They’re Here… My Big Bold 2012 Emmy WINNER Predictions…

Sunday night is TV’s biggest night as the Emmy Awards are announced on ABC in a ceremony hosted by a nominee himself, the hilarious Jimmy Kimmel… If history is any indication, Mad Men and Modern Family will repeat as the Drama and Comedy winners. However, I have a feeling we are in for a shakeup this year, especially on the Drama side. It’s the most competitive year in ages with four drama series all boasting a strong shot to win while we should see some new comedy acting winners as well… With that said, take a look at my big bold Emmy winner predictions below and watch the big show Sunday night!

 

My Big Bold 2012 Emmy Award Winner Predictions~

Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men
Will win: Downton Abbey
Should win: Breaking Bad
~ spoiler: Homeland
* this category is fierce. I feel like Mad Men will finally lose the crown, but I won’t be surprised if it grabs one more victory. However, Abbey appeals to all demos of the voting group and should prevail over the classic but violent and dark Bad. If those three all split the vote, the very deserving Homeland or the big winner from the Creative Arts ceremony, Game of Thrones, could pull an upset.

Comedy Series:
30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Girls Louie, Modern Family, Veep
Will & Should win: Modern Family
~ spoiler: The Big Bang Theory
* where on Earth is Parks and Recreation in this lineup??!!

Lead Actor Drama:
Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Steven Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Will & Should win: Bryan Cranston (you just can’t deny him)
~spoiler: Damian Lewis

Lead Actress Drama:
Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Glenn Close (Damages), Clare Danes (Homeland), Michelle Dockrey (Downton Abbey), Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife), Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Will & Should win: Clare Danes (this is the night’s most obvious winner. She has it by a mile)
~ spoiler: if I have to pick one… Juliana Marguiles

Lead Actor Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Louie C.K. (Louie), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Will win: Jim Parsons
Should win: Garrett Dillahaunt (Raising Hope) or Adam Scott (Parks and Rec), but they weren’t nominated, blergh!
~spoiler: Jon Cryer (don’t underestimate this guy and he has a funny tape)

Lead Actress Comedy:
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Lena Dunham (Girls), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Julia Louis Dreyfuss (Veep), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
Will win: Julia Louis Dreyfuss (and a very deserving winner at that)
Should win: Amy Poehler (it was her best season yet. She was hilarious and heartwarming but Dreyfuss may just slide by her in the tightest race of the night)
~spoiler: Zooey Deschanel

Supporting Actor Drama Series:
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Jared Harris (Mad Men), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Will & Should win: Giancarlo Esposito
~spoiler: Peter Dinklage

Supporting Actress Drama:
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Archie Penjabi (The Good Wife), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Will win: Maggie Smith
Should win: Anna Gunn
~ spoiler: Christina Hendricks

Supporting Actor Comedy:
Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live), Ed O’Neil (Modern Family), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Will & Should win: Max Greenfield (and he will likely split the Modern Family vote)
~spoiler: Ed O’Neil (he seems like the Modern Family choice this year even though Jesse Tyler Ferguson had the strongest season)

Supporting Actress Comedy:
Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Merritt Weaver (Nurse Jackie), Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
Will win: Sofia Vergara
Should win: Kristen Wiig
~spoiler: Kristen Wiig or Julie Bowen
* this one should be close with any of them having a shot at the win except for the delightful Weaver or the dearly departed Joosten whose nomination is the prize.

Reality Competition Series:
The Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, The Voice
Will win: The Amazing Race
Should win: So You Think You Can Dance
~spoiler: Top Chef

Reality Competition Host:
Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars), Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance), Phil Koeghan (The Amazing Race), Ryan Seacrest (American Idol), Betty White (Off Your Rockers)
Will & Should win: Cat Deeley
~spoiler: Ryan Seacreset

Made for TV Movie/Miniseries:
American Horror Story, Game Change, The Hatfields & the McCoys, Hemingway & Gelhorn, Luther, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
Will & Should win: Game Change
~ spoiler: American Horror Story

