The Tangent

By Danielle Sonnenberg
Special to amNewYork

Bookshelves are groaning with business books trying to explain the financial meltdown. With 401(k) plans evaporating quickly, people are looking for advice about how to navigate the treacherous economy. Here are a few must-reads:

2009 Action Plan
By Suze Orman
Suze Orman’s “2009 Action Plan” is a practical guide to getting a handle on one’s finances. She offers sensible advice that is worth following during a boom or a bust. Orman, a best-selling author and TV personality, leaves readers with a plethora of ways to increase savings and reduce debt.

By Emily Hulme
• At Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard St., Thursday 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Painter Bob Ross may have been a hipster hero ahead of his time.

The afro’ed host of the “Joy of Painting” made his own way, painting happy little clouds and trees in half an hour, and future cool kids everywhere watched him after school.

Ross passed away in 1995, but his spirit lives on. Party promoters Alex Zoppa and Misha Calvert are hosting an event in his memory this Thursday, complete with art show, dance performances and a look-alike contest.

We spoke with Zoppa and Calvert about the undertaking.

Where did this idea come from?
Zoppa: We’ve both been huge fans of Bob Ross. It’s something we’ve been planning for a little while now. With everything going on in the world, it’s nice to go back and celebrate someone who has a nicer, clearer message.

By Emily Hulme

Like I said, "The Mighty Boosh" has come to Adult Swim. But if you don't have cable, you can still watch; new (to us) episodes will be downloadable on iTunes one week they air.

And according to a spokesperson at BBC America, the likely plan is that AS will air season three and then go back for seasons one and two.

By Emily Hulme

(BTW: This is a fake trailer, thought there is a movie adaptation in the works.)

I just finished Max Brooks' "World War Z," an oral history of the zombie war that nearly eradicated the human race at the turn of the millennium. It is a scary, scary book, but not quite for the reasons you might think. Yes, the undead are frightening, but the human reaction is terrifying. From the unapologetic pharmaceutical baron who gets rich from his snake oil cure to the crypto-fascists who use the cover of the chaos to seize dictatorial control over Russia, the worst of our nature is unleashed by the crisis.

Of course, people rise to the challenge with unbelievable strength and generosity of spirit as well. The war is won by humans, obviously, because it's humans telling the tale after the fact. The premise is that all of these stories were collected for a United Nations Post War Commission Report, but excised from the report for being too emotional, too close to the situation, too human. The author published them as a sociological history so that people would remember what happened when the zombies attacked.

I have to say, I had a lot of weird dreams while I was reading this book. Not necessarily about zombies, but general anxiety. Because this isn't a story of the supernatural, but of how humanity reacts to the challenges it is presented with. The book is filled with military personnel, government officials, mothers, children, vigilantes, heroes, cowards ... In short, it's as realistic as a book about the zombie apocalypse could be.

I really liked it. But now I'm off to read "Sisterhood of the Traveling Prada Devil," or something...

By Emily Hulme

Gizmodo has a funny piece comparing the Snuggie vs. Slanket vs. Freedom Blanket vs. Blankoat vs. wearing your robe backwards. The Slanket comes out the winner, only because the Blankoat costs $330 -- I didn't even know that thing existed.

I also didn't know that the Freedom Blanket was the original product. Would you wear it while eating Freedom Fries, perhaps? Maybe that's why no one's heard of it.

In addition, Gizmodo gives us the final word on wearing your robe backwards. It doesn't work, Smarty McSmartypants, because robes usually end around your knees, where as the beauty of blankets is that they go all the way down to your toes.

I'm just waiting for some crafty DIY types to start making homemade ... well, what would you call this genre of product, blanketwear? My own clumsy solution is to wear a sweater under a blanket if my arms get cold. Call me crazy.

From left to right, "Hair" cast members Allison Case, Kacie Sheik and Sasha Allen (Photos: RJ Mickelson/amNY)

Bryce Ryness

From left to right, Gavin Creel, Will Swenson, Darius Nichols and Caissie Levy

By Julie Gordon and Jessie Pascoe

The 1967 musical “Hair” is famous for its young hippie cast members shedding their clothing in a passionate declaration of freedom. But what inspires us in terms of spring fashion are those very threads — patched-up jeans, fringed vests, long dresses, flowing tops — that drop to the stage floor.

So we enlisted the eight principals of the Broadway revival, which opens at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on March 31, to show off styles that pay homage to the flower-child vibe of the 1960s as well as the shapes and trends of 2009.

By Robert Levin
Special to amNewYork

Paul H-O (short for Hasegawa-Overacker), was the host of “Gallery Beat,” a public access show in the 1990s that brought an everyman’s perspective to the often close-knit, incestuous New York art world. He never attracted many viewers, but the art community genuinely appreciated the show.

“That’s the thing that made me the happiest. Artists liked my show and that’s the only thing that really mattered,” he says.

One of those artists was Cindy Sherman, press shy portrait artist who caused a sensation in the 1980s with her seminal “Untitled Film Stills.”

In the early ’90s, Sherman surprised everyone by consenting to a series of interviews with Paul.

These eventually blossomed into romance, the complicated path of which is charted in “Guest of Cindy Sherman,” a documentary by Paul and Tom Donahue that opened at the Cinema Village Friday.

By Robert Levin
Special to amNewYork

Plato’s Retreat, the iconic swingers club of the late 1970s-mid 1980s, is such an apt subject for a documentary that one wonders why it’s taken more than two decades for someone to make “American Swing.”

