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Seitz on Ray Donovan: When Irish Eyes Are Assimilating
30 June 2013 3:20 PM, PDT
Ray Donovan is being sold as a new Showtime series, but right now it feels like it’s actually two shows. The first show — about a family of tough South Boston Irish-Americans who relocate to Los Angeles, and start a boxing gym and a combination private eye/protection service that caters to celebrities — is pretty good, if you’re not burned out on the “Tough White Dude Can’t Control His Inner Demons but Has a Good Heart” genre. The other show — a send-up of America’s one-percenters, and of the petty hustlers and lost souls that latch onto them like lampreys onto sharks — is much better. In fact, it’s close to great. Like The Larry Sanders Show, The Comeback, The Limey, Modern Romance, Get Shorty, David Mamet’s Wag the Dog and State and Main, and other great showbiz satires, this second program picks its targets and takes »
- Matt Zoller Seitz
Monsters University Schools Competition From Top of Weekend Box Office
30 June 2013 1:19 PM, PDT
For the first time in a long time, each of the top five movies out this weekend made over $20 million each, bringing the domestic box office gross to $180 million (albeit down 11 percent from a year ago), according to Deadline. Leading the way was family favorite Monsters University, which topped the box office for the second week in a row, though it's likely to fall when Universal's Despicable Me 2 comes out July 3. In its opening weekend, The Heat and all its threats pulled in a weekend total of $40 million to take second place, hopefully proving to studios once and for all that it's worth it to do more female buddy comedies. Fellow newcomer White House Down raked in $26 million and landed in fourth place. For third place, Brad Pitt’s zombie thriller World War Z continued to beat its bad buzz in its second week out at just under $30 million. »
- Delia Paunescu
Your Sunday Long Reads: Rick Rubin and Huey Lewis
30 June 2013 12:30 PM, PDT
It's Sunday afternoon — your last chance to read all that stuff you were too distracted to read last week before Monday brings a new deluge of things you will want to read. Below, some of our recommendations: "You Listen to This Man Every Day" by Andrew Romano (Newsweek): A long interview with Rick Rubin, the producer who worked on a significant amount of the music you've enjoyed from the past 30 years (assuming your taste ever touches the mainstream.) There's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, including some Yeezus tales. "Huey Lewis's Old, Weird America" by Steven Hyden (Grantland): The man who gave the world "I Want a New Drug" is still out there, gamely touring for eighties nostalgists and answering questions about his unlikely — and once huge — musical career."The Cosmology of Serialized Television" by David Auerbach (The American Reader): Just in case Vulture's Sitcom Smackdown didn't »
- Caroline Bankoff
Jennifer Lopez Called Out for Performing at Turkmenistan’s Dictator’s Birthday Party
30 June 2013 10:43 AM, PDT
As you would expect, Jennifer Lopez is under fire from human-rights groups and generally everybody else for her paid performance at Turkmenistan dictator Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s lavish birthday party on Saturday (you can watch a clip of if here). In a statement released this morning, Human Rights Foundation president Thor Halvorssen said the pop star’s choice to appear in the oppressed hermit nation “utterly destroy[s] the carefully-crafted message she has cultivated with her prior involvement with Amnesty International’s programs in Mexico aimed at curbing violence against women.” He added, "What is the next stop on her tour, Syria? The dictator of Kazakhstan’s birthday is July 6, maybe she will also pay him a visit?"Meanwhile on Twitter, Mia Farrow and her son both lambasted the appearance. Ronan Farrow, himself a human rights lawyer who most recently worked with Hillary Clinton as a special adviser for global youth issues wrote, »
- Delia Paunescu
20 Ways White House Down Was Not Exactly Like Die Hard
30 June 2013 10:07 AM, PDT
White House Down, Roland Emmerich’s latest piece of cinematic destruction, features a good-hearted, gun-toting guy trapped in a building with terrorists, and he alone can take them all down, one by one. This has led some to call it “Die Hard in the White House,” a shorthand that is insultingly reductive. These movies are nothing alike! It’s apples and oranges, Deep Impact and Armageddon, Due Date and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles! Witness the disparate evidence. (Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen the film yet.)1. In Die Hard, Bruce Willis plays John McClane, while in Whd, Channing Tatum plays John Cale. Other than the eight letters they have in common (only four of which are in a row), these are totally different names. 2. While they both wear dark grey khakis and blood-stained white tank tops, the two men showcase entirely different belt buckles: McClane’s is silver »
