The canadian crooner took to twitter to prank the popular gossip website.

Don't count Justin Bieber out on April Fool's Day. “As promised taking all fan phone calls TODAY at (888) 847 9869. Talk to u soon!” the pop star posted on his official Twitter account on Monday, April 1.

But to the dismay of his 36.9 million-plus followers, callers were met with the TMZ tip line instead of Bieber's dreamy vocals. The "Boyfriend" singer eventually removed the tweet, but left it up long enough for fans to take snapshots and distribute through the Internet.

Since the number is toll-free, TMZ will be footing the bill for all the Beliebers that dial in, which could ultimately make for a very expensive prank. The question remains whether TMZ has a sense of humor, or will Bieber -- a favorite target of the paparazzi and gossipmongers -- be met with retaliation?

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WONDERCON 2013 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: 'MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES' INTERVIEWS

At WonderCon 2013 in Anaheim, California on Saturday, author Cassandra Clare and actors Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror), Jamie Campbell Bower (Anonymous), and Kevin Zegers (Dawn of the Dead) appeared in front of a packed arena crowd to discuss their upcoming comedy film Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which is based on Clare's extremely popular series of books.

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick had a chance to speak with author Cassandra Clare, and actors Jamie Campbell Bower, and Kevin Zegers before the panel on Saturday about Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. The author discussed the plot of the film, how she feels to have her novel adapted into a movie, and why director Harold Zwart (The Karate Kid) was the right man to helm the film, while the young actors talked about their characters, being familiar with the books, CGI, and taking inspiration from the novel as well as the script.

To watch our exclusive interview with author Cassandra Clare, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Kevin Zegers about Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, please click on the video player below.

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones opens in theaters on August 23rd.

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"The Voice" is back! NBC's hit singing competition premiered its much-anticipated season four with some fresh new faces, and we're not just talking about the contestants.

Returning coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton were joined by two new mentors: R&B sensation Usher and new mama Shakira. They filled the chairs of the recently departed Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. While comparisons to the original panel were inevitable, Usher and Shakira's energy seemed a natural fit for the show.

The "newbies" jumped right into the season's first blind auditions with sneaky tactics to win over their favorites. A fun and feisty Shakira openly critiqued singers, but when it came to snagging falsettoed crooner Kris Thomas, she blindsided the other coaches with her poker face.

"I know you guys. I gotta keep it under control otherwise you all turn and then make my life miserable," Shakira joked.

Usher, on the other hand, played it smooth and cool for the most part — until, of course, he dangled Justin Bieber in front of hopeful eyes. "I can't promise you you'll be at every Bieber concert," Usher said to 16 year-old Danielle Bradbery when trying to lure her to his side.

Besides the swag, Usher also brought the night's biggest laugh when he proclaimed Nashville a state. "I'm still fascinated by Nashville being a state. ... He's from there, that's what's really sad about it," Shelton quipped.

The night's final performance by Judith Hill turned all four coaches' chairs, with Usher resorting to seductive tactics by referring to the powerhouse songstress as his "first lady." Adam Levine won the battle, though, literally throwing down for the standout talent, "I'm gonna claw everyone's face. ... I'm gonna light myself on fire to make sure you're on my team," Adam said energetically.

Overall, Shakira and Usher slipped into their new chairs quite comfortably, and the rapport and respect among the newly formed group of mentors was evident. But another thing was also quite clear: When it came to the game, all bets (and smiles) were off.


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#TEAMSHAKIRA

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My flawless prince. Come back soon, Mike!

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omg, I love her.

Evan Rachel Wood tries to hide her growing baby bump while going for a stroll with her husband Jamie Bell on Saturday (March 30) in Los Angeles.

The 25-year-old pregnant actress and the 26-year-old actor did some shopping and then treated themselves to fruit smoothies on the sunny afternoon.











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Twenty-nine years ago today (April 1), Marvin Gaye was shot by his father after an argument at his parents' home in Los Angeles.

Despite his personal demons, the legendary soul singer was in the midst of a comeback, still riding high on the success of "Sexual Healing," and the album Midnight Love, which had been released two years prior.

This was, of course, after a storied career that had already spanned more than two decades and which had seen the release of albums like What's Going On (1971), Let's Get It On (1973), I Want You (1976) and Here, My Dear (1978), amongst many others.

With a Marvin Gaye biopic (Sexual Healing) in the works and a play -- 'My Brother Marvin,' based on accounts of his sister Zeola Gaye -- touring the country, we sat down with his second wife Janis Gaye for an EXCLUSIVE interview. Read on as she reflects on her late ex-husband's legacy.

Marvin's 1976 album 'I Want You' was solely dedicated to you. How does that feel?

