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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Bachelor Keeps His Karaoke Country

THE BACHELOR “Most Memorable First Impressions”
by Alison Bonaguro 8 hours ago

The first sign I saw that the new season of The Bachelor was going to have a country vibe is that the actual bachelor is an actual farmer.

Not just like a hipster, I-grow-herbs-on-my-windowsill farmer. But an honest-to-goodness corn and soybean farmer. So much so, theyve dubbed him Prince Farming.

Chris Soules, 33, said on the premiere on Monday night (Jan. 5) that he hated having to do the show during the harvest, but thats just how much he wants to find love. That is something hes obviously not likely to do in his tiny hometown of Arlington, Iowa, population 427.

Then there were the little things in the three-hour premiere that pointed to a country-filled season. They had shots of Soules fishing. By a creek. With his dad. I mean, come on. His life is literally a country song.

And he drives a tractor. And yes, its sexy.

Soules also seems very committed to country music on social media. He isnt following many people on Twitter, but 15 of them are A-list country artists. And when one of the potential love hopefuls Jade, who I have dubbed Best for Last asked Soules what song hed choose if they went to a karaoke bar and wanted to sing a duet, this is what he said: It would have to be something county. It would be something Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

No wonder 30 women are vying for his love.

Source: http://www.cmt.com/news/1747439/the-bachelor-keeps-his-karaoke-country/

5 Things We Loved/Hated About "Galavant"

Is Galavant Worth Your Time? - Channel Surfing Podcast

ABCs widely-promoted medieval comedy/musical Galavant had its debut last night and we watched intently. After all, the musical format has a spotty history on the small screen. Anyone remember Cop Rock? Of course, in recent years we have seenGlee succeed wonderfully so maybe Galavant has a chance.

Without any further ado, here are the 5 things we loved and hated in the first hour of the show:

1. The Songs (Mostly Hated) It started out pretty nice with an opening number that had an upbeat feel and did a nice job of telling some story and we loved the moments where the song gave us glimpses into Galavant (Joshua Sasse) and Madalenas (Mallory Jansen) love life but many of the other songs throughout the first hour felt forced and just served to slow down the story. The songs rarely advanced the plot and the lyrics really felt strained at times. But, the thing that really put the songs into the Hated column was that ABCs promotions department even used songs in the promos that ran in the Galvant commercial breaks. Shows like Christella and Last Man Standing were given musical promos that hammered the main Galavant theme into our head again and again and again. They just took it too far.

2. The Cast (Loved) Despite having to suffer through some dreadful songs, we are quickly falling in love with several of the characters. Timothy Omundsons King Richard is funny and reacts in unexpected ways to nearly everything. His captain of the guard, Gareth (Vinnie Jones), has wit and wisdom that are truly surprising coming from a brute and we enjoy seeing him interact with the kings tiny cook. It is clear that Galavant is eventually going to fall in love with the feisty Princess Isabella Lucia Maria Elizabeth (Karen David) because we already love her.

3. The Joust (Loved) When Galavant is exhausted from over-training and his rival Sir Jean Hamm (played with villainous gusto by John Stamos) is sick after being given a poison drink, we get treated to what is surely the most unexpected and funny jousting scene ever! The two knights are so weak, it seems to translate to their horses, who walk at snails pace toward each other. After a few excruciating moments, Galavant and Sir Hamm collapse to the ground. As an added bonus, Galavants pre-joust training with Princess Isabella is a fun and funny montage that was the best three minutes of the entire show.

4. The Script (Hated) Sigh sadly, we are having some trouble really falling for the overall story here. While we enjoyed the surprise that was Madalena picking fame and fortune as a queen over her true love, Galavant, the rest of the story has been pretty blaaah so far. Madalena has quickly turned into a cruel and evil character, and it just doesnt make sense that Galavant never knew that side of her when they were lovers. There were no unexpected twists or turns to pull us in and we yet arent connected to the characters enough to want to watch just to see what happens to them. If the show was just about the loopy King and his crazy Queen, wed be far more interested than we are right now.