- Nick Robins-Early
Every Threat Melissa McCarthy Makes in The Heat
30 June 2013 9:00 AM, PDT
As Boston P.D. detective Shannon Mullins in The Heat, Melissa McCarthy is good at police work, and even better at hurling profanity-spattered insults. Who knew there were so many different ways to suggest that you are going to pull off someone's body part and stuff it in another body part? We jotted down all of her major threats (ignoring generic "fuck-you"s) so you can memorize them and use them when your wordier Veep-spawned insults get too exhausting. (Spoilers for those who like their four-letter-worded dialogue to be a surprise.)“I hope it burns your fucking dick off.” “I’m gonna make you bend over, and then I am going to reach up into your pocket and get the keys to your house and then I am gonna drive over and kill you in your sleep.” “I’ve been thinking of ways to kill you for the last half hour. »
- Jeanette D. Moses
David Edelstein and Producer Lynda Obst on Hollywood’s Blockbuster Problem
30 June 2013 5:00 AM, PDT
A few weeks ago, in a televised symposium, Steven Spielberg predicted the “implosion” of Hollywood as a consequence of blockbuster mania while George Lucas sat next to him, nodding. “You’re at the point right now,” said Spielberg, “where a studio would rather invest $250 million in one film for a real shot at the brass ring than make a whole bunch of really interesting, deeply personal—and even maybe historical—projects that may get lost in the shuffle.”Most of us heard this and thought, Holy crap. These are not upstarts looking to shake things up. They’re the moguls credited with ushering in the age of the modern blockbuster with Jaws and Star Wars. More recently, Lucas was responsible for the grimly overinflated Star Wars prequel trilogy while Spielberg co-produced the toy-based “tentpole” Transformers and its sequels. If they’re sounding the horn … Producer Lynda Obst makes many »
- David Edelstein
Jennifer Lopez Headlined Turkmen Dictator’s Birthday Party
29 June 2013 1:35 PM, PDT
Jennifer Lopez left the cement to dry on her new Hollywood Walk of Fame star and jetted off to a Caspian Sea resort in Turkmenistan to perform for leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s 56th birthday celebration on Saturday. Afp reports that a culture ministry confirmed J.Lo’s arrival in the Central Asian state, known mostly for its "vast gas reserves and a dismal human rights record." (Opposition activists and reporters there are frequently harassed and jailed, and Internet use is heavily restricted and censored.) Lopez is believed to be the first major Western celebrity to visit the Muslim country, and she reportedly made quite an impression, "[dancing] with half-naked backing dancers" and later donning traditional Turkmen clothing to sing "Happy birthday, Mr. President" for an "enthusiastic" crowd of government officials, ambassadors, and CEOs of state-run companies.Earlier in the day, tweets from @JLoDancers and choreographer J.R. Taylor praised the breeze »
- Delia Paunescu
Lady Gaga Kicked Off Pride Weekend With National Anthem
29 June 2013 10:00 AM, PDT
After months away from the spotlight following a February hip surgery, Lady Gaga returned to the public eye on Friday night for New York's Gay Pride kick-off rally at Pier 26. Clutching a pride flag, Gaga addressed the crowd, saying, "We are not a niche. We are part, a big giant part of humanity. It's time for us to be mainstream" and led everyone in a chant of "I demand the rights! To safe streets!" She then sang an equal-rights version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." »
- Delia Paunescu
A Brief History of the President of the United States, Action-Movie Hero
29 June 2013 9:00 AM, PDT
There are a lot of reasons why White House Down achieves new levels of ridiculousness, but Jamie Foxx’s wisecracking, gun-wielding president is not one of them. That’s because the idea of an action-movie president has, over the years, slowly become a kind of accepted concept in our blockbuster movies. The idea goes further back than you think:The President’s Lady (1952)Charlton Heston as Andrew JacksonAs Jackson, Heston has to contend with romantic rivals, Indians, insolent gossips, and the British, in a story that covers the love affair between the future president and his beloved wife, Rachel Donelson Robards, who was married to another man when they met. It is never not awesome to watch a future president of the United States kick the crap out of a guy for the sake of a woman. The Buccaneer (1958)Charlton Heston as Andrew Jackson, again “Let me make this very clear, »