It's not officially dedicated to me, but people that have listened to it and people who were around when it was being made all seem to think it was dedicated to me. And I like to think that as well. If you were to ask [songwriter/producer] Leon Ware, he would definitely tell you that the words he wrote and the music he co-wrote with Marvin for the album were inspired by our relationship at the time. It is something that I look back on and think back to a much happier time

Were you there for the recording of any songs from that album?

Absolutely. We lived at the studio [Marvin's Room] during a good deal of the time it was being recorded. We called it home. We had a house, but Marvin preferred to stay at the studio. The kids would be there and we had an apartment upstairs.

What was the experience like being there watching the recording process for these songs?

Sometimes I look back on it and I think to myself, "Were you really there?" "Did you really see what you thought you saw?" I was there when "Got to Give It Up" was being recorded and Don Cornelius walked through the studio. You can hear Marvin on "Got to Give It Up" saying, "Hey, Don. Hey, Don!" That was done in real time. It's little moments like that, that make me appreciate and remain really grateful to have been in Marvin's life, and to be around when the music was being made.

Many people don't know how giving Marvin was during his lifetime.

He was such a generous soul. Many times if he knew someone was struggling financially within their family, without being asked he would either give them money or a car. If he knew there were kids playing at a playground, just to get them all riled up and give them something to talk about, he would go shoot hoops with them in the neighborhood... When Ruben "Hurricane" Carter was going through the worst times in his life, Marvin shaved his own head and did a concert to support him.

What was it like being Marvin's wife?

It had its up and downs. When you have to beat women off with a stick, it can get a little tedious. ... Being around someone like Marvin was an enviable position to be in. We ended up divorcing, which was unfortunate, but that's just what happened. We were actually together long before we said, "I do" in front of a judge. We already had our children. Getting married was just a part of the process for us. After we were divorced, we still continued to see each other.

Did he ever talk about his relationship with Motown Records when you were together?

Sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad, but I think that goes for every artist that signs with any record label. But, I think in his case, the fact that he was literally a part of the Motown family having been married to Anna [Gordy] made things a little more complicated for him... I'm looking forward to seeing Motown the Musical to see how he is portrayed and the relationship is portrayed.

What are the more positive aspects of Marvin's life, the things people tend to overlook?

The first thing that comes to mind is his relationship with his children, Nona and Frankie. All I remember is him being a terrific father... He was a great father and he loved his son and his daughter. He absolutely adored them.

Right.

One of the other things that people don't really acknowledge is that he could've been a standup comedian. He and Richard Pryor were very good friends. I would listen to the two of them talking and it was sheer comedy. You don't really think of Marvin Gaye as being this funny guy, but he had an incredible sense of humor.

What else?

He was an artist not just musically, but he could draw. Music was poetry with a melody, but he wrote great poems that were never recorded as songs. He had a great interest in history. He had a very deep interest in not just the Christian religion, but all religions to know what people around the globe believed. Of course he was a man of God and believed in Jesus Christ. He was into metaphysics long before other people even knew what that word meant... This was back in the early 70s. He was walking around with a pyramid on his head in 1974-1975 eating vegetarian food. He was a hippie when I met him. We both were hippies.

Interesting.

One of his favorite things to do was to drive a tractor trailer. He had a ranch in Northern California. He would get onto his tractor and till the soil. He was like a mountain man. He would have on his combat boots and his jeans would be rolled up and he would stay up there for weeks and weeks at a time.

What are your feelings on 'My Brother Marvin,' the Marvin Gaye play?

People who are going out spending their hard earned money to buy tickets to go and see this play -- they will not hear one note of Marvin's music. I've heard too many people complaining and saying that they feel like they've been scammed and taken advantage of. You go to a Marvin Gaye play to hear Marvin Gaye's music. There are too many deeply devoted fans that are going to the play and they get into their seats and they hear an announcement that they won't hear any Marvin's music.

Continue.

Instead, they hear this is a play about the man behind the music... You'll hear Percy Sledge, Tina Turner, Az Yet, and everybody else's music except Marvin's because they can't use the music. If it was a play that was coming from a different place, maybe the situation would be different, but it's not. I plan on seeing the play. I think that everyone can remember where they were the day he was shot... They're saying it's about Marvin's life or the man behind the music, but it's really about his death. And it ends with him being shot on stage and the smell of gun powder remains in the theater. To me, that's taking it a little too far... That's not what Marvin would want.

If Marvin were still living, what do you think he would say to the world today?

I don't think he would be able to tolerate what's going on in the world today because when you think about it, What's Going On was done in 1971. This is 2013 and we're still talking about the same issues and people are still going through the same things they were back then and before then. And it's unfortunate. But that's his testament that he leaves with us. Learn from his words if you can and I think he left us with a few lessons by the way he lived, by the way he died, and by the way he created his music.

Any other thoughts?