5. The Humor (Hated) Most importantly, Galavant just isnt very funny. Aside from the joust scene, we barely cracked a smile for the rest of the first hour of Galavant. The show wants to be a cross between Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Princess Bride (with singing added in), but it has thus far failed to bring any memorable humorous moments. We think it would be better served on a pay cable channel, where the humor could be even more risqu and bawdy, than the relatively tame world of 8 p.m. on Sunday night broadcast TV.

So, there you have it. There was more to hate than to love in Galavant, but we arent giving up on it yet. Well check it out again next week and hope it can improve. If nothing else, we give it props for trying something bold and new on broadcast TV. If it fails, at least it is failing with style!

If you want to read more of Jason Evans comments on the movie and TV industry, follow him on Twitter @TVFilmTalk. Be sure to check Speakeasy for his recaps of The Blacklist.

For the latest entertainment news

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/01/05/5-things-we-lovedhated-about-galavant/

CES 2015: Five things we learned Monday

This is the new Sony Walkman — CES 2015

Joe Clayton, president and CEO of Dish Network, makes an entrance at a Jan. 5 press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Clayton unveiled details on its new streaming service with ESPN and Disney.(Photo: Tim Loehrke, USA TODAY)

The doors have yet to officially open, but there are plenty of lessons to absorb at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

As tech titans including Sony and Samsung attempted to dazzle CES attendees during Monday"s press day, here"s what we"ve learned on the unofficial first day.

1. The wearable market is blowing up. Wearable devices are everywhere: on your fingers, your wrists, your dog. Attendees can"t walk anywhere in Vegas without spotting a wearable computing device. As expected, smartwatches and trackers for your wrists were the hot items, but there were some other intriguing ones. Ring is a smart ring that lets users perform simple tasks such as controlling lights with hand gestures. Belkin unveiled a series of trackable motion sensors, including a keychain fob users can hand to their kids or attach to a pets" collar to track their activity.

2. Tech behind the wheel. Those dashboards are about to get a lot more sophisticated. Tech and automotive giants are speeding up efforts to add more tech features to your car. GM is adding new features to its OnStar in-vehicle service that can evaluate drivers" performance and predict when vital components need repair. But the highlight might be Nvidia"s Drive PX, a self-driving car platform where cars not only find their own parking spaces, but can return to you like an automated valet. Then there"s Hyundai, which will let users start their cars with their watch.

3. Brought to you by the letter K. As in 4K and 8K, high-definition resolutions hitting computer displays and televisions soon. TV makers and content companies are pushing to create 4K-quality programming ahead of the rush of compatible TVs to store shelves. If 4K isn"t enough, Sharp unveiled a "Beyond 4K" set that offers a resolution 167% better than the standard 4K display.

4. Cord cutters win again. Score one more for consumers ditching cable television. On the heels of newly announced stand-alone options from HBO and CBS, Dish Network unveiled Sling TV, a streaming service for $20 a month that will include a dozen live channels, including ESPN. It launches during the first quarter of 2015.

5. Chromecast not just for TVs. Speaking of cord cutting, one of the handy devices that has helped consumers transition away from cable is Google"s Chromecast, a dongle with HDMI input that streams Web video to TVs. Now, it"s got audio, adding services including Pandora and Rdio. Users must have a compatible speaker to cast audio.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Bsm0Xo

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/05/ces-five-things-monday/21296027/

Monday, January 5, 2015

Idina Menzel tells her critics to let it go

Idina Menzel - Creep (Radiohead Cover) (New York City 06/16/14)
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Idina Menzel responded to the people who criticized her after she botched the high note at the end of "Let It Go" during her New Year"s Eve performance.

She tweeted a previous interview in which she said not reaching every high note does not mean it was a bad performance.

"There are about 3 million notes in a two-and-a-half-hour musical," she said in the interview. "Being a perfectionist, it took me a long time to realize that if I"m hitting 75 percent of them, I"m succeeding."