Co-directors Jon Hart and Matthew Kaufman fill their telling of the New York institution’s story with astonishing (and astonishingly explicit) archival footage and candid onscreen interviews with many of the club’s central players. The film, which opened at the Quad Cinema Friday, simultaneously mourns the loss of the club and the era of sexual innocence it signified. amNewYork spoke to the filmmakers.

The story of Plato’s Retreat is both humorous and sad. Can you talk about bringing both elements to the movie?
Jon Hart: The humor was there. The people were fun. They went there to have fun, and laugh and smile and dance, and you’re scantily clad or nude and you’re vulnerable. You’re naked. So there’s humor there. It’s inherent. There definitely were sexual relations going there, so that had to be portrayed, and the era is over, that era is over and it was sad.

Here's another promo for "Sit Down, Shut Up," my soon-to-be favorite prime time cartoon after it premieres April 19.

And here's another fact I learned today: Josh Weinstein is one of the executive producers! Weinstein was a Simpsons writer and one of the creators of "Mission Hill" (which, visually SDSU sort of resembles, now that you mention it). His partner Bill Oakley, had originally been part of this team, but dropped out, according to Wikipedia, last year. I don't know what that means, but I am still super psyched to see the show.

These are both pretty funny in their own way (that is if you've seen "Battlestar Galactica"; if you haven't, well, you're missing out).

Battlestar Helvetica

Muppetstar Galactica

It's a pretty spot-on parody of the mumblecore movement. The song at the end is the greatest, from the too quirky for words "pizza party in space" to the "shockingly" scatological lyric (I can't bring myself to write it out), it's a an effective skewering of the Moldy Peaches.

Britney Spears performs a song from her "Circus" tour. (Getty).

By Julie Gordon

Britney Spears is a Jersey girl until March 30.

The pop star has been staying in a suburban Alpine, N.J., mansion during the East Coast leg of her "Circus" tour.

"It's just a temporary housing arrangement till March 30 while on tour," said Douglas F. McLean of Sotheby's International Realty, which brokered the deal.

McLean declined to disclose a rental price, citing a confidentiality agreement with Spears.

However, Life & Style Weekly reports that Jive Records is paying $30,000 for the home, which is worth $8 million.

"They talked about Long Island, but she wanted something closer that could feel like home for Sean and Jayden," a source told Life & Style.

Added the insider: "It's a gorgeous neighborhood with big sprawling houses. Diddy has a house in Alpine, and Chris Rock and Mary J. Blige live nearby. People in the neighborhood are used to having stars there and won't bother her. It's peaceful."

By Robert Levin
Special to amNewYork

No matter its ultimate box office take “Hunger,” from director Steve McQueen (no not the famous actor; he’s still dead), is one of the art house sensations of recent years. It won the Golden Camera at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and prizes at the BAFTA Awards and the British Independent Film Awards.

The filmmaker employs a spare, realist aesthetic to tell the story of Bobby Sands and the famous hunger strike he launched to protest the brutal prison conditions perpetuated against republican prisoners in Northern Ireland circa 1981. It’s currently playing at the IFC Center. amNewYork spoke to the director when he was in town for the film’s screening at the 2008 New York Film Festival.

What drew you to the event and the character of Bobby Sands nearly 30 years after the fact?
It wasn’t about him. It was more about the event. The situation with him as an individual struck a chord, an idea of someone who stopped eating in order to be heard. At eleven-years-old that left a big impression on me. [That] there was no food going in and therefore he wasn’t getting louder struck a chord, because the whole situation was odd. That year, 1981, there were the prison riots and Tottenham won the FA Cup, my football [soccer] team, so it was one of those coming of age moments.

By Emily Hulme

Creator Matt Groening talked to the AV Club about a bunch of things, but he had this to say about the future of "Futurama":

MG:If this is the final appearance of Futurama, it will be bittersweet but satisfying, ultimately. David Cohen, the co-creator of Futurama, and I always felt that we really had the rug pulled out from under us when Futurama got cancelled. It was such a relief to be able to tell some of the many stories we didn’t get to tell. We have now worked our asses off for the last few years doing these movies. If we don’t get to do more, we will have some regrets, but we got to say a lot of what we wanted to say. On the other hand, if Fox does want to make more, we would be very glad to. We still have stories that we sketched out before we even started the series that we haven’t gotten to.

AVC: When will you have a better idea if you are coming back?

MG: Maybe the next phone call I get? I don’t know. [Laughs.] We’re not holding our breath. It’s always tough in television, because it is much safer to say no. If you say yes, it is going to cost a lot of money, especially with animation, so I understand the hesitation. On the other hand, what we do is very good, and the fans really love it, and the DVDs have been very lucrative for Fox. I think they should do some more. If they’re smart, they’ll do more.

Whaddya say, FOX?

By Emily Hulme

Do you miss "Maniac Mansion"? Sure, we all do!

This new Double Fine minigame takes that interface and applies it to game designer Tim Schafer preparing to host the Game Developers Choice Awards. Fun!

It's fitting, because Schafer actually worked for LucasArts on "MM" and the first two games of the "Monkey Island" series.

I'm a dork, but I totally wish there were more games like these.

This looks amazing!

(The song is "Wake Up," by Arcade Fire.)

Jessica Biel likes $.99 eyeliner from wet n wild, while Denise Richards uses $4.99 shave cream from eos. (Photos: Getty)

By Julie Gordon

Even celebrities aren’t immune to the sinking economy. Here, they share their favorite beauty buys for $10 or less.

