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.
So this week, we learned that Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, and Christian Bale (along with Natalie Portman, Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett) will all be the new Untitled Terrence Malick Project. Somehow, the Internet did not explode. I suppose the question is whether it will explode when one or more of them are left on the cutting room floor...
Does anyone think this might have to do with Danny possibly having a drinking problem? A while ago he did that famous limoncello-soaked interview, and that was not the only oddball public thing he did at the time.
I suppose it's possible, though there is no reason to think that's what caused the separation. Until one of them talks about it we won't know. All we can do is speculate.
I have been meaning to try to get my hands on that book and haven't yet. I love Uggie as much as the next person -- well, probably not as much as Sarah Anne Hughes -- but the book things just seems silly. But also great fodder for another in Celebritology's sadly limited book club guide series.
So with the news of Bieber being related to all other Canadian celebrities can we safely assume their relatives were are all really brothers and sisters at one point?
What do you think of Adele's theme for "Skyfall"? I liked it. Best Bond theme post-Shirley Bassey (who set the standard) is the Scorpio theme sung by Sally Stevens for "The Simpsons" episode "You Only Move Twice." What they both have in common is that the song focuses on the main Bond villain.
Jen, just wanted to say - what a lovely essay on E.T. I wanted to give you a hug because it was wonderfully written. I know some people don't think the same about the movie, but that's fine. I just wanted to say I still love this movie and it makes me cry every time. I haven't seen another movie since that resonated with my childhood memories.
I should probably clarify: I meant that she loves Uggie more than I do. But I do love Sarah. Miss her every day, especially on days when I can't do enough blogging and the chat's running late because of it.
I have no idea if that's true. Although I did see him at a party once -- at Comic-Con, I think? -- surrounded by a bunch of women. He wasn't doing anything wrong at all, just talking. But I remember thinking, "Dang, DeVito!"
Anyway, as I said before: this is all just speculation at this point unless one of them decides to share their marital issues with the public at large. And I'm not sure why they would.
Carly Simon, "Nobody Does It Better." That's a pretty great one, too.
Oh, and let us not forget "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton. In fact, why don't I just mess up the rest of your day by inserting it firmly into your ear drums right now?
Thanks. I have the issue and still haven't had a chance to read it. My stack of magazines and books that I need to get to is ludicrously high right now.
Am I the only person on earth who just doesn't care? I just don't understand why most people want to know if so-and-so is dating Ms. such-and-such, or why some married couple broke up. Seriously, why do people care?
I think there's an innate human desire to know who is dating who or who broke up with who, whether those details involve celebrities or people in your office or random people who live down the street. It's why we gossip, and cave men and women gossiped and dinosaurs, presumably, gossiped in their own, T-Rexy way.
It's none of our business obviously, but in terms of the famous people element, we think of celebrities as people we know. The ones who have been married seemingly happily for a while -- like DeVito and Perlman -- we root for because we want them to be happy. That gives some people hope that marriages can survive the greatest of odds, those great odds being a life led in Hollywood.
Do you watch this show? I haven't watched this week's ep yet and I'm not all that enthused about it so far. I will give ANYTHING from the house of JJ a chance (huge Alias, Lost and Fringe fan and didn't hate Alcatraz and the one with the spy couple), but this one's just not doing it for me. What say you?
They had the best Bond theme song, The World is Not Enough. I am also partial to Duran Duran's a View to a Kill. Madonna's was the worst, and another one I can't stand is Sheryl Crowe's, which was not actually originally meant to open Tomorrow Never Dies. K.D. Lang's song, Surrender, was supposed to be the theme song, but got moved to the end credits because it wasn't thought it would be commercial enough, but it is the far superior of the two.
I think the video for "A View to a Kill" is certainly the best music video for a James Bond theme ever made. I'm also partial to it because I won a copy of the soundtrack by being the seventh caller to Q107 back in 1985.
I drove by Sony Pictures just in case I could report any celeb sightings. Sorry to say, nothing exciting happened. But people drive slower than molasses in LA and I'm starting to think it's because they're trying to spot famous people.
I have watched every episode, but I'm about to quit it. It is like a bad scy-fy original movie. The lead actress is abysmal, with only one facial expression, the dialogue is simplistic and predictable, the exposition is clunky, and the narrative illogical and contradictory.