I'm a lucky woman. I really am. I'm a very lucky woman that we met and came together and had two beautiful children. We had some wonderful times together and, unfortunately, we had some times that weren't so wonderful, but it is what it is. There is nothing that anyone can do to change it now. I don't blame anyone. I can't put the blame on anyone for anything that went wrong between him and me except for myself. I accept responsibility for anything I may have done to make his life difficult. It is just something I have to live with and deal with. I would have to say that the good far outweighed the bad even though he is no longer with us. The good still outweighs the bad and I wouldn't change any of it.

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Vanessa Hudgens has released a thirty second video for her song “$$$ex” featuring YLA!

“Recently I collaborated with the girl group, YLA (Young LA), on the Spring Breakers inspired track, “$$$ex”. We had so much fun recording (especially since one of my best friends, Laura New, is in the group)! ;))) We literally danced around all night in the Rock Mafia Studios while recording it,” the 24-year-old actress wrote on her new Tumblr page.

“We’re continuing the party and made a 30 seconds “$$$ex” video. We just wanted to dance and get crazy! You don’t have to go to Spring Break, you can bring Spring Break to youuu! We had ours in the kitchen. LOL! Sooo much fun,” Vanessa added.

In addition to her new blogging page, Vanessa has officially started using her Twitter page!

“That’s right love bugs, I’ve finally joined twitter AND tumblr. Thanks for all the lovin’! You guys are seriously the best,” Vanessa tweeted.

JJ

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50. The Walking Dead

Network: AMC
Air Dates: October 31, 2010 - present
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Sarah Wayne Collies, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Laurie Holden, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dvaid Morrissey, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Dallas Roberts, IronE Singleton, Melissa McBride

A television show about zombies? Any George A. Romero fanboy will tell you that, prior to AMC's The Walking Dead, such a proposition was unheard of. After all, TV producers only care about medical dramas, cop shows, and domestic sitcoms, right? Not the brave souls in the AMC offices, who continued their daring streak of green-lighting dark, cutting-edge adult dramas (Mad Men, Breaking Bad) by giving acclaimed filmmaker Frank Darabont the go-sign to adapt Robert Kirkman's beloved Image Comics title.

It's easy to see why AMC took the risk. The Walking Dead, as Kirkman lays it out, isn't about the zombies as much as its about the living characters. Led by do-gooder sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the show's band of random survivors drives the hour-long pressure cooker, quarreling with each other while trying to stay alive amidst the flesh-eater takeover.

And thanks to Glen Mazzara, who stepped in to fill Darabont's role for season 2 after AMC's behind-the-scenes drama, the series is now exactly what optimistic fans thought it could be all along: bold, fearless storytelling. With its numerous zombie kills, bountiful gore, several major characters' terminations, and a heightened sense of danger supplied by bringing deadly comic book favorites (Michonne, the Governor) into Rick Grimes' ever-threatening world,

Furthermore, it's the people's show, breaking cable ratings records and dominating social media conversations every Sunday night while never registering with Emmy voters and making many stuffed-shirt pundits resist its genre sensibilities. - Matt Barone






18. Justified

Network: FX
Air Dates: March 16, 2010 – present
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Nick Searcy, Natalie Zea, Erica Tazel, Raymond J. Barry, Damon Herriman, David Meunier, Jere Burns, Brent Sexton, William Ragsdale, Jeremy Davies, Margo Martindale, Kaitlyn Dever, Mykelti Williamson, Neal McDonough

In its 2010 premiere run, Justified proved itself to be a good show; in 2011, it became a great one. Two key factors played into the FX series' dramatic improvement, all-important alterations that largely benefited the top-notch performances from lead Timothy Olymphant (as charismatic lawman Raylan Givens) and co-star extraordinaire Walton Goggins (as soulful antagonist Boyd Crowder). The first was a central plot, something that eluded the show in the first season. The second? Casting Margo Martindale as this season's villain.

Justified's first season often fumbled its way through a procedural approach, developing its main characters while chasing down a new criminal every week. But Martindale's Mags Bennet, the queen bee of a rule-breaking family of hillbilly degenerates, supplied both Raylan and Boyd with a mutually disruptive entity. As a result, Justified found its focus, and season two handled its storyline with admirable grace, subtlety, and unpredictability.

One of these days, the privileged few who vote on Emmy nominations will wake up, acknowledge the cowboy hat, and give Timothy Olyphant a statue. Each season so far, Olyphant, as US Marshal Raylan Givens, has continued his small-screen reign of excellence. Charming, imposing, and able to crack wise better than most of his TV peers, Olyphant holds the Kentucky-set series down without falling behind his equally proficient co-stars. - Matt Barone




14. Game of Thrones

Network: HBO
Air Dates: April 17, 2011 – present
Stars: Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen, Kit Harrington, Charles Dance, Liam Cunningham, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Richard Madden, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Alfie Allen, Jack Gleeson

Someone should time how long the opening credits sequence for HBO's Game of Thrones runs—it has to be the longest on all of television. And that's because the gruesome, captivating sword-and-sorcery series, based on author George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Fire and Ice book series, seems to average at least one new character introduced per episode. Somehow—perhaps through the kind of magic seen on the show—showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss consistently weave a multifaceted and endlessly compelling yarn around Game of Throne's stacked cast.

