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John Oliver to Host The Daily Show Starting on June 10
5 hours ago
About two months ago, we learned that Jon Stewart was surprisingly going to take the summer off from The Daily Show to direct a feature film about the true story of a journalist who was taken prisoner in Iraq for 118 days. We already knew that John Oliver would be taking over, but today Comedy Central announced his start date: June 10. He'll man the ship until September 3, when Stewart triumphantly returns. Oliver's first week's guests will be Seth Rogen, Armando Iannucci, Mavis Staples, and Fareed Zakaria. Zakaria! You dog. Not even letting your man be gone a week before you shack up with someone newer, Britisher. »
- Jesse David Fox
See J.J. Abrams Visit Downton Abbey
7 hours ago
J.J. Abrams is on the road promoting Star Trek, but he still has time to do fun things, like answer questions about Star Wars and make stops at Downton Abbey. Yes, it appears Mr. Bad Robot himself took a side trip to visit Downton, and here he is palling around with Phyllis Logan, a.k.a. Mrs. Hughes. Inside one of those eggs is a crazy mystery, no doubt. »
- Margaret Lyons
How Jon Hamm Became America’s Sexiest Comedy Nerd
7 hours ago
In 2007, Jon Hamm broke out as a major star as Mad Men’s deadly serious Don Draper. Those who discovered him on the AMC show were surprised when the man who epitomized dark confidence and effortless cool showed his goofball side in a 2009 guest arc on 30 Rock; it was like seeing Sean Penn doing prop comedy. But as it turns out, being serious is the anomaly for Hamm: He is a comedy nerd. A childhood SNL and Monty Python obsessive, he was a near groupie at L.A. comedy shows long before he landed Mad Men, and still spends his downtime gleefully popping in on podcasts and Adult Swim series. Herewith, the evolution of comedy’s biggest all-star fanatic."Inside the face of a matinee idol lurks a full-on comedy nerd." — John Slattery on Jon Hamm. (Elle) March 10, 1971 Jon Hamm is born. "I watched SNL as a kid, and I »
- Jesse David Fox,Nick Robins-Early
Bo Burnham on His New MTV Show, Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous, and His YouTube Years
7 hours ago
Bo Burnham first made his name on YouTube at the tender age of 16, but in only a few years, he moved on from “Internet sensation” to become one of the most inventive and imaginative comedians working today. Now 22, he’s back with his own MTV show, Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous, which follows an 18-year-old who hires a film crew to make a reality show about his life. The show, which premieres Thursday at 10:30, documents Stone’s various attempts at fame — including, of course, a sex tape. Vulture spoke to Burnham about reality shows, getting confused for his character, and what the Internet thinks of Zach Stone.I feel like I’ve been hearing about this show for so long. It’s been in the works for a while, right?Yeah, I think we filmed the pilot, like, two years ago? And then the series itself was filmed last year, »
- Elise Czajkowski
TV’s Saddest Character: Martha on The Americans
7 hours ago
Doesn't it seem like The Americans just started? It didn't. The show's thirteen-episode first season ends tonight, presumably with both bangs and whimpers. And let's be real: Some of those whimpers are going to have to come from Martha, the CIA secretary Phillip — in disguise as Clark — seduced to leak him information. Poor Martha, who thinks she and Clark are married. Married! She thinks they are married, but she cannot even tell that he is sleeping in a wig. Congratulations, lady, you are the saddest character on TV.The Americans derives much of its drama from the fact that its characters know more than we do as the audience. They comfortably double-cross people and know all kinds of cool spy techniques and Russian secrets. They can compartmentalize emotions shockingly well, and their wig technology is clearly from the future. (How do you have that much vigorous sex without anyone pulling »
- Margaret Lyons
The Best of This Week’s Mad Men Recaps: ‘The Flood’
7 hours ago
The critics were pretty frustrated with white people this week. The recaps compared "The Flood" to everything from a Woody Allen film (thanks to Ginsberg's date) to a painfully awkward race-relations drama (thanks to Joan's hug). A number of reviewers questioned whether Pete Campbell may have redeemed himself, though most think he remains a "shameful, shameful" character. Many evaluated the connective ties between the similarly assassination-themed "Grown-Ups," though all were dissatisfied by Matt Weiner's vanilla interpretation of Mlk's death. As our own Matt Zoller Seitz described it, "the chickens of Mad Men’s whiteness finally came home to roost," and unlike Peggy, no one was left smiling on the couch. Here's your weekly recap of the recaps.* "Check out Moss in that scene where she finally gets some contributions from Abe about the apartment hunt. Her face goes through about 15 emotions in the space of five or six seconds. »
