Like, I didn't even bother watching. I mean, Russell Brand? Hosting the 25th Anniversary? Seriously? I would've had Pee Wee Herman come out first, not Britney. Then I would've had Arsenio Hall host, because he really was the best one of them all. Then I would've busted out a little Madonna, a little REM, a little Pearl Jam, some LL Cool J, hell, even some Paula Abdul... all the people who have had memorable performances at the VMAs over the years. And it was just a trainwreck all over. The only person who seemed to give a crap was Xtina, and you know she took the whole show with her re-work of "Genie In A Bottle" and her medley. So what if she lipsynced it, we all know if her voice was on she would've knocked it out of the park.
The rest of it? Boo on you MTV. I didn't even bother.
This is funny. Ex-Color Me Badd singer Bryan Abrams was arrested for public drunkenness and domestic abuse on Friday, but the best part of the whole thing is this little bit right here:
Abrams, 38, apparently punched a woman in the nose and verbally threatened the woman by saying "I’m a kill you! You and me! You and me!" according to a police report.
Apparently he hasn't learned about rehab yet. But he's starting to get really good at becoming a reality show whore by pulling this kind of crap.
But, to relive our adolescence, here's our favorite New Jack Swing group doing "All 4 Love":
After what seemed like a decade, Gwen and Gavin finally had another son over the weekend. Congrats to them on the new bundle of joy. Now, while you may think a girl from Anaheim might not be the type to name her kid something strange, though some folks thought Kingston for her first son was a little weird. (Considering the influence Reggae has on her music, naming your kid after a Jamaican town isn't all that surprising.)
But this one they named Zuma. I'm sure it's a common name... somewhere, but I hate to say the first thing I thought of was the Numa Numa kid. It's very terrible.
Sorry, couldn't be helped. Congrats to Gwen and Gavin!
Today feels really weird. I finally caught the latest Project Runway over the weekend, and was shocked by the deaths of Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes. We lost two big greats this weekend, far too soon. Yeah, I don't want to get too deep in here.
RIP, greats.
There's really no good segueway here, but Project Runway had their Olympic episode last week with the hotness that is Apolo Ohno. It was like two great tastes that go great together.
First of all, how much to I love Korto? After the previous week's disaster, she came back with a vengance with this outfit. Nicely done, girl.
Just so you know, I'm over Blayne and Daniel. They both have no clue in different ways and I just want to strangle them both. Hey Daniel, this isn't the 1900's, k? His explanation of his purple was like the Vanilla Ice argument: listen, that's not a blue color with a bunch of red in it, it's goddamn purple, dumbass. And Blayne's going to get skin cancer by 30. Have fun with those moles, dude.
Yeah. Mmmmm. Apolo.
And what the hell was Jennifer's outfit? It wasn't even close to USA colors or even being, you know, sporty. Also, Jennifer was creepy with her earnest innocence. How did she get chosen to be on this show when all she does is dainty outfits? Like, she should've just put some horses on it and called it done. Jesus.
Right. So it's Friday, and I could go into a completely blasphemous post about the Pope, and making bad and inappropriate jokes about altar boys and celibacy, but I'm just going to keep it down to a low roar. I mean, I have a cousin who's a priest and who met John Paul II, so I have to keep at least some sentiment of righteousness or something.
So betUS has odds up on who will take over for Pope Benedict when he finally goes to meet Jesus again.
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras and Cristoph Von Schoenborn of Austria are both at +700, and Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is at +900, but the frontrunner is Angelo Scola, who is the Patriarch of Venice, and he's the favorite at +600. I'm thinking he's the favorite because those Italians, they like to keep it in the family, you know?
I wanted to post the Pope sketch from the old MTV sketch show "The State" just for kicks, but I could only find Barry and Levon, which is even more classic, I think. Get your ass in that puddin'!
Listen, when you have a show with Donna Summer (Donnah Summah!), George Michael, Seal, and Bryan effing Adams, you know it's 2 hours for the ages. Plus jokes about Davids all night, Chikezie!, David Hernandez whispering "naked," and Amanda Overmeyer's complete lack of enthusiasm? Holy crap my head was about to asplode with joy.
Anyway.
So here's how it all broke down if you had bet this season on AI, and had either one of the Davids as your pick: Archie was the favorite up until about the final 6, and then Cook was just about even with him.
At the final 13, Cook was at a whopping 35/1, meaning that if you had bet the max $50 on him that opening week, you would've had a sweet $1750 payout while he was singing "Time Of Your Life" and giving Archie noogies last night.
Of course, I have to post "Father Figure" from last night. Best moment of the entire season (at least for pure entertainment value):
Listen, I love Indiana Jones as much as the next 80's kid, but by the 4th movie, I think he should either be heading into retirement or, like, dead at the end of it. Don't get me wrong, I still think Harrison Ford is still the hotness, even if he's old as a mug. But the guy can't keep working this character because it's the only successful thing he's ever going to do ever again.
