Brought to you by asap and The Associated Press, The Slug tastes pop culture for you — just in case it's been poisoned. E-mail us at theslug@ap.org.
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(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)
Well, The Slug made it to Vegas! We had no idea until we strolled through the casino that you could actually gamble alongside celebrities like The Munsters and Darth Vader. Seems like half of the slots here feature characters from television shows and movies plastered all over 'em. And some of them talk! After procuring some coinage, we tried out a few. Watch us lose the shirt off our back after the jump.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
There are several things The Slug thought while attending the launch event for Microsoft Windows Vista today, such as "Wow, the line to get inside is long" and "Wow, this looks like OS X" and "Wow, this is way better than Windows 3.1." Basically, everything we said began with "Wow." After a one-song performance by Angels and Airwaves, Bill Gates and friends dazzled the audience with the new slick operating system. (Gamers unite! PC users can play games against Xbox 360 users.)
Afterwards, launch attendees noshed on fancy hors d'oeuvres and drank booze from three open bars. (Nothing for The Slug, thank you. We're on the clock.) For more on the Vista launch, check out our asap IM play-by-play of the ceremony. Tomorrow, we'll present 10 things we hate and love about Windows Vista. And the day after that we'll probably be saying, "Wow, mother, you shouldn't have bought Windows Vista if you don't know where your computer's on button is located."
(AP Photo/HO/NBC)
The Slug is going to Las Vegas! Tomorrow, we'll be hopping on a plane bound for Sin City. Don't worry. Once we arrive, we'll be blogging live from The Strip about all the pop cultural golden nuggets we come across during the trip. (For example, The Slug will be attending the World Shoe Show and sneaking a peek at the new Pussycat Dolls Casino. Start loosening up your buttons now). Got any suggestions on other stuff we should see or do in Vegas? Send 'em to theslug@ap.org. Before we head out west, we're attending Microsoft's sure-to-be-over-the-top Windows Vista launch event today in Times Square. Come back later for our take on all the hubbub.
(AP Photo/HO/2K)
When The Slug was a little worm, we loved us some Ghost Rider — mostly 'cause his motorcycle was so darn hot. (We were also obsessed with KITT from "Knight Rider" and the General Lee from "Dukes of Hazzard.") Unfortch, the preview for the Nick Cage "Ghost Rider" film adaptation premiering next month doesn't light our fire. And neither do the new screenshots from the upcoming video game tied to the movie. It reminds us too much of last year's "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance" in which you can play as Johnny Blaze, among a dozen other superheroes. We'll reserve final judgment until we test drive "Ghost Rider" and his blazin' bike ourselves.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Our Favoritest Photo of the Week doesn't just have to look good, The Slug thinks it should also tell a story or explain something that text just can't. That's what this week's pick by photographer Jae C. Hong does so well. One of the best ways to describe what a wannabe Miss America needs to succeed is to peek inside of her suitcase. Would you look at Miss Mississippi's giant curlers?
A suitcase packed with makeup products is shown as Miss Mississippi, Taryn Foshee, right, fixes her makeup in her hotel room in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007. Becoming America's most idealized miss is a grueling exercise in good grooming and creative beauty tricks, not to mention the poise, talent, interview techniques and community service required to win the tiara and its accompanying $50,000 scholarship. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/HO/Bravo)
The Slug hasn't really been keeping up with Bravo's "Top Chef" like we should this season, but we did peep the last two episodes, including the first part of the Hawaii finale last night, which saw whiny Marcel and whiniest Ilan selected as the final finalists. Elia totally made herself look silly by complaining about Marcel moving her rice off the burner at the Judge's Table. Snooze.
In other Bravo-related news, Jaclyn Smith (of "Charlie's Angels" and Kmart's "Jaclyn Smith Collection") is hosting the channel's next competitive reality show. No, not the one about interior design. It's the one about hair design called "Shear Genius" (formerly titled "Top Hair") that'll premiere this spring. The Slug thinks Kelly Garrett will be waaay better than skinny ninny "Top Chef" hostess Padma Lakshmi, who doesn't like her poi runny — just in case you were wondering.
(AP Photo/HO/Miramax Films/20th Century Fox)
Oh. Yeah. The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Two surprises: Despite receiving the most nods, "Dreamgirls" wasn't nominated for Best Picture. (Not that it should've been. We're just sayin'.) And "Click" — yes, "Click" starring Adam Sandler and David Hasselhoff — was nominated for an Oscar (for makeup). An Oscar! For some sick reason, we're really hoping to hear a celebrity say "and the Oscar goes to 'Click'" during the ceremony on Feb. 25. The entire list of nominees, after the jump.