- Bilge Ebiri
Maron Finale Recap: Please Be Kind
29 June 2013 8:32 AM, PDT
After a week off from Marc and Jen's young romance, we open on the two of them evidently living together. Except they're not — they're just watching a cooking show, playacting domesticity, and, as Jen says, living in Marc's life and visiting hers occasionally. Marc looks comfortable, until he learns Jen is getting booted from her apartment and needs a place to stay. Marc has an empty bedroom that could house her stuff if it wasn't currently supporting a yoga mat. Marc, afraid for his dusty yoga mat and his crusty independence, starts freaking out. And it lasts the entire episode.Marc ends up feeling okay with Jen temporarily moving in as long as they both agree that, after only six weeks together, this is a bad idea. As Marc and Jen trudge through the house Jen's been renting a room in, Jen blankly muses that she's never sure if her »
- Zach Dionne
Maron Recap: It’s a Miserable Life
29 June 2013 7:29 AM, PDT
While there's plenty of bitterness and possibly some regret in Marc Maron's work, there's rarely any speculation about what life would've been like for Maron without comedy. Despite being confined to the alt-comic tier apparently forever, Maron keeps soldiering on, fondly mythologizing his career as he goes. But this penultimate season one episode gives Marc a chance to imagine something else, something just as crappy, although a different kind of crappy. It starts with a conversation with Bobby “The Pit Bull of Comedy” Slayton talking about how people who used to open for him are now hugely successful. Maron is baffled that Slayton somehow isn’t bitter. Hammering in the “getting it right” theme is Maron’s newly retired neighbor, who seems desperate to occupy himself to stave off the regret of a life that’s passed him by. Slayton affectionately calls Maron’s podcast the dumbest show he's ever done in his life. »
- Zach Dionne
Major Game of Thrones Season 4 Character Cast
28 June 2013 3:00 PM, PDT
Game of Thrones season three just ended, so it’s time to talk season four! Entertainment Weekly reports one of the most revered characters from the books, Prince Oberyn Martell, will officially be joining the show. He’ll be played by Chilean actor Pedro Pascal, who most recently played Juan Badillo on Graceland. Also known as the Red Viper, Oberyn is a charming and dangerous prince of Dorne, whose sister was killed by the Lannisters via Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane when the Mad King was overthrown. The Red Viper comes to King’s Landing for vengeance. Since it’s Game of Thrones, who knows, he might kill or marry any character (or both). »
- Jesse David Fox
Arrested Development’s Hidden Jokes: Episodes 3 and 4
28 June 2013 2:46 PM, PDT
You thought we'd stop hunting for hidden gems in episodes one and two of the new Arrested Development season? You thought we couldn't possibly keep going with the extensive Easter egg-finding? Wrong! We can't stop and we won't stop! Here are episodes three and four, featuring all the things you might have missed on your first (and second, and third) viewing. Did you catch all of these? And did we miss any? Let us know below! Episode 3: "Indian Givers" Easy one first: We learned that Lindsay isn't the biological daughter of Lucille and George, and have the onscreen graphics to prove it.The TV graphic in the following photo reads: "Pursed lips sink ships." Lucille and Buster appear on the cover of Balboa Bay Window — "The Magazine of the American Society of Ladies Who Lunch — a Lot" — and seem to be protesting Prop 8 ("Proposition Ape"). Of course, nothing »
- Lindsey Weber
Roseanne Barr in Talks With NBC About a 10/90 Sitcom
28 June 2013 2:45 PM, PDT
If TV is high school, cable is the cool kids and 10/90 deals are like the drugs they’re trying to get others to take (because if you like a little bit of it, you instantly do tons of it). Well, peer pressure seems to be working on NBC, as Deadline reports they’re finalizing a deal to do a 10/90 show with Roseanne Barr that would be co-written with Nurse Jackie co-creator Linda Wallem. Reminder: A 10/90 deal is when if the first ten episodes reach a ratings threshold, the show gets instantly picked up for 90 more. Not much else is known about the show’s plot. May we suggest Roseanne play Anne, a woman who buys a local waterhole called the “Rose,” so then it can be Roseanne Barr's Rose, Anne’s Bar. »
