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2010 Daytime Emmy Winners and Recap

29 Jun

This year’s Daytime Emmy Awards left much to be desired.  I thought the show was kind of painful to watch.  It doesn’t help that daytime viewership is on a consistent downward spiral (Hello, or should I say good-bye, Guiding Light & As the World Turns). 

The show, which took place at the Las Vegas Hilton, seemed quite small on TV.  Every time they showed a shot of the audience, the crowd looked like it only went about 20 rows back.  The entrance that most of the presenters came through was awkwardly placed – it was on an angle that required the stars to step, uncomfortably, down three steps and then turn toward the stage.  Not great planning.

As for the “entertainment,” I get that the show is in Las Vegas, but what on earth does The Lion King and Blue Man Group have to do with daytime.  The soap stars looked as bored and confused as I was.  I had zero desire to see David Copperfield open the show either.

The tribute to Dick Clark would have been nice if I wasn’t so thrown off by his orange, oompa-loompa colored face.  Whoever did that to him and expected him to go on live television should be fired.  His breakdown after Ryan Seacrest ended his tribute to the television and music pioneer was so touching though.  He couldn’t seem to get a hold of his emotions and that’s the beauty of live programming.

I can’t help but feel that the whole production value of the program was on an amateur level.  I was thoroughly unimpressed with Regis Philbin as host as well.  He’s great on his talk show, but his jokes were bad and the constant clamoring about his not getting any kind of award was aggravating and unnecessary.

I personally think that soap operas, while unrealistic at times, are a needed form of daytime entertainment.  I think it’s sad that the majority of the acting awards that were won on Sunday night went to a show that filmed its very last episode four days prior (ATWT).  I give Y&R’s Billy Miller the prize for best speech of the night.

Daytime Emmy Winners:

Outstanding Drama Series
The Bold and The Beautiful (CBS)

Outstanding Lead Actor
Michael Park (Jack Snyder) – As the World Turns

Outstanding Lead Actress
Maura West (Carly Tenney) – As the World Turns

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Billy Miller (Billy Abbott) – The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Julie Pinson (Janet Snyder) – As the World Turns

Outstanding Younger Actor
Drew Tyler Bell (Thomas Forrester) – The Bold and the Beautiful

Outstanding Younger Actress
Julie Berman (Lulu Spencer) – General Hospital

Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
The Bold and The Beautiful

Outstanding Talk Show: Entertainment
The Ellen Degeneres Show

Outstanding Talk Show Host
Dr. Mehmet Oz on The Dr. Oz Show

*Full list of winners 

2010 Teen Choice Award Nominees

14 Jun

The award show with possibly the coolest trophy out there, a surfboard, released its list of nominees today.  The 2010 Teen Choice Awards, hosted by Katy Perry, will be handed out on August 9, 2010. 

Awards are handed in out in categories such as movies, television, sports, comedy and music.  Each category is then broken down into subcategories which allows for multiple nominations for some and for a record number of total nominees.

MOVIES

Choice Movie: Action Adventure
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Kick-Ass
Robin Hood
Sherlock Holmes
The Losers

Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure
Nicolas Cage, Kick-Ass
Russell Crowe, Robin Hood
Matt Damon, Green Zone
Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Channing Tatum, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure
Cate Blanchett, Robin Hood
Mila Kunis, The Book of Eli
Rachel McAdams, Sherlock Holmes
Sienna Miller, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Zoe Saldana, The Losers

Choice Movie: Sci-Fi
2012
Avatar
District 9
Iron Man 2
The Time Traveler’s Wife

Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi
Sharlto Copley, District 9
John Cusack, 2012
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2
Jude Law, Repo Men
Sam Worthington, Avatar

Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi
Scarlett Johansson, Iron Man 2
Rachel McAdams, The Time Traveler’s Wife
Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 2
Amanda Peet, 2012
Zoe Saldana, Avatar

Choice Movie: Fantasy
Alice in Wonderland
Clash of the Titans
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Choice Movie Actor: Fantasy
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Sam Worthington, Clash of the Titans

Choice Movie Actress: Fantasy
Gemma Arterton, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Rosario Dawson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland
Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Choice Movie: Drama
The Blind Side
Dear John
The Last Song
Remember Me
The Runaways

Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brothers
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
Robert Pattinson, Remember Me
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Channing Tatum, Dear John

Choice Movie Actress: Drama
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Miley Cyrus, The Last Song
Dakota Fanning, The Runaways
Amanda Seyfried, Dear John
Kristen Stewart, The Runaways

Choice Movie: Romantic Comedy
The Back-up Plan
Just Wright
Letters to Juliet
The Proposal
Valentine’s Day

Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy
Gerard Butler, The Ugly Truth, The Bounty Hunter
Josh Duhamel, When in Rome
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Ashton Kutcher, Valentine’s Day
Ryan Reynolds, The Proposal

Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy
Kristen Bell, When in Rome
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Queen Latifah, Valentine’s Day, Just Wright
Jennifer Lopez, The Back-up Plan
Amanda Seyfried, Letters to Juliet

Choice Movie: Comedy
Date Night
Get Him to the Greek
Hot Tub Time Machine
Killers
She’s Out of My League

Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek
Steve Carell, Date Night
Jonah Hill, Get Him to the Greek
Ashton Kutcher, Killers
Chris Rock, Death at a Funeral

Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Kristen Bell, Couples Retreat
Lizzy Caplan, Hot Tub Time Machine
Tina Fey, Date Night
Zoe Saldana, Death at a Funeral
Emma Stone, Zombieland

Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Paranormal Activity
Shutter Island
Splice
The Stepfather

Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller
Penn Badgley, The Stepfather
Adam Brody, Jennifer’s Body
Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
Jackie Earle Haley, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Micah Sloat, Paranormal Activity

Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller
Katie Cassidy, Nightmare on Elm Street
Megan Fox, Jennifer’s Body
Audrina Patridge, Sorority Row
Michelle Williams, Shutter Island
Rumer Willis, Sorority Row

Choice Movie: Animated
How to Train Your Dragon
Marmaduke
The Princess and the Frog
Shrek Forever After
Toy Story 3

Choice Movie: Villain
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Stephen Lang, Avatar
Rachelle Lefevre, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass
Mickey Rourke, Iron Man 2

Choice Movie: Dance
Sandra Bullock and Betty White, The Proposal
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, The Last Song
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2
Tina Fey and Steve Carell, Date Night
Michael Jackson, This Is It

TELEVISION

Choice TV Show: Drama
90210
Gossip Girl
Grey’s Anatomy
House
The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Choice TV Actor: Drama
Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl
Ken Baumann, The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl
Daren Kagasoff, The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Tristan Wilds, 90210

Choice TV Actress: Drama
Sophia Bush, One Tree Hill
Blake Lively, Gossip Girl
Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl
Olivia Wilde, House
Shailene Woodley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Fringe
Lost
Smallville
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries

Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Josh Holloway, Lost
Joshua Jackson, Fringe
Ryan Kwanten, True Blood
Tom Welling, Smallville
Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries

Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries
Evangeline Lilly, Lost
Hayden Panettiere, Heroes
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Anna Torv, Fringe

Choice TV Show: Action
24
Burn Notice
Chuck
Human Target
NCIS: Los Angeles

Choice TV Actor: Action
Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice
Zachary Levi, Chuck
LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
Mark Valley, Human Target

Choice TV Actress: Action
Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice
Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24
Daniela Ruah, NCIS: Los Angeles
Katee Sackhoff, 24
Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck

Choice TV Show: Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
GLEE
Modern Family
Sonny with a Chance
Wizards of Waverly Place

Choice TV Actor: Comedy
Steve Carell, The Office
Jonas Brothers, JONAS
Sterling Knight, Sonny With a Chance
Cory Monteith, GLEE
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Miranda Cosgrove, iCarly
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory
Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place
Demi Lovato, Sonny With a Chance
Lea Michele, GLEE

Choice TV: Animated Show
American Dad
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
South Park
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Choice TV: Reality Show
The Hills
Jersey Shore
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
The Price of Beauty
Taking The Stage

Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
American Idol
America’s Next Top Model
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew

Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star
Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Jersey Shore
Lee DeWyze, American Idol
Brody Jenner, The Hills
Bret Michaels, Celebrity Apprentice
Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, Jersey Shore

Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star
Crystal Bowersox, American Idol
Kristin Cavallari, The Hills
Lauren Conrad, The Hills
The Kardashians, Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jersey Shore

Choice TV: Villain
Russell Hantz, Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains
Jane Lynch, Glee
Terry O’Quinn, Lost
Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Ed Westwick, Gossip Girl

MUSIC

Choice Music: Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Jason Derulo
Drake
Adam Lambert
Usher

Choice Music: Female Artist
Miley Cyrus
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga
Shakira
Taylor Swift

Choice Music: Group
The Black Eyed Peas
GLEE Cast
Selena Gomez & The Scene
New Boyz
Young Money

Choice Music: Rap Artist
Drake
Eminem
Jay-Z
Ludacris
Pit Bull

Choice Music: R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Trey Songz
Usher

Choice Music: Rock Group
Kings of Leon
MGMT
Muse
Paramore
Train

Choice Music: Male Country Artist
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban

Choice Music: Female Country Artist
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson

Choice Music: Country Group
Gloriana
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

SPORTS

Choice Athlete: Male
David Beckham (Soccer)
Drew Brees (Football)
LeBron James (Basketball)
Apolo Anton Ohno (Speedskating)
Albert Pujols (Baseball)

Choice Athlete: Female
Candace Parker (Basketball)
Danica Patrick (Auto Racing)
Misty May Treanor (Volleyball)
Lindsey Vonn (Skiing)
Serena Williams (Tennis)

Choice Action Sports Athlete: Male
Travis Pastrana (Motocross)
Kevin Pearce (Snowboarding)
Ryan Sheckler (Skateboarding)
Kelly Slater (Surfing)
Shaun White (Snowboarding)

Choice Action Sports Athlete: Female
Torah Bright (Snowboarding)
Sarah Burke (Skiing)
Ashley Fiolek (Motocross)
Maya Gabeira (Surfing)
Hannah Teter (Snowboarding)

COMEDY

Choice Comedian
Aziz Ansari
Ellen DeGeneres
Jimmy Fallon
Chelsea Handler
George Lopez

A reimagining of Disney’s ‘Newsies’: Gaga style!

7 Jun

So while I’m embarrassed to admit that I originally saw this on perezhilton.com, I still think this is pretty great. 

For those not aware, Newsies was a musical Disney film circa 1992, starring the young boy we all know now as Batman (Christian Bale).  It was about a group of young paperboys who sang and danced as they fought “the man.”

Again, it embarrasses me to admit that I was a fan of this movie.  Is it good? No.  But it was still entertaining and the songs were kinda catchy.  So to see that someone dubbed Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance over the original song is awesome.  The dance is perfectly suited to the beat of the song.  Genius.

Chicago now has its first American Idol…Lee DeWyze!

26 May

After an audition process that began in August 2009, Mt. Prospect’s Lee DeWyze can now call himself the American Idol…

Chicago now has its first American Idol…Lee DeWyze!

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Chicago welcomes home American Idol finalist Lee Dewyze

14 May

Mount Prospect golden boy, Lee Dewyze, is getting ready for a whirlwind visit today.  After securing himself a place in the top 3 of American Idol on Wednesday night, Dewyze is now back in Chicago to thank his fans and get a taste of what Chicago is like now that he’s on the verge of becoming Idol’s newest star…

Chicago welcomes home American Idol finalist Lee Dewyze

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The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack artists announced

12 May

Whether you like the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series or not, you can’t deny that the films have produced some pretty incredible soundtracks.  They have given new artists a great platform to showcase their music and has given some veteran acts (Death Cab for Cutie) the chance to develop a whole new fan base.

Myspace rolled out the artists who will be featured on the new soundtrack today.  A big event was made out of the announcement, with a new act being revealed every half hour until the full list had been revealed.  The first single off the soundtrack will be Muse’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” and it will be released on May 17.  The entire soundtrack will be available on June 8.

Here is a list of the artists who made the cut for the soundtrack:

1. Metric – “Eclipse (All Yours)”

2. Muse – “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)”

3. The Bravery – “Ours”

4. Florence + The Machine – “Heavy In Your Arms”

5. Sia – “My Love”

6. Fanfarlo – “Atlas”

7. The Black Keys – “Chop And Change”

8. The Dead Weather – “Rolling In On A Burning Tire”

9. Beck and Bat For Lashes – “Let’s Get Lost”

10. Vampire Weekend – “Jonathan Low”

11. UNKLE – “With You In My Head (featuring The Black Angels)”

12. Eastern Conference Champions – “A Million Miles An Hour”

13. Band Of Horses – “Life On Earth”

14. Cee-Lo Green – “What Part Of Forever”

15. Howard Shore – “Jacob’s Theme”

R.I.P. Lena Horne

10 May

The entertainment industry lost a true icon on Sunday.  Lena Horne, actress and jazz musician, died at the age of 92.

Determined to be recognized as a performer and not just a black performer, Horne was known for being a fierce activist for civil rights.  She starred in many movie-musicals in the 1940′s such as Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather.

Sadly, I can’t say that I was knew much about Horne’s talent.  I have two memories of her though.  One was when she appeared on Sesame Street and the other was her appearance on The Cosby Show.  She played herself on both shows and even showed off her beautiful voice.

Tuesday night TV breakdown (seriously): LOST, DWTS, Idol, Glee

4 May

Where do I begin?  I guess I’ll start by warning that there are MAJOR spoilers ahead from many of the shows I’m about to discuss.  American Idol, Glee, DWTS and LOST have put me through the emotional wringer this week.