• Actress Jessica Biel lines her peepers with wet n wild Eyeliner in Black Black ($.99 at drugstores). All the better to see Justin Timberlake with.

• Halle Berry keeps her lips kissably soft with Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 ($8.50 at Kiehl’s).

• Singer Alicia Keys doesn’t always have time to wash her face, so she uses Simple Skincare’s Cleansing Facial Wipes ($5.99 at Duane Reade). “I found them in London and went to virtually every Boots and wiped them out,” she says. “I am so excited I can now get them in the States.”

• “I like good old Vaseline for everything — chapped lips, whatever,” says “Lipstick Jungle” star Lindsay Price. (7.5 oz. jar for $3.99 at Duane Reade)

• Denise Richards keeps her legs smooth with eos Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream ($4.99 at drugstore.com).

By Scott A. Rosenberg

Legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes’ son, Cody, might be making waves in the WWE these days, but in the new “Legends of WrestleMania” video game, it’s the elder Rhodes who is in the spotlight.

“It’s a great honor,” the senior Rhodes says. “It’s really cool to be one of the legendary figures of the industry, to leave some legacy, some history.”

By Emily Hulme

Slice Issue Four, available here

Last night I went to the Literary Trivia Showdown at Dixon Place, an event that pit authors vs. editors vs. agents in a quiz show as a benefit for Slice Literary Magazine. Initially I was dubious about attending an event where I would not be able to shout out the answers (I'm a know-it-all, and I want everyone else to know it), but the author team featured Jonathan Lethem, one of my favorite living writers, and I couldn't miss the chance to be in the same room with him.

And, it turned out, my fears were immensely unfounded. The event was great fun, even though it was non-participatory. (There were a few times I had to put my hand over my mouth for fear of blurting out the answers.)

How it worked: There were the three teams mentioned above (list of participants here), and a moderator, reading questions in eight categories: First Lines; Publishing History; Fears, Neuroses and General Oddities; Heroes and Villains; Alternate Titles; Best Sellers and Best Stealers; Literary Feuds; and Literary Gossip.

From the get-go, it was a raucous competition. The proceedings were super casual, but the participants were serious about winning. (At one point, someone actually raised an objection with a "Point-of-order!") (Sample trash talk: Agent to Authors: "Get a job!" Author back to agent: "Why don't you ask for a percentage of our score!" -- it was funny if you were there.)

The Authors took an early lead and stayed there. Interestingly enough, the Editors knew their publishing history and lore the best, and the Agents cornered the market on all Harry Potter/Twilight/Hobbit-related questions. But the breadth of knowledge at the Author table was no match for their competitors. (Also noteworthy: Chip Kidd, playing for the Authors, fittingly got most of the comic-related questions.)

There were very few questions missed. Here's what they didn't know:

• Which is Ray Bradbury's phobia: aerophobia, fear of flying. (It was multiple choice.)

• What is the book most frequently shoplifted from bookstores: the Bible.

• Who was the real life woman inserted into books by Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis: Rielle Hunter.

The night was a lot of fun. The proceeds are going toward printing costs of the magazine, which is put out largely by a coterie of volunteers. They're hoping to make it an annual event, so check their website this time next year.

ETA: I forgot one of the funniest details: When the Agents were introduced, they played the "Imperial March".

Best line last night:

Chuck: "I'm not going to play where's Waldorf all night."

By Emily Hulme

I've been hearing this rumor for a while, and though I can find very little about it on Adult Swim's actual website, I saw a commercial this weekend for the premiere of "The Mighty Boosh" on Adult Swim this Sunday. And it's on the schedule here.

It looks like they're starting with "Eels," the season 3 premiere. As good a choice as any, though I hope they go back and show seasons 1 and 2. ("Old Gregg" is as fine a piece of comedy as you'll ever see.)

Do yourself a favor and watch.

By Emily Hulme

Some Daves I know, and what they're up to.

• David Cross has written a sitcom for Channel 4 in the U.K. and "will also star in 'The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret," about a U.S. businessman who finds himself out of his depth when he is mistakenly sent to run his company’s U.K. arm." I'll watch. Or, I would, anyway, if I lived in England. More.

• And, um, there's a "Family Guy"/"Bones" crossover in the works. Seriously, David Boreanaz's character will have hallucinations of Stewie Griffin. Weirdly, for whatever reason, a lot of people around me have been doing this lately, so I kind of feel like I'm hallucinating Stewie too.

If I had an alarm clock that told me it was "go time," I'd be a lot more excited to get out of bed.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Comedian Nick Thune stars in this new web series from Atom, in which he plays a comedian ... living life, basically.

I love awful people acting awkwardly, but only to a certain threshold, which Nick's show might cross (also, behind-the-scenes Hollywood?, I no longer care to be in on that joke). But, it's only the first episode, so I am curious to see where this goes. Also Thune has a guest appearance by Paul Scheer scheduled for a future episode, and I love him. If there's anyone who can act awful person on the right side of the divide, it's Paul Scheer.

Is that a Christopher Mintz-Plasse at 1:34? I think it is!

By Emily Hulme

So Thursday's episode of "30 Rock" was pretty good, but the definite highlight of the show was Tracy Jordan Jr. berating Jack Donaghy. I think that's Bobb'e J. Thompson, of "Role Models," and earlier, "Shutterbugs." He's going up against some excellent comedic actors here, and he comes out ahead! Nice work!

By Emily Hulme

While you're avoiding work, life or what have you, check out Picture is Unrelated. I can't adequately describe it's non sequitur goodness, so I'll just repost an example:

The question isn't, "Why is he holding a fish?" It's, "Why aren't you holding a fish?"

