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Posted 5/25/12 at 11:30 AM
Chat Room

Christopher Abbott From Girls on Ignoring Controversy and Charlie’s Drippy Sex Scenes

On Girls, Christopher Abbott plays Charlie, Marnie's irritatingly nice, rather Sad Sack-y boyfriend. He's so hapless that he recently got dumped by Marnie, mid-coitus, after four years together. Talk about timing! (It's hard to blame her; the stuff coming out of his mouth during their final romp almost made us gag.) The two had been growing apart for a while, and tensions had been mounting between them, especially since Charlie learned about Marnie's true feelings for him while he and his smarmy buddy Ray were snooping through Hannah's diary. We sat down with Abbott to discuss what he thinks of Charlie, the cringe-worthy stuff he's forced to say during sex, and the fact that he's barely aware of any controversy surrounding the show (really).

"I don’t know much about that."

Watch the Second Episode of ‘Downton Sixbey,’ Jimmy Fallon’s Downton Abbey Spoof

Posted 5/25/12 at 10:30 AM
Casting Couch

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Actress Joanna Garcia attends the Monique Lhuillier Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theater at Lincoln Center on September 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

Joanna Garcia Joins Justin Kirk’s NBC Comedy

Joanna Garcia has joined the cast of Animal Practice, NBC's upcoming vet-set single-camera comedy that stars Justin Kirk and a monkey. You know, that one. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Garcia will replace Amy Huberman, one of NBC's many abrasive blonds of pilot season. Garcia's had a string of one-season shows — Welcome to the Captain, Privileged, Better With You — and her most recent pilot, Oh Fuck, It's You, didn't get picked up. Somewhere, Paula Marshall is passing a torch.

Posted 5/25/12 at 9:15 AM
It's Britney!

Here is new 'The X Factor USA' judge Britney Spears arriving for the first round of auditions in Austin, Texas, alongside fellow panelists Simon Cowell and LA Reid. The new panel of four swept into the Erwin Center for the first of two show tapings as crowds of fans cheered in excitement.
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Britney’s First Day at X-Factor Did Not Go Perfectly

As in, she walked off set in the middle of auditions, reports TMZ. Britney was reportedly offended by a bad performance of "Hold It Against Me," though show sources claim she "just needed a break." Also, Paula pulled the same stunt last year — so maybe it was scripted? Or maybe we are in for a more, um, animated Britney than expected.

Posted 5/25/12 at 9:00 AM
Chat Room

Bill Paxton on Hatfields and McCoys, Allergies, and Naming His Beard ‘The Growler’

By Joel Keller

After five seasons on HBO's Big Love, Bill Paxton was reluctant to play another religious family patriarch. But it's hard to turn down the chance to grow a beard and work with Kevin Costner, so he took the role of Randall McCoy in the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. The six-hour series (premiering May 28) shows how the God-fearing leader of the McCoy clan helped spark a bloody border war between his family and the family of his former Civil War buddy "Devil Anse" Hatfield (Costner). Paxton talked to Vulture about the famous feud, his allergies, and his beard, "The Growler."

"It wasn't the most attractive beard."

Listen to The National’s Dirge From the Game of Thrones Soundtrack

See a Poster Featuring Every Single Costume Ever Worn by Dean Pelton on Community

Watch a Sneak Peek of Duets, Featuring a Four-Way Performance by John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, and Robin Thicke

Watch the Opening Credits to the New Season of The Real Housewives of New York City

Watch a Supercut of Last Season’s Most Awkward Sex Scenes on TV

Posted 5/24/12 at 2:30 PM
Vulture Quiz

Take Vulture’s Community Season Three Final Exam

By Steve Heisler

COMMUNITY -- "Curriculum Unavailable" Episode 319 -- Pictured: (l-r) Danny Pudi as Abed, Gillian Jacobs as Britta -- (Photo by: Lewis Jacobs/NBC)

Now that the Greendale Seven have overcome a maniacal, keytar-jamming security chief, an unrelenting fume chamber of air-conditioner-less fury, and a video game programmed by the ivory-haired patriarch of a moist-towelette empire, it’s time for a final exam. Yes, we know there's been lots of behind-the-scenes drama on the show this year, but just because your teacher quit (what up, Professor Kane!) doesn't mean you don't have to complete the course. How well have you been paying attention this season, fans? To the Quizatorium!

Posted 5/24/12 at 2:15 PM
Ham

30 Rock Created Queen of Jordan to Save Money

The 30 Rock episode that introduced us to the concept of drinking one's throwing wine and a single called "My Single Is Dropping" wasn't just an amazing pastiche of every Real Housewives show: Queen of Jordan actually came about as a cost-cutting measure, 30 Rock executive producer Robert Carlock tells the AV Club. "That shooting that style, that fake doc style, is a lot cheaper," Carlock says. "The main reason we [did a second Queen of Jordan episode this season] — one of the reasons — was because it was cheap and we were in the hole." Saving money, now with more hayyyaaam.

Posted 5/24/12 at 12:30 PM
Party Chat

The Homeland Creators Have an Explanation for Everything

By Jennifer Vineyard

HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 15: (L-R) Showtime Networks Entertainment president David Nevins with Homeland Executive Producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon at the Israel Film Festival opening night gala at Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios lot on March 15, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage)

On Monday, Showtime's Homeland was the recipient of a Peabody, the prestigious award that recognizes intelligent broadcasting. We caught up with showrunners Howard Gordon and Alex Ganza at the event, and they proved just how intelligent they are. Crafty, even. We brought up some small season-one details that we had been obsessing about, Carrie-style (minus the wall o'crazy), and they parried them all. An example? VULTURE: As an expert CIA agent, couldn't Carrie have forged her own prescriptions rather than stealing her dad's pills? THEM: Oh, we discussed that but decided instead to give her a sister doc, and a dad with the same illness who could just go get a new prescription when she stole his meds and not arouse suspicion. Okay, and ... wait a minute, that was never spelled out! "We have answers to a lot of the questions you might have," said Gansa with a smile after explaining away our concerns, "that just never made it to the script." Tricky! And just the kind of thing Brody would say in an interrogation.