During the show's debut season, breakouts like Peter Dinklage (as pint-sized shotcaller and ladies man Tyrion Lannister) and Emilia Clarke (the golden-haired dragon lady Daenerys Targaryen) received most of the attention, but season two saw a few previously limited performers step to the forefront in major ways.

Of special note were Alfie Allen, who gave the suddenly megalomaniacal Theon Greyjoy's violent quest for power a stark (no pun intended) vulnerability; Sophie Turner, the brave young actress who shares most scenes with that sniveling bastard Joffrey (Jack Glesson) and continually manages to hold her own; and Maisie Williams, the 15-year-old wonder who played little Arya's undercover survival within the Lannister family's guarded walls with a sympathetic toughness.

How Game of Thrones balances so many rich characters while delivering eye-grabbing moments of wild carnage and pricey visual effects is one of the show's many selling points. That just goes to show you the paramount importance of substance over style. - Matt Barone




10. Twin Peaks

Network: ABC
Air Dates: April 8, 1990 - June 10, 1991
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn, Michael Ontkean, Richard Breymer, Joan Chen, Piper Laurie, Peggy Lipton, Everett McGill, James Marshall, Jack Nance, Warren Frost, Harry Goaz, Michael Horse, Russ Tamblyn, Ray Wise

It's not exactly "going out on a limb" to declare that network TV will never air another show quite like Twin Peaks. Much like how cinemas don't regularly screen films comparable to Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive. The common denominator here, of course, is David Lynch, the unclassifiable filmmaker whose wonderfully odd sensibilities own stock in horror, drama, romance, comedy, and brain-scrambling WTF-ness.

All of those elements, and plenty more, were the high points of Twin Peaks, the anything but routine procedural soap, co-created by Lynch and Mark Frost, that left viewers scratching their temples through its two-season existence. When they weren't scratching, though, viewers were applauding the show's uncanny knack for producing shivers and awkward laughs in equal measure.

The plot of Twin Peaks, or whatever semblance of coherent narrative there was, traced the investigations of one Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan), a beguiling lead character obsessed with nabbing the person who killed homecoming queen Laura Palmer; unlike AMC's The Killing, though, the whodunit side of Twin Peaks played second fiddle to the show's beautifully random scenes. - Matt Barone




9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Network: The WB, UPN
Air Dates: March 10, 1997 - May 20, 2003
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Stewart Head, Alyson Hannigan, David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Juliet Landau, Eliza Dushku, Seth Green, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson

Buffy The Vampire Slayer seemingly had it all: monsters, comedy, interesting characters, and talented actors. So what did the Joss Whedon-controlled show lack? The amount of viewers necessary to extend its current reputation beyond cult status. Buffy's loyal viewers, as well as the critics wise enough to hop on board, know they had something special, though, and aware True Blood fans hopefully realize that Sookie Stackhouse's universe is an inferior substitute for Buffy's creature-packed world.

Whedon and company kept the ghouls front and center throughout Buffy's seven seasons, yet no hour was as nightmarishly scary as "Hush", the show's crown jewel of horror. In the Whedon-directed episode (which he also co-wrote), a pack of suit-wearing, Joker-crossed-with-skeleton-looking ghouls known as "The Gentlemen" come to town and steal people's voices, resulting in an episode that's predominantly without dialogue. Brave formal decisions like this one separated Buffy from the rest of the pack. - Matt Barone




8. NYPD Blue

Network: ABC
Air Dates: September 21, 1993 – March 1, 2005
Stars: Dennis Franz, David Caruso, Jimmy Smits, Rich Schroder, Kim Delaney, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Henry Simmons, Gordon Clapp, Bill Brochtup, James McDaniel, Nicholas Turturro, Esai Morales, Sharon Lawrence, Amy Brenneman

When all else fails during pilot season, and networks can't scrounge up any unique programming, there will always be the police procedural format. Year in and year out, channels both basic and cable premiere new shows steeped in the world of crime-solving, typically with crooked cops, flawed heroes, and a dead body or two per episode. And the sad fact is that every one of these programs is trying to be even half as great as NYPD Blue.

