Then she challenged Jimmy Fallon to a multi-"sport" competition where she emerged the "victor" as Bo, the first canine, looked on.
Say what you will about Michelle Obama, but she's on the money when she says that she's willing to make a fool of herself in order to promote the notion that Americans, specifically children, should put down their iPods and smart phones, get off their butts and start moving.
Her Let's Move initiative is noble and she's willing to go to bat for it. Literally. In the process of promoting a universally respected ideal -- that kids should exercise -- Obama is also attempting to smash the stodgy, stuffy, tea-and-crumpets stereotype of what an American first lady should be. And that is a very good thing.
Jimmy Fallon Strikes Again with Robert Pattinson ‘Bothered’ by Christmas Shopping
This ongoing spoof of Twilight vampire Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson, can be goofy and silly at times, but I like Jimmy Fallon’s Pattinson impersonation where he was sitting in a tree and complaining about all things Christmas shopping, particularly when it comes to venturing out at 5:30 in the morning.
FYI: The video is NOT for kids.
Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly Do David Bowie & Bing Crosby’s Drummer Boy
This video – a parody on the real duet sung by David Bowie and Bing Crosby -- has a substantial creep factor to it. I think it’s Ferrell’s make-up and God awful hair. Um . . . Merry Christmas?
Here’s the real Bowie/Crosby video. Come to think of it, the original video feels a bit off too, can’t put my finger on precisely why though.
Which is creepier, the actual Bowie/Crosby version or the Ferrell/Reilly version?
Conan's Got an Eccentric Yuletide Decorator
First, Team Coco spoke with this eccentric "holiday decorator" about what kind of Christmas and Hanukkah decorations they should put on Conan's set. After some consulting -- as seen in the video above -- this was the insane result:
Who says Godzilla holding a candy cane, King Kong with Santa's sleigh aloft over his head, a UFO, a giant sandwich and a robo-rabbi don't go together as naturally as tinsel and a Christmas tree?
What do you get when you put Mad Men's Jon Hamm next to Jimmy Fallon and throw into the mix my favorite TV news anchor, Brian Williams? This Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bit:
I donned my protective gear as soon as I hit “send” and e-mailed my latest Pop Culture and Politics column to my editor at Mommy Tracked. The piece is about the anger expressed by liberal feminists over the fact that conservative women have said they want to call themselves feminists and cultivate a conservative version of feminism, as embodied by Palin’s reference to “Mama Grizzlies.”
Feel free to weigh in over on the site as I assert that having powerful women on the left AND the right running for and holding elected office while embracing the term “feminism” is a good thing for women.
Speaking of “Mama Grizzlies” . . . Republican Nikki Haley, who faced allegations of infidelity and a slur against her Indian-American background, won the South Carolina GOP runoff for the governor’s seat. She will face Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen in the fall. If she won, she'd be her state’s first female governor.
HawthoRNe Season 2 Premiere
I was disappointed with the season two premiere of the TNT drama HawthoRNe starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Alias’ Michael Vartan. The first season was okay – it certainly was no Nurse Jackie – but this season’s premiere does not bode well for the quality of the second season. Not at all.
Yeah, they’re goofy and Jimmy Fallon’s way too old for the role, but his “Robert Pattinson is Bothered” spoof videos (where Fallon pretends to be Twilight heartthrob Pattinson and climbs into a tree to vent about things that bother him) amuse me. This week, Fallon/Pattinson addressed why the World Cup is neither a cup nor representative of the world.
Matthew Fox, who plays the heroic Island saving Jack Shephard on Lost, appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and “dished” about the show. He agreed to field some of Fallon's odd ball questions including who he’d pick if he had a choice: Kate or Juliet. His answer may surprise you. Or, maybe not.
For a while now, Jimmy Fallon has having some fun at the expense of the insane popularity of Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson. (He plays Edward Cullen, the vampire, captain of Team Edward, for those of you not in the know.)
Fallon’s been doing spoof videos which he calls, “Bothered with Robert Pattison,” where Fallon dons uber-pale makeup and messes up his hair in order to look like Pattinson’s very serious character Edward. Occasionally, Fallon willl growl like Edward the vampire does after he's climbed into a tree in order to ponder things that “bother” Pattinson.
