The State of Scary TV
‘The Returned’ and ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ join ‘The Walking Dead’ in offering high-quality horror.
June 20, 2013
Afternoon Links: Stephen Colbert Says Good-bye to His Mother, Makes Us Emotional All Over Again
Oh, I see you’ve paused your Sopranos marathon and have stopped crying into your gabagool. What a great time to watch Stephen Colbert’s moving tribute to his recently deceased mother, Lorna: She had 11 children, taught her kids to stage fall, and said … oh no … she wouldn’t miss … Colbert’s … show … […]
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The Unexpectedly Moving James Gandolfini Tributes You Might Not Have Seen
A few more commemorations of the great man.
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Robert Downey Jr. to Be Iron Man Forever, Make All the Money
There was a time, not that long ago, when there seemed to be a real question (well, not “real real,” more like “negotiating in public real”) about whether Robert Downey Jr. would ever again wear the Iron Man armor. Following Iron Man 3’s release, Downey was no longer under contract for additional Marvel movies; with […]
Read moreGirls in Hoodies Podcast: The Bling Ring, This Is the End, and Rape Jokes
Once we get our obligatory Yeezus reactions out of the way (if you need Molly this summer, you can find her cruising down the PCH blasting “On Sight”), It’s time to dig into two of this past weekend’s releases, The Bling Ring and This Is the End. We take apart the privilege and problematic points […]
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Is There a Future for Televised Singing Competitions?
After The Voice crowned its fourth-season winner, 16-year-old Danielle Bradbery — the third Team Blake victor — a hush fell over the nation. American Idol doesn’t start auditioning its 13th season until July, and The X Factor, revamped with two new judges and minus a Kardashian, is holding its breath until the fall. It’s a […]
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From Graduation to Taylor to “Power”: A Timeline of How Kanye West Became The Nucleus
True story: I interviewed Kanye once. It was a release party for a Consequence album, held at the downtown offices of a hip lifestyle magazine, and ‘Ye showed up unannounced. I think they did “Grammy Family.” Afterward, as everyone moved to a back room, a publicist held the door open for me and I weaseled […]
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Kim Kardashian’s Luxury Delivery Suite, and Other Absurdities From This Week’s Tabloids
Star Kim’s Diva Delivery: “Kanye West has spent the past month tirelessly promoting his new album, Yeezus, not even letting girlfriend Kim Kardashian’s difficult pregnancy get in the way of his international performance schedule and record-listening parties.” O RLY? “But when Kim, 32, called Kanye, 36, a few hours before his Yeezus event in Hollywood on June 14 and […]
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James Gandolfini: 1961-2013
It’s preposterous to think that James Gandolfini died yesterday. He was only 51, in the middle of shooting a movie. He had a loving wife, a 13-year-old son, and an 8-month-old daughter. For him to suddenly slip away, reportedly from a heart attack, while vacationing in Rome seems almost too cruel. It sounds like a […]
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Here It Is, Your First Confirmed Casting Breakdown for Star Wars: Episode VII
This is ForceWatch, your as-needed check-in with the upcoming Star Wars reboot, including but not limited to Star Wars Episode VII. Full disclosure: Disney owns Grantland, and the rest of the universe. Guys, we’ve finally got some REAL casting breakdowns today! No, seriously, we were just kidding about those last ones. These are FOR REAL. […]
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June 19, 2013
Afternoon Links: Paula Deen Manages to Do Something Grosser Than Deep Frying Butter in Butter
Oh, PAULA. During a taped deposition last month, Paula Deen went on the record to admit that she’d used the n-word (“yes, of course”) and unfortunately, that’s not all. Radar Online reports that Deen wanted to hire black men to play slaves at a wedding, which is even crazier than eating deep-fried balls of butter […]
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Rembert Explains America: A Night with 2 Chainz at Birthday Bash, Finally
Ain’t nothin’ like Atlanta. You don’t know what the fuck you gonna get. This is the most nastiest, dirtiest, ugliest, most beautiful, wonderful place in all of America. —Katt Williams It sounds silly to admit, but I actually well up with pride when, driving in another state, I see signs directing travelers to my city. […]
Read moreDumb and Dumber To Is Happening With Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, and Maybe the Blind Kid With the Dead Bird …
Peter Farrelly spilled the details.
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Escape From Pop Purgatory: Hanson’s Anthem
Welcome to Escape From Pop Purgatory, where we check out new music made by people who are more well-known than 98 percent of the oppressively “cool” artists who the media obsesses over, and yet are commonly perceived to be years past the point of their cultural relevance. (Pop Purgatory is fame plus time.) Because we’re […]
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YouTube HOF: Wide World of Zombies
The Zombie Era just won’t die — this weekend, Brad Pitt arrives on the big screen to mow down the reanimated hordes in World War Z, and AMC’s The Walking Dead has been renewed through approximately 2084. So it seemed as good a time as any to take stock of our long-standing relationship with the […]
Read moreSweet Lincoln’s Mullet, the First Trailer for Anchorman: The Legend Continues Has Arrived
Ever since last December, when the Anchorman team teased a 2013 Christmastime Ron Burgundy rebirth that will pull all the focus from the baby Jesus, fans have been impatiently waiting for their sumptuously coiffed hero to return and drench them in Sex Panther. The time for that drenching has finally arrived. And now we know […]
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Small(er) Movie Roundup: Because There’s Life After Man of Steel
Before Midnight, directed by Richard Linklater You know those accusatory, ticking-time-bomb questions two married people aren’t supposed to ask each other? Well, after two previous installments of complicated bliss (in 1995’s Before Sunrise and 2004’s Before Sunset), Celine (Julie Delpy) is going there on Jesse (Ethan Hawke). “What’s the name of the pediatrician?” “Would you […]
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John Mayer Swift-Ballads Taylor, While Katy Perry Pines for Him
Because it had been too long since he burnished his leave-a-pretty-girl-sad reputation, John Mayer just released a new single called “Paper Doll” to accompany an announcement that he has a new album called Paradise Valley coming out on August 13. Judging by the cover art, he is aiming for the Empire Strikes Back of his […]
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