Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

from The Jerc Store!

Don't forget to wish your momma a happy Mother's Day today! And if you're having trouble finding the right words to say, DON'T take the Shia-LaBeouf-approach...

"Probably the sexiest woman I know is my mother. She's an ethereal angel. Nobody looks like that woman. If I could meet my mother and marry her, I would. I would be with my mother now if she weren't my mother, as sick as that sounds." -- Actor Shia LaBeouf

That's, uh, flattering...and really f'ing creepy. Read more here.

What's also moderately creepy (but obviously much more hilarious) is SNL's new "Dick-in-a-Box" guys skit, "Motherlover."

Anyway... Happy Mother's Day!

J-Hud's mother, brother killed

[BREAKING NEWS] The body of a young boy found today in a car has been confirmed as that of Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew.

Several news agencies are reporting that the mother and brother of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson were found dead today in Chicago.

A male family member discovered the body of Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and police later found the body of Hudson's brother, Jason.

The shootings are believed to be domestic.

[UPDATE] Police confirm they have taken a person into custody but are not saying who it is. News reports, however, say that person is Hudson's brother-in-law, William Balfour. Balfour's mother has also acknowledged her son has been questioned about the shootings.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted, and accompanied by a man — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Records with the Illinois Department of Corrections show the man, who has not been charged with a crime, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

RIP 'Mr. Clean'

House Peters Jr., a TV actor who became the original Mr. Clean in Procter & Gamble's commercials for household cleaners, died today.

Peters, 92, died of pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital. Not to make light of the situation, but it's somewhat ironic to me because when I was little, I used to confuse pneumonia with the ammonia, the agent used in the very products Peters was selling.

Other than his Mr. Clean persona, Peters played supporting roles in "Perry Mason," "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Lassie," and had many parts in cowboy movies.

He is survived by his wife, Lucy Pickett, a daughter, two sons and four grandchildren.

Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds marry

Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds married today in Canada, sources say.

Us Weekly reported on its Web site Sunday that the small wedding took place at a resort outside Vancouver, British Columbia. Guests included Scarlett's mother, Melanie Sloan, and her brother, Adrian Johansson, the magazine said.

Johansson, on whom I have a huge girl-crush, and Reynolds began dating last year and announced their engagement in May. This is the first marriage for both celebs.

Reynolds had been in a four-year relationship with singer Alanis Morrissette, who has reportedly wished her ex well. Johansson has previously been linked to Derek Jeter, Benicio del Toro, Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake and "Black Dhalia" co-star Josh Hartnett. Daaaamn, what a list. But Ryan Reynolds is hot, too, so kudos to them. Can't wait for the beautiful babies!

Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool

Forbes has released its list of the highest paid actors, and sitting atop the Hollywood throne is none other than the Fresh Prince.

Between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008, Will Smith earned an estimated $80 million, and with this summer's "Hancock," he is the first actor in Hollywood history to have eight straight movies draw $100 million at the box office. Pretty impressive.

Smith was followed by Johnny Depp, who earned $72 million last year between pirates and killer barbers.

Eddie Murphy, who I regard as one of the most annoying actors on the planet, and Mike Myers were tied for third on the list, bringing in $55 million during the year.

Leonardo DiCaprio rounded out the list, earning $45 million while not subjecting himself to box office bombs like most of the rest of this list--cough Love Guru cough.

Forbes reported that men in Hollywood still earn more than women: $487 million to$244.5 million. And apparently Cameron Diaz was the best paid actress during that time frame ($50 mill) because she played another dumb blond in another dumb movie. I'm really not bitter or anything...

RIPs

Because it's been so long since my last post, I decided to combine the moderately recent passing of a talented journalist with the very recent passing of a memorable comedian.

While I was on vacation (June 13), longtime "Meet the Press" moderator, Washington bureau chief and one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people--Tim Russert--died of a heart attack. [For more on Russert's death, click here]

As an American, it's hard to ignore a untimely death of a public figure...but as a fellow journalist (albeit on a much more amateur level), it's sad to see one of the good ones go. Journalists aren't always known as the cuddliest of professionals, but Russert will forever be lauded as an extremely talented and respectable man whose influence on this country and this profession will not soon be forgotten.

More recently, comedian/actor/"disturber of peace" George Carlin died Sunday of heart failure. And for your sake, I hope you've seen at least one of his HBO comedy specials, listened to one of his many comedy albums or at least watched "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure."

The Associated Press distributed a comprehensive obituary this week, so rather than me try to reiterate Carlin's career...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died Sunday. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica complaining of chest pain and died of heart failure later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Carlin constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are taboo on broadcast TV to this day.

When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.

The words were later played on a New York radio station, resulting in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.

Despite his reputation as unapologetically irreverent, Carlin was a television staple through the decades, serving as host of the "Saturday Night Live" debut in 1975 — noting on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long" — and appearing some 130 times on "The Tonight Show."

