — include Scott Baio and Jason Hervey, who know a thing or two about teen fame (Baio with Happy Days, Hervey with The Wonder Years) and VH1 (Scott Baio is 45…and Single, Scott Baio is 46…and Pregnant).

Now, I can't think of a single girl who lusted after Jason Hervey on The Wonder Years. I myself lusted for ol' Kevin Amold (no, not a typo; if you don't know to what I am referring, you were not a fan!!)... until puberty caught up with him and blew up his nose (along with his hair). Sure, Wayne was funny - but was he really "teen idol" material? Even on the show he had psoriasis!! And they made him stand on a box so he'd be taller than Kevin... c'mon now. Still, I would never have thought Scott Baio was ever hunk material, either, so I guess there's a lid for every pot.

I'm trying to think of some good 80s/90s teen idols and I can't think of anyone. Are they leaning toward TV stars, movie stars or recording artists? Or a mixture of all three? And how loosely are we interpreting the word "idol," anyway? I mean, Rider Strong was listed as an idol in some other retrospective I saw and I just thought "Huh?" Yuck!!! But again - lid, pot. I must broaden my perspective, I see. I really liked Fred Savage, as I mentioned, but he's actually successful as an adult so I doubt he'll be invited. Chad Allen was hot on My Two Dads but, again, he's actually sort of successful so probably no Chadster, either. I had a huge crush on Jonathan Brandis in the 6th grade but, well, he's dead, so I'd say he's busy. I thought Scott Bloom was cute on Who's the Boss? ... and hey! His last credit is "FBI Agent #3" in Smokin' Aces so, y'know, maybe he just loser-y enough to be on!! I'll keep my fingers crossed...

Scott Bloom, c. 1988 - Thank goodness my taste has improved!

UPDATE 05/09/08: Defamer.com has written something about this, too, and have listed a handful of possible idols. They, too, went for Kevin Amold but also threw Kirk Cameron and Ricky Schroeder into the mix. Now, Kirk is very busy adopting children and running his own ministry so I doubt he'd have the time to hang at VH1. Then again, he might want the publicity... I'm not particularly religious myself so I for one hope either VH1 or Kirk decide to pass on this pairing! And Ricky Schroeder is successful enough that he doesn't need to stoop to reality shows just yet. Shoot, I distinctly remember an interview he gave many moons ago in which he commented that he'd invested his Silver Spoons money so well he'd never have to work again if he so chose. Not too shabby, eh?

Runway - Slowly Turning to Crap

I don't know how I missed this when it came out on Monday (I mean, I don't read NYMag.com regularly but it should have been picked up by one of the blogs I do read) but:

Egad! Marie Claire might usurp Elle's spot on Project Runway after its contract runs out. Elle is signed to remain with the show through its fifth season, which is the show's last on the Bravo network before it moves to Lifetime. WWD notes the partnership is likely since both Hearst Publications (which publishes Marie Claire) and the Lifetime network are jointly owned by the same parent company and Disney, and the media is incestuous like that (you know, "synergy").

This also makes last week's Nina Garcia sighting a little more interesting: She was spotted at the Hearst headquarters, so perhaps she was chatting with the folks at Marie Claire? And then the magazine could benefit from Garcia's chic-fairy dust (because, let's be honest, it doesn't quite have the same high-market cachet as Elle) and Project Runway wouldn't be utterly doomed! Hey, a girl can dream.

Holy cow - Project Runway is really turning into a big pile of dog doo, isn't it? First Lifetime, then L.A., then no Magical Elves and now Marie Claire?!! Great googlymoogly. I will give the 6th season a chance, just to see how different things really are, but the first time they go to Disneyland (as most ABC shows did/do at one time or another - hello, Full House and Roseanne!) and try to modernize Donald Duck's look by making him wear pants, I'm outta there!

It's Not Texas

...it's just stupid people. My grandmother was from Texas and could spell just fine, thank you! :o) However, Gawker.com has found a couple of Texan protesters who may want to try reading their signs before shoving them in your face:

Lurn to Speek English, Morans!