Some of the photos are a little contrived, but most are just straight up, what-the-heck awesome. Browse when you need a dose of "life is meaningless, it's all gonna be ok."

ETA: Some are mildly unsafe for work.

"ArtBridge 2009: First Exposure," displayed on London Terrace Gardens in Chelsea (RJ Mickelson)

By Julie Gordon

Scaffolding in New York is as ubiquitous as it is ugly. Artist Rodney Durso decided to do something about the latter issue.

His organization, ArtBridge, is displaying the works of 26 local artists for the next six months around West Chelsea’s historic London Terrace Gardens apartment complex.

“I wanted to find a way for artists to get their work out there in a highly visible area,” said Durso, 44.

He lives in London Terrace and hatched the idea about a year ago, when the current round of construction started.

By Emily Hulme

So this discussion has raged in various corners of the internet since Jon Stewart took over the "Daily Show," but check any message board these days and you'll see it deserves reiterating.

This is Jon Stewart:

This is John Stewart:

(Alternatively, this is John Stewart as well.)

Please be careful with your 'h's, internet.

By Scott A. Rosenberg

Director Alex Proyas, 45, has made his name directing dark science-fiction films, from the critically lauded “Dark City” to the blockbuster Will Smith flick “I, Robot.”

He’s dabbling in darkness again with his new thriller, “Knowing,” starring Nicolas Cage, landing in theaters tomorrow.

LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian (Photos: Getty)

Country singer LeAnn Rimes is not denying a report that she and her married co-star, Eddie Cibrian, are having an affair.

“This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support,” Rimes wrote on her Web site. “I would like to assure all of you that this is a place for you to hear things directly from me and as you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white.”

According to Us Weekly, Rimes, who is also married, and Cibrian are involved in a romance that started on the set of their March 21 “Lifetime” movie “Northern Lights."

Us caught Rimes, 26, and Cibrian, 35, on camera March 7 kissing and holding hands at Mosun and Club M in Laguna Beach. The mag also reports that the pair had a three-hour romp on March 14.

Rimes and dancer Dean Sheremet, 35, have been married for seven years, while Cibrian and model Brandi Gianville have been married for almost eight.

Sheremet Twittered at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, writing “I love my wife!!!”

By Emily Hulme

Neil Gaiman was already on my list of my top-five Favorite People I Don't Know, and this interview just solidifies that positioning. He is just awesome going toe to toe with Stephen Colbert, who manages to give a coherent interview despite himself. They both are laugh out loud funny here.

Things to note:

Colbert prominently displays the Newbery Award bedecked cover as he reads the opening line.

Moral: "Dead people are nice."

Colbert calls up some Tolkien from freaking memory!

Also, read "The Graveyard Book." It's really good.

By Emily Hulme

(via) In a survey for World Book Day 2009, a U.K. group compiled a list of books that people most often lie about reading. Here's what they found:

1. 1984 by George Orwell (42%)
2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (31%)
3. Ulysses by James Joyce (25%)
4. The Bible (24%)
5. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (16%)
6. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (15%)
7. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (14%)
8. In Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust (9%)
9. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama (6%)
10. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (6%)

I actually have read 1, 3, parts of 4, 5 and 7. I lie about having read number 6; although I have passed my eyes over every word in that book, given what I took away from it I don't think that really counts as reading.

By Emily Hulme

George Clooney is so adorably wackadoo. Despite that ridiculous backlash (RIP Radar) against the actor last year, I still love him. So, yes please, give me a video tour of your toilet in Chad, and complain about your haircut. I have the same problem; no matter how much I keep cutting it, my hair keeps growing. We're totally twins.

By Emily Hulme

(via)

So the Fug Girls (linked above) did it first, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I'm about to mock a 15-year-old. But, seriously, Jenny Humphrey, what are you doing to your hair? It looks like a bad wig.

Like the Fug Girls do, I think it must be the "Gossip Girl" stylists that are making her look like this, because Taylor Momsen herself rocks it alright. Not great, but alright.

Also, I may be alone in this, but I love it when Little J breaks out the bad girl eyeliner.

Guinness brewmaster Fergal Murray, right, demonstrates to television host Carson Daly the craft of pouring the perfect pint. (Diane Bondareff/Guinness)

By Casey Feldman

Carson Daly can't stand public displays of drinking on St. Patrick’s Day.

“Especially at the bars in New York, people get a little sloppy,” the TV host, 35, told us at a rally for Guinness' Proposition 3-17, which would make St. Patty’s a national holiday.

His favorite way to spend the holiday is at home with his Irish family.

"We eat corned beef and cabbage. We just talk and all hang out together and drink Guinness, listen to music, sing, do what every Irish family does,” the "Last Call with Carson Daly" host said.

That said, the L.A. resident did frequent Irish pubs when he lived in NYC for several years when he hosted MTV's "Total Request Live." His favorites? The Parlour on the Upper West Side (where he used to work as a bartender), Molly’s in Gramercy and The Perfect Pint in midtown.

By Emily Hulme

So the last DVD is out, and executive producer David X. Cohen seems pretty optimistic on the show's prospects for a return to television. In an interview with Wired, he's a little more cautious than Billy West was a few weeks back, but he admits to the possibility of bringing the show back, especially after the "Family Guy" precedent.

"We wanted to establish if fans were still out there with these DVDs, so we looked to bring back fans' favorite bits — building around Bender, of course. We also wanted to give fans more than they've seen before, so we went wide-screen and HD on all four discs," Cohen told the magazine.

