NEWS
The Tony Awards: Neil Patrick Harris’s Opening Number
Jun 13th
If we all needed yet one more reason to adore Neil Patrick Harris - here it is!
In case you missed it, here’s Neil’s opening number to last night’s Tony Awards, a terrific love letter to the theater – and its audience. Remember ‘It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore!’
Neil sounded great, the song was terrifically clever, funny and fast, the production was slick and I loved all the audience participation.
And poor Brooke Shields forgetting her lyrics… bless her!
Check out the amazing number below. What a great way to open a show.
And even though he’s not a movie star per se – please can we have Neil host the Oscars next year? Come on… you know it makes sense!
The Billboard Awards: Beyonce Runs The World!
May 23rd
I must admit I only watched last night’s Billboard Awards via DVR – and with hefty use of the fast forward button!
But even with minimal attention I could tell that Britney still isn’t back to 100% (did you see how lifeless she was alongside a bubbly Rihanna) and Ken Jeong’s hosting was painful (memo to Hollywood, stop trying to make the likes of Jeong and Aziz Ansari happen)
But there was one performance that stopped me in my tracks and absolutely stole the show! Beyonce...
This was a key performance for Beyonce – a glossy tribute on a big awards show and a chance to show the public that her latest single, Run The World (Girls) isn’t the big fat flop that it’s been so far. I’ll admit I’ve hated the song up to now – and could only get 1 minute into the embarrassing music video.
But then Queen B took to the stage and just knocked it out of the park with one of the most innovative, freshest and beautifully produced performances in years. Can you imagine how much rehearsal this took for Beyonce to hit every single visual cue. And it even made me like the song at last!
Watch a true superstar More >
Have You Joined Our NEW Facebook Page Yet?
May 17th
Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for continuing to read Remote Patrolled – I love seeing all your comments and discussions – even when you don’t agree with me!
As you may have seen we’ve been doing some tidying up here on the site – and will continue to do more in the weeks and months to come.
As part of this clean up we’ve also created a new Facebook page – Remote Patrolled TV. This will replace the old Facebook page which was simply titled Remote Patrolled and which we’ve now retired.
If you haven’t joined the NEW Facebook page yet we’ve made it super simple – just go to the Facebook box on the left hand side of this page and click Like! That way you’ll be notified each time a new posting comes up here on the site.
Also don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter and check out our sister sites Good Enough Mother and Angry Trainer Fitness. Thanks again – and keep reading…!
Richard
Two And A Half Men: Is This Really The Right Move For Ashton Kutcher?
May 13th
As you’ve doubtless heard in the press over the last 24 hours it seems that CBS have finally found their new lead for troubled sitcom Two And A Half Men – Ashton Kutcher.
If the news is confirmed it will mean Charlie Sheen is officially out and Mr Demi Moore will be in. For CBS the news is a great result all round. Ashton is a high profile star and his succession will virtually guarantee big ratings in the Fall as curious viewers tune in. He’s also over 10 years younger than Sheen which for a network with problems in the 18-49 demo could be a big boost. Not to mention the fact that Ashton has million of Twitter followers he can plug into and a tabloid friendly personal life. Plus let’s be honest, Ashton is a professional – he’ll turn up on time, has a stable home situation and isn’t going to be smashing up hotel rooms in Vegas with a couple of hookers in tow. Winning!
But for Ashton himself, I’m not so sure this is such a smart move.
Sure the financial rewards are going to be huge – I can just imagine the kind of deal Kutcher has in place – More >
Did You See: Google’s ‘It Gets Better’ Commercial
May 4th
So there I was watching last night’s Glee (not the best of episodes as you’ll see from my Rumours recap) when one of the best adverts of the year leaped out at me!
Did you see it? It was the Google advert promoting the It Gets Better campaign featuring the likes of Anne Hathaway, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga – and freaking Woody from Toy Story speaking up for tolerance and respect! Wow – how amazing was that – to see an iconic Disney figure promoting gay equality and fighting back against the bullies.
I’m stunned that an advert like this airs in prime-time on American TV – and on Fox no less, sister network to a channel that’s recently been going after Glee as too gay!
Well done Google, Dan Savage and everyone else working with the It Gets Better project. It really does – I promise you! (more…)
Coming Soon: The Electric Barbarellas
May 2nd
When Does It Start: Wednesday May 4th at 11.00pm / 10.00c on MTV
In A Nutshell: MTV goes behind the scenes of a budding girl group. Think the Bad Girls Club meets Making The Band.