This woman in Houston, Texas argues that people who can't communicate in English should be deported. That's not an awful idea, I'm starting to think, based on the typo in her sign. But where would we send her?




















This morning we ran a picture of a woman in Houston [as seen above]. A helpful tipster then sent a link to the picture above, taken in Harlingen Texas just a few days ago by the Valley Morning Star. These protesters are from the opposite end of the political spectrum, decrying a police sting against prostitutes and subsequent publication of booking photos. But they still f***ed up their sign spelling. And they really should have caught the mistake, because they took the time to use stencils and everything! So poor English knows no political bounds. Are Texans just unable to spell? I don't remember things being so bad when I was growing up in Houston, but I was a mere grade schooler, and that was prior to the election of one Gov. George W. Bush.

Random Post - Celebrities With Gas

Okay, so this is a super random post but when I saw this article, I knew I had to share it.

Now Dustin Hoffman has been in some great films: 'The Graduate', 'Tootsie' and erm 'Outbreak'. But Dustin says the best thing he's ever done is fart at Tom Cruise in 'Rainman' (and who can blame him for that), an improvisation that wasn't in the original script. He said: "It's just my favourite moment of any film I've ever done. That includes Shakespeare that I've done onstage, anything."

This made me laugh because it totally reminded me of one of Robert's favorite stories. Way back when he was promoting The Da Vinci Code, I saw an interview with Paul Bettany on Craig Ferguson (I think but wouldn't swear to it) where he relayed a story about making Tom Hanks fart. I thought it was the funniest thing and so shared the story with Robert - he about died and for some reason still thinks it's one of the funniest stories he's ever heard. Rather than retell it myself, I did a quick search and found a pretty faithful retelling from Paul himself (this is from a Jonathan Ross interview and if you think it's easy finding stuff on Tom Hanks farting on Paul Bettany, well... it actually was, kind of. I found this article at Paul's fan site):

JON: Now Tom Hanks is one of the few movie stars I have not met, I have not interviewed. I have no idea. What's he like as a man? What's he like to work with?

PAUL: He's very funny. Y'know, it was a little nerve-wracking to begin with because it was the first Paul Bettany movie he'd ever been in.

JON: I hope he was open and eager to learn from you.

PAUL: Exactly. I tried to put him at his ease. No, I was a bit nervous, and the first thing I had to do was a fight scene. And we rehearsed it, and then we went to shoot it. And I had to leap out at him from nowhere, and I didn't want to hurt him, so I kept giving him a sort of warning, going "Arrrrrrrrhhh!" like this. And he went, "You're making this really weird noise. Could you stop it?"

JON: That's a nice thing that you were doing.

PAUL: Right.

JON: 'Cause he's an older gentleman, and he's still--

PAUL: I'm trying to give him some warning so I don't hurt him. But I did what he said. I jumped out, surprised the shit out of him, ran him across the room, hit him up against this light, and then it fell over, and I smacked him in the stomach. And he let out the most ghastly fart that you've -- [laughter] No, seriously, it was like spppppplllzzzzt! And I'm supposed to carry on with this really sort of tense scene, and I whip my gun out, and I'm supposed to look like this scary monk. But I'm actually looking like this [confused face], thinking I don't know what the form is. I just made Tom Hanks fart. Do I blame myself? Do I laugh? I'm a coward, so of course I elected to ignore it.

JON: Well, I think that's the polite thing to do, actually.

PAUL: But I went up to him and I picked him up, and he was roaring with laughter. And he said, "You made me fart on your first take! That's fantastic! What are you gonna do on your second?" I'm not going into that.

Man, I can hear Robert's man-cackle in my head right now! :o)

Movie Morsels 03 - Jane Eyre

Blargh!!! Me no likey. Supposedly, Ellen Page is in talks with BBC Films to play Jane in a new production of Jane Eyre. Dude, the BBC just did a revival in '06 for TV which starred Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens and it was awesome. I loved it. I loved it so much I had to buy a region-free DVD player so I could buy the British version of the DVD - it has features, like deleted scenes, that the American version doesn't. Ugh, Ellen Page makes me want to puke. She can't pollute my show, she can't!!! :o( Mew.