- Jesse David Fox
What to Stream This Weekend: America Is Wonderful Edition
28 June 2013 2:30 PM, PDT
This weekend, as you search for a movie to watch, you can either go out to see The Heat, White House Down, or stay home and pick one of approximately 14 billion options available on streaming over a variety of services, be it Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, On Demand, or other sites. Every Friday Vulture tries to make life easier by narrowing it down to a handful of heartily recommended options. This week we get topical with a fascinating staged piece on the just-felled Proposition 8 and a classic celebration of the filibuster, as well as a push to rewatch Who Framed Roger Rabbit, just because.8This week, the Supreme Court concluded a two-year journey of legal back-and-forths and deemed both California's Proposition 8 and the federal government Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The battle on behalf of same-sex marriage looked beyond saving when Prop 8 was passed in California after the »
- Matt Patches
Lots of People Are Leaving Glee
28 June 2013 2:20 PM, PDT
Get ready to finalize your divorces from Glee: The show is cleaning house. Say good-bye to Brittany, Mercedes, Puck, and Mike, because Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, and Harry Shum Jr. are not returning, according to TVLine. (You can also expect not to see Quinn again, since Dianna Agron isn't expected to return either.) It's not a huge shock, since all these characters graduated already, but it is mildly surprising to see a network show straight-up Degrassi its characters out the door. »
- Margaret Lyons
Watch 3 Little Girls Learn They’ve Been Cast in Annie
28 June 2013 2:00 PM, PDT
A wonderful 2006 documentary, Life After Tomorrow, told the story of former orphans (including Sarah Jessica Parker!), now grown up, looking back on their time in the musical. Tonight, a new documentary called Annie: It's the Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage (which airs on PBS at 9 p.m.) follows the newest Annie wannabes through the casting process for the revival currently on Broadway. But despite the potential for tears, this doc promises to be more about the show's updated production than its small stars. Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler even implies he's changing up the classic "It's the Hard-Knock Life" setup: "And I’ve spent a lot of hours pacing this room saying, 'Am I going to give them the buckets, or am I not going to give them the buckets?'" What definitely won't change? The thrilling moment when a young actress realizes she'll be living her Broadway dream. In this »
- Lindsey Weber
Jerry Saltz on the Met’s Incredible Boxer at Rest Sculpture
28 June 2013 1:45 PM, PDT
I lost all bearings at the shocking first sight of Boxer at Rest, the astounding Hellenistic (323-31 B.C.). bronze masterpiece on view only until July 18 in the center of the long entrance hall of the Greek and Roman wing. It was like a thunderbolt. My psychic borders broke as it instantly embedded itself in my inner museum: It’s one of the greatest works of Western sculpture I've ever seen. It’s a masterpiece of immeasurable pathos, profundity, humanity, and otherness; inexpressive mysteries of material and self merge. I see dark inner depths, something brutal, brooding, beautiful, gigantic, an inchoate island unto itself. A kneaded muscular wrecked mountain, Minotaur-like. It was like I heard some barbaric howl. Click on the numbers and see Jerry's corresponding comments appear below the picture. »
- Jerry Saltz
Happy 10th Anniversary, Dead Like Me
28 June 2013 1:30 PM, PDT
Every once in a while, there's a show that just hits you at the right time of your life. Not just a good show, a miraculously appropriate one, like a perfect breakup song. Dead Like Me is one of those shows for me. It premiered ten years ago today, just when I needed it.The show, created by Bryan Fuller, is about a sardonic 18-year-old girl named George (Ellen Muth) who dies when she's hit by a toilet seat falling from the Mir space station. (Fuller left after five episodes; the show eventually ran for two seasons and then came back for a direct-to-dvd movie in 2009. I cannot recommend the movie, sadly.) Instead of moving seamlessly into the afterlife, though, she becomes a grim reaper, responsible for collecting people's souls moments before they die. She works alongside several other reapers — a dreamy actress, a brassy cop, a trouble-making British »
- Margaret Lyons
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