Lead Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys), Benedict Cumberpatch (Sherlock), Idris Elba (Luther), Woody Harrelson (Game Change), Clive Owen (Hemingway & Gelhorn), Bill Paxton (Hatfields & McCoys)
Will & Should win: Woody Harrelson
~ spoiler: Bill Paxton

Lead Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Connie Britton (American Horror Story), Ashley Judd (Missing), Nicole Kidman (Hemingway & Gelhorn), Julianne Moore (Game Change), Emma Thompson (The Song of Lunch)
Will & Should win: Julianne Moore
~ spoiler: Nicole Kidman

Supporting Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Tom Berenger (Hatfields & McCoys), Martin Freeman (Sherlock), Ed Harris (Game Change), Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story), David Strathairn (Hemingway & Gelhorn)
Will win: Ed Harris
Should win: Denis O’Hare
~spoiler: Tom Berenger

Supporting Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Judy Davis (Page Eight), Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Sarah Paulson (Game Change), Mare Winningham (Hatfields & McCoys)
Will win: Jessica Lange (she pretty much has it in the bag)
Should win: Sarah Paulson

And there you have it… my big bold Emmy winner predictions… Do you agree? Am I crazy? Let me know and watch the big show on Sunday night.

Some Thoughts on Today’s Emmy Nominations…

So, today we saw several of the usual and deserving suspects grab multiple Emmy nominations like Modern Family, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. However, there were some big surprises and some upsetting snubs… Let’s take a look at some of those.

Good Surprises:

~ The Acting Love for Downton Abbey with Michelle Dockery (Mary), Hugh Bonneville (Lord Granville), Joanne Froggat (Anna), Brendan Coyle (Mr. Carson), and Jim Carter (Mr. Bates) all grabbing nods alongside last year’s winner Maggie Smith.
~ Anna Gunn finally grabbing a nod for Breaking Bad
~ Martha Plimpton getting a nod for The Good Wife despite being snubbed for Raising Hope
~ Veep getting nominated for Comedy Series. I thought only Julia Louis Dreyfuss would be recognized, so I’m thrilled
~ Max Greenfield, the standout performer on New Girl, joined his show’s star Zooey Deschanel with a nomination
~ Merrit Weaver finally getting a nomination for her hysterical work on Nurse Jackie … and yay for Edie Falco still getting recognized for her wonderful work too in one of the show’s best seasons.
~ Margaret Cho getting a nod for her side-splittingly hilarious work on 30 Rock
~ the continued love for Cat Deeley and So You Think You Can Dance
~ Jean Smart grabbing a nod for her brilliant turn on the cancelled Harry’s Law (joining the show’s star Kathy Bates who also grabbed a nod for her guest turn on Two and A Half Men)

I’m also very pleased in general with the nominations for Homeland, Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Game Change, Dot Marie Jones, Game of Thrones and all the actors from The Good Wife.

Now the bad…

~ Girls getting nods for series and star Lena Dunham. While I appreciate that Dunham is not your usual tv star, I despise this self-satisfied horribly unfunny show and its unlikable characters
~ The Voice got a nod over American Idol? That’s a tragedy!
~ Jon Cryer, Don Cheadle and Larry David all got nods over Parks & Recreation’s fantastic Adam Scott? That’s not right!
~ Boardwalk Empire‘s nods, ugh… They should rename it BOREDwalk Empire

And now the shocking snubs….

~ Where the hell is Parks and Recreation in Comedy Series and double, where the hell is Nick Offerman in Supporting Actor Comedy
~ So many Glee snubs, but the biggest were for Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch and guest star Matt Bomer... I guess the industry is no longer singing their tune…
~ Where in the world is The Good Wife for Drama Series?!!!
~ Former nominees left out in the cold: John Slattery (Mad Men), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Betty White (Hot in Cleveland), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Laura Linney (The Big C), Mirielle Enos (The Killing), Michelle Forbes (The Killing) and Hugh Laurie (House) who will sadly never have won for his iconic character.