Liz, you scream each time Duran Duran doesn't get their due, but you don't think they have the best Bond theme ever? It was the only one that was a real hit. And the way Simon hits those notes. Oh my. ;-)
Well, let's just wait and see "Liz & Dick" before we make that statement. I'm honestly trying to approach that movie with an open mind, as much as I can.
Interest in this on the part of the public was pumped up by the studios starting about 90 years ago. In the heyday of the studio system--the 30s and 40s--studio publicists would arrange highly visible "dates" for starlets they hoped to make into stars--"So and so is shown entering the Brown Derby with Van Johnson. Do we hear wedding bells?" These faux romances were also used to hide sexual persuasions, with lesbian actors "hooking up" with their gay male counterparts so the studios could dodge uncomfortable questions. It was the industry that taught us to do this, folks. We're just doing what is now ingrained in our Celebritology DNA.
Great point, although I would say that no one would have cared back then, even, if there weren't some instinctive curiosity about other people's love lives.
But still, absolutely, yes. Well said.
And as for this studio manipulation of our emotions, this is still totally happening. I direct your attention to Pattinson/Stewart, ladies and gentlemen.
I was a counselor on a teen tour many many years ago and when we were in LA they were the celebs we ran into. I think cheers was even still on...SO - they were the NICEST people ever. Rhea was just fine with us bothering her, and taking pictures, and all.
I have an explanation. This is the dawn of the Kristen Stewart era. From now on, all young actresses will aspire to have a single facial expression in honor of their Twihard idol.
Woody Allen's parody of "Casino Royale" contained Dusty Springfield singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David's masterpiece "The Look of Love," which has become a pop classic. May we please count that as a James Bond song, too?
Lurrrrvvvved Connie Britton on "Nashville" last night, even though a lot of the men looked too much alike, leading to viewer confusion at that late hour.
Well, except for this one person who posted the question to your chat. That person's innate human desire to know is being suppressed or didn't develop properly due to some childhood trauma, disease, malnutrition, or perhaps something their mother smoked during pregnancy.
No. No. I hate to disagree with John Taylor, but I loved that video. I mean, the effects are ridiculous -- the part where a blind Andy Taylor makes Nick Rhodes explode with his accordion is just one example -- but I still love it.
Just read on the AP that Tom Hanks is heading to Broadway next year in a posthumous play by Nora Ephron. They were still in negotiations at the time of her death. It's about the NYC journalist who interviewed assault Haitian-born victim Abner Louima.
It's not surprising. And no unprecedented for pop culture to be used for politican gain. Every song choice, for example, does that a little bit.
But as I said in my post this morning, "Friday Night Lights" took such pains to go against the grain of the stereotypes about Texans' political views, that it is a little bit more troublesome than other pop culture references might be.
Oh, I love that one. If I remember correctly, that's not actually MJ singing even though he did the character's voice in the rest of the episode. I believe he actually wrote the song, though.
I wasn't making fun of you, poster. I was making fun of Jen saying it's an innate human desire. And even that was supposed to be funny, not harsh. If you knew me personally, you'd know. But of course, if you knew me personally we would be having this conversation over a couple glasses of wine, laughing.
My family enjoyed Nashville, even though none of us like country music. Connie Britton was great; even Hayden Panetierre was good (and thoroughly hateable), but the biggest reaction was when we realized that the hunky, ex-alcoholic, still-in-love-with-Connie Britton was no other than Chip Esten from Drew Carey's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
Yes! He was on "The Office," too. I never thought of him as hunky until last night. He was awfully purty in that scene where he and Britton were standing on the bridge.
I believe that is the plan. If you object, write to your Congressman.
Just kidding. You can write to me -- jen.chaney@wpost.com -- even though I have no control over the situation.
I do think the new layout will make it easier to see everything being posted during the day. Right now the blog cuts off after five posts and the archives links are the worst.
Programming notes: "Walking Dead" resumes Sunday and I wrote a review, which should appear on the site tomorrow. I'll also be recapping as per the past couple of seasons.
If that wasn't enough "American Horror Story Version Nun.0" starts next Wed.as well.
And of course, we'll be chatting again next Thursdayat 2. Be here, won't you?
Thanks again for your questions and comments and great Bond/Simpsons songs. All suggestions currently under consideration for future Friday lists.
