In Visit to Fox News, Jon Stewart Faults Fox News

By: Graciela Ayllon
Nautilus Entertainment News
February 6, 2010

Jon Stewart, who already had a reputation for lobbing word grenades at media personalities and outlets that displease him, this week delivered one of the most sustained criticisms of Fox News ever heard on Fox News.

That network, lambasted by many on the left as an arm of the conservative movement, is a “cyclonic perpetual emotion machine” that has “taken reasonable concerns about this president and this economy and turned it into a full-fledged panic about the next coming of Chairman Mao,” Mr. Stewart told Bill O’Reilly of Fox.

Parts of the interview were shown on Wednesday and Thursday evenings on Fox News’s most popular program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” and were widely praised by television critics. But Mr. Stewart had a lot more to say about Fox in the portions of the interview that were edited out of the television broadcast.

The exchanges are notable because Mr. Stewart, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, has occasionally strayed beyond his comedy roots into serious media criticism and drawn great attention for doing so. On “Crossfire” on CNN in 2004, he claimed the left-right debate format was “hurting America,” three months before the program was canceled. Last year he took aim at CNBC for being Wall Street cheerleaders, telling Jim Cramer, the host of its “Mad Money” program, that “the financial news industry is not just guilty of a sin of omission but a sin of commission.”

This week, invited onto “The O’Reilly Factor” by its host, Mr. O’Reilly, Mr. Stewart asserted that Fox News was “the most passionate and sells the clearest narrative of any news organization,” then asked with a smirk, “are you still referring to it in that manner?”

Mr. O’Reilly defended Fox as a news organization and cited a poll last month by the Public Policy Polling organization that showed Fox News was more widely trusted than any other television news organization.

Mr. Stewart said Fox had been able to “mainstream conservative talk radio.” On television on Wednesday night, the exchange ended there. But in the studio, Mr. Stewart swung harder, saying Fox had mixed the “media arm of a political party” with “a little bit” of objectivity, something that White House officials have also asserted in recent months.

Fox News said the interview was edited only for time. A video of the unedited interview was posted on BillOReilly.com and on foxnews.com on Thursday night.

In the interview and in a subsequent segment, Mr. O’Reilly said Mr. Stewart was basing his complaints “primarily on two guys, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.” But Mr. Stewart insisted that the conservative bent permeated the network and cited “Fox & Friends,” the network’s entertainment-oriented morning show, as evidence:

“They’ll go through, ‘These children in second grade are singing the praises of Obama! Do you know they sing the praises of their leader in North Korea?’ And then, when the hard news comes on, they say, ‘Some people are concerned that they are indoctrinating children.’ ”

Fox News, far and away the most-watched cable news channel, has stoked controversy (and higher ratings) in the first year of the Obama administration by appearing, at times, to be the network of the opposition.

In a segment cut from television, Mr. Stewart said: “Fox News used to be all about: ‘You don’t criticize a president during war time. It’s unacceptable. It’s treasonous. It’s giving aid and comfort to the enemy.’ All of a sudden, for some reason, you can run out there and say Barack Obama is destroying the fabric of this country.”

Mr. O’Reilly disagreed, saying the network had been respectful to Mr. Obama about the Afghanistan troop deployment decision.

In another segment cut from television, Mr. Stewart, asked whether he thought Fox was “set up solely to provide aid and comfort to the Republican Party and the conservative movement,” replied: “That’s right. That’s right.” Then he added, “And to make some money.”

Mr. O’Reilly said on his program on Thursday: “It was interesting to hear Mr. Stewart put forth that Fox News is in business to help Republicans. I rebutted that, and you can decide who had the stronger argument.”