(AP Photo/HO/NBC)
No major revelations on "Heroes" last night. Just lots of makeovers. Did you notice everyone's follicles got better looking in the "two weeks" since we last saw them? Seems the cheerleader got some extensions. Her memory-wiped B.F.F. got a blow dryer. Nathan Petrelli didn't shave. Simone got a dye job. Even creepy radioactive man got a spiffy 'do. And Jessica/Niki, well, she just looks like Aileen Wuornos now.
We would quit watching after such an obvious filler episode, but that scene with Peter Petrelli and Christopher Eccleston's character invisibly fighting in the street was just too cool. (If you want to apply for a job at Claire's father's paper company, NBC has set up a "Lost Experience"-like phony site for Primatech Paper. The code is MT36.)
(AP Photo/HO/Disney)
"High School Musical" was a made-for-TV movie ratings smash then a top downloaded album and now a high-grossing concert tour. Later this year, it's gonna be 32 degrees. While The Slug was having lunch with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Bello the clown and ringmaster Tyron McFarlan today, Nicole Feld, producer for live production company Feld Entertainment, told us she was currently hard at work on "High School Musical on Ice." Yes. On ice.
The slick adaptation of the tween megahit (don't act like you've never heard of it) won't feature the original actors — they're not that good at skating, Feld said — but will include tunes from the original and the highly anticipated (if you're 12 years old like us) sequel set to debut on the Disney Channel in August. What's next? "High School Musical in Space"!? Actually, that would be awesome.
(AP Photo/HO/Channel 4/PA)
After reading all about the racial firestorm surrounding "Celebrity Big Brother" across the pond in England, this reality TV obsessed blog had to check out the season for ourselves. In a word? Bananas! Besides the aforementioned feud between Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and reality TV star Jade Goody, who got the public-voted boot this evening, three celebrities have already walked off (or climbed out, in one case).
Film director Ken Russell bid buh-bye after Goody yelled at him for eating cheese and crackers. Old Australian pop singer Leo Sayer (most famous for "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing") broke through a fire door after "Big Brother" denied him underwear when he refused to clean his own. And punk rocker Donny Tourette climbed a wall to escape during a challenge. It's only Day 17! Why can't the American version of this show be this insane?!
(AP Photo/HO/Disney)
What could be stranger than those big, cuddly Disney characters? If they talked! And now they do! Take a look at this Google video. Mickey and friends have been given an upgrade. Their big eyes blink and their giant mouths flap. Creepy! How's it done? The Slug watched the video a few times, and our theory is it has something with the middle finger. Look closely.
If you're hoping this means you can finally have a conversation with Minnie, keep dreaming. The talking technology is only in use in the "Dream Along with Mickey" stage show — not with the characters roaming around Walt Disney World.
(AP Photo/John Froschauer)
No, it ain't the Navigator. It's the sleek interior of the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. Totally futuristic, right? The Slug selected this as our Favoritest Photo of the Week because we loved how Associated Press photographer John Froschauer used reflection to highlight the 747-8's curves. Stow your tray table, put your seat in the upright position and peep the original caption:
Overhead bins are reflected onto the top of the concierge table at the entrance of the life-size display of the interior of the new 747-8 Intercontinental in Renton, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007. The plane is a stretched version of the current 747-400 and incorporates interior featured from the 777 and the upcoming 787. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
(AP Photo/Charles Maring/Maring Photography)
Did Christmas come early this year or what? Along with free gasoline, you can get some free wedding advice today. And you don't even have to be in New York for this limited time offer! Modern Bride magazine has assembled a panel of experts — everyone from a cake baker to an interfaith minister — and made them available at 1-866-802-4520 from 2 to 5 p.m. EST today.
We've tried calling before that window to ask about wedding reception garter removal, but nobody was there yet. Blushing brides, don't be surprised if you hear a British lass say, "We are currently experiencing a high volume of calls." Keep trying! Let us know at theslug@ap.org if you actually speak to a real person (and if we can bring a plus-one to your nuptials).
