Thursday, January 28, 2010

Kelly Ripa Talks About The Marriage Ref

This morning on Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa and guest co-host Jeff Probst discussed Kelly's experience with the first taping of "The Marriage Ref." Check it out below!

And be sure to check out the special sneak preview show after the closing ceremonies of the Olympics on Feb. 28th and of course the premiere on March 4th, only on NBC!


Mel Gibson in Wiggly Piggly Last Night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

ADD'L GRAMMY AWARD PRESENTERS / PERFORMERS

GRAMMY® NOMINEES JAMIE FOXX AND T-PAIN TO PERFORM
WITH SLASH AND DOUG E. FRESH

NOMINEES DRAKE, EMINEM, AND LIL WAYNE IN A
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE WITH TRAVIS BARKER

SPECIAL LES PAUL TRIBUTE TO FEATURE
JEFF BECK AND IMELDA MAY

CAST OF "AMERICAN IDIOT" TO PERFORM WITH GREEN DAY

ROBERTA FLACK, ELTON JOHN, AND JENNIFER NETTLES ADDED TO STELLAR LINEUP FOR 52ND ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Simon Baker, Stephen Colbert, Alice Cooper, Sheryl Crow, Kaley Cuoco, Placido Domingo, Robert Downey Jr., Wyclef Jean, Juanes, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Lea Michelle, Chris O'Donnell,
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Ryan Seacrest, Seal, Quentin Tarantino, and Keith Urban Are Latest Presenters Announced
for Music's Biggest Night® Jan. 31 Only on CBS

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 28, 2010) — Current GRAMMY® nominees Jamie Foxx and T-Pain with Slash and Doug E. Fresh; nominees Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne with Travis Barker; a special tribute to guitar virtuoso Les Paul featuring Jeff Beck and Imelda May; the cast of "American Idiot" appearing with Green Day; four-time GRAMMY® winner Roberta Flack; five-time GRAMMY winner Elton John; and three-time GRAMMY winner Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland all will perform on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Actor Simon Baker ("The Mentalist"), comedian and TV host Stephen Colbert, rock legend Alice Cooper, nine-time GRAMMY winner Sheryl Crow, actress Kaley Cuoco ("The Big Bang Theory"), seven-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Placido Domingo, actor Robert Downey Jr., three-time GRAMMY winner Wyclef Jean, GRAMMY and 17-time Latin GRAMMY winner Juanes, country artist Miranda Lambert, six-time GRAMMY winner John Legend, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, actress/singer Lea Michelle ("Glee"), actor Chris O'Donnell ("NCIS: Los Angeles"), pop singer Katy Perry, four-time GRAMMY winner Lionel Richie, TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest, four-time GRAMMY winner Seal, Academy Award®-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino, and two-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban are the latest presenters announced for Music's Biggest Night®. The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®'s social networks on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter: www.facebook.com/thegrammys, www.myspace.com/thegrammys, and www.twitter.com/thegrammys.

Previously announced performers include BeyoncĂ©; the Black Eyed Peas; Bon Jovi; the Dave Matthews Band; Green Day; Lady Antebellum; Lady Gaga; Maxwell; P!nk; Taylor Swift; the Zac Brown Band; Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher in a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson; and Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli in a special fund-raising segment for Haitian relief. Previously announced presenters include actress Kristen Bell, pop/R&B singer Justin Bieber, actor Jeff Bridges, pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus, actor Josh Duhamel, pop sensation the Jonas Brothers, nine-time GRAMMY winner Norah Jones, pop singer/songwriter Ke$ha, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J, GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Ricky Martin, 10-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Carlos Santana, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr.

T-Pain and Keith Urban each have four nominations: T-Pain with Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Blame It" (with Jamie Foxx), Best R&B Song for "Blame It" (with James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., Jamie Foxx, Christopher Henderson, Brandon R. Melanchon, Breyon Prescott & Nathan L. Walker), Best Contemporary R&B Album for Thr33 Ringz, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "I'm On A Boat" (with The Lonely Island); and Keith Urban with Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Sweet Thing," Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Start A Band" (with Brad Paisley), Best Country Album for Defying Gravity, and Best Long Form Music Video for Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour Live.

Jamie Foxx and nine-time GRAMMY winner Eminem are each up for three awards: Foxx with Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Blame It" (with T-Pain), Best R&B Song for "Blame It" (with James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., Christopher Henderson, Brandon R. Melanchon, Breyon Prescott, T-Pain & Nathan L. Walker), and Best Contemporary R&B Album for Intuition; and Eminem with Best Rap Solo Performance for "Beautiful," Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Crack A Bottle" (with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent), and Best Rap Album for Relapse.

Drake has two nods: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Best I Ever Had" (the latter nomination with D. Hamilton & M. Samuels).

