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May 25, 2013

Search Results for: glee

Thomas Ian Nicholas celebrates birthday with “American Reunion” DVD release

When filmmakers announced a new American Pie film was in the works with the entire cast returning to reprise their roles I was excited. Really, genuinely excited. I won’t tell you guys exactly what year I graduated high school but I pretty much attended school around the same time as Jim (Jason Biggs), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), Oz (Chris Klein), Vicky (Tara Reid), Heather (Mena Suvari), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and of course Stifler (Seann William Scott).

American Reunion welcomed back members of the cast who were not able to make it to Jim and Michelle’s wedding in the second film in the series with hilarious new gags as well as new layers for the old ones. Yes Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge) and Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) are back but in ways you would not expect!

I recently caught up with actor Thomas Ian Nicholas who reprised his role of Kevin, albeit it with a lot more facial hair, and who is sharing a birthday with the official DVD/Blu-Ray release date of American Reunion today. (Happy Birthday!)

During our chat, I failed to mention just how long I’ve been watching him on the big screen, I didn’t want to sound like a fangirl. But Thomas has been entertaining audiences since the age of 8 and is most notably known for playing the role of enry Rowengartner in 1993′s Rookie of the Year– a movie I absolutely love!

Since then, he has starred in countless television shows, movies and even started his own band. You can hear The Thomas Ian Nichols Band’s track, “My Generation” featured in the movie!

Rosy: Does this mean you plan to stop acting and work full time creating and performing music or will you continue working on both?

TIN: “I’ve definitely been balancing both over the last five years,” he said. “I’ve shot a lot of independent films and played about 350 shows, recorded four albums and I have a wife and a kid. I am definitely balancing it all.”

Rosy: As a big fan of the series, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the first day the entire cast came back together. What was it like?

TIN: “The very first time we all got together in the same room at the same time was actually a few weeks before we started filming for the table reading. It was a trip because we hadn’t all been at the same place at the same time in about ten years since not everyone came back for the “American Wedding” film.”

“It was like going into a time warp! I thought for sure that we would all have changed. I felt more mature. I’m older now, married, at that time my wife was pregnant so I was wondering how much everyone else had also changed. And then I got there and we were all acting like immature idiots! When we did the first film we were 18 and trying to act 35 and now that I’m 31 I’m acting like I’m 12, at least when I’m around those guys.”

Rosy: With all the gags that went on during the actual shooting, it must have been so crazy in between the shots! What can you share about what went on behind-the-scenes?

TIN: “Remember how I mentioned that we acted like 12 year olds? Well we hit each other on the balls a lot. Jason threw a lot of objects at my balls like a water bottle and his iPad twice.”

One of the things I liked the most about talking to Thomas was how honest and funny he was. Also, he addressed me as Rosa, with the rolling “r” and all! (You go boy!)

Since he does so well with both singing and acting, I suggested he might do well guest starring on either Smash or Glee. Sadly this did not go off to well with him!

TIN: “Probably not Glee, I’m not really a fan, I’m a rocker! If I got to go on and just flip the bird to Glee that would be sweet!”

So what type of television does he enjoy? (Here is a hint: It’s not reality tv! It is banned in his house!)

TIN: “Right now I am addicted to Breaking Bad. I don’t know why I didn’t watch that show when it came out in 2008 but I just started and I’m devouring the first four seasons before the fifth season starts.”

Rosy: Given the right script, do you think we might see the American Pie gang back on the big screen someday?

TIN: “I think its possible but I haven’t heard any official word. if it does come together I think it would be a lot of fun and I would be down to do it.”

Click here to purchase American Reunion in stores now!

Dallas is back and it’s like it never left

 “Blood is thicker than water, and oil is thicker than both.” The premiere of TNTs Dallas laid it on thick this week and completely won this fan’s heart.

I feel I must forewarn you. I have been at Defcon-4 since the reboot was announced last year so TNT was going to have to work really hard to get a bad review out of me for this premiere. JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen could simply walk into the room and give each other knowing glances and I’d rate it 4 stars. If the show is terrible it will probably take me 3 or 4 episodes to realize it, so bear with me. I am not the most objective person in the world when it comes to nostalgia. My eyes are clouded with the soft, backlit, Vaseline covered haze of the 80s.

