Somewhat Confused Edition*

 

Meyers


Seth Meyers, above right with guest Anderson Cooper, talks about sports a lot on his late-night show.  Seth Meyers mentions his wife a lot, too.  But … Seth Meyers is gay, right?  Right?

 

Meyers1Meyers2 

 

 *****

 

Rooney

 

Rest in peace, Andy Rooney.  Rooney passed away Sunday at age 93.  Funny what you learn about people after they’re gone.  For example, I had no idea that 60 Minutes mainstay Rooney was a former Hollywood star and, on top of that, I actually thought he had died some years ago.

 

*****

 

Huff3

 

The Huffington Post is still looking for a good proofreader.

 

*****

 

CNN is running out of experts to interview about the missing Malaysian plane.  On Wednesday, Don Lemon turned to George Stephanopoulos, pictured below.  Wait ….

 


JeffWise
 

*****

 

Two weeks ago we wrote about our waning interest in The Americans.  More skin might pique our interest, we said.  Someone at FX must have paid attention, because this week the show bombarded us with bare bums.  In the bottom picture, star Keri Russell moons the camera; in the top picture, guest star George Stephanopoulos prepares to slip between the sheets. 

 

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Americans4

 

*  We apologize for any factual errors in this weeks edition of the Review.  It was a perplexing news week and, like The Huffington Post, we are looking for a good proofreader.

 

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Books

 

If Art Garfunkel feels the need to post a “books read” list on his Web site, then so does the Grouch.  Here is a list of Grouch’s literary conquests of the past 20 years – works of genius and works of dreck.  Click here.

 

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Ferguson6

 

Craig Ferguson might seem to be David Letterman’s heir apparent at CBS, but I wouldn’t bet on it.  I like Ferguson because he’s an unabashed dirty old man who conducts interesting interviews and actually books an occasional (gasp!) author as a guest.  (Author:  someone who writes books.)

But Ferguson tends to hammer some bits to death (“You’re a racist, man!”) and, listening to his monologues, I sometimes forget what country I’m living in.  If anything remotely newsworthy occurs in Europe, Scottish-born Ferguson is sure to jump on it.  Despite his “It’s a great day for America!” he seems homesick.

 

*****

 

Scarlett2 Scarlett 

 

Scarlett Johansson on her nude scenes in the new movie, Under the Skin“You assume it’s [the nudity] going to be a screenshot for someone.”

Strange society we live in.  Scarlett gets naked on the big screen for our entertainment, yet there’s a dude in prison for pilfering and posting naked selfies Scarlett shot in her bathroom (above).

 

*****

 

Speaking of nudity, last week the Review featured a picture of naked Gwyneth Paltrow.  This week we’ve posted naked Scarlett Johansson selfies.  In the interest of fairness, this week we present a picture of naked George Bush, also a selfie.

 

Bush2

 

“If you told me a high school senior had painted them, I would believe it.  Also, it was so strange to see a man who had seen the entire world paint himself alone in a bathroom in the bathtub naked.”

That was New York art critic Jerry Saltz on George Bush’s paintings.  In a stunning development, it turns out that Saltz intended those comments as praise.

 

*****

 

CNN can’t find the damn plane.  CNN should hire this guy, who could always spot “da plane!”

 

Tattoo

 

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Klown

       Klown1  Klown2


This Danish road-trip comedy recalls old-fashioned American slapstick, the type of goofiness we used to get from Laurel and Hardy – but with one big difference:  The sight gags, often hilarious, are also rated X.  Danish TV comics Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen star as oil-and-water pals who embark on a male-bonding wilderness trip that goes awry thanks to their own ineptitude and a 12-year-old boy who tags along for the ride.  Release:  2010  Grade:  B

 

*****

 

Stained

       Stain1 Stain2

 

Canadian actress Tinsel Korey plays a troubled bookseller going through hell at work and at home – but who, or what, is responsible for that hell?  Stained tested my tolerance for the it was only a dream school of filmmaking, in which the viewer is never quite sure if what he sees happening is, in fact, really happening, and it doesn’t help that the first half of this psychological horror-show is slow.  On the plus side, Korey is good as a woman who doesnt handle stress particularly well.   Release: 2010  Grade:  B-

 

*****

 

The Woman

Woman2 Woman3

 

Well, The Woman ain’t boring.   I’m not entirely sure what the movie is black comedy, feminist revenge flick, unpleasant gorefest – because it’s a tonal mess, but it ain’t boring.  Sean Bridgers plays Henry Higgins from Hell, a country lawyer named Cleek who keeps his family in check with a mix of condescension, threats, and old-fashioned whuppings.  One fateful day Cleek spots a primitive woman in the wilds of Massachusetts (yes, apparently there are wilds in Massachusetts), decides to take her home with him, and then … I can’t explain it.  But it ain’t boring.  Release:  2011  Grade:  B

