Arsenio Hall Or Clay Aiken? The Winner Of Celebrity Apprentice Is…
Posted on May 21, 2012 @ 07:00AM - 6 comments
Despite earning almost double that of his opponent in the final task, singer Clay Aiken was fired by Donald Trump, who awarded comic Arsenio Hall the show's title and a $250,000 prize for his charity, the Magic Johnson Foundation.
On Sunday, Clay and Arsenio, the final two celebs remaining out of the original 18, went head-to-head in a final task of putting on a variety show and recording a 30-second PSA for their charities. (Clay was playing for the National Inclusion Project.)
Both men were pumped up for the last exercise: Arsenio said he "really [wants] to be the Celebrity Apprentice," while Clay -- referring to his 2003 American Idol stint -- said "I've been a runner-up before; I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Both were assisted by members of this year's cast, who returned for the last exercise. The fundraisers were both very successful, though Clay's $301,500 tote was substantially higher than Arsenio's $167,100.
Celebrity Apprentice: Who Was Fired & Who’s In The Final Two?
Posted on May 14, 2012 @ 02:00AM - Add a comment
Donald Trump let go of Aubrey O'Day Sunday night, leaving singer Clay Aiken and comic Arsenio Hall vying for the show's crown, and a $250,000 prize for their respective charities (Clay is playing for National Inclusion Project, while Arsenio's going to bat for the Magic Johnson Foundation.)
In giving Aubrey the boot, The Donald said that John Rich and Marlee Matlin, past contestants recently brought back to appraise this year's flock, felt she was too inexperienced and "transparent" to claim the crown.
Aubrey reasoned there's nothing wrong with learning on the job.
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"I hope I die undeveloped," Aubrey said, "because I think you never can have a day where you don't learn."
Jessica Simpson Shows Off Her Huge Baby Bump At NBC Party
Posted on Jan 07, 2012 @ 08:00AM - 17 comments Read more
Pee Wee Herman Has A Handy Excuse For His Adult Theater Arrest
Posted on Aug 13, 2010 @ 12:50PM - 14 comments
Nineteen years after being arrested on indecent exposure charges in an adult theater, Paul Reubens is publicly handing out what he says is definitive proof that he was not guilty.
Police said that Reubens was masturbating in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida. The actor’s career as Pee-Wee Herman was soaring at the time and he eventually pled no contest to avoid trial.
DVD Review: Black Dynamite
Posted on Feb 02, 2010 @ 02:01PM - Add a comment
Break out the fur hats and jumpsuits: Scott Sanders’ Black Dynamite revives 1970s-style blaxploitation film in all its over-the-top, ass-kicking glory complete with big hair, bare breasts and kung fu. Michael Jai White stars as Dynamite’s titular local hero, a smooth-talking, gun-toting vigilante on a mission to fight “the man” for murdering his brother, flooding the streets with drugs and (perhaps more egregiously) selling less-than-pure malt liquor.
But it’s not just the costumes and stunts that make Black Dynamite such a gem. The film, which arrives on DVD today, is raucously funny because of a fabulous script that’s meant to be terrible with a uniformly great cast that’s capable of pulling it off. So precise is Dynamite’s awfulness that most of the jokes drop in the extra five beats where a cut should be. As Sanders explains in one of the DVD’s extra segments, other elements of the film’s humor was designed to be in the editing -- or rather, purposeful lack thereof.
NEW DVD RELEASES
Yet in places, some of Dynamite’s drawn-out scenes and fabulously awkward transitions could have simply been dropped altogether. While the film is both send-up and homage to the genre, the DVD’s extras also underscore a sense of competing inclinations therein. As editor and musical director Adrian “AJ” Younge comments in “Lighting the Fuse,” he and his colleagues realized during test screenings that audiences mostly wanted laughs over an extensive backstory. While parts of the film drag, the many extended and deleted scenes (which include more blood, boobs and bad guys) reveal just how much longer and elaborate Black Dynamite could have been.
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The film’s extra segments also reveal some of the logistical and production details that make the film feel more tangible. In fact, it’s quickly apparent through interviews with hose involved with the film -- and particularly through the film commentary with White, Sanders and co-writer/co-star Byron Minns (Bullhorn) -- that Black Dynamite was a low-budget, tight-knit affair. For those familiar with Los Angeles, for example, it’s fun to discover how and where locations were selected. Most of the film’s exteriors were shot around Crenshaw Blvd., while most of the home interiors were shot as-is in period-style houses in Ladera Heights.
Even without all the DVD trimmings, Black Dynamite offers a wealth of hilarious details, from the inclusion of Arsenio Hall in the “pimp council” to the ridiculous original songs, which narrate the action as scenes unfold. While the film is certainly not classic awards-season material, Younge at least deserves significant accolades for his brilliant compositions. As Sanders says, the music is like a character unto itself -- but it’s better than that, serving as both the perfect finishing touch and the integral glue which elevates Dynamite above its campy anchors.
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While just about everything in the film is intentionally overdone, it also intentionally walks a line between satire and spoof. An untrained eye might absorb Black Dynamite on purely a comedic level -- which is perfectly appropriate. A closer look at the DVD’s many extras, however, reveal that it’s also a lovingly constructed and grand tribute to the original genre, blending a modern-day sensibility with ‘70s-era righteousness.