Dallas is one of the tent pole shows from the 80s that really define my youth and along with its spin off Knots Landing were the only shows we really watched together as a family each week. It is hard to separate the Ewings from the 80s. They were always around, mostly acting crazy and making questionable moral (and fashion) choices. Literally hundreds of characters rotated in and out of that white house, but at the core it was the story of embattled brothers JR and Bobby and their struggle for control of the family legacy that drove the story. Fast forward twenty-one years and the story is the same.

 

Admittedly, a large part of my giddy glee during the premiere was just being so damn happy to see that opening sequence in all it’s HD glory and having so many fond memories come flooding back. Thanks to the success of the original series Southfork Ranch remains virtually unchanged since the 80s. Some clever camera angles and some CGI pastures hid the visitor parking lots and the Dallas museum from view, and some remarkable set design that included a full-size replica of the interiors carefully matched to the familiar layout and updated with 21st century furnishings and fixtures. Never mind that the interiors don’t come anywhere close to matching the exterior of the home since a different location was used originally. We can forgive little things like that. But fantastic sets and nostalgic title sequences can only carry a show so far. It could have easily fallen apart as soon as anyone started speaking and I was prepared for the worst. But fifteen minutes in I felt a grin creep across my face and knew that all was right and good with the world. My Ewings were back and it was a GLORIOUS thing.

What I loved about the old show was how over the top and melodramatic it was and TNT has embraced the shit out of that heritage. Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman and Linda Gray stepped effortlessly back into those roles and it was a joy to watch. I totally believed where their characters ended up 14 years after War of the Ewings. Bobby is still the moral compass and Sue Ellen is still a fierce bitch, albeit a sober one. And seeing JR sitting in the Home for Sad and Lonely Old People just made his reawakening at the end of the first hour that much more satisfying. Don’t poke the sleeping snake. It was also good to see Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and Ray (Steve Kanaly) at Christopher’s wedding and I hope they get some more screen time. And I really look forward to the return of Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval).

The basic premise of this new series is that Jr and Bobby lost Ewing Oil to rival Cliff Barnes. Bobby returned to Southfork to run the ranch and JR apparently lost his mind and wound up in a home. Now their sons, John Ross and Christopher are looking to put the Ewings back on top and have very different ideas about how to do so. Throw in a love triangle or two and some backstabbing and it’s game on at Southfork Ranch.

I was mostly impressed with the new batch of Ewings. Josh Henderson bugged me a little with his bad Texas accent and strutting around like an extra on Gunsmoke but by the end of the first hour I was totally ALL IN with his portrayal of John Ross. Of course JR’s son would be a nightmare of arrogance and betrayal at the age of 33. Anything else would have been disappointing.  Jesse Metcalfe’s Christopher made a nice contrast to his cocky cousin but it took me a while before I was able to shake his Desperate Housewives character from my head. Nice to see he is still fond of wandering around shirtless. Speaking of Desperate Housewives, it was nice to see Brenda Strong acting ON camera for a change as the new gun-toting matriarch of Southfork. As for the younger ladies I loved Jordana Brewster’s saucy cook’s daughter Elena Ramos. Julie Gonzalo as Christopher’s new wife Rebecca didn’t do much to win my heart but I’m willing to see how she plays out.

The two-hour premiere which included the episodes “Changing of the Guard” and “Hedging Your Bets” was full of great moments and some really great quotes. The one that really made me glow with happiness and nostalgia though was the big showdown at John Ross’s forbidden oil rig in the far reaches of the ranch. Hearing Bobby utter the phrase “I promised Mama there would be NO DRILLING ON SOUTHFORK” conjured images of Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie and took me right back to 1987 again. But then John Ross had the GALL to respond with this:

“Isn’t it about time we stopped caring about Miss Ellie’s precious wishes?”

I am not lying when I tell you that both myself and my partner said out loud “Oh no no no…that will not do.” John Ross had better watch his dirty little mouth or he might wake up to find Miss Ellie’s ghost standing at the foot of his bed with a shotgun and a disappointed look. Anyway, I didn’t need any further proof that I was completely invested in this new Dallas. JR’s comment later on that his son should “Never pass up a good chance to shut up” and his realization in the closing moments of episode two sealed the deal.