TV Tidbits 09 - Potpourri

1.) Okey doke, the shows covered in this post are: NCIS, Medium, SVU, The Office, House, Bones, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, October Road and HIMYM. I only watch the first 4 myself so those are, naturally, first. :o) There's not a lot of info - just scooplets from TVGuide.com's Ausiello (if you don't like spoilers, skip, skip, skip!). I'm trying to cover things I know people that actually read the blog regularly but my parents (well, actually, my mother) watch just about every stinking show on TV (even According to Jim! Yes, my mom is that one person.) so I'll have to pick and choose somewhere... sorry, Dad. ;o)

• Question: I need to know who is getting murdered in NCIS! I want answers! — Irv
• Ausiello: Actually, word around NCIS is that the buzzed-about death won't be the biggest surprise of the season. Consider this line from Director Vance to Gibbs from the two-hour season finale: "If you think you can protect them forever, Jethro, you are mistaken. There's already been one casualty. There will be more." What does it mean?! Beats me!

• Question: What is going to happen to Medium? I heard it may leap to CBS. — Nicole
• Ausiello: Not true. NBC's already renewed it for next season — a decision that is proving eerily prescient considering that in recent weeks the show has been enjoying some of its best ratings and press since Season 1.

• Question: With Diane Neal leaving L&O: SVU, what are the odds of Stephanie March returning as Alex? — Judith
• Ausiello: Officially, an SVU spokesperson denies that March is returning next season. Unofficially, I'm hearing that the actress is engaged in very preliminary talks with The Wolfster to appear in a handful of episodes next season.

• Question: You've been awesome with The Office scoop recently, but you haven't said much about Ryan. He's been getting himself into trouble recently. How much more trouble should we expect? — MB
• Ausiello: Let's just say he has a brush with the law, but not for the reason you think.

• Question: No disrespect intended, but you've been really slacking on the House scoop lately. — Ellen
• Ausiello: That hardly qualifies as disrespectful, Ellen. No, disrespectful is telling me (as Aushole Jason did) that I deserve to be "run over by a New York City bus" for ignoring House these past few weeks. See the difference there? Anywho... I'm jumping back on the House scoopwagon in a big way this week with news that Fox, in collaboration with producer NBC Universal, is quietly developing a House spin-off for next season. As I understand it, producers are introducing a new male character for a multi-episode arc and, assuming the actor they find really pops in the role, he may be spun off into his own show. But there's a twist, and it's a big one: Per multiple sources, this newbie is not a doctor, but rather a private investigator! And no, his name isn't Twitter. I'll have more details as they become available…

• Question: Thanks for the awesome interview with Jesse Spencer, but did he offer any assurances about Chase getting more screen time on House next season? — Deb
• Ausiello: He sure did, and his exclusive comments appear in this week's Ausiello Report vodcast!

• Question: Is Thirteen going to have a relationship anytime soon on House — perhaps with another female considering the fact that she's bisexual? It would definitely spice things up a bit. — Zachary
• Ausiello: I don't believe she'll be taking in a lover, but I can confirm that she'll be getting something nearly as important: a name! I'm told in this Monday's episode we'll, for the first time, hear Thirteen's real name. My guess: Tenplusfourminusone.

• Question: I'm a huge fan of Bones. I have one question: Is one of the two deaths you mentioned in last week's Ask Ausiello not real?— Rita
• Ausiello: Good question. It actually might not be. Shortly after AA went live last week, a Bones insider e-mailed me to say, "There are actually two casualties coming up — only one of which leads to death." My mole's tip was all but confirmed by co-star Eric Millegan at TV Guide's Sexiest Stars Party. Actually, Millegan had a lot to say about this season's final two episodes (airing May 12 and 19), paying specific attention to the fate of his character, Zack, and the evil Gormogon.

