Emory University and Revenge of the Nerds Remake?

I just read this article about the Revenge of the Nerds remake at Emory University. I wish my Atlanta friends had let me know what was going on at my alma mater.

A) I'm not surprised that Fox was planning a remake. It's the kind of film you could easily update. B) I'm not surprised Emory University agreed to let the movie shoot up to 1/3 of the film on campus--Emory loves/wants/craves (not needs) money. C) I am surprised that no one at Emory looked at the script before they agreed. Evidently the movie was too raunchy and Emory pulled the plug on filming.

Evidently the movie moved to Agnes Scott, also in Atlanta, but now that's not working so the project is in limbo. Shout out to my administration peeps at Emory for keeping an eye on things, but I'm sure the name of the college would have been changed. What's the deelio? Why not take the money and run?

Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars

I can't can't can't wait to see Veronica Mars next week. I love the show, but I'm completely lost about this "catch the rapist" storyline. She intimates there is no rapist, but we know there's been at least one rape. Anyway...next week has a death, has all sorts of slow motion running with grief (a la Buffy). I'm there.

Gilmore Girls was great last night too. Perfect, "I'm such a good writer" Rory had to own up to being mean. What, Rory be mean? Well, she's always condescending. But I'm interested to see how this Christopher/Lorelai thing works out. I love Chris (see hottie pic), so I hope they don't make him do something entirely out of character and jackass-like. Oh, and did anyone notice that the scene they showed in the previews--with Luke and Christopher about to fight--wasn't in last night's show. The CW is tricky!

Tom Serenades Katie

Blech! Check out this People article that talks about how Tom sang "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" to Katie during his wedding reception. It makes me want to puke.

But of course it is kind of funny that even Tom knows on some level that his best, brightest, and most popular acting days are behind him--he had to resort to cannibalizing his own career just to get a laugh and a tear at his own wedding. Again, blech!

ps--This pic looks like an ugly homecoming pic from high school. She's like a foot taller than him and he's combed his hair like he's 15.

Rosie, Clay, Kelly

Stories like this are why I love the internet. All I had to google was "Rosie Ripa" and this tv bitchfest came up.

For those who haven't heard, Clay Aiken co-hosted with Kelly Ripa last week on Live with Regis and Kelly. During one part of the show, Clay put his hand over Kelly's mouth so he could say something and Kelly pulled his hand away and said, "Oh, that's a no-no. I don't know where that hand's been, honey."

Enter Rosie, who has been really stirring some coals on The View lately. She said Ripa's remark was homophobic (which it was, mildly). But the real trouble started when Kelly called The View today to bitch at Rosie. If you watch the clip, look at Rosie's face. It's priceless.

I didn't see either of these shows live, so I don't want to make a real judgement. But honestly, it's not even worth talking about. It is worth laughing about though.

Robert Altman Has Died...

And I'm terribly sad. It's actually a sad day for cinema.

Nashville and M*A*S*H are two of the best American films in the last 50 years. It's sad to think we have lost someone with such a wonderful knack at narrative and such an original style.

Kramer = Racist

So what's going on with crazy racist celebrity rants? I'm sure you've all seen or heard the story by now where Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) went balistic last week at a comedy club in LA. He was being heckled and people were talking over him so he launched into a barrage of the "n" word at some black audience members. And he kept it up.

The only thing worse might have been the crazy-ass apology on David Letterman last night. It was surreal. As he apologized via satellite (talking to Dave and to Jerry Seinfeld), the audience didn't know what to make of it. They laughed. Out loud. To where Richards could hear them. It was nuts.

But despite his apology, it goes to show a few things we already knew: a) racism permeates Hollywood; and b) Michael Richards is crazy.

Crazier than Richards' rant (or Mel Gibson's for that matter) is the fact that these stars seem to think that an apology is a cure all. And that they actually have the balls to claim that they aren't racist and they don't know where the words came from.

Heroes

Sure, it was a good episode last night, but kind of a let down. I liked the fact that Peter "died" and that it took Claire to save him. But did we really find out the meaning to "Save the Cheerleader - Save the World" as NBC promised? Um, short answer...no.

So it was kind of shitty for NBC to blatantly LIE to us, but am I surprised? Um, short answer...no. But I'll keep watching because it's a good show, and because it's hilrious that Tori Spellings "best friend" on her VH-1 show is the killer Sylar on Heroes.

OJ

I don't want to spend much time on this subject because really does he need any more press? We all know what he is starts with "m" and ends in "urderer."

So...glad to hear that his book is being pulled and so is the Fox special. But I'm sure we'll end up seeing both in the media someway, somehow. Sad.

George Clooney the Sexiest Man Alive...

...says People magazine. I won't argue either.

I also think he's one of the smartest Hollywood people around. I heard him talk about years ago when his career was taking off he did enough. He did the Batman movies and The Perfect Storm so he could make enough money that he'd never have to do a project he didn't love. That takes cajones and smarts.

Killing Jack off Lost?

That's the rumor. And I'll tell you, if they do. I'm done. That's it.

My brother keeps telling me he things Sawyer is going to meet his maker really soon which upsets me too. But it wouldn't keep me from watching the show. But if you kill Locke, or Kate, or Jack, I'm gone.

Have Any of You Watched Bones?

I tend not to really fall for shows on Fox because they have the whole weird "we're gonna stop showing our new shows for the whole month of October and show you baseball instead" thing. But last year I did get interested in Bones, the procedural about a group of scientists who work with skeletal remains at the Smithsonian (oops, the Jeffersonian) in Washington, D.C. to help the F.B.I. with its cases.