Unrelated, X is a pretty bad-ass middle initial.

Will Arnett and Jason Bateman diss each other hysterically in this promotional video for the new animated series "Sit Down, Shut Up" (which is surprisingly on FOX; it totally looks like a Cartoon Network-type show). I don't even care what this show is about anymore, I'm loving the ride, you know?

So this exists:

I was skeptical, because baby toupee was a fake commercial for SNL (below), but no. You can purchase these baby wigs here.

Saturday Night Live - Baby Toupee

I love it!

And by the way, "Ayn" rhymes with "mine"; it's not "Ann," Fox News.

By Emily Hulme

An original Nara at Niagra.

Artist Yoshimoto Nara was arrested earlier this week for drawing graffiti in a subway station, as the Post reported. But earlier in the evening, he had started his drawing spree at Niagra Bar, down on Avenue A and 7th street.

And he was not shy about it. His doodles, which are now behind plexiglass, adorn the entire wall opposite the bar, and direct boys and girls to the appropriate restrooms.

More photos after the jump.

Sunshine Cleaning
2.5 stars
Directed by Christine Jeffs
Starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins Jr.

By Mina Hochberg

In “Sunshine Cleaning,” two sisters start a cleaning business, but not just any cleaning business! A biohazard cleaning business, which means they scrub up after gruesome crime scenes. It feels a bit gimmicky, putting two pretty women in such a macabre job, but “Sunshine Cleaning” does, eventually, transcend gimmickry with the help of its likeable, unfussy cast — Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin and, to a lesser extent, Amy Adams.

Rose (Adams) and Norah (Blunt), two sisters living in Albuquerque, are both on respective tracks to nowhere. Rose is a former high school cheerleader who, yes, dated the quarterback and is still dating the quarterback … in hotels, behind his wife’s back. She’s raising a young son while holding down a job at a housecleaning service.

Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez were on the chopping block, with Nunez getting the heave-ho. Credit: Fox

By Perrie Samotin

The first legit elimination night of season 8 kicked off with some confusing gobbledygook about a new twist the show is taking, where the judges get to "save" a contestant of their choosing. They kept referencing Chris Daughtry, and saying that if this new rule had existed back in season 5, the judges may have saved him from his "shocking" premature exit.

Um, first of all, Daughtry appears to doing just fine despite the fact his whole act seemed to have taken a cue from lame late-nineties/early '00s bands like Fuel, Staind, Tonic, Live he didn't win Idol.

After the big announcement, the top 13 engaged one of the usual group numbers, this time it was an embarrassing medley of Jackson 5 jams. Since Scott McIntyre is practically 100 percent blind, the moves were even more theme park than usual and the cameras cleverly cut away at all the right times. After the silly dance, we catch a glimpse of the mansion they'll be living in, complete with an indoor pool and a PHONE IN THE BATHROOM! Fancy!

On to the eliminations! We won't bore you with details. First up for elimination was Jasmine Murray who, awkwardly, took center stage and looked about 13 years old. She kept waving to the audience, like a lil Jas-bot. Poor dear, she's definitely going home.

On the bright side, maybe someone from the Disney Channel was watching. She'd totally be a cute addition to the Miley/Demi/JoBro conglomerate.

After singing, she's joined by hipster Megan Joy Corkery, who's also up for elimination. Seacrest announces it's Jas that's going home and when asked if they want to save her, the judges apologize and say no. Jas tears up and Donna Summer her mom applauds.

Kanye West sings and looks fly in his Canadian tuxedo. Seriously, how many people are able to pull of light blue jeans and a light blue denim jacket?

The next group up for elimination is Anoop Desai, who sang a ridiculous rendition of "Bad" and looked like he was acting the lyrics out for an improv class Tuesday night. He's joined by Puerto Rican lounge singer, er, contestant Jorge Nunez. He was an early favorite, so it's sad when they announce he'll be shipping out. It was also sad when Simon abruptly declined to save him.

Jorge looked a little bewildered, but honestly, the pool bar at the El San Juan has really good frozen mojitos and now he's sort of famous and they'll probably be free for him, so at least there's a bright spot in all this.

Oh, and Kelly Clarkson sang. Tune in next Tuesday for round two!

Matthew McConaughey and Mishka on Jimmy Kimmel Live - video powered by Metacafe

By Julie Gordon

To musician Mishka — the first artist signed to Matthew McConaughey’s record label — The Shirtless One is “just another dude.”

“When [he first called me], I wasn’t particularly aware of his work. I had seen half of one of his movies once,” the Bermuda native told us.

McConaughey took an interest in Mishka after hearing his music in 2000, and the two connected a few years later. Mishka’s first album with j.k. livin, McConaughey’s label, dropped last month.

Sadly, McConaughey didn’t play the bongo drums on the record. 

“When we went to finish the album, he sat in as co-producer,” said of his album, "Above the Bones." “He had a lot of ideas and opinions. Mostly, he’s been a force of enthusiasm.”

By Julie Gordon

Rumors have been flying about potential directors for the third “Twilight” movie installment — Drew Barrymore, Juan Antonio Bayona, Paul Weitz — but star Ashley Greene doesn’t ask producers for the inside scoop.

“One, I’ll probably slip and leak it to the media, and two, I want to focus on the second movie,” Greene, 22, told us yesterday from Vancouver, where the cast is rehearsing for “New Moon.”

“New Moon” introduces director Chris Weitz to the vampire crew. The first film’s director, Catherine Hardwicke, was not asked to direct the second.