What’s It About: Meet The Electric Barbarellas – 5 girls determined to make their mark on the music scene. There’s Chelsea the ambitious one, Missy, the rocker, Gynger, the comedienne (who’s also clearly dyslexic) and Sporty, Posh and Baby… oh wait, wrong band!
Cameras follow the group’s progress and ups and down as they bicker, bitch and bond. But does stardom await around the corner?
Check out The Electric Barbarellas trailer …
Donald Trump: Is He Hurting NBC?
Apr 29th
We generally try and avoid politics here at Remote Patrolled but with all the press coverage Donald Trump’s been attracting recently the worlds of entertainment and politics seem to have come together as one!
By now you of course know the full story. Celebrity Apprentice bigwig Donald Trump is considering a Presidential run in 2012 and has been talking a big game over the last few weeks – attacking President Obama and forcing him into revealing his birth certificate. Of course now that the certificate is out Trump STILL isn’t happy and is questioning Obama’s college grades and taking more potshots at the President.
It’s a juicy story for the press and they’ve certainly obliged The Donald with plenty of coverage. Meanwhile several Hollywood celebrities – notably Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Cher – have all weighed in and attacked Trump. Meanwhile let’s not forget Donald still hasn’t officially announced he’s running for president – and says he won’t and can’t make any announcement until the current season of Celebrity Apprentice finishes in a few weeks time.
The X Factor USA: Will Cheryl Cole And Paula Abdul Be Part Of The Panel?
Apr 25th
Remember towards the end of last year when we were all speculating as to who would join the American Idol judging panel for the show’s 10th Season? Well we all know how that turned out didn’t we!
I remember at the time wondering how good a choice Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would be – speculating that while I thought J Lo might bring some decent critiques to the mix (which she has at times), Tyler probably wouldn’t (and sadly he’s even worse than I feared).
Well a few months down the line and here we are discussing who will join the X Factor panel – Simon Cowell’s US version of his massive Brit hit. We already know that Cowell and music producer LA Reid (who always makes me think of the Pink song Don’t Let Me Get Me in which he’s name-checked) are part of the line-up – but which two girls will be joining them?
In the UK The X Factor originally featured Sharon Osbourne. Then Dannii Minogue (Kylie’s sister) was added. And later Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole joined the mix.
American Idol: And In 7th Places It’s…
Apr 22nd
Hey everyone – I’m back again after a short break and straight into American Idol land….
Yep, and for the first time in a good few seasons I actually missed Wednesday night’s performance show – and wouldn’t you know it, the contestants finally took on some modern music after weeks of hackneyed themes like Songs From The Year You Were Born, Elton John Week and Motown Week.
Still, even though I missed Wednesday’s show I heard all about Hayley taking on Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, Jacob tackling Luther Vandross (again) and Casey planting a kiss on J. Lo… come to think of it maybe I didn’t miss much!
I must say though it was actually quite refreshing watching the Results Show having not seen any of the week’s performance episode. Not that that results were exactly surprising of course. Hayley, Jacob and Stefano ended up in the bottom 3, while James, Lauren and Scotty haven’t made a single trip to the Silver Stools. As for Casey – well I’m still not sure he’s convinced America that they got it wrong in Week 3 in sending him packing. I think we all know where the Judges’ Save should have gone!
More >
Daytime Drama: ABC Cancels One Life To Live / All My Children
Apr 15th
I’ll be honest – I know very little about daytime soaps, so the news that ABC yesterday cancelled veteran series One Life To Live and All My Children didn’t exactly turn my world upside down.
That said I have friends who are HUGE soap fans and I know this is a heartbreaking decision for them. And indeed for millions of people out there who grew up watching both shows with their moms and grandmothers. But I also understand the grim realties of TV – soaps are costly to make, don’t repeat well and have seen falling ratings. So I do understand why ABC made the call.
But here’s what I find so fascinating. The two shows replacing Life and Children are called The Chew and The Revolution. Uh-huh, you read that right. And according to ABC Daytime head Brian Frons he ‘wanted to do shows that were unusual for daytime’. So take a listen.
The Chew is a cooking show featuring a roster of hosts including Mario Batali, Carla Hall (Top Chef), Michael Symon (Iron Chef America) and um, Clinton Kelly. Yep, Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear – great food experience there! In a nutshell it’s The View with food.
As for The Revolution, it’s a show More >
