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 [email protected].
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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 [email protected]. 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?!