 

*****

 

Passion

Passion1 Passion2

 

Thirty years ago, Brian De Palma was king of the erotic thriller.  Today … not so much.  It’s a shame because Passion is certainly watchable and bears De Palma’s distinctive visuals and soundtrack.  But the story, in which a corporate cat-fight between executive Rachel McAdams and subordinate Noomi Rapace turns deadly, is confusing and illogical.  In De Palma movies of yore such narrative lapses were both minor and overshadowed by the man’s dazzling direction.  Not anymore.  Release:  2012  Grade:  C+

 

*****

 

Short Term 12

    Short1 Short2

 

Looking for something that all of the critics love?  Short Term 12 has a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason.  This little film about a handful of young counselors at a home for at-risk teens worried me at first, because it initially carries a whiff of Afterschool SpecialUh-oh, I thought, it’s one of those earnest “good for you” movies.  But I was wrong. Unlike just about every other Hollywood release, Short Term 12 is neither cynical and snarky nor sappy and stupid.  It’s smart and moving.  And lead actress Brie Larson is a real standout.  Release:  2013  Grade: A-

 

*****

 

                         20 Feet from Stardom

Feet1  Feet2

 

Stardom puts the spotlight on vocalists who came close to the music-industry brass ring but, either through hard luck or, in some cases, because they didn’t really want it, missed out on solo stardom.  There is a lot of great music in this Oscar-winning tribute to backup singers – but not, really, all that much drama.  Release:  2013  Grade:  B-

 

*****

 

Jailbait

.    Jail1  Jail2

 

A quote in the ads for this film informs us that Jailbait is in the vein of Orange Is the New Black.  Uh, no, it isn’t.  Itin the vein of trashy 70s women-in-prison flicks like The Big Doll House.  Mostly its just writer-director Jared Cohn filming his girlfriend, actress Sara Malakul Lane, in one degrading nude scene after another. Lane, who was about 30 when this was shot, plays a juvenile sent to a detention center for young girls, which of course entails rape, shower scenes, more rape, and lesbian sex.  Lane does look good naked (she also looks 30),  but unlike those 70s B-movies, this jail drama is a bore.  Release:  2013  Grade:  D

 

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Paltrow3

 

Gwyneth Paltrow consciously uncoupled and then came unhinged, whining about the rigors of movie-star life.  Gwyneth, shown hard at work above, is an ass.  Good-looking ass, but an ass.

 

*****

 

I used to really dig the following shows, but lately … not so much:

American Horror Story.  What went wrong:  For its third season, creator Ryan Murphy decided to appeal more to teenage girls.  I am not a teenage girl – usually.

 

Walking2

 

The Walking Dead.  What went wrong:  The walking dead resemble drunken octogenarians, and drunken octogenarians do not frighten.  But the zombies are veritable Mensa members compared to the dullard humans on this show, who engage in boring, earnest heart-to-hearts and then make stupid decisions.

The Americans.  What went wrong:  I’m not sure.  I simply lost interest, although I might perk up if they resume featuring the fetching Annet Mahendru in nude scenes.    

 

Sherlock2

 

SherlockWhat went wrong:  I suspect that the writers began to believe their own good press and, rather than concentrate on great scripts, decided that Cumberbatch Fever could carry the day.  It cant.

 

Celeb1

 

I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!  What went wrong:  Apparently the show went off the air in 2009.  No wonder I lost interest. 

 
Celeb2             Celeb3

 

*****

 

Quotes of the Week:

 
Kendra2

 

I’m round, tired, grouchy, smelly and horny!” – Kendra Wilkinson (above) in her People magazine blog.  I had no idea we have so much in common.

 
*

 

“You compared the reliance on these black boxes to using a VCR in the age of Netflix and streaming video.” – Wolf Blitzer discussing airplane “black boxes.”  Not a great analogy, Wolf.  I am forever enduring buffering issues with Netflix streaming video, a problem I never had with my good old VCR.

 

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by Louise Erdrich

Erdrich


Erdrich wins awards and is a critics’ darling, and there are aspects of her writing that I admire, but to me a lot of the prose in Round House – especially character motivations and behavior – does not ring true.

The protagonist is a 13-year-old Native American whose mother is raped, and so Erdrich is compelled to enter the boy’s head, but the result often reads like a middle-aged woman’s skewed idea of what teen boys think and do.  I also didn’t buy her characterization of some of the adults:  Episodes with a foul-mouthed, hunky Catholic priest are meant to be humorous but are just flat-out bizarre.  On the plus side, the climactic scenes are powerful, and the depiction of life on a North Dakota reservation is colorful.

