On the heels of the publicity circus surrounding “Different Strokes” actor Todd Bridges’ new memoir about how he’s been sober for nearly 2 decades and his gripe about how in spite of this very fact everyone still recognizes him as the “Different Strokes” star who turned junkie outlaw comes news today that his TV brother Arnold/Gary Coleman is being hospitalized in Utah. The most shocking detail of the story is not the fact that Coleman’s wife and family don’t want to leak to the press anything related to his health (especially given his wife’s predilection for abusive gestures) or that Gary is sick (he’s been sick a few times in the past year), but that the dude lives in a state where booze is a no-no, trusts his treatment to physicians who don’t drink coffee, and furthermore doesn’t take advantage of the whole polygamy deal the state has going on. Really Gary?
Well, we here at Bloggin’ With Amaldo hope that Gary makes a hasty recovery. The world would be a different place without the little dude.
Back in the day, Tina Fey aka Liz Lemon aka Sarah Palin was in her element alongside Amy Poehler aka Leslie Knope tearing it up on “SNL” with her weekend updates. The comic duo were sassy, sharp, and never missed a punchline. They represented a new prototype of feminist - they weren’t your mom’s brand of feminist whose extremist tendencies of either too traditional or too workaholic repelled you from the whole notion of “women’s lib.” Poehler & Fey proved that funny, smart, and confident with a hint of vulnerable could work and moreover, women could be successful at this shtick.
So imagine my disappointment this season as I watch Liz Lemon on “30 Rock” pathetically whining, mooning over past loves, and contemplating the concept of settling for the dreamy Michael Sheen over going at it solo. Her cynicism reaching new heights, Lemon’s once empowered femme drole is merely a shred of her former hip lady self. The compelling storyline involving Liz’s desire to adopt a baby (something many single, career-minded women in their late 30s might be able to relate too) which was ongoing for the past few seasons has all but vanished with her character shifting into more of a slapstick sidekick providing occasional comedic relief for the venerable Alec Baldwin. On a side note: Do I really care if Jack chooses Julianne Moore or Elizabeth Banks? Just bring Selma Hayek back! Note to network television: In case you didn’t notice from the ratings success of “Modern Family,” Latina relief is the only thing working on sitcoms these days…
On the other hand, Amy Poehler has managed to transform Leslie Knope, a rather plain yokel and no doubt the anti-Liz Lemon hipster chick into a comedic heroine by steering clear of the “SNL” footfalls of vitriolic NY-bred humor - the type of bagel humor that might have worked with “Seinfeld” 15 years ago but doesn’t do it for the iGeneration. In contrast to Liz Lemon, Leslie is kind and giving to a fault and like Liz, she is not without her ambitions and her desire to win at all costs. The difference is Poehler’s affable delivery - it’s her refreshingly candid demeanor that endears her to us and also at the same time represents a true shift in in what we want our female role models to look like.
Today’s Mary Tyler Moore doesn’t need to wear black, live in the 100- zip code, walk around all day muttering “oy vey” under her breadth, and sip soy lattes while dreaming up the wittiest retorts in preparation for their next rendez-vous. They can date park rangers, go hunting with the boys, and put it all on the line for a friend in need. They don’t need to arm themselves with sarcasm to shield themselves from being vulnerable or self-deprecation as a means to communicate with others for fear of actually conveying any shred of authenticity.
Today’s lady can be geeky, socially responsible, single, self-aware, and sassy. Welcome to the ’10s ladies. It’s a bold new world and you, too, can be cool in this one - even in NBC’s impossibly hip Thursday night line-up.
Everyone’s still talking Tiger Woods - especially in light of his imminent golf comeback at the Masters. Whether it’s our nation’s president laying to rest speculation of Tiger being the greatest golf player ever (seriously?) or marketing mogul Donny Deutsch going head-to-head with MSNBC’s resident “Gossip” gal Courtney Hazlett and “Today” show commentator Natalie Morales yesterday on subject of Tiger’s harried ethos, opinions are rampant and far too dime-a-dozen when it comes to whether Tiger’s infidelities will do any long-term damage to his career.
But let’s not forget that before he was every sponsor’s wet dream, Tiger was a golf prodigy and had talent to back his brand. This talent will carry him much further than the threat of illegitimate children, genital herpes, or perhaps a worse fate than all of these - the prospect of ending up on an episode of Dr. Drew’s “Sober House.”