Bodog has the odds on whether or not Indy's going to kick the bucket in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With Yes at +500 and No at -900, it's not looking likely, but you never know. Lucas and Spielberg might just come around to it.
For your weekend, here's the creepiest scene from The Last Crusade, the "He chose poorly" scene.
We've got two big movies coming out this month, and they're both sequels. One is about a dreamworld of magic gone wrong, and the other is about Indiana Jones. Bodog wonders who's going to make more money their opening weekend, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at +200 or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at -300.
I mean, it's pretty obvious that Indy's going to be the champ in this one. Anyone who grew up watching the flicks is probably going to see it. And it might actually be pretty good, considering all the original folks are involved. At least we hope-- I mean, George Lucas didn't exactly reinvent the Star Wars wheel, and Steven Spielberg has been up and down the past few years (War Of The Worlds? Are you serious?)
But just because it's time for more Narnia, here's some Lazy Sunday for you.
Right. So David Blaine is going live on Oprah tomorrow to try and break the world record for holding his breath under water. He's got to beat 16 minutes and 14 seconds in order for anyone to care. That, or, like, suffer some serious brain damage or, like, die.
And, once again, Bodog has the odds on whether the magician-- er, "illusionist"-- will really break the record tomorrow on Oprah's stage. Yes is at +120 and No is at -160, which means that it's probably not going to happen, despite the fact that he's been working out like a madman to prepare. But that doesn't mean we won't like watching him suffer.
Anyway, this parody video of his "Street Magic" series is much more entertaining anyway. Unless Dave does this same look during his breath-holding that this guy does in the video. Then I might change my mind about his douche-ness.
The nominations won't be announced until January 22nd, but already with the Golden Globe nominations already being out, there's already some speculation on who may get nominated for an Oscar next month.
betUS has put together a list of movies most likely to get nominated, and we've rounded up the top contenders:
Atonement (+300): Both Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are nominated for Golden Globes, as well as the film for Best Picture - Drama. It's been getting tons of buzz here in the States.
No Country For Old Men (+300): The Coen brothers came back in a big way this year with this film based on the Cormac McCarthy novel. Javier Bardem received a Best Supporting Actor nod, which helps their chances.
Charlie Wilson's War (+500): It's almost a perfect formula for Oscar gold: Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, director Mike Nichols, and screenwriter (and West Wing creator) Aaron Sorkin. Throw an Oscar at this flick and someone's bound to catch one.
American Gangster (+500): All the critics were basically in agreement about this movie: it wasn't great, but Denzel Washington is fantastic. Denzel could be reading a box of Rice-A-Roni and get nominated.
There Will Be Blood (+500): This is the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson, who also directed Boogie Nights and Magnolia, both movies garnering him a lot of attention, but there's a chance the film may get buried because of so many other nominated movies.
Sweeney Todd (+750 ): There's probably a pretty good shot for the latest Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaboration to get nominated, but it's harder for musicals when it comes to the Oscar nods.
The Person Of The Year that Time magazine picks every year is always someone who matters in current events, even if it's a person that the world doesn't like. There's always speculation on who could be the next to make Time's cover.
Bodog compiled a list of folks most likely to be on this year's cover, and any one of them could make a case for being the Person Of The Year:
J.K. Rowling (3/2): Look, as someone who spent her summer with Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers with both a Harry Potter movie and book that came out one after the other, I've had enough J.K. Rowling to last me a good long while. Not to mention the fact that I've been over her pretty much from day one. Or I may just be hating because I want to be as rich as her from writing a fantasy book and making millions from the merchandising. Boo, man, boo. But her chances are pretty good for being on the cover. Not that we need to be seeing her anymore, anyway.
Al Gore (4/1): I'm not exactly sure why Al Gore has not as good odds as J.K. Rowling, because he already won the Oscar and the Nobel, and is pretty much at the point where he's telling people "I told you so." Like, I'm not surprised he's said it yet. And also, if his recent interviews suggest, he may end up running for President again, just not in '08. It's a strange, polluted world, folks.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (5/1): I like Mahmoud's chances. One, because he said "There are no gay people in Iran." And second, Saturday Night Live got one of it's best songs/skits out of it with the classic line "You're like a very hairy Jake Gylenhaal to me.":
Condoleeza Rice (11/2): You know, Condi did do a lot for the country this year, going all around the world trying to make peace and get some deals done. But even as her career has been historic, much of her media attention has been muted at best, just because she's been talked about by the usual media outlets. And, joked about all over the place for so many things, things I won't get into here because I don't want to get picked up by an unmarked van and taken somewhere to be waterboarded-- wait, I mean, interrogated in an enhanced sort of way.