- Lauren Duca
TV Is Obsessed With Virgins Right Now
8 hours ago
There's something in the air. Or the water. Or the ether. Or wherever something would have to be to somehow influence the TV landscape for a hot minute. One theme/plot point is popping up all over television right now, and that theme is virginity. Virgins! They're everywhere.Sunday night brought us two divergent tales of virginity: The devastatingly sexy and apparently sexually gifted Jon Snow on Game of Thrones broke his vow of celibacy with beautiful snow lady Ygritte, while dweeby and anxious Ginsberg on Mad Men openly confessed to his date that he'd never had sex. (And given his demeanor, it didn't seem like that was about to change any time soon.) Yesterday afternoon, Yahoo announced it was launching a web series called "Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos," wherein celebrities will tell the stories of their first times. Last night's New Girl traced how each of the »
- Margaret Lyons
Jazz, Black People on New Season of Downton
12 hours ago
Downton Abbey is expanding its cast next season, and the show will finally include a recurring black character, producers announced today. Gary Carr, a British actor best known for his role on the U.K.'s Bluestone 42 (a dramedy set within a bomb squad in Afghanistan), will play an enchanting jazz singer. Presumably there will be a bunch of singing on Downton next season, given that Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, one of the world's greatest sopranos, will also be on several episodes. Maybe this will be the season where no one dies! And Edith finds love! And Daisy gets a promotion! »
- Margaret Lyons
New Girl Recap: Losing It
13 hours ago
Sometimes, you have to go backwards to go forwards. After a few weeks of stalled momentum, last night’s New Girl managed to push the Nick-Jess plot along using flashbacks to everyone’s embarrassing first sexual encounters. With five different stories to tell, the episode moved swiftly and easily, barely brushing over Nick and Jess’s sexual tension until the very end — which is why that conclusion felt so satisfying. Despite their light touch, the writers still brought in some major seasonal themes and backstory, making this one of the better-constructed episodes we’ve had in a while. New Girl’s flashbacks can be hit or miss, but they’re best when the production designers really embrace period details. This isn’t Mad Men, of course, but it’s fun to see the show’s interpretation of our shared recent past via music and clothing cues. If Lisa Loeb and »
- Izzy Grinspan
Beyoncé Accidentally Embarrassed a Princess
13 hours ago
Because she is a generous and benevolent pop star, Beyoncé usually lets her audience sing the crucial "To the left, to the left"s from "Irreplaceable"; sometimes, she even singles out fans for brief solos. Queen Bey went the latter route last night in London and wound up picking a member of another royal family: Princess Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew and sixth in line to the British throne. Beyoncé had no idea who Eugenie was — probably because she only deals with actual monarchs — and the Princess was apparently extremely embarrassed. Somehow there is no video of this moment, though please know that we will spend all day refreshing YouTube just in case. »
- Amanda Dobbins
Last Night on Late Night: Conan Wore Ke$ha's Face on His Crotch
19 hours ago
Last night on Conan, we learned that if we let Ke$ha be her "weird self," good things will follow. For example, a Ke$ha-designed outfit with "your little face" emblazoned all over it, and as an additional gift, underwear with her face smiling on the crotch flap. Woohoo. Plus: Jon Favreu told us about Martin Scorsese's next (undoubtedly breathtaking) Steadicam shot in The Wolf of Wall Street. "I'm at the beginning of the take so I get to go off and watch the monitor, and [Leonardo DiCaprio] gets to do his monologue and walk through hundreds of extras and every little vignette." Also: Robert Downey Jr. said he's renegotiating his Iron Man contract; and Phoenix performed "Trying To Be Cool." Watch our compilation to see what you missed. »
- Caroline Shin
Violet & Daisy Trailer: Rory’s Got a Gun
20 hours ago
Here to complement your Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring-style fare in 2013 is Violet & Daisy, a film about Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones) working as hired guns. James Gandolfini, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Danny Trejo also appear. That unexpected use of Sia's "Day Too Soon" alone has us curious to see exactly what kind of movie this will be — and it's also the directorial debut of Oscar-winning Precious screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. »
- Zach Dionne
Would You Like a Detail on Homeland’s Third Season?