(AP Photo/HO/TLC)
Usually the subjects of our blog posts are a cliche or a play on words or just plain silly. But when we wrote "Free Gas!!!" up there, The Slug really means free gas. If you happen to be in or around New York and want some, the Teutul boys from "American Chopper" will be celebrating their TLC premiere tomorrow — that's Jan. 18, 2007 — by pumping on-the-house petrol for private and commercial cars (sorry, commercial trucks!) beginning at 11 a.m. at the BP station on the corner of Lafayette and Houston in Manhattan. Staged publicity events usually illicit a groan or yawn from The Slug, but this is free gas, friends. Free. Gasoline.
UPDATE: Boo. Today's event has been canceled. According to a TLC spokesman: "While the permitting was all lined up in NYC, apparently some of the corporate permissions hadn't gone through the proper channels at BP/marketing agency/TLC. We are really disappointed. It was such a fun idea."
(AP Photo/HO/Electronic Arts)
If you're one of those people who always thought "The Sims" was too boring or just love a good Tom Hanks movie, well, Electronic Arts has just the new game series for you. The standalone, laptop-friendly "Sims Life Stories" comes out next month and features a romantic comedy narrative, unlike the other more open-ended "Sims" series. Awwww. If "Turner and Hooch" or "Cast Away" was more to your Hanks liking, "The Sims Pet Stories" and "The Sims Castaway Stories" are scheduled to ship in summer '07 and winter '08, respectively. We'll wait for "The Sims Crossdressing Stories."
(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Every now and again, The Slug is privy to casting information for upcoming productions. Usually, we don't pay it any mind. But we thought this one was fairly interesting. It's for "Shrek: The Musical" — and you could audition (if you're in New York). Yes, you! Producers are looking for rock singers and hip-hop performers to help turn the computer-generated fairytale into a stage production. Just be sure to exit the audition on the door to the right. Details after the jump.
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Did you watch "American Idol" last night? It was sorta frustrating. There were like no good singers. There were waaay too many commercials. Paula Abdul continues to be a complete mess. And everyone kept trying to exit from the wrong door. (Notice they didn't show the "good" singers pushing on the wrong door. Ah, slapstick.)
The Slug's No. 1 pet peeve is when one door is locked in a pair of double doors. Our bank does this with their front doors. WHY HAVE DOUBLE DOORS THEN?! If you're not going to unlock both doors, you should just remove one and spare everyone the inconvenience. Randy, Paula and Simon should have sent Jewel to simply open the other door instead of continually telling everyone, "the other door." Hmmm. This post didn't really have anything to do with "American Idol," did it?
(AP Photo/HO/ABC)
Just when we were beginning to parch from the "Lost" drought, the Dharma Initiative dropped the spring premiere episode on our desk weeks before its Feb. 7 premiere. It's a doozy (even though it centers on Jack, Sawyer and Kate on Alcatraz isle yet again). Sorry. We can't let you borrow it. But The Slug will reveal three morsels: 1.) It's a Juliet flashback episode. 2.) "God Loves You as He Loved Jacob." 3.) The following peeps make an appearance: Ethan Rom, Juliet's sister, Juliet's ex-husband, Alex's father and one of the guys from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Don't say we never gave you anything.
(AP Photo/HO/Fox)
Sigh. We told ourselves we would not get sucked into the latest season of "24." Just like we told ourselves last season. Between "Lost" and "Heroes" and "The Real Housewives of Orange County," we just don't have the time (or space on our DVR) to invest in the sixth season. But then wispy Kiefer Sutherland intoxicates us with his four-hour, two-night premiere event that includes the assassination of his second best friend, a hostage standoff led by Kumar and a mushroom cloud. How could we look away? How could we?
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Two weeks in and we're already late with our Favoritest Photo of the (Last) Week. Sorry! We fell ill on Friday. We have a note from our doctor. But now our stomach is back in tip-top shape, and it wants one of these yummy looking doughnuts in this mouth-wateringly vibrant photo by AP photographer Richard Drew. (Little does our stomach know they're trans-fat free.) The original caption:
A box with a variety of doughnuts from Doughnut Plant sit in the front window of the shop on New York's Lower East Side, Friday Jan. 12, 2007. Doughnut Plant owner Mark Isreal has been making trans-fat-free, all-natural doughnuts for a dozen years. He says he's seen consumers warm to the idea of his doughnuts in recent years, as organic foods have gained mainstream acceptance. Treats like Isreal's doughnuts are becoming more common in the U.S., as government regulators try to ban artery-clogging trans fats. Coffeehouse chain Starbucks recently announced it is about halfway through a multiyear plan to phase out trans fats in the doughnuts and other food sold in its U.S. stores. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
(AP Photo/HO/CBS)
Nineteen castaways?! Two Hidden Immunity Idols?! Luxurious campsite?! What the heck is going on with the next season of "Survivor"!? (At least they're not dividing the tribes by race again.) The Slug called Jeff Probst for every detail we could squeeze out of him about the Fiji-set edition of the CBS show, premiereing Feb. 8. (And if you want to find out where those two Hidden Immunity Idols are hidden, you'll have to listen to our asap podcast.) The Q&A, after the jump. Unless you don't want to be spoiled. At all.