The Ewings are indeed back yall, like a stampede of longhorns. Everybody is scheming everybody and screwing everybody else and it is just getting started. The first mini-season is set to run ten episodes and I assume if it does well then it will return next summer. Catch it Wednesdays at 9pm on TNT. Not doing so would be downright unpatriotic.

REVIEW: Glee “Prom-asaurus”

Television proms are nothing like real proms, at least not the proms I attended back in the 1980s. Don’t judge me. The 80s were AWESOME! Glee isn’t set in the 80s unfortunately. Prom at McKinley High has been historically dramatic. At last year’s junior prom we had Karofsky crowned prom king with Kurt as his queen. Finn punched Jesse St. James and Quinn slapped Rachel. Senior prom was considerably less violent but no less dramatic. “Prom-asaurus” was a nice break from the heavy handed social-issue of the week stuff they’ve been hammering down our throats lately. The music was good, the mood was light (mostly) and it showed us how these characters have grown over the years, some more than others.

Sexy teen trollup Brittany (Heather Morris), in perhaps her only act as class president, took over the prom committee from the terror cell running it and declared the theme to be dinosaurs which included paper mache velociraptors, Sue’s prombrosia and cheetah-print Flintstone outfits. Oh and there was the ban on hair gel that really really upset Blaine (Darren Criss). Rachel (Lea Michele) wasn’t too keen on the idea either. Depressed over her epic failure at the Nyada audition and jealous over Finn (Cory Monteith) and Quinn (Dianna Agron) campaigning for king and queen she opts to hold an ANTI-PROM for the lonely and disenfranchised. Santana (Naya Rivera) hated this idea and told Rachel so as only Santana can.

Finn, being the eternal good guy, is torn between loving Rachel and wanting to support Quinn who is counting on the sympathy vote to win queen as her final crowning achievement. What nobody knows is that her therapy is going well and she can actually walk again. When he discovers this he gets angry and causes another scene on the dance floor that gets him ejected and sends him back to Rachel where he should have been all along.

Meanwhile Rachel’s anti-prom is pretty lame. Kurt and Blaine are bored and obviously want to go to prom despite their fear of reliving last year’s humiliation. When Finn shows up he convinces the group to come back with him which means Blaine loses the hair gel and debuts his natural fro to the world. Still cute! Puck and Becky stay behind and after Becky kicks his ass at strip poker he makes her a cardboard crown and they make a grand entrance at the prom. It was very sweet and any excuse to get Puck (Mark Salling) in his underwear gets thumbs up from me.

I mentioned growth before and nowhere was it more evident than in the announcement of prom queen. McKinley’s top mean girls Santana and Quinn were tasked with counting the votes and in a surprise move they tossed the ballots and gave the crown to Rachel Berry. I really enjoyed their discussion about how awesome their high school years had been and how they had one last chance to really make a difference. Bravo Glee for taking the high road.

The final moments of the episode really captured what those final few weeks of high school are like for seniors. Tina’s tearful admission that she really doesn’t want it to end was sweet. I remember feeling much the same way, only with fewer tears and less singing.

Speaking of singing, the music this week was all over the place stylistically but overall pretty good. Rachel, Kurt and Blaine’s performance of Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was almost perfect. It wasn’t the right song for Kurt’s range but I thought but he did a good job. Brittany’s “Dinosaur” was odd and quirky and fun but nothing I want to hear ever again. Santana tore up “Love You Like a Love Song” and the guys made the ladies swoon with “What Makes You Beautiful“. The hour rounded out with Quinn and Santana belting out “Take My Breath Away” where Quinn stood up for the first time in front of her friends. Mercedes said it best. PRAISE!

Like I said before, TV proms are not like real proms but that is okay. If Glee had modeled this episode after my prom experience then Kurt would have gone to prom with Mercedes, stayed for half an hour, met up with the rest of Glee club at The Waffle House for a late dinner and then ended up bowling. I had fun but I doubt the tv viewing public would agree.

Next week is Nationals and oh what a feeling it will be. Check out the preview below.

