Jen Chaney anchors The Washington Post's Celebritology blog, The Post's online window into the world of pop culture and celebrities. She also frequently writes about entertainment trends, filmmakers and other Hollywood-related matters for the print edition of The Washington Post.
A Post staffer for more than a decade, Jen also can be seen reviewing movies on WETA's "Around Town," where she is one of the show's regular film critics. Last year, she contributed a series of essays to the book, "The Friday Night Lights Companion."
When she isn't blogging, at the movies or watching a television show, she's ... um ... probably at home watching a movie or a TV show.
I loooove Modern Family, but I just don't get her. She's overexposed herself (in more ways than one), and seems like she was the girl in high school innocently sitting on all the boys' laps. Why all the she-got-robbed Emmy buzz? (Maybe I'm just a Claire...)
By overexposed, perhaps you mean the photo she tweeted of her bare backside when her Emmy dress split? That was deemed, uh, not suitable for Washington Post, a family Web site.
I like Vergara but her character on that show is not my favorite. She's funny, but a little one-note. Maybe that will change now that she's pregnant. (Gloria, not Vergara.)
So I saw Poor Little Tom on the cover of People, looking sad and woebegone and a headline of how bereft of his daughter he is. And I wonder ... has the Scientology publicity machine cranked into high gear to get their star cult member some positive press? Tom sure is being portrayed as Woe Is Me, and the whole thing is interestingly timed given the negative publicity Scientology has been getting of late (and the release of The Master, which of course is not about Scientology nor based on L. Ron Hubbard or anything).
It is interesting. Cruise has "Jack Reacher" coming out later this year and it certainly will be helpful to have the public thinking warm thoughts about him.
Aw, you're dissing Manny? When he's already having a tough time with a soon-to-be new sibling to deal with? For shame.
(P.S. I'm just kidding.)
(P.P.S. I think I'd be just as happy with Modern Family if it were only about Claire and Phil and Cam and Mitchell. Those plotlines are always the funnier ones.)
Is this your way of saying you think JGL is more handsome than Mr. Willis? Given his "Magic Mike" performance on SNL last week, I can understand why one might draw such a conclusion...
If you want a good laugh, look at the transcript of Tracee Hamilton's sports chat earlier today. A poster (not I) laid out an all-too-plausible riff about Adam Sandler developing a movie around the inept replacement refs in the NFL. It starts with the premise that Sandler has been referring Lingerie League games when the real refs go on strike. Need I add the poster had Kevin James and Chris Rock on Sandler's officiating crew and that there was a role for Kate Upton as a Lingerie Leagure player. I hope whoever posted that starts banging out a spec script now, because you know it's gonna happen.
Sure when people started using "Dakota" as a baby name, other people grumbled. Now it isn't my favorite baby name by any stretch, but still think it isn't as usual and more mainstream.
And to repeat a point made in the Celebritology chat before: when "Splash" came out almost 30 years ago and Daryl Hannah named herself Madison, after Madison Avenue, that was supposed to be a joke.
Some of my favorite moments of the show have been between Phil and the kids, especially with Luke, like when they made the basketball video or hunted in the crawl space together.
I'm curious as to which celeb pair you would rather hear about less in 2013: Chris Brown & Rihanna, Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart, or Amanda Bynes & Lindsey Lohan?
Tom Cruise is portraying Jack Reacher? That's utterly despicable and tone deaf casting on the part of whoever made THAT decision. Reacher is completely and totally a non-wee-Tom character.
Where may I protest? This is beyond the pale!
Oh, c'mon. Lily the monster is great! She is the child her overindulgent parents deserve, which is a lesson for us all. She was great last night and I loved the piece they did on the Emmys.
I honestly don't have an issue with JGL playing a young Bruce, even with no effects or make-up. They don't look exactly alike, but, hi, that's certainly happened in movies before.
Isn't that what interns are for? Aren't there any interns at WaPo who, in exchange for celebrity gossip and basking in your aura, will go out to fetch food?