Co-created by Steven Bochco and David Milch, ABC's seminal police drama never skirted over the harsh realities associated with protecting and serving. The violence was raw, the characters were both likable and damaged (and sometimes naked), and fan favorites weren't immune to death. NYPD Blue thrived on the kind of naturally powerful storytelling that later procedurals have so desperately forced into clichéd submission. - Matt Barone




7. The Twilight Zone

Network: CBS
Air Dates: October 2, 1959 - June 19, 1964
Stars: Various

How many times have you heard someone, when in a bizarre situation, say, "It feels like I'm in the The Twilight Zone"? There's one man to thank for that ongoing pop culture reference point: Rod Serling, the game-changer responsible for several award-winning TV scripts, but most notably known for creating the groundbreaking anthology series The Twilight Zone.

Given a look today, the Zone's greatest episodes still hold up as television's best examples of thought-provoking and unsettling storytelling. Serling and his writing team (led by Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont), probed societal issues and everyman fears with a genre-specific eye, inserting aliens, time travel, horror, and sometimes dark comedy into the everyday world as mirrors for viewers to confront harsh realities. The show was incredibly ahead of its time.

And it was, more often than not, scary as hell. Try driving on an open road alone at night after watching "The Hitchhiker", or not shivering in the presence of mannequins once you've seen "After Hours". We still get paranoid while flying on airplanes ("Nightmare At 20,000 Feet"), reading cookbooks ("To Serve Man"), and quarreling with neighbors ("The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street").

Television producers have tried time and time again to match what Serling did back in the early '60s, but to no avail. What's most scary about The Twilight Zone is how brilliant it remains today. - Matt Barone




6. Six Feet Under

Network: HBO
Air Dates: June 3, 2001 – August 21, 2005
Stars: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, James Cromwell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rachel Griffiths, Justina Machado, Jeremy Sisto, Mathew St. Patrick, Joanna Cassidy, Tim Maculan, Patricia Clarkson, Lili Taylor

Death is the great equalizer, but it’s also what separates Six Feet Under from other dramas. Centered on the survivors of a funeral director who dies accidentally in the pilot and leaves the Fisher family funeral home to his sons, the multi-layered series, created by American Beauty writer Alan Ball, explored familial conflicts as well as personal, religious, and philosophical perspectives on mortality.

Death was never distant, as each episode opened with someone’s expiration, bringing a new body and more questions into the lives of the grieving family members, who continued to converse with imagined versions of their deceased patriarch, hoping to sort out the great mystery of life.

Profoundly moving and resonant for anyone who will die someday—which, if you haven’t realized yet, means you—Six Feet Under is a must-watch before you kick the bucket. - Justin Monroe




5. Deadwood

Network: HBO
Air Dates: March 21, 2004 – August 27, 2006
Stars: Timothy Olymphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, John Hawkes, Jim Beaver, Brad Dourif, Paula Malcolmson, William Sanderson, Kim Dickens, Robin Weigert, Dayton Calle, W. Earl Brown, Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine

HBO's ferocious and poetic Deadwood, a historical drama spanning two years in the history of a frontier town in the Dakotas, had the richest use of language American telvision has ever experienced. The beautiful words put in the mouths of the lowlifes, prostitutes, and lawmen by David Milch and his team of writers attracted much attention for the show's liberal use of the words "fuck" and "cocksucker," but the deserve just as much scrutiny for their stunning power.

"If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got fuckin' fleeced." That's saloon owner Al Swearengen (played with fierce intelligence by Ian McShane) speaking coarse and quotable in damn near iambic pentameter. Swearengen, like all of the show's components, has a basis in historical fact—this is one well researched beast you're dealing with. There was a real Deadwood. Wild Bill Hickok was killed there. The Gem saloon really stood on that bloody, muddy ground.

But don't get stuck on the realness. The Deadwood created by the writers and actors involved with the HBO masterpiece is wholly theirs, a wonderful fiction where pimps deliver soliloquies whilst getting head, and profanity takes on a poetic dimension Shakespeare would've approved of. - Ross Scarano




4. Mad Men

Network: AMC
Air Dates: July 19, 2007 – present
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Batt, Jared Harris, Kiernan Shipka, Jessica Pare, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Christopher Stanley, Jay R. Ferguson

How many hours have we spent with Don Draper by now?

As TV becomes more cinematic (and thus richer) with regards to camera movement and editing, as it begins to play with form in the exciting ways, the medium will continue to stand distinct from film because of duration. You don't even get two hours with Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane. On the eve of the Mad Men's sixth season, we've spent roughly 50 hours with Don Draper (Jon Hamm). And given the pace of AMC's long, hard gaze into the ad industry of the '60s, those hours feel especially packed.

Testifying to the power of duration, Mad Men's unfurling arcs have asked viewers to evolve their feelings in ways that are only possible with time—lots of time. If you'd told me circa season one that I would feel something other than revulsion at the dawn of season six for Pete Campbell, the WASPy ad exec with the punchable face, I wouldn't have believed you. But as in life, relationships change and grow. My relationship with Pete (and to hell with you if you think that's a strange thing to say) is entirely different now. This is a beautiful and powerful thing, art that asks you to change. It should not be underestimated.