*I began by watching Idol and except for the last 15 minutes, the show was a waste of time.  I will make one exception for the other 45 minutes and that being the always charismatic Harry Connick, Jr. He had fun with the singers and even played the piano for each number.  The show is down to five contestants and three of them definitely made their case for elimination after tonight’s performances.  Aaron, Casey & Crystal will definitely make up your bottom three on Wednesday night.

Big Mike sang one of my all time favorite songs, The Way You Look Tonight, and he did Frank Sinatra proud.  I’m still not a passenger on the Big Mike train, but I’ll give him kudos for tonight’s song choice/performance.  The big winner once again, and soon to be season 9 winner, was Lee Dewyze.  The best whole package of the night, Lee won rave reviews from Connick and the judges, with two out of the four telling him this is his show to win.

*Glee, an on-the-rise juggernaut, began with an incredible Ice Ice Baby song & dance number courtesy of Mr. Schuster.  Oh to be Vanilla Ice, chillin’ (haha) at home and hearing another version of the song he probably wishes would go away forever.  MC Hammer, don’t be jealous, they tackled U Can’t Touch This too.  Would you expect any less?

Sue added another pop culture music video to her resume, this time joined by the one and only, Olivia Newton-John.  They remade her classic 80′s video, Let’s Get Physical.  It’s because of episodes like tonight’s that keep Sue humanized.  The scenes with her sister are touching and real and without them, Sue would be a one-note, albeit funny one-note, character.

*DWTS got rid of Pamela Anderson after numerous weeks in the bottom two.  She was joined by Erin Andrews and Maks.  I’m not sorry to see her go and I’m definitely not sorry to see her special lighting tape packages go either.  Is it just me or is the results show way too long and boring?

*LOST.  Give me a minute as I wipe away the tears that have been running down my face for two hours now.  I knew that the LOST cast was not going to remain in tact for the remainder of the season and I knew it was going to be a sad loss when I watched whoever that person might be who met their end, but it didn’t make tonight’s episode any easier to watch.

The deaths of Sun and Jin were heartbreaking.  Even after what I assumed would be their deaths when they reunited (did anyone else think that as they came together by the electric fence, it would zap them?), I didn’t think it would be Kwons who would lose their battle with the island.  I was convinced Kate was going to get the ax and not just because she was shot.  The only solace I have from tonight’s episode is that they died together.  It was beautiful and the LOST writers earned every bit of their paychecks with tonight’s episode.

I love that Sayid saved the day.  That whole redemption thing is really playing out, isn’t it?  My only teeny tiny grievance is that we didn’t get to see him again.  To lose 3, count them 3(!) original cast members in one episode was tough.  I’d like to think that none of them are officially out for good though.  Four episodes left, anything is possible.  This is LOST we’re talking about.

‘Glee’ is Beautiful

27 Apr

Tonight’s episode of Glee was, in one word, beautiful. 

Taking a step back from the normal Rachel-heavy (Lea Michele) episode, the show instead focused on family issues with Finn (Cory Monteith) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) and tackled what it’s like to not fit in. 

Amber Riley hit a home run tonight with her performance as Mercedes, the Glee club-turned-Cheerio, who must lose weight in order to remain a cheerleader.  She was given phenomenal material from writer Brad Falchuk.  Riley not only played Mercedes with vulnerability and strength, she showcased that her voice isn’t the only standout part of her repertoire. 

Back for a second time, Kristin Chenoweth graced the Glee crowd as former McKinley High student, April Rhodes.  Chenoweth is a glowing addition to the cast and having the opportunity to hear her angelic voice is always a bonus.  She also has wonderful chemistry with Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuster) and their duets are magical.

Scene stealer extraordinaire, Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester), was on fire once again.  It’s always entertaining to see Lynch play Sylvester with a ruthless crudeness one minute and a glimpse of compassion another.  Her recipe for a diet drink was top-notch as well.

The song choices for tonight’s episode were also interesting.  Apart from Mercedes’ rendition of the Christina Aguilera hit, Beautiful, the other songs were from decades ago and sung mainly by Chenoweth and Morrison.

Overall, tonight’s episode was filled with extra doses of emotion and heart.  While the theme of this show is about a high school glee club, the underlying stories are about people, family and relationships.  Creator Ryan Murphy is always able to make viewers care about the characters and story on an entirely different level.

So when is American Idol going to return to excellence?

16 Mar

Tonight, FOX‘s American Idol debuted the Top 12 contestants.  Two hours later and I was still waiting for a show…

So when is American Idol going to return to excellence?

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