The Valentine’s Day installment of “Bothered” was hilarious:
On Monday, Pattinson himself appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in order to plug his new movie Remember Me (in which I’m interested in seeing, but want to read reviews first). Not only did Pattinson nervously field questions as fans went completely ape *bleep* over him -- that’s when he wasn’t touching his hair (that’s one heck of a nervous tick he’s got, wanted to scream, “Stop messin’ with your hair dude!” while watching the interview) -- but he was a very good sport by agreeing to appear in a “Bothered” video with Fallon.
Don't you think Pattinson's got some kind of weird hair issue going on here?
Them there internets are all abuzz over reports which suggest that Jay Leno will legitimately become the Brett Favre of late night TV if he agrees to reclaim his original 11:30 p.m. slot which he famously abandoned amid a week of farewell shows, a slot that NBC -- with great pomp and circumstance -- passed on to Conan O'Brien.
Why?
Leno's 10 p.m. show has not been pulling in the kind of ratings NBC had hoped it would. I only watched the first few episodes and never turned in again. (Though I did tune in when Kanye West gave his first public statement about his Taylor Swiftus-interruptus.) I found the show awkward and, frankly, unfunny. (Plus his set looked cheap.) I much preferred to watch Conan at 11:30, especially since I've jumped off the Letterman ship.
Is Leno going to go along with the unceremonious shoving of the ever-patient Conan out of the 11:30 slot, forcing the younger comic back to midnight? That's what the New York Times'Media Decoder is reporting:
"Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O'Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.
NBC executives held extensive discussions with Mr. Leno and Mr. O'Brien on Thursday about the future of the network's late-night lineups.
And while NBC official said no final decision on the plan had been made, two senior NBC executives who had talked to the top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed, Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O'Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hourlong show."
This entire Leno show debacle -- where five hours of primetime that used to be filled with costlier scripted dramas and comedies were sacrificed in exchange for a less expensive talk show format that NBC suits hoped would yield ratings for less money -- is a huge embarrassment for NBC, particularly after all the money and time they spent promoting the new lineup and all the press Leno got for his 10 o'clock chat show.
My questions: Why would Conan agree to such a demotion? Why would Leno take a giant step back? What does this mean for Jimmy Fallon, if anything? On the plus side, will this mean we'll be seeing more scripted TV?
Mad Men week continues here on Suburban Mom as Jon Hamm and Mad Men takes over TV talk shows. But in order to catch the promotional interviews, you've either got to plan on staying up late (in one case getting up early) or setting your DVRs . . .
I tried to give Jon Gosselin the benefit of the doubt. Really I did. I tried to sympathize with him and his soon-to-be ex-wife Kate Gosselin and the terrible predicament they're in. I imagined that, years ago, the money dangled in front of them by the cable network to follow them and their eight children with cameras must've been a lot, must've offered their family with some financial security in an insecure world. I imagined that the Gosselins thought the TLC folks would be kind to them, treat them like family, not exploit them or any difficulties that might crop up in the future. (Jon and Kate likely never imagined when they started this thing that they'd be getting divorced.) Then I further tried to put myself in their places -- marriage falling apart while the world is watching and judging, the paparazzi in ruthless pursuit -- and that Kate realized that if she and Jon divorced, they'd still need an income to support all these kids.
Then Jon "I'm only 32 and I just want a life so I can screw around and act like I'm not the father of eight," started appearing in public with different, much younger women, including a woman who says she wants to work with him to launch a children's clothing line and who told People Magazineabout the cool, fun things she and Jon do together. The New York Daily Newshas even taken to calling the new Gotham resident, the "octodad playboy."
Jon Gosselin, man, you're freakin' tryin' my patience. Is it too much to ask that you just be discreet for a little while? For a guy who didn't seem to like being in the spotlight, it doesn't appear as though you're doing much to turn off those klieg lights.
Jack Bauer is Free
Assault charges against Kiefer Sutherland for head-butting of a fashion designer in New York were dropped this week. Jack Bauer fans -- who feared the probationing Sutherland could do more jail time following the months he spent incarcerated after his DUI conviction -- breathed a sigh of relief. However fashion designers were left quaking in their boots, forewarned never to commit any wrongdoing in the presence of Jack Bauer.