When it's over, Matthew Weiner's Mad Men may very well be remembered as the greatest show to emerge from TV's golden age. Exploring the complicated tangle of the personal and the political at an ad agency during one of America's most turbulent decades has provided viewers with enough indelible images and fascinating characters to populate entire novels. And the show only gets better as it incorporates more of the formal innovations of cinema into its machinery.

It's not right that I have to invoke other art forms to express the genius of Mad Men. It's lazy, for one thing. But it's also a reflection of the adolescence television is experiencing. The medium is still finding out what it can do. We're lucky, all of us, to be alive to watch. - Ross Scarano




3. Breaking Bad

Network: AMC
Air Dates: January 20, 2008 – present
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, RJ Mitte, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks

It's hard to fathom that there are still people out there who've never seen AMC's Breaking Bad; at this point, creator Vince Gilligan's bleak and unpredictable drama should be required viewing for anyone who owns a DVR machine.

As sickly chemistry teacher turned crystal meth cook Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and his unstable partner (Aaron Paul) descend further into the drug world's abyss, Breaking Bad continually outdoes itself, pushing TV's boundaries with shocking violence, complicated storytelling, and fearless performances. As it approaches its finale, we'll see if it can become that thing that's eluded TV lovers for so long: the perfect show. - Matt Barone




2. The Sopranos

Network: HBO
Air Dates: January 10, 1999 – June 10, 2007
Stars: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea de Matteo, Tony Sirico, Steven Van Zandt, Vincent Pastore, David Proval, Aida Turturro, Nancy Marchand, Steven R. Schirripa, Federico Castelluccio, John Ventimiglia, Vincent Curatola, Steve Buscemi, Max Casella, Joe Pantoliano, Joseph R. Gannascoli

As with any intimate relationship, the connection that exists between viewer and television series can be a complicated one. Like any loved one, the television characters we come to know best have the ability to trigger a range of emotions—glee, despair, surprise, fear, anger—allowing us to love them and hate them in equal parts.

In the history of television, few shows have engaged viewers as passionately as David Chase's The Sopranos, the story of a New Jersey mob boss with mommy issues. (OK, so it's a bit more complicated.) Steeped in nihilism and based in the psychotherapy process, the show—which ran for six seasons on HBO between 1999 and 2007—has been cited by many critics as one of the greatest series in the history of television. And with very good reason.

The Sopranos set the standard for excellence on HBO, and captured the attention of the nation. Has any recent TV finale been discussed more than the end of this series? No. And we'll continue to discuss it. We'll only continue to analyze the mob epic that was so much more. - Jennifer Wood




1. The Wire

Network: HBO
Air Dates: June 2, 2002 – March 9, 2008
Stars: Dominic West, Idris Elba, Wood Harris, Michael K. Williams, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Andre Royo, Aidan Gillen, Amy Ryan, John Doman, Frankie Faison, Larry Gillard, Jr., Deirdre Lovejoy, Sonja Sohn, Clarke Peters, Jamie Hector, Tristan Wilds, Isiah Whitlock, Jr.

What more can be said? That The Wire is the most important television series of the 21st century is practically textbook truth. Fueled by incredible anger and empathy, David Simon's panorama of Baltimore cast the war on drugs as the futile tragedy so many Americans have known it to be, while also shining light on the unending games all institutions play to keep the oppressed oppressed, and the stats squeaky clean.

The Wire began, in its first season, by chronicling the Barksdale drug operation and the struggle of the police assigned to bring it down. From that center, the other stories radiated outward like the spokes of a wheel. The second season brought the docks to the forefront. The race for mayor of Baltimore entered with the third season. The fourth focused on the nightmare of public education. The fifth tackled the newspaper.

Listing the moving parts does nothing to explain the work of the machine. And, as should be the case with all great art, no piece of writing can take the place of the series itself.

The Wire wasn't perfect. The newspaper arc and serial killer debacle of the fifth season remain missteps. Still, when the show was great—and the first four seasons are peerless—it was moving in a way that had you reaching for a Bible, for the Communist Manifesto, for some massive text that offers guidance in tough times.

Art should help you become a better human, and dammit if The Wire didn't do just that. - Ross Scarano





full list at the source.

"Doctor Who" fans, get ready for timelines to collide: David Tennant and Matt Smith just finished their first read through for the sci-fi staple's upcoming 50th anniversary special.

The official BBC "Doctor Who" Twitter account blasted the above photo of the pair following the read through. We certainly hope it was a success.

While storyline details for the 50th anniversary special are being kept under wraps, it was recently confirmed that Tennant would return for the episode. Is it possible we'll see Doctors Ten (Tennant) and Eleven (Smith) share the screen? And what role will another returning favorite -- Billie Piper as companion Rose Tyler -- play in the adventure?