People en Español counts Sofia Vergara and William Levy amongst the “50 Most Beautiful”

It’s that time of year again when People en Español releases their yearly list of “50 Most Beautiful Hispanic Celebrities.” There are a lot of familiar faces on there, including Ricky Martin (rocking an adorable little mustache on the cover), Jencarlos Canela, Zoe Saldana, Salma Hayek, Daddy Yankee, and Dancing with the Stars hunk William Levy amongst others.

As you can expect, Modern Family star and CoverGirl spokesperson Sofia Vergara is making her 7th appearance on the list while Mexican singing sensation Thalia broke records with her ninth appearance in the issue. Below, find a complete list of the winners in alphabetical order. And don’t forget to tune-in for the Los 50 Mas Bellos de People en Espanol TV special airing on Sunday, May 6, 10:00pm EDT, on Univision.

Adamari Lopez—Puerto Rican actress, Mira quien baila! (Univision)
Adriana Fonseca—Mexican actress, Corazon valiente (Telemundo)
Alejandro Chaban—Venezuelan actor
Alicia Machado—Venezuelan actress, Una familia con suerte (Univision)
Ana Brenda—Mexican actress, La que no podia amar, (Univision)
Angelica Vale—Mexican actress, Parodiando (Univision)
Carlos Ponce—Puerto Rican actor and singer, Dos hogares (Univision)
Catherine Siachoque—Colombian actress, La casa de al lado (Telemundo)
Charytin Goyco—Dominican TV host
Chiquinquira Delgado—Venezuelan TV Host, Despierta America, (Univision)
Daddy Yankee—Puerto Rican Reggaetton Artist
David Zepeda—Mexican actor, Abismo de Pasion, (Televisa)
Edward ‘El Cata’ Bello—Dominican singer
Emilio Estefan—Cuban music producer and entrepreneur
Eugenio Siller—Mexican Actor, Una maid en manhattan, (Telemundo)
Gaby Espino—Venezuelan Actress, Mas sabe el diablo (Telemundo)
Genesis Rodriguez—Actress of Venezuelan Descent, Casa de Mi Padre
Gloria Estefan—Cuban Singer
Javier ‘Poty’ Castillo—Spanish Choreography director Mira quien baila! (Univision)
Jencarlos Canela—Cuban-American actor and Singer, Mi Corazon insiste en Lola Volcan (Telemundo)
Jennifer Lopez—Puerto Rican actress, singer and entrepreneur
Jesus ‘Chino’ Miranda—Venezuelan Singer
Jose Ron—Mexican actor, La que no podia amar, (Univision)
Juan Soler—Argentine actor
Julian Gil—Argentinian actor, La que no podia amar, (Univision)
Larry Hernandez—Mexican singer
Lili Estefan—Cuban TV Host, El gordo y la flaca, (Univision)
Litzy—Mexican Actress, Una maid en manhattan, (Telemundo)
Lucero—Mexican Singer and actress, Por ella soy Eva (Televisa)
Luz Elena Gonzalez—Mexican actress, Una familia con suerte (Univision)
Maite Perroni—Mexican Actress, Triunfo del amor (Univision)
Maritza Rodriguez—Colombian actress, La casa de al lado (Telemundo)
Mark Tacher—Mexican actor, Abismo de Pasion (Televisa)
Miguel Varoni—Colombian actor, La casa de al lado (Telemundo)
Naya Rivera—Actress of Puerto Rican descent, Glee, (Fox)
Pablo Alboran—Spanish singer
Penelope Cruz—Spanish Actress, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Priscilla , Mexican Singer, Mira quien baila! (Univision)
Ricky Martin—Puerto Rican Singer, Evita
Salma Hayek—Mexican Actress, The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Sandra Echevarria, Mexican Actress and Singer, Relaciones peligrosas (Telemundo)
Sofia Vergara—Colombian Actress, Modern Family, (ABC)
Sie7e—Puerto Rican singer
Silvia Navarro—Mexican actress, Amor Bravo…cuando manda el corazon (Televisa)
Thalia—Mexican Singer and Actress
Toni Costa—Spanish Dancer
Vanesa de Roide—challenge winner on Nuestra Belleza Latina (Univision)
Victor Cruz—Football player of Puerto Rican descent, New York Giants
William Levy—Cuban actor, Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Zoe Saldana—Dominican actress, Star Trek, Colombiana