Mouthin' Off May Make Izzie Sick Again
*Spoiler alert for Grey's Anatomy's new season*
Kathering Heigl will be back as Izzie Stevens on Grey's Anatomy, after a 12-hankie, manipulative season finale that left it unclear whether she and T.R. Knight's character George O'Malley had died. It appears as though Izzie did not die. And Heigl -- whose famous complaining about the lack of juicy, Emmy-worthy material for her character was believed to have led to her character developing a near-fatal case of skin cancer -- was on David Letterman this week complaining about her first day back on the Grey's set. "It was -- I'm going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them -- a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and mean." She was snarky about the working conditions and joked that they're "very Oliver Twist." Apparently Heigl's angling for Izzie to be massively disfigured in a sudden, brutal car crash. No wait, that was Knight.
Arnett Channels Judy Blume
I don't know how Jimmy Fallon convinces celebs to do these things, but he got comedian Will Arnett -- hubby to the awesome Amy Poehler -- to read aloud a section of Judy Blume's classic, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Reminded me of when he got Michael Emerson -- aka, Ben Linus -- to recite an ominous rendition of Little Boy Blue.)
So we all know that Kiefer Sutherland was busted for literally headbutting a fashion designer earlier this month in New York -- supposedly while defending Brooke Shields, according to news reports -- and has a court date set for June. But leave it to Jimmy Fallon to ask Sutherland if he thinks he's actually super agent Jack Bauer.
Just happened across two clips from Michael Emerson's appearance on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show this week. Fallon dug up a couple of illustrations Emerson did when he was a freelance illustrator for the Boston Globe. They were as nightmarish and creepy as Ben Linus is on Lost.
Fallon wrapped up the interview by begging Emerson to read "Little Boy Blue" in as sinister a fashion as he could muster because Emerson does "creepy" so well. (Link to the second part of the interview is here.)
During the first part of the interview, Emerson talked about his character on Lost and how he believes that Ben Linus is the most beaten (as in physically abused) character on TV and challenged anyone to come up with another character who's been smacked around as much as Ben.
I don't know about you, but -- Lost and 24 aside -- I've really been in the mood for some comedic TV fare lately. With news outlets overflowing with stories about AIG bonus rage, back-tax-owing-federal-bailout-recipients and pass-the-buck-finger-pointing coming from the Obama administration and lawmakers, I certainly need to laugh at something other than 401K statements.
That's why I devoted this week's Pop Culture and Politics column on Mommy Track'd to TV's female comedians who are really delivering the funny these days. With the April issue of Marie Claire making the bold declaration that "funny women are having a moment," the timing couldn't be better.
Among the women I highlighted was 30 Rock'sTina Fey, whose kooky Liz Lemon's odd behavior consistently makes me smile . . . speaking of Lemon, tonight's new 30 Rock features the last installment of the Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird story arc.
Random fact I learned after watching an excerpt of Fey's appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: That fabulous line, "I want to go to there" that Liz Lemon directed toward Jon Hamm's character was the genius of Fey's 3-year-old daughter Alice, uttered while Alice was looking at the Disney World web site.
I know this is going to make me seem unbelievably unhip and old and all, but I've been unable to stay awake to watch one of my favorite bands, U2, on David Letterman this week. For those who hadn't heard, they're the musical guests on Letterman each night this week aggressively promoting their new CD. I've just been too tired and haven't even bothered to DVR Letterman so I could fast-forward to watch their performances. I did make a valiant effort on Monday night though, but fell asleep before the first guest, Katie Couric, came on stage.
I haven't seen Jimmy Fallon's new chat show either this week. If I can't stay up to watch Letterman, definitely can't make Fallon. Last time I watched Late Night was when I had a baby in the house and that was some seven years ago.
Courtesy of YouTube, I saw U2 band mates doing Letterman's Top Ten list last night. It was mildly amusing, some funny in there, but it didn't seem like they were all that thrilled to be doing it.
Before you ask, no, I haven't yet downloaded the new U2 songs. I know, what heresy! Makes me not a "real" fan, yadda, yadda, yadda! (I'm sure my brother, a "dedicated" fan already downloaded the songs.) Whatever. It's not like the songs are going to be "spoiled" for me like a TV show or film's twists and turns could be ruined if you hear about them before watching.
For the U2 fans in the house, have you already downloaded the new songs? What do you think? Critics seem to be giving it mixed reviews and have been less than enthusiastic.