20 hours ago
Showtime knows you've got until September to painfully speculate on where Homeland can possibly go next, and Showtime is here to help. A little. The network has announced that season three will open "during the aftermath of the horrific terror attack that decimated the U.S. intelligence apparatus, and prompted a global manhunt for the world's most wanted terrorist — Nick Brody." Carrie and Saul get roped in and baby, you got a suspense stew goin'. »
- Zach Dionne
Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender to Star in Macbeth
22 hours ago
Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender are reportedly set to star in a new film adaptation of Macbeth, directed by The Snowtown Murders helmer Justin Kurzel. ScreenDaily hears "Portman has long wanted to take on the role, previously considering stage versions, and that the actress was keen to renew her collaboration with Fassbender after the two recently wrapped production on Terrence Malick’s latest film about the Texas music scene." (Until recent scheduling issues popped up, the two were also set to appear in Jane's Got a Gun.) Macbeth will feature Shakespeare's original linguistic stylings and "a visceral approach to the story including significant battle scenes." Filming is set to begin later this year. »
- Zach Dionne
District 9 Director Neill Blomkamp Has Another Starring Role for Sharlto Copley
23 hours ago
While South African District 9 star Sharlto Copley is set to appear in Neill Blomkamp's follow-up film Elysium this summer, Matt Damon's presence in the lead could be enough to raise concerns over the director turning mostly to big-name stars in the future. Have no fear, Copley fans: He'll lead Blomkamp's third film, Chappie. Blomkamp has revealed little except that it will be a sci-fi comedy about a "ridiculous robot character ... in an unusual setting." Copley has wrapped work on Spike Lee's Oldboy remake and the Angelina Jolie-starrer Maleficent. »
- Zach Dionne
Jessica Chastain Joins The Zookeeper’s Wife
23 hours ago
The World War II drama The Zookeeper's Wife has scored Jessica Chastain as its star, with Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) set to direct. It's the true story of how Jan and Antonina Zabinski oversaw the Warsaw Zoo in Poland, smuggled hundreds of persecuted Jews in animal cages, and harbored Jewish families in their home alongside animals including otters and hyena pups. The film is based on Diane Ackerman's 2007 book. »
- Zach Dionne
Forget Beau Brummell, Let’s Cast the Rest of the Annie Remake
30 April 2013 2:15 PM, PDT
With Beasts of the Southern Wild's cutie Quvenzhané Wallis cast and (as of yesterday) Jamie Foxx in talks to co-star in the upcoming Will Smith and Jay Z-produced Annie remake, it seems like us hard-knock lifers will finally get the modern-day remake we've been waiting for. But who will/should play the rest of the musical misfits? Let's take a few (educated?) guesses. Miss Agatha Hannigan: Monique Aside from Jane Lynch, who just took a spot in the Broadway revival of Annie, the only woman brave enough to fill the iconic shoes of Carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan is Monique. The brassy, boozy life of a philandering orphanage proprietress is perfect for the comedian who created (and starred in) Phat Girlz. Daniel "Rooster" Hannigan: André 3000 If only for the look, Andre 3000 would have no problem slipping in to the old-timey shoes of Miss Hannigan's equally awful brother, Rooster. »
- Lindsey Weber
Watch Jeopardy! Get All Sexy
30 April 2013 2:00 PM, PDT
Things on Jeopardy! got a little steamy last night thanks to the first-round category "The Sexiest Potpourri Ever." They weren't kidding: All the answers had a sultry edge; Alex read each of them in a seductive (well, more seductive than usual) voice; and a soft-core porno soundtrack jazzily accompanied each clue, giving everything a vague "Ladies Man" vibe. The only thing missing is some kind of "let's make it a true Daily Double" pickup line. (A Daily Double entendre? Har, har.) Don't let anyone tell you Jeopardy! isn't hilarious. »
- Margaret Lyons
Allison Williams Wants to Do Movies Now
30 April 2013 1:45 PM, PDT
According to Deadline, Allison Williams — she of Girls and Brian fame — is in talks for the title role in Rosaline, a Romeo and Juliet spinoff that has been in production for years. The report also mentions that Williams is on the short list for a Fantastic Four reboot, which makes for not one but two movie projects that Williams is considering. Marnie's Awkward Rapping: Coming Soon to a Movie Theater Near You! »
- Amanda Dobbins
Download Songs From Fred Armisen’s Margaret Thatcher Saturday Night Live Sketch
30 April 2013 1:15 PM, PDT
After Margaret Thatcher's April passing, Saturday Night Live aired the below sketch, "History of Punk," in which Fred Armisen played first-wave punk star Ian Rubbish, who lost all of his cred because of his love of Thatcher. As Seth Meyers tweeted, it was the part Armisen was "born to play." Besides being super funny and oddly poignant, the fake Ian Rubbish songs were actually quite good. Well, now you can listen to them whenever you want, as they've been made available for download for free on Ian Rubbish's official site. Get ready to sing along to lyrics like "Let us go for a drive/ When I'm with you, I feel alive /And when we're done we can privatize our nations industry/ And then go for another drive in the English countryside." »
- Jesse David Fox
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