Some critics predict that this book will be thought of as an American-Indian To Kill a Mockingbird.  I suppose this is because the story is told from a child’s point of view, the boy’s father is an Atticus Finch-like judge, and the plot includes rape, racial tensions, and social injustice.  But To Kill a Mockingbird?  Perhaps in theme, but certainly not in execution.

 

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Bums1

 

Beach Bums!

 

   Bums2

 

Like everyone else in America, I eagerly tuned in for the season premiere of Naked and Afraid.  But I get confused by this show.  

 

Bums3

 

At times, survivalist poopers are on full display (above).  At other times, editors blur out survivalist poopers (below).  Is there a pooper-display quota at Discovery Channel?  Someone must get to the bottoms of this.

 

Bums4

 

 

 

Bums5

 

Speaking of poopers, I’ve been concerned for the cameramen on CBS’ Survivor, keeping my fingers crossed that the boys would find an appropriate pooper on which to focus this season.  For awhile, it seemed that the guys were ogling Lindsey Ogle (top of the page and the pooper above right), but I believe that they have instead opted for survivor Alexis Maxwell, whose pooper is presented below.

 

Bums6             Bums7

 

 

*****

 

Green Acres Estate

 

Poor Anthony.  You know you’re getting up in years when they make a biblical movie and cast you as Methuselah.

 

 

*****

 

Quotes of the Week:

 

“Vikings … is a visual feast of sweaty women with the physiques of Playboy Playmates.  The scene of Princess Aslaug slowly undressing and lowering herself into the tub was a gift to us all.” – Entertainment Weekly

Just kidding.  Here is what Entertainment Weekly actually wrote:

“Vikings … is a visual feast of sweaty men with the physiques of CrossFit coaches.  The scene of Ragnar slowly undressing and lowering himself into the tub was a gift to us all.”

And so EW continues its crusade to eradicate one gender’s sexism in favor of … well, another gender’s sexism.  Thank goodness that we here at the Weekly Review never engage in that sort of behavior.

*

“If this is true, this is a moment of understanding of nature of such a magnitude that it just overwhelms.” – Stanford University professor Andrei Linde discussing something about something.  Whenever scientists claim that a new discovery will overwhelm us, you can be sure that the public reaction will be … underwhelming.

 

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Bosch4

 

Other than some missing airplane near the Indian Ocean, there was no actual news this week.  Therefore, we dedicate the week’s review to the art of Hieronymus Bosch.

 

Bosch3

 

*****

 

Miley3


Miley Cyrus keeps getting relegated to the outer edge of Entertainment Gaily’s “Bullseye,” a graphic page that rates one’s cultural relevance/irrelevance/glory/disgrace by placing you either near the bullseye (good) or far away (bad).  If you are a sexy female who appeals to heterosexual males, like poor Miley, you spend many weeks on the outer edge.

 

Miley4                Miley5

 

 

*****

 

Not

 

Hot or Not

 

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Art2

 

OK, it’s a “coffee-table book,” but it’s one lavishly illustrated coffee-table book.  Art doesn’t go into much detail about individual painters or paintings – actually, it doesn’t go into much detail about anything – but as a guide to finding what you like so that you can find more of what you like, it’s a precious resource.   Now, about that title … judging from the book’s content, the only “art that changed the world,” at least until recent years, was art produced in Europe.  Oh, really?

 

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Bieber3
 

This headline is just nuts.

 

*****

 

Bonehead Quotes of the Week:


“Our next guest says Putin could care less about violating international law.” – CNN’s Brianna Keilar.  “Could care less”?  Just shoot me now, please. 

 

“Now they admit, Jon, they could be wrong about all of this.” – Fox’s John Roberts discussing the “experts” who link cancer to eating too much protein.

 

Pretty much everything that comes out of the mouth of Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson.  I wish this bubblebrain would stop reminding viewers that she’s from Minnesota, because it’s a source of shame and embarrassment for those of us who still live there.


“Oprah is disgusting.”Red Eye’s Andy Levy, speaking truth about Her Obesity and therefore not belonging on this list of boneheaded quotes.

 

*****

 

Zero

 

Speaking of Minnesota, we have had 50 days with subzero temperatures this winter. It will be a cold day in hell before you catch me watching this Nat Geo series.

 

***** 

 

Monitoring Twitter feeds during the Oscars would have been beyond depressing, were it not for the amusing banter of these two knuckleheads:

 

Tweets1

 

Oh, and Rose McGowan was also entertaining:

 
Tweets2

 

*****

 

The Huffington Post is still seeking a good proofreader:

Martha3

 

An hour later:

 

Martha4

 

*****

 

Putin3

 

Apparently, renowned practical joker Vladimir Putin once tested dog-phobic Angela Merkel’s self-control by producing a black Labrador during a meeting with the German chancellor.  I would suggest that the next time they meet, Merkel test Putin’s self-control by producing a bunch of shirtless little boys.

 

Putin2006

 

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