"Celebrity Apprentice" 2015: Meet the cast

The Apprentice US Season 11 Episode 1 - Celebrity Apprentice

"Celebrity Apprentice"returns tonight with 16 new C-listers(and I"m being generous) competing in nominally business-related tasks to raise money for their respective charities, although the wins often come down to which contestants have the most pals willing to shell out major bucks for questionable foodstuffs.

I don"t have high hopes for this season, which was taped nearly a year ago and has been on NBC"s shelf ever since, but then again, I never expected to enjoy this show in the first place. NBC sent out the first half of the first episode for review; the challenge has the two teams making and selling pies. It"s a fairly typical brew of rampaging ego and second-guessing, with a special guest appearance by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, who picks the best tasting pie for a special bonus.

This year"s cast is no better or worse then previous seasons, with the usual assortment of athletes, past-their-prime actors, and refugees from other reality shows. (Side note: I showed a photo of the cast to my husband, who, granted, once asked me in all seriousness, "What"s a Brangelina?" and he was only able to pick out Geraldo Rivera and Gilbert Gottfried,and mistook "The Deadliest Catch" star Sig Hansen for Gary Busey.)

Who are this year"s best bets? Based on my formula smarts times grace under pressure divided by craziness and the portion of the first episode available for viewing, I might Kay money onNew Jersey"s own Kevin Jonas,Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, and "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kenya Moore. Rivera may be the one bringing the nuts there"s a shot in the season preview of him rushing about in his undies, no pun intended. (Also look for a very uncomfortable exchange between Cosby kid Keshia Knight-Pulliam and Moore about Knight-Pulliam failing to call on Bill Cosby to donate.)

Who"s your favorite to take home $250,000 for his or her charity?

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook

Source: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2015/01/celebrity_apprentice_2015_cast_season_7_donald_trump.html

Ricky Martin Superfan Undergoes Plastic Surgery to Look Like His Idol

Ricky Martin - Adios (Spanish Version) (Official Video)

One superfan has gone to great lengths to look like his idol, singer Ricky Martin.

Fran Mariano, an Argentinian known for participating in the show Cuestion de Peso, subjected himself to more than half a dozen surgeries, and now he feels satisfied with the results. See pic here!

Speaking with the Argentinian newspaper Diario Show, Mariano explained, I operated my nose for the fourth time, had liposuction on my cheeks and with that same fat had lipo-transference in the cheekbones.

He continued, Then I took off the nasolabial folds from my face and they were filled with methacrylate as well as in the forehead. Also, I got a touch-up on the chin for the third time, for poor scarring I was operated [last Saturday] with [Dr.] Anibal Lotocki, and Im really happy with the changes that Im having.

Even though Mariano went through these extreme physical changes, he is still longing to find love. The reality is that every time I submit myself for surgery, I deposit many hopes and a lot of pain as well, for all the time that I felt different. However, no surgery fills the void I have."

He added, In fact I have spent all day crying, I think that I seek perfection in me, but I cannot find someone to love me.

Source: http://extratv.com/2014/12/16/ricky-martin-superfan-undergoes-plastic-surgery-to-look-like-his-idol/

Sunday, January 4, 2015

So, Macklemore"s going to be a father

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist (Full Album)

If his tastefor thrift shops is any indication, Macklemore will look right at home in dad jeans.

The Seattle rapper,also known as Ben Haggerty, and hisfiancee, Tricia Davis, announced they were expecting in a YouTube video that looks more like a movie trailer than a home video.

Producer Ryan Lewis, ever Macklemores right-hand man, helped edit the film.

Apparently, the pregnancy newsleaked a bit earlier than the couple intended. The New York Post reported Friday,spies in Las Vegas over New Years noticed Davis, in a loose-fitting black dress, wasnt drinking while out with Macklemore and pals.

If youre not drinking, youre pregnant, apparently.

The baby trailer addressed the rumor head on:

Today the media speculated about some big news in our life. So we decided to share it with you ourselves.

Source: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2015/01/so-macklemores-going-to-be-a-father/