• Question: Is Ken Jenkins really gone from Scrubs? — Drew
• Ausiello: Well, he's really gone from Sacred Heart, but not from Scrubs. Although it's unclear whether Jenkins will remain a series regular, I hear we'll see glimpses of Kelso's life as a retiree. In the meantime, Bill Lawrence is said to be looking for a new Chief to succeed Kelso, and word is he wants a name.

• Question: Is Rebecca Romijn really going to leave Ugly Betty? What other big changes are they planning for the show? — Linus
• Ausiello: ABC and the show's producers keep insisting that she'll be back in a recurring capacity, but that's assuming Romijn will be available. I have a feeling she'll be snapped up in no time by another show.

• Question: What's the scoop on October Road? Will it be back next season? — Drew
• Ausiello: Nothing official from ABC, but all indications are the show is toast. And I would like to think I was at least partially responsible. Oh, who am I kidding — it was all me.

• Question: Sarah Chalke was, once again, bedazzling on Monday's How I Met Your Mother. Please tell me that wasn't the last we'll see of her. — Gina
• Ausiello: That wasn't the last we'll see of her. Sources confirm that Sarah/Stella will be back for the season finale, which can only mean one thing: OMFG she’s the mother! I think.

2.) I was reading this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly during lunch and was able to gloss over oodles of pages devoted to cover girl Ellen Pompeo and American Idol. I thought you AI people might be interested in this article:

• Why Song Selection is Important

TV Tidbits 08.5 - American Gladiators

Wow! I don't know if any or how many of you read the comments but Christina sent me one saying: "oh, one of the girls that played on the cornell team was part of the gladiator team in season 1. Her famed move was to wrap her legs around an opponents neck....i think her name on the show was fury, but her real name is jamie." Awesome!! Once she wrote the bit about the leg wraparound move, I knew exactly to whom Christina was referring. Fury was actually one of the scarier lady Gladiators - the blond, implanted ones never looked quite as menacing to me. :o) Christina asked if Fury would be on season 2 and I thought "Of course!" Wrong! What a bummer... it looks like she's been replaced by Phoenix, whose online bio is as follows:

Soaring into the sky like a spirit from the flames who has been kissed by the sun, the beautiful and bewitching Phoenix is as impossible to defeat as her mythical namesake.

Yeah, that sounds SCARY! Add in her feathered pink hair, circa 2000 Gwen Stefani, and you've got one intimidating bi-atch on your hands, people! Pbbbbbth!!!

However, I was happy to see that last year's winners are actually going to be Gladiators this season. Jet and Rocket are considerably more ripped these days than they were in their competition days, that's for sure, but I'm glad their "prize" was actually their prize. Plus, homemaker Monica (Jet) was by far my favorite competitor last year so I'm glad she gets to continue. :o) Evan (Rocket) was crazy fast - I called him Monkey Man - last season so I hope that's enough to power him through as a Gladiator... the dude is 4 inches shorter than the next shortest Gladiator and he and I are almost the same weight!!! (Just for my own pride, he does weigh more than me; unfortunately, it's not by much). Seeing as head Gladiator Titan gets 80% of the available screen time, however, it may not be a problem... !

TV Tidbits 08 - American Gladiators, American Idol

1.) American Gladiators' 2nd season premieres this Monday, the 12th, and it looks like it will debut a few new games to boot. Hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali recently intro'd the new games:

"My favorite [game] is a new one called Rocket Ball," Hogan said while speaking with reporters at NBC's "All American Summer" Press Day in Pasadena on Friday. "It's kind of like a mix between slam-dunk basketball and football. You've got these round hoops, way up in the air. You've got two contenders and two Gladiators, and you hit this launch button, and you get launched 25 to 30 feet in the air and try to put the ball in one of the hoops. At the same time, the Gladiator is trying to knock the ball out of the way, or hit you physically. That game is really intense."