Four-time GRAMMY winner Jeff Beck, Stephen Colbert, Katy Perry, and Seal are each nominated: Beck for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "A Day In The Life," Colbert for Best Comedy Album for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!, Perry for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hot N Cold," and Seal for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "If You Don't Know Me By Now."

So that viewers at home can enjoy the unique 3-D tribute to Jackson, CBS and Target have partnered to provide millions of free 3-D GRAMMY Glasses. From Sunday, Jan. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will exclusively offer these 3-D GRAMMY Glasses so that fans have the opportunity to see the film that was very personal to Jackson. Additionally, the audience at STAPLES Center will share the 3-D experience, wearing the same glasses as those being worn by viewers at home.

Blige's and Bocelli's once-in-a-lifetime performance (audio and video) of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be made available for download at iTunes.com/Target following the telecast, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, benefiting ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" receiving GRAMMY Awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year, and the song will provide a moving tribute to the survivors of the tragic events in Haiti.

As part of Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, fans will have an opportunity to decide which Bon Jovi hit the band will perform. For this "You Pick It, They Play It!" special segment, viewers can log on to www.cbs.com/grammys now and vote in the final round for one out of three of their favorite hit Bon Jovi songs: "Always," "It's My Life," and "Livin' On A Prayer." There is no registration to vote, and fans may vote as often as they wish. Additionally, a 30-second clip of each song may be viewed. Voting will continue until Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 31, when the song with the most votes is revealed live during their segment.

Additionally, the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony will take place from 1 – 4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on www.grammy.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, current GRAMMY nominees Tia Carrere and Kurt Elling will host the star-studded ceremony, which will feature performances by nominees including Montreal-based duo Beast (vocalist Betty Bonifassi and drummer/composer Jean-Phi Goncalves); jazz vocalist Elling; contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway; classical guitarist Sharon Isbin; and R&B singer Charlie Wilson as well as a special bluegrass performance by nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer Ray Benson, country instrumentalist Alison Brown, two-time GRAMMY winner Jim Lauderdale, singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, three-time GRAMMY winner Bryan Sutton and singer/fiddle player Gabe Witcher. Presenting GRAMMY Awards in 99 categories will be current nominees Colbie Caillat, Mick Fleetwood, LMFAO, and Tonex as well as percussionist Sheila E., four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack, and five-time GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter and Recording Academy Chair Emeritus Jimmy Jam. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 30 days following the event.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Asia Uncut Season Two

Sunday in China (and across Asia) marked the premiere of Season Two of Asia Uncut!

Guests included Edison Chen, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Mandira Bedi, and musical guest New Pants.

Below is a review of the first show, and the author has some great things to say about Asia Uncut's return to the airwaves. Click HERE for some great moments from Season Two!

Cheeky Edison's back on the scene

By Joy Fang, Asia One

HE HAS been hissed at, ridiculed, and even subjected to a public witch hunt. But you have to admit that the mere mention of Edison Chen still sends people into a tizzy.

Everybody wants to hear from the man who was once in the centre of the biggest sex scandal in Hong Kong. Chen, 29, was involved in a massively- publicised sex scandal in January 2008, when nude photographs of himself taken four years ago engaging in sexual acts with female celebrities - including Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan and Cecilia Cheung - were circulated on the Internet.

As a result, he was forced to issue a public apology and announce his temporary retirement from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.Now, for the first time since he gave an interview with TalkAsia on CNN in June last year, the Hong Kong-based Chinese Canadian entertainer shares his thoughts about the scandal and how he has moved on from it.

In his previous interviews, Chen looked positively downtrodden.

This time, appearing in the second season premiere of Pan-Asian variety chat show, Asia Uncut, with American- born host Jon Niermann, Chen is his spunky old self (proving, perhaps, that a little old scandal can't keep a player down).

Chen, dressed in a spunky checkered jacket paired with dark-purple pants, lounges casually against the orange arm chair. He is a picture of ease as he chats with Niermann candidly about his life and the issue that everyone wants to know about.

SPUNKY OLD SELF: Edison Chen banters with American-born host Jon Niermann in Asia Uncut.

He divulges his confusion about being mired in the mess.

"A lot of people said I was doing things wrong... (but) I can't really tell if I am a villain or the victim. In my world, I'm just Edison Chen," he says.

He then grows reflective: "I just tried to live with myself and I think I have gotten past that. I learnt a lot of things. Everything happens for a reason. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

At the end, you won't know whether to be incensed all over again by his statements, or whether to wonder about what celebrity can do to someone.

But you do know that Chen is undeniably back.

The show - taped in Shanghai in front of a live studio audience - will also see guests such as Ed Norton, Jackie Chan and Lee Byung Hun in the following weeks.

Thankfully, it is not as excruciating to watch as the first season.

The cheesy Chinese-styled chairs have been swopped for comfy sofas, and Niermann comes off as a more credible and serious talkshow host.

