‘Dr. Horrible’ Invades The 2009 Emmy Awards

Also, Neil Patrick Harris cements his standing as THE awards show host du jour
Monday, September 21st, 2009

The Internet phenom mini-musical/web series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which managed to win a Hugo Award and a Creative Emmy Award this year, invaded the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards which aired on CBS last night. Here are a few screencaps from the short Dr. Horrible invasion of the award show:


Just when you thought television was safe, Dr. Horrible took over. The doctor, a supervillain conceived by Joss Whedon and played by Emmys host Neil Patrick Harris for the Web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” interrupted what would doubtless have been a fascinating explanation of how nominations are tabulated. Decrying “corporate entertainment” and even the awards’ “athletic and luminous host,” Horrible laid out a plan to take over television, but was quickly thwarted by nemesis Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Sadly, contrary to previous reports, the short wasn’t a musical bit. The Internet series won the confusingly titled Short-Format Live-Action Special Class award at the Emmys’ Creative Arts ceremony, held separately from the televised event.

Yes, folks, Neil Patrick Harris — who hosted the Emmy Awards last night — also stars as Dr. Horrible and managed to make his role as Best.AwardsShow.Host. even funnier. In addition to this little invasion by Dr. Horrible, NPH also performed an amazing song titled Put Down the Remote to inspire viewers at home to stay tuned into the Emmy Awards show broadcast last night:


NPH really expanded on the amazing job he did hosting the Tony Awards earlier this year and really hit it out of the ballpark last night. After the jump, check out video of Dr. Horrible’s invasion of the Emmy Awards and watch NPH’s performance of Put Down the Remote

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Neil Patrick Harris Does ‘New York’ Magazine

"We'd make very good parents"
Monday, September 14th, 2009

Neil Patrick Harris, who we just saw lookin’ all wet and sexy in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine over the weekend, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of New York magazine. In his coverstory interview, NPH talks about his upcoming stint as Emmy Awards host and also expresses that he and his boyfriend David Burtka would make great parents … even tho they aren’t expecting to become dads any time soon. The cover of New York magazine heralds NPH has “Hollywod’s First (Openly) Gay Breakthrough Star” but I’m really confused why they made him wear lipstick for his coverphoto. Here is NPH’s New York magazine coverphoto and some excerpts from his coverstory interview:


Despite rumors to the contrary, Neil Patrick Harris, star of How I Met Your Mother and host of this year’s Emmys, says he and partner David Burtka and are not expecting a child – yet. Still, “We’d make very good parents,” Harris, 36, tells New York Magazine. And they’re already making one very good couple. “We yin and yang very well,” he tells the magazine. “I’m just bowled over by him. I’m his forever protector, and I’m happiest when he’s happy.” But coming to terms with his sexuality in Hollywood wasn’t always so easy for the former child star of Doogie Howser, M.D. “I tried … dating different girls, being the funny, witty guy at the party,” he says. One person that helped inspire him? A gay Real World cast member. Danny Roberts, of The Real World: New Orleans, “was a unique entity at the time, as someone who was seemingly so confident in their own skin,” says Harris. As host of this year’s Emmy Awards, Harris jokes that he hoped to include the Muppets – specifically Statler and Waldorf up in the balcony – in the opening number. And while that plan didn’t pan out, the actor jokes, with self-mocking air quotes, that he’ll make this year’s show the “classy Emmys.” Tune in to the show Sept. 20 to see what he means!

I gotta say, I love the idea of NPH and David Burtka becoming parents … even tho they may not be expecting any children right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if these two do become dads sometime soon. After the jump, check out a few photos from NPH’s New York magazine photospread …

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The 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Are Handed Out

'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' wins an EMMY!!!!!!
Sunday, September 13th, 2009

The 61st Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards were handed out in an intimate (ie. small) ceremony held at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, CA last night. Nicknamed the Shmemmies, these Emmy awards are presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming and are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, casting directors, and sound editors. The big winner of the night was Tina Fey, who collected an Emmy award for her amazingly brilliant impersonation of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live last year but the surprising winner of the night was Joss Whedon’s creation Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (which existed online only at DrHorrible.com) which took home the Emmy award for Outstanding Special Class—Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. Here are a few photos from the press room at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards last night:


The big winner at Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys? Sarah Palin. Tina Fey. The bespectacled funnylady’s spot-on Saturday Night Live spoofin’ of a certain veep wannabe earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy. You betcha. “This would not be possible without Mrs. Palin…[who is] an inspiration to working mothers everywhere,” Fey sad as she picked up the prize. She also gave a shout-out to “my parents, who are lifelong Republican, for their patience.” “They thought the first four sketches were very funny and the last two, enough already,” said Fey, who can collect more hardware at next weekend’s Primetime Emmys. Meanwhile, all that booty-shaking with Beyoncé and mother-loving with Susan Sarandon paid off for Justin Timberlake. The former ‘N Syncer claimed the Guest Actor, Comedy statuette for his own SNL stint. Timberlake became the first host in the history of the late-night stalwart to claim that honor. This is Timberlake’s second SNL-spawned Emmy. He previously scored the music category for his infamous “D-ck in a Box” showcase with Andy Samberg. But they weren’t all the big-name winners at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre. Michael J. Fox (Guest Actor, Drama), Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn (Guest Actress, Drama) and SNL alums Jimmy Fallon (Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media) and Chris Rock (Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special) were among those honored. Long-snubbed Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon finally collected some Emmy hardware for his hugely popular online project Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. The wingding was presided over by Kathy Griffin, who saw the two-year Emmy-winning reign of Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List come crashing to a halt, with A&E’s Intervention named Outstanding Reality Program. The awards ceremony honored 81 technical and other achievements for the 2008-09 season. HBO led the way with 16 Emmys, followed by NBC (11) and ABC and Fox (eight apiece). PBS’ Little Dorrit topped all programs with four awards.

Um, I didn’t even know you could win an Emmy Award if your program was not broadcast on television … how awesome is Dr. Horrible’s win??? Congrats also goes out to Tina Fey because, in all honesty, I am of the mind that her spot-on impersonation of Sarah Palin did a lot to help the greater good and helped expose Palin’s insipidness more widely to the masses … so on behalf of the American people, we love you and congrats Tina!! I don’t believe that Mary Lynn Rajskub won an award last night but I wanted to include a photo of her and new hubby Matthew Rolph because they look so damn cute together :) Click HERE to see who else took home Creative Emmy Awards last night … and, again, congrats to all the winners!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Neil Patrick Harris Does ‘Rolling Stone’ Magazine

Bathing beauty
Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Neil Patrick Harris – former star of Doogie Howser, M.D., current star of How I Met Your Mother and the newest much-sought-after awards show host – is featured in the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Boy Culture, which always has an eye out for hotties in magazines, brings us a hawt scan of NPH’s RS photo which is sure to pique the interests of anyone who is a fan of wet, almost half nekkid dudes … behold:


Of his drama-free coming out as a gay man, NPH had this to say to Rolling Stone magazine:

“I love going to the Playboy Mansion party with my boyfriend. Last year, we got dressed up as dead foppish Brits with topcoats and white contact lenses. These naked girls on Ecstasy kept coming up to us, like, ‘We love your contacts.’ We’d twirl around and say, ‘Well, we like your breasts!’”

Hahahahaha! He’s so fun. I think pretty much everyone became even more enamored of Neil Patrick Harris after witnessing his amazing performance as host of The Tony Awards earlier this year. Now that NPH will be hosting The Emmys, it seems like he is the go-to guy for awards shows (stealing a bit of thunder from Hugh Jackman who also did a great job hosting The Academy Awards this year). I can’t help but still see Doogie when I look at NPH but photos like this go a long way in helping me see him in a new, more grown up light too ;)

[Source via Source]

The 63rd Annual Tony Awards Are Handed Out

'Billy Elliot's Big Night
Monday, June 8th, 2009

Broadway’s biggest night took place at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, NY last night as the 63rd Annual Tony Awards were handed out in a lavish and fun ceremony. Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, this year’s Tony Awards injected mirth and merriment into the awards show that honors achievement in plays and musical theater on New York City’s Great White Way. Billy Elliot the Musical, which David and I were fortunate enough to see earlier this year, set a record by winning 10 Tony Awards last night, including Best Actor in a Musical (an award that was given to the 3 young actors who play Billy in the show … which is a first in Tony Awards history) and Best Musical. Here are a few pics from the red carpet arrivals:


Yes, folks … that is Bret Michaels of Poison in the last photo. The band was on hand to preform with the company of Rock of Ages in the opening number … which turned out to be a quite a performance, especially for Bret — but I’ll get to that in a sec. Here are a few photos of some of the Tony Award winners last night and some deets about the show itself:


Broadway productions with roots in the London theater dominated the 63rd annual Tony Awards on Sunday, with “Billy Elliot” winning best musical and nine other awards and “God of Carnage” picking up honors for best play, best director and best actress. While several categories were unusually competitive this year because of the large number of strong Broadway productions, there were also no major upsets. The three teenage boys who rotate in the title role of “Billy Elliot” — David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish — jointly won the award for best actor in a musical, as expected, and they also injected considerable charm into the CBS telecast. Standing onstage together, they covered their eyes with their hands at different points and looked away from the camera bashfully while muttering sentiments like “Oh my God” and “wow” and “unbelievable.” Then they took a long pause, as if trying to decide who should speak first — joint Tony Awards are very rare — and then went on to thank their parents and siblings and school and dance teachers. “And we want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, never give up,” Mr. Kulish added. “Billy Elliot” proved to be the commercial and critical musical hit of the 2008-9 Broadway season, routinely grossing more than $1 million a week in spite of the recession. Elton John, who composed the show’s score, made a point of thanking audience members for that success as he accepted the award for best musical. “We came here at a hard time economically, you opened your wallets and you opened your hearts, and we love you for it,” he said. This year’s awards were spread around evenly for the most part, with 14 shows receiving at least one Tony. With “Billy Elliot” far ahead, the musical “Next to Normal” and “God of Carnage” were next up with three Tonys each, including best actress honors for Alice Ripley for “Normal” and Marcia Gay Harden for “Carnage.” The French playwright Yasmina Reza accepted the best play award for “Carnage,” which also took honors for the British director Matthew Warchus. “I’m very happy to be here again — maybe you missed my accent; you wanted to hear it again?” said Ms. Reza, who previously won for her play “Art.” The award for best revival of a play went to another British import, “The Norman Conquests.” If accents were indeed in large supply through the night, so were celebrity presenters and recipients, with Broadway having one of its busiest years for actors from film and television. The Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush (an Australian) was honored as best actor in a play as the monarch in “Exit the King” by Eugène Ionesco, whose works came to define the Theater of the Absurd yet are rarely revived on Broadway. “I want to thank Manhattan theater audiences for proving that French existential absurdist tragi-comedy rocks,” Mr. Rush said. Politics strayed onto the Tony landscape at only a couple of points, most notably when Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater, accepted the award for best musical revival for “Hair.” “Peace now, freedom now, equality now,” Mr. Eustis said, gesturing to his ring finger as he uttered those last two words, a reference to gay marriage rights. “And justice forever.” Angela Lansbury won her fifth Tony Award, for best featured actress in a play, for her turn as the medium in “Blithe Spirit,” 43 years after winning her first award, for best actress in the musical “Mame.” “Who knew, who knew, that at this time in my life that I should be presented with this lovely, lovely award,” said Ms. Lansbury, who is 83. Liza Minnelli received the Tony for special theatrical event for her one-woman show “Liza’s at the Palace.” For best featured performances in a musical, Gregory Jbara (“Billy Elliot”) and Karen Olivo (“West Side Story”) were honored. The best featured actor award went to another theater veteran, Roger Robinson, for his role in “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Other awards went to Stephen Daldry for his direction of “Billy Elliot,” “Mary Stuart” for costume design and “Equus” for sound design. All three shows had runs in London before the current Broadway productions were mounted.

I am so happy that Billy Elliot won so many awards. It is truly a superb show, one that David and I thoroughly enjoyed when we saw in January. We saw Trent Kowalik play Billy at our show and really loved his performance … the award to the 3 Billys is much deserved, I think. Congrats!! I’m not sure how many of you watched the Tony Awards last night but it was a very entertaining show. The opening number included short performances from 10 different musicals and offered one of the most talked about/funniest moments of the show. After the jump, check out video from that opening number and see how Poison’s Bret Michaels almost lost his head during the opening performance …

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‘Star Trek’ Premieres In Hollywood, CA

A star-studded affair beams the new 'Trek' into town
Friday, May 1st, 2009

The principle cast, along with a few folks from previous incarnations of the franchise as well as a few celeb fans, made their way out to Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA last night for the Hollywood premiere of JJ Abrams’s new Star Trek film (tho you may recall that the film already premiered in Sydney, Australia and London, England). Hollywood Blvd. teemed with Trekkies and celebs alike clamoring to be a part of the big party … and David and I were lucky enough to be among them. Here are a few pics of the new cast of Star Trek making their entrances on the red carpet (which was actually black and silver) and some deets from last night’s affair:


In 1966, “Star Trek” was launched on television, then unceremoniously canceled due to low ratings. In 2002, fans mourned the death of the franchise after a movie and new TV series were both poorly received. In 2009, a time-traveling reboot has relaunched the Enterprise — and filled Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with fans renewed in their belief that “Trek” will live long and prosper. “I’ve only seen about half the movie,” grinned Leonard Nimoy on the movie premiere’s massive black carpet, admitting that the emotion of passing the Spock torch to Zachary Quinto left him unable to sit through the film’s heart-tugging second half with dry eyes. “I’m very proud of him.” “I couldn’t love him any more; I’ve just been so honored to get to know him,” Quinto returned, adding that Thursday night’s celebratory atmosphere would even prove infectious for the logical character the two men share. “Spock loves to party; he loves to let his bangs down every once in a while.” In addition to the movie’s stars, such proud Trekkies as Amanda Bynes, Neil Patrick Harris, Leighton Meester, Rainn Wilson and Heidi Klum walked the event’s massive stage shaped like the “Trek” logo. “This is like Cinco de Mayo and Yom Kippur all rolled into one for me,” “Inglourious Basterds” actor Samm Levine marveled. Director Robert Rodriguez was equally excited, saying he was torn over his favorite “Trek” character: “I love Captain Kirk, but I love the Vulcan grip too, so I’ve gotta go with Spock.” New Kirk Chris Pine insisted that the film, which comes out May 8, stays true to Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a harmonious future. “To present a positive image of the world, there’s nothing better than that,” he said. “I can’t believe this amazing series has lived for 40-something years,” beamed Zoe Saldana, the new Uhura. “And now we’re here.” “This is definitely the craziest premiere I’ve been to, and definitely the biggest,” explained Rachel Nichols, one of the movie’s sexy alien green girls. “It’s the hottest ticket in town.” The death of “Trek,” it seems, was greatly exaggerated when the series hit a speed bump in the early part of this decade. And down to a person, all the new crew members credited the well-reviewed 2009 film to the brave resurrection efforts of J.J. Abrams and his creative team. “Three years ago, J.J. called me and was like ‘Is “Star Trek” dead?’ ” recalled Damon Lindelof, a producer on Abrams’ “Trek” and “Lost,” as hundreds of pointy-eared fans shrieked at the stars. “Now, three years later, we’re here.” “‘Star Trek’ is cool again,” said an amped-up Karl Urban, who plays the new “Bones” McCoy in the film. “It’s hip; it’s sexy. It’s ballistic.”

Gene Roddenberry’s vision for Star Trek was to create a series where hope, prosperity and unity were the hallmarks of a bold new vision of the future. When Star Trek was created, there was still so much racial unrest in this country that it seemed like absolute science fiction that people of different races (and species) could co-exist in a semi-peaceful future landscape. You may know that the original Star Trek series provided US television with its first interracial kiss (between James T. Kirk and Uhura). So much has happened since Trek first blazed its way on our televisions. Abrams’s new vision for Star Trek is nothing short of epic … but I’ll get to my review of the film a little later on. After the jump, check out which Star Trek stars from days of yore came out for the premiere and see which celebs count themselves as rabid Trekkie fans …

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The 2009 TV Land Awards Are Handed Out

Oldies but Goodies
Monday, April 20th, 2009

TV Land, the home of classic television, held its annual TV Land Awards show at University City here in Hollywood, CA yesterday and managed to bring out stars of the small screen from the days of yore. Neil Patrick Harris, who currently stars on the CBS hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother, played host to the awards show and looked pretty fab on the red carpet. Here are a few photos of some of the other folks who came out for the awards show yesterday evening:


Ah, TV Land … you do have a penchant for intermingling the new and old stars of TV in an oddly entertaining way. Here are a few pics from the show itself, which will air on TV Land next Sunday April 26th:


Fans of Married … With Children will want to tune in to see the show be honored with the Innovator Award (which is “presented to a series whose influence is still felt and evident in television today”) and fans of Magnum P.I. (and Tom Selleck’s ’stache) will want to tune in to watch the show be honored with the Hero Award (which “salutes a lead character whose crime-solving feats were astounding, yet remained thoroughly authentic, offering equal parts of street smarts, wit and charisma”). Also the amazing yet totally mindeffing 70’s show H.R. Pufnstuf is paid tribute by a musical number performed by Cyndi Lauper — I hear it is NOT to be missed. In a sea of Award Shows the TV Land Awards is but another one … but at least the nostalgia factor means that this one might be worth tuning in for ;)

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]