'Dear John' And Super Bowl Excitement Top Today's Tweet Dreams

By: Graciela Ayllon
Nautilus Entertainment News
February 6, 2010

It's no coincidence that "Dear John" is opening on Super Bowl weekend. For all the gals out there who want to get away from touchdowns and halftime shows, there's Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and a whole lotta tears. The plan already worked as Channing (pictured) reported that ladies were coming out in droves to watch the movie based off the Nicholas Sparks book, "Gettin sold out reports from AL, Virgina & more.Thx 2 all the fans 4 the support!" Channing's wife Jenna Dewan showed her support for her hubby's flick, posting, "it goes without saying, but go see Dear John this weekend!" Meanwhile, "Vampire Diaries" star Nina Dobrev posted her support for pal Amanda, tweeting, "I can’t wait 2 see my friend Amanda Seyfried in @DearJohnMovie!"

But, this weekend's other big event, Super Bowl Sunday, simply could not be ignored in the Twitterverse today. "Hills" star Holly Montag was Super Bowl bound, telling followers, "MIAMI here we come!!!!!!" No word on whether Holly is on Team Kim Kardashian (for her boyfriend Reggie Bush's New Orleans Saints) or Team Kendra Wilkinson (for hubby Hank Baskett's Indianapolis Colts), both of which who played cheerleaders for their men today. Kim wrote, "Go Saints!!!" while Kendra exclaimed she was "SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! http://bit.ly/coUYOc"

Steve Wozniak Asked to Walk 'Dancing' Pro Karina Smirnoff Down Aisle

By: Graciela J. Ayllon
Nautilus Entertainment News
March 30, 2009

Steve Wozniak apparently has an invitation to waltz down the aisle with Karina Smirnoff at her upcoming wedding to Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The billionaire Apple co-founder and Dancing with the Stars eighth-season celebrity participant said he recently received an invite to attend his professional partner's marriage to Chmerkovskiy. It was reported Thursday, according to Nautilus Entertainment News.

"She said I could walk her down the aisle, and it touched my heart," Wozniak told Entertainment News.
Smirnoff said while Wozniak might not have the fanciest footwork, he does have several qualities that she has found appealing since the two were partnered for Dancing with the Stars currently airing eighth season.

"He's a little out of his element but has the biggest personality you'll ever meet," Smirnoff told Entertainment News. "He's super funny and super charming."

Chmerkovskiy proposed to Smirnoff earlier this year at Las Vegas' Wynn Hotel and the Dancing with the Stars professionals have already begun planning their wedding, which will be held later this year.

Chmerkovskiy should have more time to plan the wedding since he was ousted from Dancing with the Stars eighth season last week along with celebrity partner Denise Richards.

Despite the fact that Wozniak and Smirnoff received the lowest score of the week -- and the lowest score in six seasons -- they were still able to stave off elimination and are one of the eleven couples still remaining in the competition.

'Monsters' Attains on Added Dimension: Utilizing 3-D vs. 2-D

By: Graciela J. Ayllon
Nautilus Entertainment News
March 30, 2009

Dallas: The cheesy 3-D gimmick of old Hollywood has become solid gold today.

The DreamWorks Animation comedy "Monsters vs. Aliens," the latest flick in a growing crop of movies using new digital 3-D technology, pulled in well over half of its $59.3 million opening weekend grosses from 3-D screens.

By the time the movie finishes its theatrical run, the 3-D version will account for 70 percent or more of its total domestic revenues, DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg said Monday. That's because the 3-D presentation is expected to have a longer shelf life than the 2-D version, so the percentage of the gross from 3-D screenings will continue to climb.

That far exceeds the expectations of DreamWorks, which initially had figured 3-D receipts might account for half of the overall take for the sci-fi adventure whose voice cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Kiefer Sutherland.

Audiences have proved willing to shell out the few dollars extra it costs to see a movie in 3-D format instead of the traditional, flat 2-D version. That bodes will for the rush of 3-D offerings on the horizon, including Pixar Animation's "Up," James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar," and a slate of DreamWorks Animation releases led by 2010's "Shrek Goes Fourth," the next installment of the blockbuster ogre franchise.

"For those people that get to see it in 3-D, I think it's going to create a whole new immersive feel to that world," Katzenberg said at ShoWest, an annual convention for theater owners. "Shrek Goes Fourth" is "well on its way in production. We've seen a good deal of it in 3-D, and it's absolutely mind-blowing."