We know current companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) will be involved, and by the time the special arrives on Nov. 23, we should have an explanation for her mysterious ability to appear at various points throughout time.

"Doctor Who" is currently airing on BBC America in the U.S.

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Jane Henson and husband Jim Henson with the cast of Sam and Friends in 1960. Photograph: Del Ankers. AP

Jane Henson, the former wife of Muppets creator Jim Henson who was influential in the creation of the popular US TV puppet program, died on Tuesday following a long bout with cancer. She was 78 years old.

Henson, who died at her home in Connecticut, was an "integral creative and business partner" in the Muppets, the Jim Henson Company, owned by the Hensons' five children, said in a statement.

Jane, born in Queens, New York, in 1934, was an early puppeteer, as well as puppet designer for the Muppets, best known for characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy who starred in numerous television programs and films.

She first met her future husband in puppetry class at the University of Maryland in the mid-1950s and the two went on to create the five-minute television program Sam and Friends, a precursor to the Muppets. The show served as a lead-in to The Huntley-Brinkley Report news show and The Tonight Show Starring Steve Allen .

Although Henson stopped working as a puppeteer to raise her children in the early 1960s, she was still responsible for recruiting top talent and performing occasionally on the children's show Sesame Street.

Henson legally separated from her husband four years prior to his death in 1990 of organ failure following a bacterial infection at the age of 53. She later founded The Jim Henson Legacy to promote his work. Jane is survived by her five children.

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looking so forward to this, especially with Rockne O'Bannon being a part of this. More information about it here.

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Gaga in NYC today.

Gaga among new round of celebs whose finances were hacked

Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga are the two newest victims of the celebrity hackers who had already exposed the financial secrets of Michelle Obama and Beyonce ... TMZ has learned.

The hackers returned to the Internet after a brief hiatus ... and immediately hit six more A-list victims, including Angelina, Gaga, NRA advocate Wayne LaPierre, Dennis Rodman, Michael Vick, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson and Robert De Niro.

The hackers have posted what they claim to be the social security numbers, mortgage amounts, credit card info, car loans, banking and other info for the celebs listed on their site.

The hackers' previous website was shut down by its host -- but it's now back up and running with a new domain extension (.re) that suggests it's based out of the French island of Réunion located off the coast of Madagascar.

Along with Beyonce and Michelle, the hackers previously hit names like Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher, Hillary Clinton, Kim Kardashian, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kanye West, Mitt Romney, and Tiger Woods.

As we reported, the FBI has been investigating the hackers from the beginning ... no arrests have been made.

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There are also reports going around that her maternal grandfather died today. (Confirmed) :( Not a good day for Gagaloop.

Willow @ The KCA's

Willow Smith: Movie Monday!

Willow Smith checks her phone messages as she heads to see a movie at The Commons on Monday afternoon (March 25) in Calabasas, Calif.The 12-year-old singer was joined by a guy pal who also grabbed lunch with her before going to the theater.



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Amandla @ The KCAs

sorry for the small ass pics

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Zendaya's Interview w/ Jimmy Kimmel

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Ryan Seacrest Foundation Makes West Coast Debut of Seacrest Studios at CHOC Children's








@ the KCA's






DWTS Rehearsal Candids

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On DWTS


Week 1


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Week 3


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image heavy post

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Also just a reminder that this movie was denied a PG-13 rating and given a R based solely on the tone of the movie and not for any graphic content. I can't wait for this.

When you break up with a long-term squeeze, you both go your separate ways and redefine yourselves as ostentatiously as possible. Why should former tween stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens be any different simply because they are blemishless dollfaces, indistinguishable from their own action figures? One-time sweethearts both on-screen, as power-ballad-crooning Troy and Gabriella in Disney's High School Musical films, and off (2006-10), the pair now star in challenging new movies that put some distance between their virtuous younger selves, that squeaky-clean franchise and one another. But which of them has done the more comprehensive job of sullying their image?



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The film

Zac: Stars in The Paperboy, directed by Lee Daniels, who was previously Oscar-nominated for Precious. Sully score: 1/10
Vanessa: Stars in Spring Breakers, directed by Harmony Korine, who once shot footage of himself provoking strangers into beating him up. Sully score: 6/10

 


OP here: if you haven't seen any of these movies and intend to do so, be warned - this is full of SPOILERS!