In short, while not infallible and undoubtedly smarmy, the guy isn’t ruined, nor should he be condemned to the court of Oprah or any of the other celeb naysayers that try to back him into a sex rehab corner only to resurrect him from the grave of shame at some pre-ordained showstopping date to drive ratings through the roof.
The bulk of your personal brand is measured by how you interact with the people that come into your life on a daily basis - more so than how credible you are. If Tiger can abide by this and go on doing his humble, modest dude thing given enough time has passed and sufficient public statements of apology go by, his transgressions will all but be forgotten. This latter is merely a by-product of the short-term memory pandemic our nations falls prey to on an hourly basis.
So in the end whether Elin takes him back into her arms, sponsors will embrace this humbled Tiger because his golf game will walk the walk. And the rest of us continue to talk talk.
I, for one, am super psyched by the prospect of the Ravens and Colts going head-to-head duking it out for the AFC championship on national TV tonight. As convinced as I am that Manning will pull through for the Colts (unless they decide to pull out all starters in the 2nd half again), Joe Flacco and his Ravens took the Patriots on a ride last week that ultimately led a once shoo-in team (before Wes Welker got injured) for the playoffs to their demise in a disastrous and humiliating showdown.
Whichever team wins tonight and I hold no favorites on this one, it should make for entertaining football and with football fans only a month away from the end of the season altogether, we take what we can, even when we are pretty ardent Patriots and Steelers fans.
In Chicago, where people take their sports teams quite seriously and Da Bears are coming off a 5-9 season, fans are up in arms over the Bears’ losing streak of a season calling for the imminent departure of head coach Lovie Smith. Then again, fans were quick to dismiss former starting QB Rex Grossman and that resulted in his eventually getting traded for Cutler, who in my mind is actually a downgrade. Let’s hope there is some love left for Lovie and that the Bears’ management reconsiders.
Drastic, knee-jerk responses aside, my mind is still a whirl coming off of last night’s Colts game where the undefeated team basically threw the game against the Jets, benching all of their starting players in the second half and succumbing to their first loss of the season against a team that was 7-7. Perhaps the NFL needs to investigate this loss further. I’ve never seen Peyton look so bereft.
Here’s hoping Brett Favre and his Vikings go a long way this season, but maybe tonight they can take a back seat to Lovie.
TMZ.com is reporting that actress Brittany Murphy died this morning after having been rushed to Cedars-Sinai in LA where she suffered from full cardiac arrest. The 32-year-old actress, best-known for her featured work and memorable roles in “Clueless” and “Girl Interrupted” was also once engaged to Ashton Kutcher. Media is still speculating on the exact cause of her death, though asthma is rumored to have been a catalyst.
Tonight marks the season finale of the much-hyped about 60s ad show detailing the lives of Madison Avenue’s finest, Mad Men. Last week’s Kennedy assassination plot explored the emotional subtext between the show’s characters and the outside world - the universe outside the microcosm known as Sterling Cooper. At the end of the episode, we weren’t quite sure if Betty was going to really leave Don; how Don was going to further atone for all of his transgressions (give the guy a rest already!); if Roger was going to end up with his female match, Joan after all; and where the heck in-the-closet illustrator Sal has been for the past few weeks. Yes, this show has truly transformed itself into the high-brow, culturally acceptable soap opera of its time, but having been hooked up until now, I don’t see myself going back in the closet anytime soon. I think most of the show’s fans feel the same way.
Be sure to tune into AMC tonight at 10 PM ET to catch the season finale!
A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
So does anyone else find is downright bizarre that a relatively benign PG-show like The Simpsons is stooping to this level of debasement? Series creator Matt Groening has always made a serious effort to keep his show from veering down that path, so why now?
Surely one might expect such behavior from a Seth MacFarlane matriarch like Family Guy’s Lois, but Marge has always been way too wholesome and morally upright. I guess even I’ll be tempted to buy next month’s issue - if for nothing else, than sheer curiosity.
Last week’s season premiere of Season 3 of the hit AMC show, Mad Men, delivered on its promise of whetting our appetites just enough to have us waxing nostalgic about why we fell in love with the show in the first place.
Where Season 2 suffered from that second season plateau/slump that have befallen many great shows, Sunday’s exploration of Don Draper’s psyche and his relentless unyielding to rise above the multiple identities he cloaks himself in to complement his mood du jour teased us with the promise of a season where we’ll get to see more Draper, and subsequently more of Draper’s past revealed. And let’s face it. Don Draper is why we all watch this show. The man oozes self-assurance, confidence, and the know-how to navigate the treacherous waters of this world with the right balance of acumen - both in business and in people. He knows why people tick and just how to get them to yield to his agenda, whether it’s in the boardroom or in the bedroom.