“[Weitz] is focusing on the artistic side and showing some of our characters’ little quirks [more than the first film did],” Greene said.

Adam Lambert had the judges raving with his over-the-top rendition of "Black or White." (Credit: Fox)

By Perrie Samotin
psamotin@am-ny.com

Season eight of American Idol officially kicked off last night with the top 13 singing tracks by the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. A tad unfair, maybe, to have them sing songs that most of us identify so closely with the original artist, but whatever. While some contestants sounded like they were drunk and singing in a private room at iBop Karaoke, others — mainly Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert — killed.

We'll skip the bizarre hilarity of the runway-inspired judge's entrance and cut right to the chase.

Lil Rounds kicked things off with the popular, if a bit safe, "The Way You Make me feel." Her singing was soulful and the judges thought it was a solid way to kick things off. Simon hated her fashion-forward look, but whatever, he only seems to likes girls that wear trollop-y getups, so that was expected.

Scott McIntyre, who's been blind since birth, follows Rounds with a snooze-fest version of "Keep the Faith." He's playing the piano, which is nice, but his voice is grating. Sorry, but he's not a pop star. If this were "Billy Joel Idol," maybe he'd have a shot. We can't really complain though, because at least he's not singing Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" again (arguably the lamest song ever written). The judges were meh, praising his skills but admitting they were hoping for more.

Next up was Michael McDonald Danny Gokey, who needs to invest in some chicer glasses so as not to look like he wandered out of a late-nineties coffee house. After injecting "P.Y.T" with his usual brand of rasp (and displaying spastic, kicky moves), the judges loved him. In fact, Paula freaks out, tears up and starts making the grandiose predictions that are fast becoming her Season 8 signature.

The next few: Oil-rigger Michael Sarver, teenager Jasmine Murray and outdated, acoustic guitar-playing Kris Allan are whatever. Sarver takes the cheesy route and croons "You Are Not Alone," but his voice is pretty good. America will like him because he's blue collar and there's no country singer to otherwise take their vote. The other two are annoying and aren't going to win, so you don't need to know what they sang.

Husky-voiced, crimson-haired "rocker" Allison Iraheta, who is apparently 16, tells us she used to sing on a "stage" at a local Latino department store and gets down with a gritty version of "Give in to Me." She's way cooler than some of the other contestants (ScottJasmineKris) and the judges commented on her confidence and likened her to a dark horse.

Anoop Desai, the surprise 13th contestant, completely bashed his chances of moving along in the competition by choosing "Beat It," a stupid song when it's not sung by MJ. Brow furrowed and arms pumping, he acted the part, telling us to beat it. Looks like he'll be taking his own advice tonight. It's quite sad, actually, because he kicked ass on other songs.

We have no idea what Puerto Rico's own Jorge Nunez warbled his way through. All we know is that we think we heard him sing it on the Lido Deck of a Carnival Cruise we took in 2002.

Megan Joy Corkery — who looks like she escaped from her post at Williamsburg's Sound Fix Records — channeled her inner Duffy and shimmy-shook her way through "Rockin' Robin." Her voice is weird and retro, and the judges were split.

OMG, Adam Lambert is so theater! We could totally see him strutting across his high school stage belting out some teen angsty "Spring Awakening" style jam. He's definitely an entertainer, though. His manic, over-the-top performance of "Black or White" was memorable and resulted in the judges dying over how amazing he was. Paula, of course, cried and started a sentence with "never in the history of this show..."

Matt Giraud so wants to be Justin Timberlake. He played the piano and sang "Human Nature" pretty well, although his falsetto could use a little tuning up. The judges dig him, as will lots of female viewers, we think.

Last up was tiny Alexis Grace who sang the hard-edged "Dirty Diana." We thought it sort of sucked and disappointed and didn't compare to her performance during the semi-finals, but the judges thought it to be OK, though not as good as she may have thought it was, said Simon.

Who's out? If it were up to us, it's be Scott and Jasmine.Two contestants are said to be out tonight, with a "surprise" addition to the show. Rumors point to it being in the form of a face-off between the lowest vote-getters. Tune in tomorrow for the latest.

By Emily Hulme

Via the Beholder.

Malcolm David Kelley, aka Walt from "Lost," is still getting work, despite mostly being written off the show.

Hooray for chicken wings!

But that's not all. According to IMDB, he's in the forthcoming "No Warning," which also stars Dustin Diamond and a girl called Parker McKenna Posey (who was born in 1995, so you'd think her parents were well aware of that other Parker Posey out there; or maybe they were just big "Dazed and Confused" fans).

By Emily Hulme

Tina Fey explains where Grizz and Dot Com came from on "30 Rock."

SHE ALMOST CALLED TRACY MORGAN TRACY JORDAN!!!

Also, one of my favorite lines from the show: "I found it on my favorite website: Stop showing off dot com!"

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen (Getty)

By Kara Warner

Comedic actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are kind of a big deal right now.
Following the success of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” they’re stars of the
upcoming bromantic comedy, “I Love You, Man” and they’re on the cover of
this month’s Vanity Fair — along with “Knocked Up” co-stars Seth Rogen and
Jonah Hill.

So what do they think of being billed as “comedy’s new legends?”

“I think that’s a gross overstsatement,” Segel told us. “I’ve done one and
a half successful movies. That does not a legend make.”

Rudd agrees. “We’re all really flattered they asked us to be in the
magazine, let alone on the cover.”

“I Love You, Man” opens March 20.