General David Petraeus (15/2): A storm of controversy surrounded General Petraeus when he released his report on the Iraq War over the summer. Not only was the report controversial, the media attention on him was mixed, as was the media's jump onto the Moveon.org full-page advertisement in the New York Times added more fuel to an already raging fire. But as far as lasting impressions, General Petraeus seems to be more of a blip on the radar after it's all said and done.
Steve Jobs (8/1): Speaking of blips on the radar, Steve Jobs is pretty much one as well, only because of the picture there on the right. The iPhone was the only thing Apple did this year that was noteworthy, and most of that noteworthiness was based on the phone's high price, the inability of its users to be able to download third party applications, and the fact that it was only available to AT&T customers. Boo on you Stevie.
Vladimir Putin (11/1): The President of Russia has made some controversial remarks this year toward the United States, making some in the media speculate of another Cold War. And not to mention those pictures of him shirtless on vacation-- what was that all about? I don't think he's got much of a chance at the cover.
Hu Jintao (11/1): In case his name isn't all that familiar to you, Hu Jintao is the President of China. He's been making his own deals peacefully around the world while still maintaining some controversy in his own country over the treatment of Tibet and Taiwan. Did I mention he's a Communist? But in the media, he's been getting attention by being more open to foreign powers, and his outlook on China's growth is different from leaders past. Many wonder if he's going to bring China to a new leader in the global economy.
2 or More People (5/1): While it could include any one of the people listed above, there are any number of prominent figures both peaceful and controversial that could make Time's cover of Person Of The Year. Who knows?
Coming next week our Grammy Betting Guide will be up with the usual fanfare and snark. And also be on the lookout for our Golden Globes guide as soon as the odds are out for those. It's going to be busy for us in the new year!
Though I'm not going to lie, two of my favorite actors are nominated for Best Actor: James McAvoy and Viggo Mortensen. Man, that Golden Globes is going to be a hard show to watch. And, of course, how could I not include the eye candy in my post?
The trailer for Atonement, with James McAvoy:
And the trailer for Eastern Promises with Viggo Mortensen:
When I heard about the Grammy nominations being announced yesterday, I didn't think it was real, because it feels like we just had another Grammy show. But maybe that's just because most of the nominees have been all over the gossip columns this past year, and it just feels like we're going to be having another, um, unforgettable night of, you know, things.
But stay tuned here for our annual Grammy betting guide. It'll be the highlight of the winter, I swear.
Amy Winehouse grabbed 6 nominations, which means that she'll get some decent odds when they come out (probably next week). Just in case you missed it the first time, here's to hoping she'll be performing at the Grammys, just like this:
Beyoncé only got nominated for Record Of The Year this year, so in her honor, I'm posing her little spill:
And the most nominations went to Kanye West, who personally I'm not sure if I like anymore. It's like, he acts like a jerk, then whines about not getting recognition, then expects people to forgive him by putting out a record that the critics love. You can't have it both ways, dude. But, maybe he'll tone down a little now that his mom's gone. Who knows. Here's his funny video for Can't Tell Me Nothing, in which he's not even in:
I mean, I'm pretty sure I want to see the Jackson 5 reunite. Then again, considering their ages and the amount of plastic surgery on that stage, it could be the worst idea on the face of the planet for all I know. Then again, it might make for a great TV special. Or tour. Those dance moves are going to be smokin', y'all.
betUS has a couple of props about the Jackson brothers and their fate next year. The odds on if they'll record a new album in 2008 are at +175, which actually isn't bad. But with Michael putting out that new 25th anniversary version of Thriller this year, it looks less of a possibility. Actually, the better odds are on whether they'll tour in 2008 at +110, which I can see as being more feasible. I mean, if Michael wants to ever leave the house again without getting arrested.
But, just for my innocence (and maybe yours), here's the video for "Can You Feel It?" for your weekend.
Like, I didn't even bother watching. I mean, Russell Brand? Hosting the 25th Anniversary? Seriously? I would've had Pee Wee Herman come out first, not Britney. Then I would've had Arsenio Hall host, because he really was the best one of them all. Then I would've busted out a little Madonna, a little REM, a little Pearl Jam, some LL Cool J, hell, even some Paula Abdul... all the people who have had memorable performances at the VMAs over the years. And it was just a trainwreck all over. The only person who seemed to give a crap was Xtina, and you know she took the whole show with her re-work of "Genie In A Bottle" and her medley. So what if she lipsynced it, we all know if her voice was on she would've knocked it out of the park.
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Listen, when you have a show with Donna Summer (Donnah Summah!), George Michael, Seal, and Bryan effing Adams, you know it's 2 hours for the ages. Plus jokes about Davids all night, Chikezie!, David Hernandez whispering "naked," and Amanda Overmeyer's complete lack of enthusiasm? Holy crap my head was about to asplode with joy.