Previously, he tried a tad bit too hard to dish out gags (most of which played on Asian versus Western stereotypes), which unfortunately fell flat.

But if this episode is anything to go by, this is a triumphant return to the airwaves.

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Marriage Ref Moves to Thursdays at 10pm on NBC!


In case you haven’t heard, the new Jerry Seinfeld project “The Marriage Ref” will now be on Thursdays at 10pm on NBC!

"The Marriage Ref" - which has a special sneak preview following the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 28 - is NBC's new comedy panel series about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage. It features comedian/actor Tom Papa, who was personally selected by executive producer Jerry Seinfeld to host and serve as the "marriage ref." The show will premiere in its regular slot on Thursdays (10-11 p.m. ET) beginning March 4.

This very exciting news comes with the recent announcement of participants Alec Baldwin, Larry David, Tina Fey, Eva Longoria, Kelly Ripa, Matt Lauer, Charles Barkley, Sarah Silverman, Martin Short and more!

"The Marriage Ref" is produced by Seinfeld's Columbus 81 Productions and Ellen Rakieten Entertainment. Seinfeld, Ellen Rakieten ("The Oprah Winfrey Show"), Shed Media's Nick Emmerson ("Supernanny") and Jennifer O'Connell ("Supernanny"), Al Berman ("The Biggest Loser Live Finale," "The Celebrity Apprentice Live Finale"), Howard West ("Seinfeld") and George Shapiro ("Seinfeld") serve as executive producers. International distribution is by Endemol.

We're excited to be a part of this awesome show!

We Are Proud to be on the Kimmel Team!



“The most audacious and outrageously funny late-night take on the [NBC] situation yet belongs to Jimmy Kimmel."

"Jimmy Kimmel has developed himself a damn funny show over there at ABC.”
-- James Poniewozik, Time Magazine’s Tuned-In Blog, January 13, 2009

“Jimmy Kimmel won the evening for doing his entire show as Jay Leno (down to the speech impediment) and giving guest Chevy Chase a Conan pompadour.”
-- Dan Duray, New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog, January 13, 2010

“Of the many NBC-Leno-Conan jokes that have been flying around late night in the past week, Kimmel's was the most ... interesting and original.”
-- Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe, January 13, 2010

“People want to cheer Seabiscuit. Kimmel, with stunning directness, reminded Leno, and his audience, that he is in fact War Admiral.”
-- James Poniewozik, Time Magazine’s Tuned-In Blog, January 15, 2009

“But I think after this double-whammy on Jay, Kimmel's going to be impossible to ignore.”
-- The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall, January 15, 2010

“Though Jay was obviously serving up softballs ripe for put-downs, kudos to Jimmy for knocking every single one of them out of the park. That's honors-level work, Mr. Kimmel.”
-- MTV.com, Eric Ditzian, January 15, 2010

“But of all the late-night spoofs, jokes, skits, slams, etc., Jimmy Kimmel deserves an Emmy for pulling off this dead-on Leno imitation not just for the hilarious monologue (the band’s musical response punchlines, Cleto as Kevin Eubanks - priceless), but through the entire show.”
-- Melissa Ruggieri, Richmond Post Dispatch, January 13, 2010

“The bloodbath shows no signs of abating -- and the breakout supporting star in the Leno-Conan war is shaping up to be Jimmy Kimmel… This is the late-night equivalent of wearing a Yankees t-shirt in Fenway Park -- a feat of insane heroism.”
-- Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon.com, January 15, 2009

“Jimmy Kimmel took the concept to new visual heights by walking out as Jay Leno. It’s a mostly accurate parody, but all three fake Leno monologue jokes are slightly too good, and it’s missing at least seven Lewinsky references.”
-- Best Week Ever, Dan Hopper, January 13, 2010

“I always liked Jimmy Kimmel but I have a new respect for the man after watching him go toe to toe with Leno on his own turf.”
-- Screen Crave, Krystal Clark, January 15, 2010

Our Guy In Late Night
“If there’s anyone who previously doubted that Mr. Kimmel possesses a rapier wit and is unafraid to wield it, all we can say is, Toldja!”
-- DAVE ITZKOFF, New York Times Arts Beat, January 15, 2009

“Jimmy Kimmel has developed himself a damn funny show over there at ABC.”
-- James Poniewozik, Time Magazine’s Tuned-In Blog, January 13, 2009

“We've got to applaud Jimmy Kimmel.”
-- Gina Serpe, E! Online, January 13, 2010

“But I think after this double-whammy on Jay, Kimmel's going to be impossible to ignore.”
-- The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall, January 15, 2010

Jimmy Kimmel on Jay Leno's 10@10

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Tune in to CBS's I Get That A Lot TONIGHT!

The exciting return of the CBS special I Get That A Lot airs tonight on CBS at 8pm ET/PT.

Check out celebrity pranksters Julie Chen, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Rachael Ray, Gene Simmons, and Tony Hawk!