That's a far cry from the origins of 3-D, which started in the 1950s as a ploy for the ailing movie business as television eroded its audience. Most 3-D films shot over the decades were novelties with fuzzy, eye-straining images.

"There are some amazing filmmakers who did some great films. Alfred Hitchcock worked in 3-D," Katzenberg said. "But the vast majority, most of the films, it was used just as a trick, a gimmick, a theme-park attraction, and it was meant to take something that was fundamentally not particularly good and put this sort of gimmick overlay on it as a marketing push."

The eye-strain issue has been eliminated with digital 3-D, which is particularly compatible with computer-animated films that are created in a virtual three-dimensional world to begin with. It's fast becoming the must-see version when fans have a choice between 2-D and 3-D.

In exit polls, 38 percent of those who saw "Monsters vs. Aliens" in 2-D actually had wanted to catch a 3-D screening, but they could not get in because of sold-out theaters, Katzenberg said.

While only a handful of films now are being offered in 3-D, demand could grow as audiences continue to get a taste of the sharp, multidimensional images.

"When color came along, Technicolor, in the 1930s, 10 years later, people stopped making movies and going to movies in black and white. Why? Because we see in color," Katzenberg said. "We also see in 3-D. I do think it's more natural for us, so we'll see."

The Smashing Pumpkins Announce Open Call for Drummers

By: Graciela J. Ayllon
Nautilus Entertainment News
March 30, 2009

You could be the next Jimmy Chamberlin!
The Smashing Pumpkins have issued a statement saying that they are seeking a drummer to replace Jimmy Chamberlin, who left the band last week.

Billy Corgan and company will hold auditions next Friday (April 10) in Los Angeles. They have asked that potential candidates send their background info, photos and performance web links via email to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.

Chamberlin, who joined the band when it was originally formed in 1988 and played on all of The Smashing Pumpkins' albums except 1998's 'Adore', said last week that he decided to quit because he is no longer able to give the band all of his energy. "I can’t just, 'Cash the check,' so to speak," he said.

After the drummer's departure, frontman Corgan issued a statement saying he intends to continue performing and recording under The Smashing Pumpkins name, despite the fact that he is the band's only remaining original member.

The Bachelor’s Jason Mesnick Explains His Choices

Nautilus Entertainment News
By: GracielaJ. Ayllon
March 3, 2009

So I kept hearing how this is the best season of The Bachelor yet. So last night after The Bachelor ended on the east coast, I was shocked by all the status updates I saw from my friends on Twitter and Facebook cussing him out. I didn’t know why until I saw him Jimmy Kimmel Live! and he explained why he asked one girl to marry him on the season finale and then dumped her on the post-show for the girl he didn’t choose.
So what do you think of his explanation why he did what he did? I don’t care what he says he is still a d!ck to do what he did the way he did it. Hopefully the other girl will dump his a$$ for one of the previous Bachelors! Now hot would that be!!!
The first Bachelorette Trista Ryan talked to momlogic about the biggest jerk in Bachelor history and here what she had to say about him!

How do you feel about Jason right now?
Trista: How could you go from being engaged to someone to kissing someone else on the couch?! He doesn’t deserve to walk away scot-free. I mean, what disappointed me as a mom is that he introduced both girls to Ty (Jason’s son). Melissa was around, and now she’s gone. What is Ty going to think?

She goes on to say more about him that is a fun read!
Watch With Kristin! spoke with The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and there is even more proof that Jason Mesnick was a jerk!

Melissa Knew: “Melissa obviously knew [about the breakup],” Harrison clarifies. “She was not blindsided. She didn’t think everything was great. She showed up that day to talk about the wedding date and then realized she was going to be dumped. She was pissed and angry, but she wasn’t blindsided. Not that it makes it any better for anybody, and I totally understand why people are still mad, but she wasn’t the complete unsuspecting little lamb that you might think.”

Chris also talked to her about if the producers knew and if they liked how the show ended.

On a lighter note here is who Jimmy Kimmel choose to give his rose to…

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