And turns out they're work neighbors with the 'New Girl' writers.

Posted 5/24/12 at 11:45 AM
Scary News

Exclusive: Martha Marcy May Marlene Director Preps Exorcist for TV

By Claude Brodesser-Akner

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its inaugural Governors Awards Film Series, featuring screenings of "The Exorcist," "The Color Purple," and "The Great White Hope," from Wednesday, November 9, to Friday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Pictured: Max Von Sydow and Linda Blair in THE EXORCIST, 1973.

What an excellent day for an exorcism! Nearly 40 years after The Exorcist became the first horror movie ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, Hollywood has again become possessed with William Peter Blatty’s best seller.

Sean Durkin, the writer-director of last year’s excellent but criminally underseen Elizabeth Olsen thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, is adapting the fiendish classic into a ten-episode television series, this time backed by Morgan Creek and produced by Roy Lee, the executive producer of films like The Departed and The Ring.

Producer Don Murphy is also developing his own exorcism-related TV series.

Watch a Sneak Peek of Amy Poehler on Comedy Bang! Bang!

Posted 5/24/12 at 9:48 AM
Memos

Sony Wrote Some Talking Points for the Community Cast

By Margaret Lyons

COMMUNITY -- "Basic Lupine Urology" Episode 317 -- Pictured: (l-r) Joel McHale as Jeff, Allison Brie as Annie -- Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC

Sony sent the cast of Community some "Community Message Points" in a memo over the weekend, encouraging everyone to talk about "looking forward" to next season. The Hollywood Reporter obtained the memo, and it's not that bad, as far as these grotesque talking-point kind of things go. The memo included suggestions for how to answer questions about Dan Harmon's exit. For example:

American Idol Recap: Take Us Home, Season Eleven

By Dave Holmes

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: Finalists Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez walk onstage during Fox's "American Idol 2012" results show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

So here’s the thing about Phillip Phillips’s potential winner single “Home.” Last night, it reminded me of two different songs (aside from the Edward Sharpe song that is also called “Home,” and every track from the Mumford & Sons album): a song whose verses go “Ho! Hey!” and another song with a chorus that goes “I belong to you, you belong to me, you’re my sweetheart.” Well, it turns out those two songs are the same song, it’s called “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers, and the intro package to tonight’s finale is set to it. Even the music supervisors of American Idol have stopped trying to pretend Phillip won’t run away with this.

John Fogerty, or as your children know him, “Rachel Maddow’s lumberjack grandmother.”

Posted 5/24/12 at 9:00 AM
Chat Room

Danny Masterson on His New Show Men at Work, Justin Bieber, and Disliking Paul Haggis

By Steve Heisler

Danny Masterson spent eight years as Hyde on That 70’s Show, D.J.'s under the moniker DJ Mom Jeans, and co-owns a slew of bars and restaurants with various 70’s Show cast members and his brother Chris (Francis from Malcolm in the Middle). In short, even when he’s not appearing in independent films or guesting on TV, he’s keeping insanely busy. Masterson will next appear in the new TBS sitcom Men at Work, playing a recently dumped and newly depressed guy who has to rely on his friends to get him over the slump — but as he told us, he won’t let the new job get in the way of his other projects. We spoke about Justin Bieber, bad TV pilots, and his belief in Scientology.

"Whether [Paul Haggis] used to study Scientology and has now decided not to, it’s like, 'Who cares?'"

Posted 5/24/12 at 8:48 AM
Overnights

Modern Family Recap: Down in Calexico

By Maris Kreizman

MODERN FAMILY - "Baby on Board" - It's been an up-and-down emotional roller coaster for Mitch and Cam in their quest to adopt another child. Their latest ride has them bringing Gloria in tow as a translator, leaving Jay and Manny to look after Lily, who has a big dance recital coming up. Meanwhile Claire and Phil have a proud parenting moment when they send Alex off to her first prom, but then that is quickly marred with Haley's shocking news of her future plans, on the Season Finale of "Modern Family," WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 (9:00-9:31 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/PETER "HOPPER" STONE)
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON, ERIC STONESTREET, SOFIA VERGARA, CHRISTINA OCHOA, EDWARD FINLAY, LINDA ELENA TOVAR

“Spoiler alert.” How often do we get to use that warning for an episode of Modern Family? In a series — and particularly a third season — marked by episodic plotlines and very few surprises (Claire’s inevitable loss in the town council election barely counts), last night’s season finale was a refreshing change. Things happened. Some of it was cruel. Some of it was over-the-top and silly. Some of it makes us nervous for season four (Gloria’s pregnancy hormones, we’re looking at you). But in a season that often felt insular and repetitive (the uniformly fantastic cast couldn’t always make up for the fact that their characters were often written more like caricatures than multidimensional people), we were happy to be a little shaken up.
Here are some things we learned:

Claire and Phil are … still Claire and Phil.

Posted 5/23/12 at 10:50 PM
White Guys With Guitars

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: Finalists Jessica Sanchez (L) and Phillip Phillips perform onstage during Fox's "American Idol 2012" results show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

American Idol Crowns a Winner, Sets New Voting Record

Tonight's final showdown between Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez set a new record, according to host Ryan Seacrest. 132 million people voted in this year's contest, trumping last year's Scotty McCreery–Lauren Alaina matchup, which drew a measly 122 million votes. Oh, and for those who aren't planning a date with their DVR, the winner is ...

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