REVIEW: Glee “Choke”

This week’s episode of Glee was called “Choke” and sadly it was not based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name. I had a sneaky suspicion that it referred to the much anticipated Nyada auditions for Kurt and Rachel and which one of them was going to screw it up. The writers did a bang up job trying to convince us it was going to be Kurt but anyone with half a brain knew that Rachel (Lea Michele) was going down. Why? Because they’ve spent three seasons cramming her talent down our throats and while she has stumbled before she was due for a big fall, especially after that voiceover about how she is a gas giant ready to become a star. And there is no bigger fall than flubbing the words to the song she has been singing since she pirouetted out of Shelby’s uterus. We know she can wipe the floor with “Don’t Rain on My Parade“. But failure makes for good drama right! This setback is just a freckle on the nose of life’s complexion. Don’t fret over the fate of our golden throated diva. This is television for teens after all. Things are gonna work out.

Life is going much better for Kurt (Chris Colfer). After wisely ditching his original plan of doing “Music of the Night” with a dead-eyed Tina Chang as Christine he opted for shiny gold pants and copious pelvic thrusts to win over the heart of stodgy judge Carmen Tibideau (Whoopi Goldberg). His raging hormonal rendention of Peter Allen’s “Not The Boy Next Door” did the trick and it looks like he’s Nyada bound.

In the midst of all the Nyada drama there is the little problem of graduation and the fact that Puck (Mark Salling) is just now realizing he won’t be joining his bros unless he nails the European Geography exam, or more specifically the European Geography teacher who he figures is easier than the exam. His rock hard abs and irresistible charm fail to win the newly divorced and lonely woman over and he decides to drop out via a big High School Musical version of Alice Cooper’s anthem of angst “Schools Out“. A visit from his deadbeat father quickly changes his mind and he asks his bros for help. After a night with the Glee Boys he might just be ready for the exam, but not before torturing us with “The Rain in Spain” from My Fair Lady. The baby Jesus wept.

Meanwhile the girls were getting a hard lesson in respect from “Black Sue” Roz Washington (Nene Leakes). High school girls are mean. I remember. And when Roz catches the Glee girls making fun of Coach Bieste’s (Dot Marie Jones) black eye they end up on her “list” and forced to do a song representing female empowerment. Naturally they get it wrong and do a song about crazy women in their panties killing men over gum. The song, “Cell Block Tango” was not one of my faves. Chicago is a great show but I just didn’t enjoy the track. Later when they find out Coach Bieste is being battered by her new husband Cooter they redeem themselves with Florence + The Machine’s “Shake it Out“.

Rachel rounded out the hour with a tearful and loud version of “Cry” by Kelly Clarkson while we were shown the various ways in which people choked this week. Coach Bieste choked on her decision to leave Cooter and lied to Sue and Roz about it. Puck choked on his exam even though he thought he did okay on it. And Blaine choked on hair gel. The only one who didn’t choke was Kurt. I vote for season four being The Kurt Hummel Variety Hour featuring Blaine Anderson and the Warblers.

Glee has been very uneven and frustrating for me since the winter break, hence the lack of reviews lately. Last week’s “Whitney” tribute was pretty amazing and while “Choke” had some good moments, some great acting and a couple of good songs overall it was just okay. The domestic violence issue was handled gracefully I thought and I liked that not everyone gets a happy ending. Glee make try to convince us that breaking out in song is normal but it’s nice to see that they don’t always intend on sugar coating everything. Graduation is looming fast though and there is a lot to resolve before they put on those caps and gowns. Next up is prom which has been given a dinosaur theme by class president Brittany. That should be interesting.

What did you guys think of “Choke”?

Follow me on Twitter @omgneal

AccidentalSexiness.com teams with Nivea to celebrate Perez Hilton’s Birthday!