But the show has gotten more and more intruiging lately, mostly due to the chemistry between Dr. Brennan (Bones) and Agent Booth--Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz sizzle on screen together. In last night's show Bones and a coworker had been buried alive (yes, I know, Kill Bill 2 and CSI both did it), and when Booth finally pulled Bones out of the dirt I cried! I was at the gym on the damn eliptical machine crying (almost sobbing even).

So check Bones out on Wednesday nights. It's quirky, funny, thrilling, and even heartwarming.

Emmitt Wins!

I'll admit I was surprised that Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke won Dancing with the Stars. I haven't been following the show religiously, but the few times I watched Mario Lopez shake his ass and throw those muscled arms into the air, I knew there was a God.

So, I can't (and won't) claim Mario was cheated--like when Kelly Monoco originally won over John O'Hurley. But I will say that I will miss seeing Mario jiggle, and stride, and thrust his way across the stage.

Missing Lost

Okay, I'll admit it: despite the ups and downs of this season's Lost, I'm going to really miss the show until it returns in early 2007. Just today I was like, "Oh, it's Wednesday. Lost is coming on." Then the realization that I have months to wait.

But on another note, at least I get some Cameron goodness on the season finale of Laguna Beach tonight. It promises to be an extra-special hour episode of inane and awkward conversations.

Tour de France Scandal

I don't know enough about the Tour de France and what happened with Floyd Landis' positive testing for drugs to make an argument for or against his win. But I do think it's a sad state of affairs. Landis continues to claim that there has been a mistake and he wasn't doping, and now it turns out that the French lab that conducted both tests made an error. Lab officials say the error has no bearing on Landis' positive test and that he's still guilty of doping. But it sounds awfully fishy to me.

3 lbs Not Worth its Weight

I watched the new show 3 lbs about brain surgeons last night. Yes, how very esoteric that 3 lbs is actually the weight of the brain and those smarty pants producers actually knew that! Ugh.

Well, the show isn't all that good, which is sad because Stanley Tucci is usually great and Indira Varma rocked it hard on HBO's Rome. And we can't forget the smoking hot Mark Feuerstein (see pic). But alas, the show was high on concept and low on character development and plot. Maybe it'll get better. I'll watch a few more eps to make up my mind (and to see Mark).

Christopher and Lorelai and Luke

I'm not one of those people who are sad that Christopher and Lorelai are together now on Gilmore Girls. A) Christopher is cuter. B) It's just a nice back story that after years apart, and a child, they are finally married.

But if you don't like Christopher, you might as well rejoice. I have more than a hunch that Lorelai will be with Luke before the end of the season, even though she eloped with Christopher. Did you see her face last night when she said how happy she was? Looks like they'll get a quickie divorce or an anullment. Seems a lot of people, including Ausiello at TV Guide agree.

Stand in Defiance of Tom Cruise

A tad bit dramatic maybe, but please please please all of you promise to do one thing for me this weekend. At any point on Saturday or Sunday, I urge you to stand on your sofa, jump up and down, and plead for the Scientology gods to let poor Katie Holmes be free of Tom Cruise.

Maybe if we do that, the Scientology aliens will release their spirits into the air and free Katie from her hypnotic stupor before her wedding to the nutty, queer, lost-his-mind Cruise.

The Ruins is a Creepy Book

I'm about halfway through The Ruins by Scott Smith and I'm really loving it. I can't argue that it's literary fiction in any way, but it is well written with rounded out characters and a great sense of forboding. The setting alone is sensational.

Smith wrote A Simple Plan years ago. I never read it, and the movie wasn't my cup of tea. But The Ruins is great for anyone who likes thrillers. And as mentioned...it's CREEPY! It's alos a page-turner: I read more than 100 pages in one sitting last night.

It came out earlier this year and won't be in paperback until next spring, but if you can check it out at the library or borrow a friend's copy, you should think about it.

Monday Night TV Catch Up

Prison Break isn't a bad show. It's got hotties galore, good plots, fast pacing--but I'm not sure how high the stakes really are in the plots and that's a problem. Sure, they kill people off left and right on Prison Break. But the only characters any of us really care about are Scofield and Sarah, and we know that they won't be killed. So I watch the show every week, but I don't find it as satisfying as I did the first season.

Heroes was great again last night. Tiny little clues scattered everywhere. We meet this great new character--a waitress who can suddenly remember everything she reads or hears--and then she gets killed. Only, Hiro went back in time and there was a sense that he was able to save her. And right now it's looking like the only baddie on the show is Sylar, since HRG (horn rimmed glasses) gets more understood each episode. Of course next week is when "save the cheerleader, save the world" comes to a head! I can't wait.

Oh, and Studio 60. My dear Studio 60. It's a good show--no denying that. High quality, good acting, and the like. But again, there is some kind of spark missing. With Sorkin's The West Wing there was inherent gravitas because the weekly battles and decisions were political and we were made to see how each tiny decision can (or might not) affect America. But with Studio 60, I feel like we're just watching people who are really talented and like their jobs do their jobs. There isn't a larger resonance for me. Maybe if they dug deeper with the characters I would care more. But at least we get to see--NBC ordered a full season despite the show's pathetic ratings. So if you used to watch The West Wing, then you should probably tune in to Studio 60.

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

I can't believe I forgot to mention how great it was to see Dixie Carter back on tv. She was great last night on Desperate Housewives as Bree's new mother-in-law. She looked fantastic and was as firecracker hot as always.

Oh...and let's just remember how fierce Carter can be. Turn your volume up a bit for this clip.