Not at the moment. And even where there are interns, there is no basking or fetching, at least not for me.
I wouldn't even feel comfortable asking someone to do that, unless they happened to be going out the door and offered. I don't like using interns as gophers, having once been a gopher, and on some days still feeling like one.
As a longtime chatter, I have to say I was a little worried when Liz Kelly left because you always seemed so sweet and kind in your responses. But I am gratified to note that you have such finely honed snark abilities these days. Or maybe the targets are getting better? Anyway, good job Jen.
Now there's a couple I really hope grows old together. They have bucked every Hollywood trend: they keep their private lives private, they dated for awhile before marrying, they were married for awhile before having kids, and they are just cute. Just cute!
Yes, when I double checked how long they had been together while writing about their new baby, I felt somewhat heartened during this, my post-Poehler/Arnett split depression. Somewhat.
here, in my kids class there is reuben and levi.
and oscar and grover.
and, well other stuff. it's not just celebrities. i forget some of the more interesting ones, though.
Jason Sudeikis does a pretty good job channeling Mitt Romney on SNL, but he doesn't look anything like him! Which celebrities would you cast to portray the presidential election on TV or film?
You guys have no sense of irony. Manny's separate but equally dry relationships to both Gloria and Jay is my favorite part of the show. Gloria's and Jay's differing relationships to the dog also slay me. But the best is when they turn the stereotypes on their head -- like when Gloria finds out Jay wants to take her to his reunion as his trophy, and immediately and instead of feeling insulted wants to help him get his revenge of the Nerd. They are so much more than the obvious.
Well, I think ABC recognizes that viewers feel a connection to Roberts. Are they using that to their advantage? Of course. And to Shales's point, that feels a little ooky.
But I suspect some viewers want all the updates on her condition and such, so they're also giving their audience what it wants.
And right now, there seems to be more of a strong connection between the GMAers and Roberts than anyone who watches the "Today" show and the viewers of the "Today" show, at least right now.
I watched the first episode and did not fall in love, and saw part of the second. I plan to try to watch more but my gut is telling me it may not pan out.
It is looking that way. And I remain a little skeptical of that because a. I like Jason Ritter so, so much and b. Ray Romano?
But they are developing that well, actually. Romano's character and Sarah (Lauren Graham) have a snarky core in common, so I can sorta, kinda see why they'd be drawn to each other. Also, by nature, if someone isn't nice to you at first and then is nice to you, then you like them more. Psychological fact.
Doesn't anyone think this name might be an homage to the great American playwright Tennessee Williams. (Whose given name was Tom, by the way--he renamed himself.)
Hi Jen, I would send you some of my pasta-and-roasted corn salad with mozzarella balls, but I'm in the other Washington (the one on the left coast) so by the time it got to you, the mozzarella might be questionable.
His sister Brittany just had a baby boy named Colton. Every time he came up to bat or made a catch or anything, the MASN announcers called him Uncle Bryce. I guess it's funny because he's only 19. . .
He's a character in a series of books, now being made into a movie starring Cruise. The character is described as being a somewhat sizeable man, very tall, well over six feet.
Hence, the issues with Cruise. I didn't read the books so I will reserve judgment until I see the movie.
This is a show I'm looking forward to seeing, partly because I like Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams and partly because it seems like a cross between Rosemary's Baby & Needful Things, although with a much better wardrobe.
Sigh. People need to calm down about book to film casting. Humphrey Bogart looked nothing like the book description of Sam Spade, but the Maltese Falcon still rocked. Also, Sam Neil looked nothing like his book counterpart in the film adaptation of Jurassic Park, which we can all agree became one of the great cinematic triumphs of our time. So settle down.
Well, I think there might be more of an issue in this case in terms of the discrepancy. But I agree that it's best to see how the movie is before freaking out. Even though I love it when people freak out.
That said, it's sandwich time. Thanks for the chat. See you all here next week!