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The role

Zac: Plays a student expelled for letting the water out of the college swimming pool. 1/10
Vanessa: Says: "Fuck school. Just fuck it," while smoking dope during a three-way bisexual pool romp. 9/10





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Typical trait

Zac: Rolls around in his white underwear while Macy Gray watches. 3/10
Vanessa: Holds up a diner using hammers, then sits in her knickers in the loot groaning: "All this money makes my mouth wet." Only she doesn't say mouth. 7/10





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Significant other

Zac: Sleeps with Nicole Kidman. 5/10
Vanessa: Sleeps with everyone. 9/10





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Key scene

Zac: Gets peed on by Kidman. 9/10 (But it was first aid: he got stung by jellyfish: -5)
Vanessa: Becomes James Franco's love slave, moll and Uzi-toting soldier. 9/10 (No mitigating circumstances whatsoever: +5)



(yeah, I'm skipping that other gif...)

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Total

Zac: 14
Vanessa: 45

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Verdict

Zac still hasn't quite graduated from High School Musical. Vanessa, on the other hand, has turned so convincingly sleazy that even John Waters probably wouldn't even cast her now. Go, girl!



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So this was one of the most pointless articles I've ever seen in The Guardian (or anywhere, really) but 1) it was kinda funny and 2) it was an excuse to make a Spring Breakers related post. I saw it this weekend and LOVED IT. Did you guys watch it? If so, did you love it / hate it / thought it was just meh? And what about The Paperboy? (still haven't watched that one)

Oh, and this is first my first ever post here so go easy on me, okay? <3

Though its characters remain locked in myriad unresolved battles, the HBO series “Game of Thrones” can claim one clear victory: Its season three premiere is, officially, one of the most-pirated shows of all time.

TorrentFreak, a Web site that tracks torrents and piracy, logged more than 1 million illegal downloads in the day after Sunday’s episode aired, including more than 163,000 simultaneous downloads on one file. That broke the 143,000 record set by “Heroes” in 2008.

“These are mind-boggling numbers that we’ve never seen before,” TorrentFreak’s Ernesto Van Der Sar wrote in a blog post.

But more mind-boggling still, given the current “piracy, it’s a crime” climate, is the muted reaction from “Game of Thrones’” network, cast and crew. In an interview with the BBC last month, actress Rose Leslie — who plays the wildling Ygritte, herself a lawless type — called the show’s high piracy rates a compliment. A “back-handed compliment,” but a compliment nonetheless.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but it is a compliment of sorts,” HBO programming president Michael Lombardo echoed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the season three premiere. “The demand is there. And it certainly didn’t negatively impact the DVD sales. [Piracy is] something that comes along with having a wildly successful show on a subscription network.”

That complicates the usual rhetoric on piracy — some of which HBO has advanced in the past. We’re used to hearing that piracy is “stealing.” That it kills jobs. That it contributes, somehow, to child labor and gang violence, as the Department of Justice posited in a 2011 PSA. To quote the owner of a film distribution company, who lamented the rise of digital piracy in the Wall Street Journal, “it’s changed us. It’s a very damaging trend.”

But some contrarians, both on “Game of Thrones” and around the industry, are finding reasons to doubt that narrative. For starters, they point out, subscription networks like HBO make it difficult to watch the show legally unless you have a premium cable package or know a hospitable friend who does. Otherwise, you can’t watch “Game of Thrones” online — not on Hulu, not on Netflix and certainly not on HBO’s online service, HBO Go, which demands your cable provider and password as soon as you click into the site. Paying subscribers outside the U.S. have to wait as long as a week to see the shows.

On top of that, there’s some suggestion that piracy might actually help the “Game of Thrones” franchise. Director David Petrarca has said as much already: Downloads “generate buzz,” he told a crowd in Sydney, and “that’s how they survive.” A recent Wall Street Journal story broke the numbers down this way: 11 million HBO subscribers watch “Game of Thrones” legally, and 3.7 to 4.2 million people pirate it online.

Depending on your point of view, that means HBO lost out on subscription fees from a quarter of its audience — or that 4 million fans are tweeting about the new episode and eyeing that pricey collectors’ edition, when they wouldn’t have otherwise.

So far, it’s an issue the industry hasn’t been able to settle. Do people pirate things instead of buying them, or do they pirate some things in addition to buying others? A recent European Commission study on music piracy in Europe found that piracy doesn’t correspond to dropping sales.

It’s “fair to assume that not every pirated copy of an audiovisual work represents lost revenue to the content producer,” copyright lawyer Jonathan Rose told Forbes in March.

In either case, it doesn’t seem to be hurting “Game of Thrones” or any of its companions atop the most-pirated list. “Game of Thrones” moved more DVDs on its first day than any other HBO release. According to industry analyst Nash Information Services, that makes it the best-selling TV DVD of 2012 — followed closely by “The Big Bang Theory,” which is also the third-most pirated TV show, according to TorrentFreak.

Still, the old fears of piracy remain — and many studios, including ABC and NBC, are ramping up their fights against it.

“At the end of the day, it’s stealing,” “Game of Thrones” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau told the BBC. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, but it is. And it’s not right.”


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