Per usual, the show balances the heavy (glimpses into Don Draper’s humble beginnings and his unwanted birth and Don realizing that one of his co-workers is gay when he catches him with this pants down) with lighter fare (the hysterical pitting of 2 Account Managers against one another for title of “Head of Accounts” - when both are convinced they’ve solely snagged the title) and throws in the absurd just to make sure we’re all still watching as intently as before.
Newly engaged to up-and-coming media mogul and NY Observer owner, Jared Kushner, once one of NYC’s most eligible bachelors, Ivanka Trump must be feeling pretty good these days; that is when she’s not learning how to atone properly for her sins and feel the appropriate amount of guilt for every small action taken (Can you teach that?).
In all seriousness, the vivacious Ms. Trump - no country bumpkin herself - is prepared to going Jewish for love. It wouldn’t be the first time. The big D, otherwise known as Ivanka’s pop or the man of the orange coif, is publicaly thrilled by the news. Who wouldn’t be?
Donald Trump’s thoughts, according to Us Weekly: “I’m very happy about it. They make a magnificent couple.”
True to her generation’s exhibitionist tendencies (which can often manifest themselves in the form of a tweet), Ivanka shared news of her impending nuptials on Twitter first. Be sure to check out the July 16th entry.
As I drift off to the kitchen to tend to dinner, I wonder if all the $$ in the world can teach Ivanka how to cook a simple Jewish meal or as my friend, Hedy, would say, “That’s what all the maids are for.” She does have a point. It’s not like being Jewish is ALL about the food, after all.
Michael Jackson, who was rushed to the hospital today in cardiac arrest, was confirmed dead. He was 50-years-old. And let’s not overlook, one of the Charlie’s Angel’s and 70s icon, Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer earlier today at the young age of 62.
Regina Spektor’s new album, Far, is slated for release this Tuesday, June 23rd. For a sneak peak of the talented chanteuse’s signature track, “Laughing With,” listen below.
Billy Joel’s wife Katie Lee, 33 years his junior, and the former host of the hit Bravo reality TV show, Top Chef, is shagging Israeli fashion designer, Yigal Azrouel. Sidebar: Am I wrong in thinking this guy is a total arse schmuck? Then again, maybe my pragmatism and miserly disposition just don’t see the value in spending $1150 on a cotton dress with a zipper, which by any other name smells like shmatas.
Joel and Lee announced their split just this week amidst rumors of infidelity. While the Joel-Lees are denying the rumors, it would seem that the age difference was a major factor in their split. Joel’s former “Uptown Girl,” Christie Brinkley was in the news last year when news of her former hubby’s scandalous shacking up with their nanny hit the fan.
Now that they’re both older, anyone else think that Joel and Brinkley should just reunite and stop trying to reclaim their youth by marrying adulterous klumniks?
Because it’s never too late to think about “trialing” new vocations and you’ve got nothing but time on your hands when your producers are picking up your $3340/night villa tab (not to mention the $410/day on handlers), Amy Winehouse has taken to a bit of volunteerism - setting her mind on healing the inhabitants of St. Lucia.
WInehouse has been in the news lately for making even more random, off-colored comments (no pun intended) than usual, but then again, envisioning Amy as a candy striper prepping meals, visiting expectant mothers, and handing out medicines seems the most far-fetched role to date.
Whatever the case may be, here’s hoping that Amy keeps her head up amidst the trashy news of her husband’s bastard baby. Focusing on people who have learned to live with a little less might be just what the doctor ordered.
Will Ferrell made a stop on the Today Show today to promote his latest flick, Land of the Lost. Ferrell has been fulfilling his various promotional duties - the press-related racket that comes with being owned by Universal and even made a stop earlier this week to baptize Conan’s new Late Show, and proclaiming himself honorary 1st guest. Ferrell’s memorable entrance on the show featured him sitting atop a sedan chair while 4 men in loincloths carried him and the chair.
But back to Matt Lauer and his visions of stardom.
Lauer was not on hand to interview Will Ferrell (that would be too gauche), but Meredith Vierra was and true to her ever-inappropriate, stick 2-feet-and-elbow-and-a-car-in-her-mouth ways, she simply talked about Matt Lauer’s cameo with little regard for Will or the film. Whether this was calculated or not, the whole interview was about Matt Lauer.
For those of you egging for a real Will Ferrell interview and what components it should entail, check out this Daily Showclip from 2000.