There are tons more omissions that are upsetting like Lena Heady (Game of Thrones), John Noble and Anna Torv (Fringe), the rest of the cast of The Killing and the show for that matter, Happy Endings and its stars Casey Wilson and Damon Wayans Jr, everyone on GCB, Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Matthew Perry and Carrie Preston‘s guest work on The Good Wife, Megan Hilty (Smash), Jeff Perry and Kerry Washinton (Scandal), RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race and on and on…. I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch, but my head is spinning as it is… For more on Emmy’s snubs, multiple nominees (Poehler, Dunham, Bates, Michael J. Fox and more), statistics and interesting facts, head to Deadline Hollywood here and let me know who your thoughts on the nominations below.

The 2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations are Crazy about “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Bridesmaids”

This morning, the2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations were announced and they were feeling the “love”…. the Crazy Stupid Love, that is as the film picked up 5 nominations tying the Oscar nominated smash Bridesmaids. Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy will be competing against her Oscar nominated costar Kristen Wiig in the film actress category while Oscar winner The Artist also picked up 3 nominations… On the TV front, 30 Rock and Modern Family each picked up 5 nominations… My favorite nod of the day has to be for my current favorite comedy, Happy Endings, which landed a nod for Comedy Series. Take a look at all the nominees below and for more on the show which will air May 6th on Comedy Central, head here.

2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations~

FILM
Comedy Film
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris

Performance by an Actor
Jason Bateman – Horrible Bosses
Steve Carrell – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover Part II
Owen Wilson – Midnight in Paris

Performance by an Actress
Jennifer Aniston – Horrible Bosses
Cameron Diaz – Bad Teacher
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Emma Stone – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids

Comedy Director
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
James Bobin – The Muppets
Paul Feig – Bridesmaids
Glen Ficarra and John Requa – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Animated Comedy Film
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss In Boots
Rango
Rio

TELEVISION
Comedy Series
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Happy Endings
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

Performance by an Actor
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Ty Burrell – Modern Family
Louis C.K. – Louie
Steve Carell – The Office
Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm

Performance by an Actress
Zooey Deschanel – New Girl
Tina Fey – 30 Rock
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live
Sofia Vergara – Modern Family

Late Night Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Show with David Letterman
Real Time with Bill Maher

Comedy Writing
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Saturday Night Live

Breakout Performer of the Year
Zooey Deschanel
Josh Gad
Donald Glover
Melissa McCarthy
Jason Sudeikis

Animated Comedy Series
Archer
Family Guy
The Life & Times of Tim
The Simpsons
South Park

A Few Thoughts on today’s Oscar Nominations…

This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.

Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).

Best Surprise: Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher).
Biggest Snub: Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.

Other Big Snubs:
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod.
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Drive in all other categories (except sound)
Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick.
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated.
Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss
50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.

More Snubs: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)

~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.

~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!

Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)

Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc

So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.

Bridesmaids is the Big Surprise in the AFI Top Ten

This week marks a big week for Awards watcher as the nominees for the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critic’s Choice Awards will all be unveiled. Along that way are all the critic’s groups awards and today the AFI weighed in with their top movies and TV shows of the year…. And there was one awesome surprise: Bridesmaids. The raucous female comedy was a huge hit and is seriously amping up its awards cred. It’s a big contender for the SAG ensemble award and Melissa McCarthy is becoming a serious threat in the Supporting Actress race. (She and the cast just picked up wins from the New York Online Film Critics). Watch for it to nab 3 Globe nominations for Picture (Musical/Comedy), Actress Musical/Comedy (Kristen Wiig) and Supporting Actress (McCarthy)later this week…. In the meantime, check out the best of AFI’s list which includes forerunners The Descendants and The Help as well…

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2011
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“J. Edgar”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

TOP 10 TV SERIES OF 2011
“Breaking Bad”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Good Wife”
“Homeland”
“Justified”
“Louie”
“Modern Family”
“Parks and Recreation”

