Richard Simmons vs. Pauly Shore, a 'hurt' Lindsay Lohan, and more of this week's top news
A look at the top entertainment news from The A.V. Club for the week of January 15
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The best and worst moments from the 29th Critics Choice Awards
Some awards shows allow actors to pick the awards. Others allow kids. The Critics Choice Awards, however, towers over all of them, especially the People’s Choice Awards, because it is chosen by critics. Yes, the very people whose Rotten Tomatoes scores fandoms frequently tell viewers to ignore are in control tonight, so look out. Not that they had too much trouble. Unlike the Golden Globes Journalists, who picked the winners of last week’s fiasco of a ceremony, the Critics Choice Awards was a more low-key affair. Maybe it’s because this is the one time a year when Hollywood and the critical community lower their swords and agree, “Oppenheimer was really good.” Read More
Richard Simmons once again politely asks the world (and Pauly Shore) to leave him the hell alone
Earlier today, news broke that a subsidiary of Warner Bros. had put into development a new biopic of former fitness star Richard Simmons, starring comedian Pauly Shore—largely, as far as we can tell, on the strength of people making memes over the last few years noting that the two men have a mild physical resemblance, followed by Shore noticing said memes, followed by him saying “Sure, fuck it, work is work.” Read More
Christina Applegate steals the show at the 75th Emmy Awards
Following the perceived contempt for the movies from Golden Globes’ host Jo Koy, who notably complained about the length of Oppenheimer in his widely derided monologue, audiences probably felt a welcome relief at the opening of the Primetime Emmy Awards. Host Anthony Anderson reassured the crowd at the top of the show that he loves television, celebrating some of TV’s most iconic series (Good Times, Facts Of Life, and Miami Vice) in his monologue. But it was another television veteran who stole the Emmys opening: Christina Applegate, making her first major appearance since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. Read More
Lindsay Lohan was “hurt and disappointed” by mean Mean Girls joke
Lindsay Lohan has experienced a much deserved renaissance over the past few years—a more than welcome pivot from the butt-of-the-joke status she was subject to in the early 2000s. Still, as Cady and the rest of her North Shore buddies learned in Tina Fey’s original Mean Girls, sometimes it’s the people closest to you that let you down in the end. That is, unfortunately, what happened to Lindsay Lohan, who felt personally victimized by Fey’s updated version of the film. Read More
The Bear cast is over the comedy question
As The Bear sweeps award show after award show—culminating in 10 wins at the 75th Emmy Awards—an age-old debate has reached a fever pitch: is this show a comedy? The cast and crew of The Bear think so, and they seem a little bothered by the question. Just listen to the tone of stars Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White’s voices after winning Best Comedy and being asked if people “find a lot of laughs in your show.” “Yes,” they both answered emphatically, as in, yes, obviously. But what is a television comedy and a television drama is not as obvious as you might think. Read More
Netflix suddenly cares about maintaining a curated library of notable old films
We’ve entered a strange new phase in the streaming wars today, one that suggests an actual sane human at the helm of one of the biggest streaming services rather than an emotionless machine that keeps insisting people like interchangeable action movies with one or two name-brand stars (like a Ryan Reynolds or… a second Ryan Reynolds). That’s because, as reported by IndieWire, Netflix has launched a new dedicated section for films from 1974 that it’s calling “Milestone Movies.” Read More
Here’s every winner from the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards
The long-delayed 75th Emmy Awards were a relatively calm affair on Sunday night. As expected, Succession walked away with a good handful of trophies—six, to be exact—and nearly swept the Drama categories, except for one (Outstanding Supporting Actress went to Jennifer Coolidge for The White Lotus). Similarly, The Bear took home six trophies and nearly swept the Comedy categories, except for one (Outstanding Lead Actress went to Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary). Read More
We should all follow Paul Schrader’s lead and write film reviews while on Ambien
Right now, the future of arts criticism seems more uncertain than ever. Public opinion is being sourced from Tiktok, YouTube, and Rotten Tomatoes, a notoriously faulty and easily gameable system. Legacy sites like Pitchfork are crumbling at an alarming rate. But throughout it all, one thing remains certain: the appeal of a funny, incisive review from a great writer will never fade. If anyone can save the genre, it’s Paul Schrader and his goofy little Facebook posts. Read More
RFK Jr. weirdly asked Larry David’s permission to court Cheryl Hines
Hey, here’s some weird news – apparently Robert F. Kennedy asked Larry David for permission to date Cheryl Hines
Jason Priestley says he based his Wild Cards character on a real-life con man
The actor also discusses why he thinks the show will strike a chord with American audiences