As the Latina Brand Ambassador for Nivea, I knew I would get to do some pretty big things to help spread the word about their Million Moments of Touch campaign and last weekend I headed to Los Angeles, California to do just that! Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton celebrated his birthday on Saturday, March 24th, 2012 at the Siren Studios and I had the pleasure to meet some pretty fabulous people including Tom Felton, Bella Thorne, JoJo, Bridget Marquardt, and Howie Dorough of The Backstreet Boys who all came by Nivea’s Kissing Booth to pose for photos.

Speaking of The Backstreet Boys, the guys were all in the house for a special performance that included some of their classic hits like I Want It That Way and Everybody. Throughout the night, guests were treated to some pretty fantastic singers including The Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham, Glee star Amber Riley, and one of my favorites– Taylor Dayne!

Kat Graham Performing

Back at the kissing booth, more than 300 party goers took home Nivea lip products including the super popular “A Kiss of Vitamin Swirl” for women and “Nivea for Men Replenishing Lip Balm” for the boys.

I was exhausted by the end of the night when Far East Movement took the stage and I couldn’t dance one more song! These satin red heels from Nina Shoes I wore were beautiful but a big of a challenge after wearing them for six hours straight.

(Click here to read more about my outfit including my Adrianna Papell dress, clutch and heels by Nina Shoes and Forever 21 earrings)

It’s a good thing the valet had my Kia Optima Turbo waiting for me at the door so that I could drive home and take in the nights excitement.

Check out some more images of the celebs who passed by Nivea’s Kissing Booth and some who were on the red carpet including Kim Kardashian below!


Photo Cred: Nivea

REVIEW: Glee “On My Way”

This week’s Glee reminded me of all this terrible after school specials from the 1970s only this was so much worse. All the current hot-button issues facing todays teens were beat over the head with baseball bats and smeared on stale melba toast. Teen suicide? Check! Texting while driving? Check! Vicious gay bullying? Check! Foolish and lovestruck kids getting married too young? Check! Geriatric pregnancy? Check! And it was awful. Really awful. So very very awful. I’ll try to be brief.

It goes without saying that the messages Glee tried so very hard to get across this week are important ones. I’ve suspected Dave Karofsky was headed for some sort of dramatic unravelling for a while now. I figured he’d get gay bashed or something to be honest and Kurt would help nurse him back to help. I was partially right. He did get bullied by his teammmates which he sort of had coming I guess. Wait, I take that back. No one ever has that coming. Still, I could see why they took him there. But when he laid his suit on the bed and pulled out his belt while Blaine sang that song about cough suppressants I came very close to turning the television off. How could they get this so wrong?

Glee has handled drama pretty well in the past. The whole Kurt/Dave bully storyline was masterfully done. But this was just horrid. That being said, Max Adler and Chris Colfer did a wonderful job with what they were given to work with. Their scene together in the hospital was the best thing about the whole episode and I’m very glad that Dave survived his suicide attempt.

And while we are on the subject of bullys…can we just be done with Sebastian? I get that the show needs a villain now that Sue is knocked up and overrun with hormonal changes but Sebastian is hardly worthy. He’s a boring villain and a boring singer, and now he’s not even a villain any more. After threatening to upload fake photoshop porn of Finn and sending Dave over the edge with his Liberace comment at Scandals he has seen the error of his ways and now wants to raise money for the Born This Way Foundation. Bravo for some growth there but wow…just bad writing folks. Bad bad bad.

The one happy note this week was the wedding of Finnchel. After Dave’s brush with death the New Directions are faced with their mortality and after a poor attempt by Mr. Schue to inspire them with peanut butter Rachel decides she no longer wants to wait to be Mrs. Finn Hudson. They decided to tie the knot at City Hall after Regionals and they hope everyone will be there. Sure their parents are still against it and as they gather before the ceremony Rachel’s dads come up with some clever ideas about how to pull the plug. Meanwhile Quinn is racing home to get the bridesmaids dress she didn’t have immediately before Regionals when she hadn’t made up her mind about attending and she gets distracted by her cell phone and happy thoughts about her triumphant return to the Cheerios and kicking ass at Yale. You can guess what happens next.

Right. Okay then. Glee…you are on thin ice. VERY THIN. This mid-season finale was just repulsive in every way. Even the music was bad…or maybe I was just so mad I didn’t notice it.