I happened to catch the newly released soccer flick, “Rudo Y Cursi,” this weekend and while I’m no fan of soccer (much to the chagrin of my husband), I’m usually up for some Gael Bernal Garcia with a twist of Diego Luna. The former more than the latter, but no need to get choosy here.
The movie tells the story of two brothers - Rudo, played by Luna is the brighter and more motivated of the two and is determined to be a soccer star at all costs to himself and his family and then there’s Tato (nicknamed “Cursi”), the more likable of the two, and possibly the more talented, but also the more foolish one. Each of them has their own vice (for Rudo it’s gambling and cocaine; for Cursi it’s women and his short-sighted desire for fame in the form of becoming a singing sensation).
So while the movie is a cliche in its own right: And yet another variation on the theme of what happens when you take 2 neglected hicks and feed them into a world of overnight success and lavish attention on them, there is something deeper that the flick hints at which I think a lot about in my own career - the distinction between passion and talent.
The most successful people are the ones that can objectively (if that’s possible) look inward and package their talents in a way that makes them desirable candidates for the work they pursue. It may not reflect their passion, but it speaks to their ability to know their strengths. While Cursi is drawn to music, soccer is the device that allows him to pursue his passion and what makes him such a tragic figure is that he unabashedly takes for granted the very thing that enables him to follow his passion.
NBC canned “Medium” and the lovely Patricia Arquette only to have the show brought back to life by those silly “Ghost Whisperer”(s) over at CBS. Now all we need is Roma Downey to join the cast and we can exit stage right and proceed directly to heaven.
CBS takes death very seriously. In fact, all this repetitive ghost stuff makes me think that they just don’t know when to kill a decent storyline when they see it. In other words, get rid of J.Love and keep Allison Dubois.
Here’s a revelation: Somehow watching “Oprah” makes people want to eat. The few times I’ve been home early enough to watch the show, it never makes me wanna make a b-line for the fridge, especially when Dr. Oz is on talking about bowel movements or someone is griping about crash diets, but Oprah’s stellar star power and popularity has once again facilitated the way for a major brand to make money, and then fail miserably in the actual follow-through.
This time for KFC.
On last week’s show, Oprah announced that she’d be featuring coupons on her website for free KFC grilled chicken dinners. Her website was flooded with phat consumers, just waiting to get their hands on a golden, fried ticket. (p.s. KFC’s official website also has printable coupons)
Long story short KFC had to end the promotion after they realized they’d have to hire competent people to cook the chicken to meet the demand they were faced with. Ok, I made second part of that sentence up, but really, I can’t be that far off from the truth here.
On the heels of the publicity circus surrounding “Different Strokes” actor Todd Bridges’ new memoir about how he’s been sober for nearly 2 decades and his gripe about how in spite of this very fact everyone still recognizes him as the “Different Strokes” star who turned junkie outlaw comes news today that his TV brother Arnold/Gary Coleman is being hospitalized in Utah. The most shocking detail of the story is not the fact that Coleman’s wife and family don’t want to leak to the press anything related to his health (especially given his wife’s predilection for abusive gestures) or that Gary is sick (he’s been sick a few times in the past year), but that the dude lives in a state where booze is a no-no, trusts his treatment to physicians who don’t drink coffee, and furthermore doesn’t take advantage of the whole polygamy deal the state has going on. Really Gary? 
Everyone’s still talking Tiger Woods - especially in light of his imminent golf comeback at the Masters. Whether it’s our 
I, for one, am super psyched by the prospect of the Ravens and Colts going head-to-head duking it out for the AFC championship on national TV tonight. As convinced as I am that Manning will pull through for the Colts (unless they decide to 
In Chicago, where people take their sports teams quite seriously and Da Bears are coming off a 5-9 season, fans are up in arms over the Bears’ losing streak of a season 
TMZ.com
Tonight marks the season finale of the much-hyped about 60s ad show detailing the lives of Madison Avenue’s finest, 
A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
Last week’s season premiere of Season 3 of the hit AMC show, 
Newly engaged
Michael Jackson, who was rushed to the hospital today in cardiac arrest, was confirmed dead. He was 50-years-old. And let’s not overlook, one of the Charlie’s Angel’s and 70s icon, Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer earlier today at the young age of 62.
Because it’s never too late to think about 
NBC canned “Medium”
Here’s a revelation: Somehow watching “Oprah” makes people want to eat. The few times I’ve been home early enough to watch the show, it never makes me wanna make a b-line for the fridge, especially when Dr. Oz is on 