The Pirates Pillage the Box Office

Johnny Depp swashbuckled all over the competition this weekend as the fourth film in his Pirates of the Caribbean series opened to a strong $90 million at the box office. Now, that’s a big number, but considering it was around $30 million less than the openings for the second and third films, it has to be seen as a small disappointment. And looking at reviews and audience reaction (I gave the film a “C” grade), the road ahead may not be too rosy. That said, it should still top $200 million when all is said and done and the international grosses are fantastic. We’ll see how it holds up next week when two more sequels enter the fray, The Hangover Part 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2…. The other big news over the weekend was the incredibly strong hold for the hilarious comedy Bridesmaids which dipped only 20% to $21 million for a two-week take of $59 million. That movie now seems a sure bet to top $100 million, something most pundits never thought possible. Congrats Kristen Wiig! …. For more on the box office, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $90,100,000 – 4,155 – $21,685 $90,100,000 $250 1
2 2 Bridesmaids Uni. $21,058,000 -19.8% 2,937 +19 $7,170 $59,518,000 $32.5 2
3 1 Thor Par. $15,500,000 -55.3% 3,924 -39 $3,950 $145,406,000 $150 3
4 3 Fast Five Uni. $10,631,000 -48.0% 3,622 -171 $2,935 $186,219,000 $125 4
5 5 Rio Fox $4,650,000 -43.8% 2,593 -336 $1,793 $131,647,000 $90 6
6 4 Priest SGem $4,600,000 -69.2% 2,864 – $1,606 $23,683,000 $60 2
7 6 Jumping the Broom TriS $3,700,000 -47.6% 1,472 -563 $2,514 $31,318,000 $6.6 3
8 7 Something Borrowed WB $3,425,000 -50.2% 2,606 -298 $1,314 $31,428,000 $35 3
9 8 Water for Elephants Fox $2,150,000 -48.8% 1,894 -531 $1,135 $52,428,000 $38 5
10 9 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family LGF $990,000 -55.3% 912 -537 $1,086 $51,757,000 – 5

The “Brides” Bring it at the Box Office

Can we now all just agree that Kristen Wiig is a movie star? The hilarious Emmy nominated SNL actress has been a riot in every movie she’s been in, no matter how good (Knocked Up) or how bad (Paul). And with the opening of her first big star vehicle, the hysterical Bridesmaids, Wiig can claim movie star status as the comedy took in $24.4 million over the weekend far above industry expectations. Thank goodness it did well and that it’s good so Hollywood big wigs wont be so scared to let women topline comedies in the future. Congrats to Kristen and the ladies of Bridesmaids (hello, Melissa McCarthy, you’re a genius). With Bridesmaids opening strongly, that gave beleagured Universal Pictures two hit films in a row following Fast Five which sped off with another $19.5 million and a total of $168 million to become the top film of 2011 and the Fast franchise. While both of those films did well, they couldn’t stop the mighty Thor which held on top for a second week with $34.5 million falling only 47% which is great for a comic book event title and brought it’s cume to $119 million…. There was one more film making news this weekend, the syfy horror thriller Priest, which landed in 4th with an ok $14.5 million… For all your box office news, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 1 Thor Par. $34,500,000 -47.5% 3,963 +8 $8,706 $119,252,000 $150 2
2 N Bridesmaids Uni. $24,409,000 – 2,918 – $8,365 $24,409,000 $32.5 1
3 2 Fast Five Uni. $19,534,000 -39.8% 3,793 +131 $5,150 $168,780,000 $125 3
4 N Priest SGem $14,500,000 – 2,864 – $5,063 $14,500,000 $60 1
5 5 Rio Fox $8,000,000 -5.9% 2,929 -329 $2,731 $124,968,000 $90 5
6 3 Jumping the Broom TriS $7,300,000 -52.0% 2,035 – $3,587 $25,994,000 $6.6 2
7 4 Something Borrowed WB $7,000,000 -49.8% 2,904 – $2,410 $25,647,000 $35 2
8 6 Water for Elephants Fox $4,100,000 -32.5% 2,425 -189 $1,691 $48,476,000 $38 4
9 7 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family LGF $2,200,000 -47.4% 1,449 -432 $1,518 $50,218,000 – 4
10 8 Soul Surfer TriS $1,800,000 -22.0% 1,468 -313 $1,226 $39,200,000 $18 6