(AP Photo/HO/Infogear)
The iPhone is here! The iPhone is here! Sound the alarm! Release the dogs! Everyone can leave school and work early today! Use exclamation points! In case you hadn't heard, Apple unveiled its 4- and 8-gigabyte portable just-about-everything device, making the iPod, Zune, Treo and Blackberry obsolete in one fell swoop come June. Ah, technology!
The Slug is still confused about that name. First, it's not just a phone. It can run Mac OS X. Second, the iPhone already exists. A quick look at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's site shows that there are nine instances of "iPhone" as a registered trademark. Plugging "iPhone" into the Associated Press photo archive turned up the above. Best (or worst?) of all, you can already get an iPhone (black or white) on Amazon. Impress your friends!
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes/Mary Altaffer)
We're still confused on who to put money on in the continuing Trump vs. Rosie celebrity battle royale. Their fight has escalated into a series of he saids, she saids and Barbara Walters saids that don't quite make sense to us (and didn't garner ratings for Trump's latest "Apprentice"). It's like those kids from "Laguna Beach" who can't agree to stay broken up or something. At least we can understand Trump's writing style. He's sarcastic and uses em dashes and parenthesis like The Slug! His open letter to O'Donnell:
Dear Rosie,
I hope you had a wonderful vacation with your wife — you needed the rest.
An article in today's New York Post indicates that you blew up at BARBARA WALTERS for being a 'liar.' Actually, I don't blame you, but in fact she lied to both of us! After your maniacal and foolish rant against me two weeks ago, Barbara called me from her vacation (I did not call her) in order to apologize for your behavior. She had heard that I was going to retaliate against you and tried to talk me out of it. She very much wanted me to go on the show as soon as she got back so that she could 'patch things up' (I said no). To be exact, she said that 'working with her is like living in hell' and, more pointedly, 'Donald, never get into the mud with pigs' and, 'don't worry, she won't be here for long.' Barbara knows exactly what she told me over the phone and she has to live with it. Perhaps that's why her initial statement was so mild!
In another incident, when I saw her eating at Le Cirque about two months ago and asked how 'Rosie was doing,' she sarcastically rolled her eyes and said 'Donald, do you have to ruin my meal.'
In any event, you have a good reason to be angry. Please give my warmest regards to Kelly!
Sincerely,
Donald J. TrumpP.S. I was surprised that you let your spat with Barbara get into the newspapers, but, as I have always said and as you proved with Rosie, the magazine, you are very self destructive. You must work on this for your own good!
(AP Photo/HO/SECA)
Whoopsie! When we put the pedal to the metal on this asap story about all of PlayStation 3's racing games last week, we didn't know the downloadable "GripShift" would be hitting the PlayStation Store shelf this week. We test drove it yesterday — and love it! For $9.99, this wacky racer, originally released for the PlayStation Portable, sends buggy-type vehicles through gravity defying courses that require both speed and puzzle-solving skills. The multi-player component just may be the easiest way to battle strangers on the PS3 yet. And shooting missiles at opposing vehicles never gets old.
(AP Photo/Jacques Boissinot)
Beginning this week, The Slug will start selecting our favoritest bizare/kooky/cool/awesome Associated Press photo from around the world each week. Why? Because we can. And because sometimes images say more than black-and-orange text ever could. Our first-ever Favoritest Photo of Week is from Sweden — just like half of our living room furniture! The official caption:
People watch a hockey game between Finland and Czech Republic while standing in a private box sauna at the World U20 hockey championship Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007 in Leksand, Sweden. The private box and sauna can be rented to watch games. (AP Photo/Jacques Boissinot)
(AP Photo/HO/HSN)
The Slug loves home shopping. It's tacky! It's cheap! It's silly! It's outrageous! It's convenient! That's why we're currently addicted to Home Purchasing Club, a faux home-shopping channel from VH1's Vspot broadband channel starring improv actors hocking silly products such as Pho-Pearl Necklaces and Baby No Go, which uses cinderblock technology and the laws of gravity to keep kids in place. Check out that episode below. For more, buy now or call 1-888-HPC-7859.
(AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Hey you. We're gonna start working on another asap podcast, but we need a little help from our friends. (That'd be you.) Can you think of commercials that feature older songs, such as Circuit City's ad with The Cars' "Just What I Needed" and Slim Fast Optima's spot starring Chairman of the Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time"? Send your best ones to theslug@ap.org. We'll owe you one.
(AP Photo/HO/NBC)
Stop the presses! (Wait a sec. This is a blog. Don't stop anything.) Start watching NBC's "Friday Night Lights." The Slug previewed the pilot for this movie-turned-TV-show way back before the new fall season kicked into high gear. We liked it, didn't love it. So we were shocked when the Texas high school football drama popped up on so many critics' best-of lists. Thankfully, Bravo (owned by NBC-Universal) recently aired a marathon of the show. We set the DVR and drove through every episode while bed ridden last weekend and caught last night's new episode. Unmedicated!
You don't have to love — or really even like — football to enjoy "Fright Night Lights" (which actually airs on Wednesday but has been moved around so much you should probably just stream it). It's more about the things that make people, well, people. Family. Friends. Passion. Faith. Shoulder pads. The acting is poignant and sweet. The cinematography is unique and beautiful. Think "NYPD Blue" but won't make you dizzy. And the fake Texas drawls aren't annoying. Not that anyone needs more television shows to watch, but this one is a homerun. What? Oh, touchdown. It's a touchdown.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer/ABC)
ABC is building an army of Ugly Betties. First, last fall on the day "Ugly Betty" premiered, they stationed look-a-likes in New York to hand out compact mirrors and resumes (propaganda?) to passers-by. On New Year's Eve, another troop of Uglies were dispatched to Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Fla. Now, the media empire has launched the "Be Ugly '07" campaign, seeking new recruits via the Internet. We hope ABC doesn't plan on all this Ugly becoming part of coalition forces!
(AP Photo/HO/Oxygen)
Lord, forgive The Slug for we have sinned. We have become addicted to Oxygen's "The Bad Girls Club," a salacious train wreck of a reality show with the simple conceit of putting seven "bad girls" in a house to live together. That's it. That's all. No reform. No job. They don't even vote on "Bad Girls Club" officers. Nothing to do but be bad in front of the camera. If you haven't checked it out, you should. No, you shouldn't. Wait. You should. Argh! We hate it when a bad TV show puts this trance on us!
Although "The Bad Girls Club" is from the producers of "Starting Over" and "The Real World," those shows' strict rules against violence must not apply here because drunken violent cast member Ripsi was allowed to stay in the house immediately following her attack on two roommates, one of which was sleeping at the time. (However, she was later kicked to the curb — right after giving most of her clothes and shoes to the roommates she didn't beat up.)
The Slug's favorite "bad girl" is the black-maned, trash-talker Aimee, who says she got kicked out of cosmetology school for hitting somebody. She sorta reminds us of a blue-collar version of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In the preview for next week's episode, she tells the replacement roommate that she reminds her of someone she doesn't like — all while leisurely gripping a pair of scissors.
(AP Photo/HO/Vanity Fair/Mario Testino/American Society of Magazine Editors)
Would you look at Demi Moore on the upcoming February 2007 cover of Vanity Fair next to her infamous Annie Leibovitz nakey pregnant cover from August 1991? Other than the white robe, some gold heels, a — what would you call that on her head? — and no bun in the oven, she practically looks the same! (Also interesting: That "How Saddam Survived" story from '91. Creepy!) And speaking of babies, Moore tells VF she indeed wants some lil' Ashton Kutchers. The quote:
"Most definitely. Most definitely. Once you hit three, where you’re outnumbered, it’s really, like, 'What’s the difference between (three or) four or five?' For me, the most important thing that I’ve contributed is my children."
(AP Photo/HO/Disney)
Welcome to 2007 at The Slug! We're a little under the weather today — no, not hungover — so we have zero energy to make any resolutions. We'd probably break them all, anyway. Instead, we'll just promise to keep bringing you as much pop culture news and commentary as possible in '007, you know, in-between doing our day job at asap. As always, you can vent to theslug@ap.org. We're here for you. When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day again?