By Emily Hulme

A censored Dr. Manhattan

Oddly in our culture, female nudity is expected, nay encouraged, in any R-rated flick, but when a man drops trou, it's a big freaking deal. Almost as much of the buzz surrounding "Watchmen" (which I still haven't seen -- bad nerd!) is about Billy Crudup's big blue full-frontal as much as anything else. It's the first thing all of my friends who have seen the movie have mentioned to me.

Speculating on why, though, is probably not that interesting. It just is what it is. Fortunately, for some good cocktail party chatter (well, depending on the kinds of parties you go to), the St. Petersburg Times has compiled a list of male actors who have bared all and when -- Ewan McGregor, with "The Pillow Book," "Trainspotting," "Velvet Goldmine" and "Young Adam," is by far the nudiest.

The more you know ...

It's obvious, but wonderful: Barack Obama is The Rock Obama. And Dwayne Johnson does a good presidential impression. Nice work, SNL.

Ha! This looks funny.

Doug Reinhart and Paris Hilton (Erik Kabik)

Sesame Street costumes, flaunting a new man, a weekend-long birthday celebration a month AFTER the fact — would you expect anything less from Paris Hilton?

The heiress — who partied for her actual 28th while in New York for Fashion Week in February — new beau Doug Reinhart and pals partied it up all weekend long at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

On Saturday, Hilton arrived at the Hard Rock's penthouse at 3 a.m. with a full drum band — who were decked out in Sesame Street costumes, crazily enough — playing for her entrance, a tipster dished. Hilton kept her eye on Reinhart until they left at 5:30, making sure he wasn't more than five feet away from her.

Friday was a tad more subdued, as per Hilton's description, with a group of 20 taking tequila shots while Hilton and Reinhart canoodled all night. He was overheard toasting his lady, saying "Here's to the world's prettiest girl."

By Scott A. Rosenberg

There’s regular ambition, then there’s Chris Schweizer’s ambition.

Schweizer first graphic novel, “Crogan’s Vengeance,” has recently been published in a beautiful hardcover edition by Oni Press. The story divulges a portion of the Crogan family history – in this case a swashbuckling pirate adventure starring Catfoot Crogan.

After this book, Schweizer has 15 more genre-spanning adventures he’s planning on telling, featuring members of the Crogan family throughout the ages.

So, needless to say, Schweizer, 28, has a lot of work ahead of him.

amNewYork spoke with Schweizer about his graphic novel.

Tokyo!
3.5 stars

By Mina Hochberg

“Tokyo!” is an arresting triptych of films from directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho. All set in Tokyo, the films are grounded in a familiar urban landscape populated by cell phones, delivery men and impossibly small apartments. Yet they all tread in the realms of the surreal and absurd, eventually laying bare a range of stark observations about the modern world.

Gondry’s film, “Interior Design,” follows a young couple trying to start a life in Tokyo. As they look for jobs and apartments, they overstay their visit with a friend in her closet-sized studio. In Carax’s “Merde,” a strange creature emerges from the sewers to terrorize the citizens of Tokyo. He looks like a man, but his face, body and facial hair are just contorted enough to brand him a freak. Plus, he eats flowers and speaks in a weird tongue. When he’s tried for bloody murder, his trial sends the country into a rage. Finally, in Joon-ho’s “Shaking Tokyo,” a hardcore hermit is brought out of his mancave after a fateful earthquake, only to find that the world has changed since he last set foot on sidewalk.

Collectively, these strange but memorable little films provoke horror and humor as they capture certain grotesqueries and moral complexities of modern society. (Playing at Sunshine Cinema)

Watchmen
3 stars
Directed by Zack Snyder
Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Starring Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino

By Mina Hochberg

Patient viewers who are gluttons for eye candy will be richly rewarded by “Watchmen.”

Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the film is set in an alternate 1985 reality in which Richard Nixon is still president and nuclear war with Russia is imminent. In this landscape of Cold War paranoia, we meet a cast of superheroes who’ve been forced into retirement by a Nixon mandate.

Once glamorous idols, most of them have receded into anonymity, dropping their alter ego monikers for citizen names. The Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) is just Laurie, and you can call Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) plain old Dan. They’re living life on the down-low until, one day, someone starts picking them off.

By Robert Levin
Special to amNewYork

Alan Hruska presents himself with an enormous filmmaking challenge in “Reunion,” the third film the former trial lawyer has written and directed.

His narrative reunites formerly close-knit Yale alums for a tough, introspective weekend reunion ten years after the death of one of their group’s most vivacious members. Hardly a typical such event, the ceremonies primarily feature the friends sitting around a board room table and rehashing their personal disappointments, significant others affixed at their sides.

This premise seems better suited to the stage than the screen. Making a film in which characters are perched at the same seats in the same location for an hour and a half runs the risk of growing staid quickly by neglecting the medium’s visual needs. Yet, Hruska plowed ahead, assembled a quality cast (including Christopher MacDonald and Cynthia Stevenson) and cinematographer (Learan Kahanov) and shot the movie he envisioned, hoping to avoid that trap. amNewYork spoke to him about the film.

What is it about a reunion that makes it an interesting subject for a film?
Any college reunion is of interest for a lot of reasons. It’s kind of a fascinating experience; you get all these people you once knew years ago who you inevitably had ideas about how they might develop, who would be a world leader, who might not be etc. It’s just fascinating to see how people did develop. I think it’s more fascinating when the reunion is of a group of people with whom you’ve had a real friendship, a solid bond kind of friendship, and they’re the people with whom you shared dreams, aspirations.