Ali... introduced a game called Tilt, "which is like a tug-of-war that takes place over the water," she explained. There's also one called Vertigo, adopted from the U.K. version of Gladiators, which involves a race between a contender and a Gladiator across a field of hanging poles. "To start," she said, "you have to climb up a pole, and then you have to make the poles sway using your body weight to get to the next pole. Way up in the air. I wouldn't want to do that. But I like it!" [EW.com]

Man, whatever happened to the event where the contestants ran inside giant metal hamster balls and tried to roll their ball over steam-spewing scoring pods (while a gladiator chases them, of course)?! That was the best!!! *sigh*

OOH! I just found it! 'Atlasphere'... nice. Real nice. I can't embed the video but if you click here, you can check out Atlasphere in action. Woohoo!

2.) Against my will - I just said I would never do this! Never say never... it'll bite you in the ass every time - but by repeated request, here's a teensy blurbette on AI:

Meeting the press to promote the new season of NBC's America's Got Talent (premiering June 17 at 9 pm/ET), Simon Cowell inevitably was swarmed with Idol-related queries. Here is what the outspoken Brit had to say about:

It All Coming Down to David vs. David
"It's what I genuinely believe will happen. I think you're going to have a real scrap on the night. Without either of them being a red-hot favorite, [the winner] will be [determined by] what happens on the night, and that's what the show is all about."

The Davids' Weaknesses
"I don't think they've got too many. I think David Cook has got the best voice and David Archuleta's got the teen and the gran[dma] appeal. [They're] very equal."

Jason's Surprising Longevity
"He's got a great face. If he looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he still wouldn't be there, would he? But that's the music business. He's had some very good weeks, to be fair. He just struggled with Andrew Lloyd Webber and, in particular, Neil Diamond. It almost felt a little bit like he was giving up last week."

"Broadway Week"
"I didn't really see the point because I use it as a criticism on the show that you are going to end up on Broadway. We aren't looking for a Broadway singer. I want like a Leona Lewis, a contemporary recording artist who's going to sell a lot of records. I'm not looking for someone to be in The Wiz."

The Plan to Revamp Idol
"You have to revamp every show that you make, every year. You have to wait and see [what we are going to do]. It's a surprise."

This Season's "Safe" Singers
"We are not "letting go" enough, you know? They are very media savvy, saying the right things, not arguing with me. David Archuleta was performing in front of Kelly Clarkson six years ago. It is on tape. It's like he's gone to the "University of American Idol." Safe song, safe message. I like people who go a bit crazy sometimes. I'm dying for someone to scream at me one week and say, "I hate your guts." I know they are thinking it."

Paula's Flub Last Week
"The whole thing is being blown out of proportion. It was a live show, she made a mistake. The year [Idol] becomes normal is probably the year I will leave. Genuinely, I like it when it is a bit loopy."

A Singer Sent Home Too Soon
"Michael Johns was probably the only contestant that should have stayed on a bit longer. I was thinking this week it would have been nice to see him in the Top 4. I think he would have got better."

Kristy Lee, Country Star?
"Kristy Lee Cook [has a career ahead of her] because I think that she knows who she is now, and I do think I steered her in the right direction one week when I said, "You are actually a country artist." So I think she knows who she is and I think that audience will like her. She's easy to market and she is interesting." [TVGuide.com]

What Does "Biscuits & Butter" Mean, Anyway?

Some of you may be wondering from where the new delightful blog title and description came... Well, they're from one of my favorite movies - Rhinestone. This is a movie that my family, especially my sister Michelle and I, LOVES and a movie that almost no one has heard of. And when I describe it to them - "Dolly Parton takes NY cab driver Sylvester Stallone to Tennessee and tries to make him a country singer!" - people do not look impressed. Do not poo-poo it until you see it, people!! Robert thought the same thing and I forced him to watch it; now he thinks it's hilarious. It IS hilarious!!! Makes me smile just thinking about it. :o) Anyway, here's the clip that gave our blog its name: