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January 30, 2007
Pudding Worthy?
FYI: "Hasty Pudding" awards are given away every year to those who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." Harvard's undergraduate drama troupe hands out the awards, and Ben Stiller and Scarlett Johansson are this year's winners. I'm all for Johansson, but Stiller is a dud. He plays the same character in virtually every movie.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 4:30 PM | Comments (0)
TV Tidbits
A few TV tidbits to pass along:
ABC’s “Big Day� is like a bad car wreck. I know I shouldn’t stare, but I do anyway. The season finale airs tonight at 9.
Dr. House returns tonight at 9 on Fox after a brief stint in rehab.
If you are a “Without a Trace� junkie, check out four straight episodes tonight beginning at 6 on TNT. The show’s star, Anthony LaPaglia, turns 48 tomorrow.
The worst of them all, “Star Wars: Episode I,� airs tonight in HD on HBO at 6:30. The force is not with this one.
This season’s “24� was dangerously close to “jumping the shark� with last night’s “family affair,� episode that smacked afternoon soap opera. Fortunately, Jack’s jerk of a brother turned the tables and the cold-hearted viciousness of the show returned. Would someone please shut up President Palmer’s sister, Sandra? Her annoying rants make me cringe.
Is anyone watching the final season of “Rome� on HBO? I have the first three episodes taped and I haven’t gotten around to watching them yet. I read a couple of bad reviews and that turned me off.
I can’t provide you with a “Heroes� update because I taped it last night and I need to watch it first. Sorry. Here’s what I can tell you: Something likely happened that can’t be fully explained right now, but will be explained shortly. Take note, “Lost,� which returns on Feb. 7 on ABC.
I rented “Saw III� on Sunday. Wow. Pretty bad and gruesome stuff, although they did manage to tie up some loose story ends from the previous two installments. The first “Saw� is still the best. Here’s hoping we are done with Jigsaw, which judging by the end of the film I think we are.
-Andy
Posted by Andy Ravens at 4:28 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2007
Lots of Offices
NBC is airing THREE episodes of "The Office" tonight at 8:30, 10, and 10:30. Sweet.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2007
Best of the Best
Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards were announced today. Below you'll find five films that were nominated for Best Picture. Did you see any of them? Rather, you only saw "The Departed," right? Regardless, vote for your favorite; this isn't a scientific poll.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 4:05 PM | Comments (1)
January 22, 2007
Busy Night for Tubers
"All righhhty then," Ace Ventura, we are officially BACK to new episodes in primetime and there are more DVR’ing decisions to make in tonight’s TV lineup that is LOADED with fresh content. Absolutely loaded, my friends.
Decision No. 1: With Fox’s “Prison Break� finally returning from a long hiatus I’ve got to tune into this at 8 p.m. I’ll record new episodes of “How I Met Your Mother� (8 p.m.) and “The Class� (8:30 p.m.) on CBS.
Decision No. 2: Is this really a no-brainer? I’ve got to catch “24� at 9 p.m. on Fox and DVR the return of NBC’s “Heroes� at 9 p.m. Although, I am thinking about switching that up and DVR’ing “24� because that’s more fun to watch without commercials. Decisions, decisions. Although the “Prison Break� — “24� two-hour block is pretty dirty fresh and missing out on that in real time would be a bummer. Things that make you go “Mmmm.� Yes, this is my life.
And finally, speaking of Mr. Ventura, late night viewers may want to know that “Ave Ventura: When Nature Calls,� airs at 12 a.m. on TBS.
Latah,
Andy
Posted by Andy Ravens at 12:43 PM | Comments (1)
January 19, 2007
I'm too sexy for my...
Former Lowell Spinner Freddy Sanchez is up for final consideration as one of the most beautiful people in Pittsburgh. The Sox should never have let him go to the Pirates when you consider he won the N.L. batting title last year and was an All-Star. Oh well.
Here's the link if you want to vote for him.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)
Here they are in order:
Posted by Andy Ravens at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2007
"Chronicle" the Celebration
WCVB-TV Channel 5 has plans to air a one-hour special Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the nightly newsmagazine, "Chronicle."