He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a few TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 — a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (sometimes hitting all points in one stroke).

Carlin won four Grammy Awards for best spoken comedy album and was nominated for five Emmys. Last week, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.

9021Oh noo.....

Thanks to a quick commercial in the middle of tonight's season finale of "Gossip Girl" (and a heads up from my friend, Jackie), I have learned of the CW's intention to make a 90210 spinoff.

When I first heard about the reinvention of one of my favorite teenage dramas, I was like totally stoked, but after learning of the show's intended plotline, it is not looking so good in the upscale neighborhood.

This spinoff, which is set to premiere in the fall, is based around the Mills family (reminiscent of The Walshes), who have moved from St. Louis to Beverly Hills and are adjusting to the scenery.

According to E! News, there's Harry Mills (aka the Jim Walsh of the series)and his wife Celia (aka Cindy Walsh) and the couple's biological daughter, Annie--who much like Brenda Walsh--is into acting and alternative music and longs to fit into the cool crowd at school.

But in order to differentiate from the original series, the Mills don't have twins--they instead have Dixon, an adopted son who's the same age as Annie and was taken in by her family six years earlier. And apparently the show is looking to cast a minority actor in the role in order to more accurately depict California than its predecessor's completely whitebread cast.

And while there are Andrea Zuckerman and David and Donna-like characters, none of the original cast will be featured in the show. E! reports, however, that both Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering have said that they would participate if asked.

This...yeah. Not so good. I doubt CW will strike gold as they have with "Gossip Girl" (which is seriously one of the best shows on television these days), but I will probably end up checking this out...if nothing else, but to see what The Peach Pit looks like and if Nat is still alive.

For a taste of retro 90210, watch the show's intro below. Gotta love those good times on the beach.

Unsexy and unamused

Sarah Jessica Parker is upset with Maxim magazine's October claim that she is the most unsexy woman in show biz and spoke out against the men's mag in an interview with Grazia magazine.

Parker said the poll was "brutal," "filled with rage and anger" and questions husband Matthew Broderick's judgment, too.

"Do I have big fake boobs, Botox and big lips? No. Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing in a men's magazine? Maybe not." - Sarah Jessica Parker

Now, I don't agree with this list at all because I think she's gorgeous, and normally I'd be like, 'You go girl!' But Jessica, dear, this poll was released like, four months ago. Even Britney was conscious enough to speak out about it back in November.

RIP Renfro

Actor Brad Renfro was found dead in his Los Angeles home tonight.

The cause of death is currently unknown, but the former childhood actor had been struggling with drugs and alcohol addiction for several years. In 2005, he attempted to buy heroin from an undercover cop and served time in jail during May 2006 for those charges and a DWI.

Renfro debuted in "The Client" at age 12, and also starred in "Sleepers," "Deuces Wild," "Apt Pupil" and "The Jacket. He just finished shooting a movie called The Informers with Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke and Billy Bob Thorton, according to IMDB.

This entry will be updated as more information becomes available.

I am a sacred vessel--all you got in your stomach is Taco Bell.

I don't get out to the movies as often as I'd like, but last night, I was fortunate enough to catch Jason Reitman's new indie-like, "Juno." [click to watch trailer]

In a nutshell: Juno, a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant by her nerdy best friend, searches for a suitable couple to adopt the child while dealing with her high school peers and semi-dysfunctional family.

Might not sound like a standout film, but it totally is.

The acting performances are all on-point, and I'm sure Ellen Page ("Juno") is going to blow up as a huge star in no time; she's like a young Janine Garofalo. Michael Cera, whom you may remember from "Superbad," isn't in the movie as much as you'd might think, but I laughed incredibly hard anytime Bleeker said anything (but that's because I'm in love with all things awkward). Jennifer Garner, who plays Vanessa, really makes you feel her pain as a mother who can't conceive and is struggling for the chance to be a mother with her husband, Mark, played by Jason Bateman.

This is a non-spoilers review, so I'll withhold all ending details, but the movie keeps your interest the entire time without fail. It's a dark comedy feel, mixed with some Napoleon Dynamite/Superbad-ness, but has also got a slightly heavy and emotional side when dealing with adoption and love of all kinds (yeah, I cried for the last 20 minutes of the movie after laughing for the first 75).

While the dialogue is a little off-putting at first (lots of abbreviations and trend-speak), you adapt after about five minutes and it becomes entertaining, brassy, cheeky, laughable, etc. etc. etc. "Can't we just like kick this old school. You know, like I stick the baby in a basket, send it your way, like Moses and the reeds?" [click to read quotes from "Juno"]

The soundtrack is also noteworthy--little odd, really catchy and the song that Bleeker and Juno sing at the end of the movie will undoubtedly become a huge iTunes download if enough people wise up and see this awesome movie.