By Emily Hulme

Have I been busy? Yes, I have been busy, but that's no excuse to skip recaps.

After the jump, let's talk 'Lost' this week and last.

By Julie Gordon

“Bachelor” Jason Mesnick blamed his contract with ABC for mandating his on-camera breakup with Melissa Rycroft — but the show’s executive producer said that wasn’t the case.

“There was no contractual obligation. How would you put that in a contract anyways? Like, ‘Anything you do with your life must be shown on ABC?’” said “Bachelor” creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss.

Six weeks after Jason proposed to Melissa on the pre-taped season finale, he broke off their engagement because he was still in love with runner-up Molly Malaney. Jason and Molly are now dating.

“I was with the couple last night,” Fleiss said from California Wednesday. “[Jason] kept telling me, ‘What was I going to do? I was in love.’”

'The Bachelorette' toss-up

The Jason-Molly-Melissa love triangle was so heated that Fleiss wanted either woman to star in the upcoming “Bachelorette,” which premieres May 18 with former
“Bachelor” contestant Jillian Harris.

“First I tried to talk Molly into doing it when Jason was with Melissa,” Fleiss said. “But she was still a little upset about Jason and she didn’t feel like she could commit. She was just starting to come around ... when this thing happened with Jason.”

Melissa released this statement regarding “The Bachelorette”: “As wonderful of an experience as ‘The Bachelorette’ would be, I think it’s time for me to move on from my television days, and see what my future holds back in Dallas.”

Harris is a 29-year-old interior designer from Canada.

"Well, Melissa didn’t want to do it, Molly became the one he chose, so Jillian was the next fan favorite," Fleiss said.

Producer: It's real!

Despite talk that “The Bachelor” star Jason Mesnick’s decision to swap bachelorette choices was staged, the executive producer of the show said nothing was set up.

“We’ve never done that and we will never do that,” Fleiss said.

By Scott A. Rosenberg

Both tell stories using the same cast week after week. Both have to move long-established characters forward while keeping the fan base excited and interested.
While fans of comic books and soap operas might be loath to admit it, the two genres are a lot alike.

“Both are serialized fiction at their finest,” says Jim McCann, author of Marvel Comics’ new miniseries, “New Avengers: Reunion,” in stores Wednesday.

After getting her heart broken by "Bachelor" Jason Mesnick, Melissa Rycroft is speaking out. She released the following statement Wednesday:

"I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive throughout this process. This has been such an overwhelming experience, and I really do appreciate the support system behind me. This was definitely one of those experiences that changes your life, and makes you so much more aware of who you are and what you want out of life.

Strange as it may sound, I am doing really well. I'm back in Dallas, pursuing the teaching thing, and attempting to get my life back to normal (if it was every really normal to begin with). I still have my same life mottos: Live life with no regrets, and keep smiling no matter what happens.

I'm in such a good place in my life right now, and I really couldn't be happier. I don't regret anything that happened over the past few months; because I know I wouldn't be where I am today had none of it happened. I have, however, decided to move on from my reality television days, and get some sense of normalcy back to my life. As wonderful of an experience as The Bachelorette would be, I think it's time for me to move on from my television days, and see what my future holds back in Dallas. I have no doubt it will be an amazing experience for whoever assumes the role, and
I wish them the best of luck!"

Jimmy Fallon and Robert De Niro in a sketch called "Space Train."

Caught a good chunk of the first “Late Night” with Jimmy Fallon at the helm. It’s safe to say the SNL alum seemed nervous, and admittedly so.

Now you’d figure that someone hosting a show for the first time would try to have easy, personably, talkative and extroverted guest to start things off smoothly.

However, Fallon when in completely the opposite direction, choosing Robert De Niro, who’s certainly a brilliant actor, but notoriously a tough interview. And this was no different, but Fallon tried to work it into his schtik, even starting the interview with questions De Niro could answer with one word.

Now, the LA Times’ Envelope blog called the first show mostly “amateurish and uncomfortable.”

Not sure I’d quite go that far, especially since Justin Timberlake, who played Robin Gibb on SNL’s “Barry Gibb Talk Show” with Fallon, saved the show. Besides doing his Gibb impression, he broke out spot on John Mayer and Michael McDonald.

In a nutshell, the show needs time, and shouldn't be written of after one show. After all, the "Seinfeld" pilot was pretty horrible.

— Pete Catapano

By Emily Hulme

They say three is a trend, so here are three TV shows that are streaming on the internet.

The Larry Sanders Show, South Park (coming soon to Netflix), and Classic Sesame Street.

So this guy, Rick Miller, does MacBeth, in the voices of "The Simpsons." Homer is Maccers, of course. Weird.

There is not enough time in the day, folks. So here are some things of note from the Internet:

• Above is a promo for Art Spiegelman's new book, "Be A Nose." Buy it here.

• Andy Samberg and friends talk to NPR about "Incredibad" here. "I'm on a Boat" is here (uncensored).

• Yahoo!news talks to WAAAAAAALT (Malcolm David Kelley), who has some ideas on getting his character back on "Lost."

• According to MTV News, No Doubt is set to perform the Adam & the Ants hit "Stand and Deliver" on the May 11 season finale of "Gossip Girl."

By Emily Hulme

... and its two-hour Wednesday premiere cuts into "Lost" time! What's a girl to do? It's an odd choice to have to make.

Theoretically, you can watch some preview clips here, but I can never get CW videos to play on my computer, neither at work nor home (are you listening CW tech people?) so I can't vouch for how interesting the videos are.