We love high-definition television around here so you'll be pleased to know that the special will air in HD ("Chronicle" four months ago became the only locally produced HD program).
Also, for more information, be sure to check out the TV station's Web site
Posted by Andy Ravens at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
January 9, 2007
Rock the Vote
FYI: This week the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2007 class of inductees: Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., the Ronettes and Patti Smith.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
January 8, 2007
Hot Stove, Cool Times
BOSTON — Rockin’ chick Kay Hanley, formerly of Letters to Cleo, was one of many highlights at Sunday’s “Hot Stove, Cool Music� concert at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.
While some in the audience were obviously impressed by the petite blonde’s good looks, her vocals and guitar work were off the charts. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to any veteran Hot Stover — Hanley’s been a mainstay in Peter Gammons’ charity concert series. Hanley also sung the National Anthem before the Pats-Jets playoff game on Sunday.
Organizers expect to raise about $80,000 during last weekend’s two concerts and roundtable baseball discussion that featured the likes of Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Gammons. The funds go towards the Foundation to Be Named Later, which benefits underprivileged youth. Theo and his brother, Paul Epstein, started the charity in 2005.
Nashua, N.H.’s Mike O’Malley (“Yes, Dear�) emceed the seventh annual installment and was his usual funny self. He recently played a clueless cop in an episode of NBC’s “My Name is Earl� that parodied Fox’s “Cops.� It was truly hilarious, arguably the best episode of the series. “A lot of people have told me that,� O’Malley said after I suggested it was Earl’s finest half hour.
O’Malley will be back on TV soon enough. He’s got a deal with CBS and is working on one with TBS to develop comedy shows for both networks. With two young children (and one on the way) O’Malley hinted this might be the last time he hosts Hot Stove. “I can’t leave my wife with three young children,� he said. The couple lives in Los Angeles.
Peter Gammons appeared downright giddy to be playing live music again. The former Groton resident, who suffered a brain aneurysm last June, returned to the stage for the first time last weekend. Of course, it only took him 2 1/2 months to return to his gig on ESPN. What a remarkable, nice guy.
I started talking about my favorite band, Pearl Jam, with Peter (he’s a well-known fan, too) before Sunday’s show and he told a story about how all five members of the band wrote him “get well� letters. “They (Pearl Jam) are so professionally honest,� said Gammons. I couldn’t agree more.
I also wanted to give a shout out to Eli “Paperboy� Reed, 23, of Brookline, who opened Sunday’s concert with a rockin’ blues set. Check him out here.
Posted by Andy Ravens at 1:48 PM | Comments (1)
January 3, 2007
Money-Makers
Quigley Publishing recently released its Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2006.
Below are the Top Five. Who was your favorite?
Posted by Andy Ravens at 2:28 PM | Comments (0)
Show Me The Money, Johnny
Movie mogul Bill Quigley, who now lives in a suburb of Lowell, recently released Quigley Publishing Company’s 75th Top-Ten Money Making Stars Poll.
Actor Johnny Depp tops this year’s poll, as the “Pirates of the Caribbean� star unseated last year’s winner, Tom Cruise, who dropped to No. 8.
Industry leaders also picked Daniel Craig and Maggie Gyllenhaal as “stars of tomorrow.�
Here are the full results and a little background:
Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2006
1. Johnny Depp
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
3. Will Smith
4. Denzel Washington
5. Tom Hanks
6. George Clooney
7. Will Ferrell
8. Tom Cruise
9. Dakota Fanning
10. Sacha Baron Cohen
Stars of Tomorrow of 2006:
Daniel Craig
Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Quigley Poll, conducted every year since 1932, is an annual survey of motion picture exhibitors, which asks them to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue in the preceding year for their theatres. Long regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of a Star’s box-office draw because the selections are done by people whose livelihood depends on choosing the films that will bring audiences to their theatres, the Quigley Poll appears annually in Quigley Publishing Company’s International Motion Picture Almanac and at www.quigleypublishing.com.�
Posted by Andy Ravens at 2:22 PM | Comments (0)