The Women of SNL take on The Real Housewives

Last night NBC aired an awesome special highlighting the hilarious women of Saturday Night Live. It included appearances by all of the great women who’ve been on the show save for the late brilliant Gilda Radner. In the uproarious opening sketch, the ladies skewered the ridiculous Real Housewives series’ reunion specials and I’ve got the sketch for you below. In it Emmy winners Tina Fey and Juila Louis Dreyfuss are joined by Emmy nominees Molly Shannon, Kristen Wiig and Amy Poehler plus former cast members Maya Rudolph, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, Nora Dunn, Larraine Neuman, and Rachel Dratch. My faves were Wiig and Rudolph, how about yours? And for the whole special, head to NBC.com here.

The Women of SNL skewer The Real Housewives

Movie Review~ “MacGruber” just plain sucks

When I was thinking about writing a tag line for this review all I could think about was the word bomb because that’s what MacGruber always has to diffuse and always fails in the SNL sketches that inspired this movie, and because that’s exactly what this movie is. It’s a big ole steaming pile of crap. Now, I’m not surprised since it’s a one-note joke that should never have been made into a film. I’m just a little shocked at how incredibly bad it is despite its committed cast of Will Forte as the spy/Mr. Fix it MacGruber, Kristen Wiig as his love interest and Ryan Philippe as a CIA operative on his team. These actors give their all and the film goes for broke time and time again. Unfortunately, the result is an unfunny mess that is often offensive, homophobic and tiresome. Add to that a bloated lazy performance by Val Kilmer as a uber villian trying to detonate a nuclear warhead and you have one big bad bomb of a movie. In its defense, there were a few giggles due to the 80′s inspired nostalgia inherent in the character (a twist on TV hero MacGuyver) and the music, plus Kristen Wiig can make almost anything better. And Maya Rudolph has an amusing cameo as well. However, this raunchy and juvenile film can’t get it together and is basically horrifyingly awful. At least, I made it through the whole thing, but this one falls squarely in the It’s Pat and Stuart Saves His Family category of really bad SNL adaptations. Grade: D

Here’s the trailer for MacGruber

Kristen Wiig sings for MacGruber!

We all know Kristen Wiig is a comedy genius. With memorable Saturday Night Live characters like the Target Lady, Sue Surprise, Penelope, and Suzy Orman, Wiig has been the standout star of the show over the last two seasons and she got an Emmy nomination last year to prove it. She’s also given great and, of course, funny performances on the big screen in movies like Knocked Up, Date Night, and Whip It. Now, she’s back on the silver screen in the SNL sketch turned movie MacGruber co-starring Ryan Phillipee and Will Forte and she’s singing! That’s right, Wiig is taking on the 80′s inspired theme song from the film and I have your first listen. Click the link below to hear Wiig belt out “Champion” and watch the trailer from MacGruber below.

Kristen Wiig “Champion”
http://www.sneakattackmedia.com/media/sheryl/Champion.mp3

And here’s the trailer for the wacky comedy, MacGruber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPeoLFDrp8k

For more on the music and the 80′s-tastic soundtrack to MacGruber, check out the Limewire Music Blog here. And here’s the track listing for the soundtrack:
MacGruber Soundtrack
1. Cornbread Compton & The Silverlake Choir – “MacGruber’s Theme”
2. The Black Keys – “Heavy Soul”
3. Toto – “Rosanna”
4. Gerry Rafferty – “Baker Street”
5. The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”
6. Emerson, Lake & Powell – “Touch N’ Go”
7. Eddie Money – “Take Me Home Tonight”
8. Quarterflash – “Harden My Heart”
9. Kristen Wiig – “A Perfect Number”
10. Mr. Mister – “Broken Wings”
11. Robbie Dupree – “Steal Away”
12. Kristen Wiig (Featuring MacGruber & Lightspeed Champion) – “Rock My Body”
13. Michael Bolton – “Love is a Wonderful Thing”
14. Matthew Compton – “The MacGruber Suite”
15. Kristen Wiig (Featuring Lightspeed Champion) – “Champion”