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Need something to watch on Netflix this weekend? We asked our entertainment editor, Scott Meslow, for a recommendation.
Finished with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and House of Cards, and looking for the next great drama to devour? You’re in luck — Sundance Channel’s Top of The Lake ended just a few days ago, but the entire series is already available on Netflix, and well worth your time. Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss stars as detective Robin Griffin, a woman investigating the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl in a small New Zealand town. Think a smarter, more pointed version of The Killing, and you wouldn’t be far off — and with just seven 50-minute episodes, it’s the perfect weekend binge-watch. — Scott
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“Pardon my French, but you’re an AARDVARK!”
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“If only we could have him review everything, forever. The scope and depth of Roger Ebert’s influence in the field of film criticism cannot be overstated …
Over his lifetime, Ebert wrote more than 10,000 reviews, delivering raves and pans alike in his warm, inimitable writing style. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his take on a particular movie, his reviews were always fair, and were often such a joy to read that he would half-convince you you’d been wrong all along.
He was eager to speak with the many young critics he inspired, and was quick to use his talents and fame to help others. When I was just beginning my career as a film and television critic, Ebert found and tweeted out several of my articles — a professional compliment that has never since been equaled, and that I suspect never will.”
—Our entertainment editor, Scott Meslow, wrote an incredibly touching piece remembering Roger Ebert, who died today at the age of 70. We highly recommend you read the whole damn thing.
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According to White House records, Jimmy Carter watched 480 films during his four years in the White House — around 2.5 movies a week.
The first one he watched: All the President’s Men, about the Watergate scandal that sank Nixon. He also became the first president to watch an X-rated movie in the mansion: Midnight Cowboy, which today doesn’t seem like much, but in 1969 shocked audiences with its sex scenes and drug use. (By the time Carter saw it, the rating had been changed to R.)
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![Ray is quickly becoming one of our favorite characters on Girls. Scott Meslow sat down with Alex Karpovsky, the man who plays Ray:
How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?I want people to be engaged by the character. If that means they have to apply a lot of similarities between him and me, so be it — I don’t care, I’m not offended. He’s not a necessarily a likable person, and it’s okay if you don’t think I’m a likable person, as long as you are engaged by the character.
This isn’t the first time you’ve played a character named after yourself — you also wrote and starred in a film about “Alex Karpovsky” called The Hole Story in 2005, and your character on HBO’s Girls was originally named “Karpovsky.”Right. Lena [Dunham] wrote the pilot and asked me to be in it. When she sent it to me, and it said “Karpovsky,” the only note I had was, “Can we change the name?”
Why do you think you end up playing “yourself” so often?Different directors would have different reasons, each of which you could probably analyze, [but] I think oftentimes stories need a character to agitate, or stir things up — unsubtle things, just to keep the story going forward. And for whatever reason, people think sometimes, in certain contexts, I can do that with a comedic wit. Maybe that’s why they cast me. But I don’tknow why. Maybe they have their own reasons. It’s not to be the romantic lead. Not to have a pretty face. [laughs]
Read the full interview](http://24.media.tumblr.com/fe87da9a442649b622934a540c0613c8/tumblr_mih85yIlWC1qdjbb7o1_1280.jpg)
Ray is quickly becoming one of our favorite characters on Girls. Scott Meslow sat down with Alex Karpovsky, the man who plays Ray:
- How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?
I want people to be engaged by the character. If that means they have to apply a lot of similarities between him and me, so be it — I don’t care, I’m not offended. He’s not a necessarily a likable person, and it’s okay if you don’t think I’m a likable person, as long as you are engaged by the character. - This isn’t the first time you’ve played a character named after yourself — you also wrote and starred in a film about “Alex Karpovsky” called The Hole Story in 2005, and your character on HBO’s Girls was originally named “Karpovsky.”
Right. Lena [Dunham] wrote the pilot and asked me to be in it. When she sent it to me, and it said “Karpovsky,” the only note I had was, “Can we change the name?” - Why do you think you end up playing “yourself” so often?
Different directors would have different reasons, each of which you could probably analyze, [but] I think oftentimes stories need a character to agitate, or stir things up — unsubtle things, just to keep the story going forward. And for whatever reason, people think sometimes, in certain contexts, I can do that with a comedic wit. Maybe that’s why they cast me. But I don’tknow why. Maybe they have their own reasons. It’s not to be the romantic lead. Not to have a pretty face. [laughs]
- How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel may dump Daniel Craig
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“I want to be seen, to be understood deeply and to be not so very lonely.”
Jodie Foster gave a somewhat confusing but overall endearing speech at last night’s Golden Globes upon winning the Cecil B. DeMille award. Watch it here.
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“I have to say, I never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that, unlike myself, my kids would someday have the opportunity to re-enact America’s slave trade the way my great-grandfather did! How exciting for them! Never mind those silly dolls showing racial equality and putting ‘black Americans’ (hah! is that the word we want to really use here?) in a positive light — no! With this, my kids can experience first-hand what it might have been like to own their very own slave!”
The Django Unchained action figures are receiving a lot of backlash
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NASA’s new spacesuit looks awfully familiar…
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“Assuming the paint can is full (roughly 10 pounds) and the rope is 10 feet long, Marv and Harry each take a roughly 2 kilo-newton hit to the face. That is easily enough to fracture multiple facial bones, and is probably going to knock you out cold. Also, I wouldn’t expect either of the Wet Bandits to walk away from this with all of their teeth.”
Can a man really be hit square in the face with a steam iron and walk away unfazed? What kind of permanent physical damage would a blow torch to the head really do? To answer these questions and officially dissolve Home Alone’s Hollywood magic, Lauren Hansen spoke with her friend Dr. Ryan St. Clair of the Weill Cornell Medical College.
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Ke$ha’s “Die Young” pulled from radio stations across the country: Pop star Ke$ha’s unfortunately titled new single “Die Young” has taken a big hit in the wake of the shooting. TMZ reports that the song reached 167 million listeners on Friday, but had dropped all the way to 148 million listeners by Monday — a decline rivaled only by the Dixie Chicks’ disappearance from country radio after they criticized President Bush at a concert in 2003.
10 ways the entertainment industry is being sensitive to the Connecticut massacre
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Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces saw a reported 65% jump in profits after being featured in the film E.T. as the candy Elliott uses to lure his new friend into his house.
Here, the stories behind 10 famous product placementsPHOTO: YouTube
(Source: theweek.com)
