WEZ Candy | Candy thoughts from the mouth of WEZ

Learn English by dancing...

2010-05-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

Take anything you want! I was robbed by two men! Let's go Dutch!

These are phrases that I speak on a daily basis and are essential to the English language. The educational video below teaches Japanese speakers how to say these and other phrases through the power of dance. By muscle memory you will be able to not only recall, but master these English phrases. So the next time someone is robbing a Japanese person on holiday in the US or UK, all they will have to do is a quick 8-count routine to say "Take anything you want!"

"Have a nice holiday!" *I type while doing an 8-count routine...

The Prince of Persia is a white man...

2010-05-26T10:40:00.002-04:00

In Hollywood, actors are skin deep. For America being such a diverse country, a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities from all over the world, this is so rarely reflected on film. The latest example of this comes with the Disney feature film, The Prince of Persia starring Jake Gyllenhaal. This casting choice has made several bloggers and viewers angry that they did not cast an actual Persian person. Why?

Should I be upset that Jake Gyllenhaal was cast in this film over a Persian actor? He looks like the video game character and is a good actor. Can you name any Persian actors? Naveen Andrews of LOST comes to mind as someone who has played middle-Eastern, but he is actually English of Indian decent. Why weren't people angry about him playing an Iraqi in LOST? Gyllenhaal is American of Russian-Jewish decent. Should he only play characters of that decent or is he an actor whose job it is to play anyone?

I understand why people are upset though. It seems ridiculous to have a white guy play someone supposed to be middle-Eastern. While there are tons of middle-Eastern actors in the film, the leads seem to be comprised of generally noticeable white actors: Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and Gemma Arterton. Upon closer inspection, one finds that Kingsley is of English and Indian decent, Molina is of English and Spanish decent and Arterton (in Quantum of Solace and Clash of the Titans) is English. Why don't these leads in the film reflect the rest of the cast (which is largely middle-Eastern)? Is it because Americans will only see a film with a white star, or because people only want to see a movie with a recognizable name?

And where do we draw the line? Do gay characters have to be played by gay actors? Singers by singers? Blind people by blind people? In Hollywood, it seems that it's only the color of your skin that matters. In film, any black actor can play a character that is black, regardless of where they are from. Any Hispanic or Latin actor can play any Hispanic or Latin character regardless of whether they are Colombian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc. In a skin-deep industry, the color of skin matters and sometimes talent, but always name brand recognition and not much else.

I don't know if this is bad or good. It gives people a chance to play characters from all over the world of different backgrounds, religions, languages, accents, etc. than themselves. But it also means that actors who are actually from that part of the world, or speak that language, who can sing, or are blind may be passed up for someone with more name recognition (or talent?). Will this make some people angry? Yes. Should it? Yes. Does it bother me? Only sometimes...

Dear God, Liza...

2010-05-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

NO Liza with No Taste, no! This is bad. Bad! I actually can't decide which is worse, her version of "Single Ladies" (click HERE to listen to it), the fact that she sings "Single Ladies" in Sex and the City 2, or this outfit.

I can't.

Sex and the City 2 is going to be terrible...

2010-05-25T10:44:00.001-04:00

You know those moments when you see a movie poster for a movie that you really want to love and you think, "Why?" That's exactly what I thought when I saw the poster for the new Sex and the City movie. Why are they in the desert? Why does Carrie have glasses on the end of a stick with the Manhattan skyline in the reflection?! The whole poster looks so polished and NOT New York, which is what made the show so interesting. It featured real women who were glamorous in a real city.

I hate to say it, but I think Sex and the City 2 is going to be terrible. Not that the first movie was amazing, but it was at least enjoyable as a continuation of the story. This new movie's story will feature a side story centered around Carrie's not-so-fabulous-gay friend, Stanford and his wedding to Anthony. Anyone who has ever seen the show knows that these two should not be getting married - they hate each other! Ugh. I can't. I can't!

To make matters worse, they brought Liza Minnelli in to perform at their wedding and instead of giving her a good song to sing, they make her sing a Beyoncé song! AND it's "Single Ladies". So we have the 4 girls in the desert looking ridiculous, Carrie running into Aidan (drama), Stanford marrying Anthony, Samantha wearing the same dress as Miley Cyrus, and Liza with a Z stumbling her way through "Single Ladies". If that's not a recipe for disaster I don't know what is.

And I do mean stumbling. Listen to the song below. It's the best preview of the horror that's to come. And let's be honest, we're all going to be there this weekend to watch it go down hoping I'm wrong, but don't hold your hold breath...

What is the Island? The LOST series finale...

2010-05-24T11:43:00.001-04:00

LOST ended last night in an emotionally draining 2 and 1/2 hour episode that still has me scratching my head while drying my tears. What happened? What is the island? Where is Walt?

And more than those simple questions, what did I want to see? Did the show need to answer all questions definitively, and if they did, would it still have the same impact? Last night, as I dreamed of LOST, and this morning as I woke up thinking about it, I realized a few things:

1) LOST will be in our collective consciousness for years to come.

2) The creators let the show get too big to control and they had no way to answer everything and make everyone happy, so they chose to not really answer anything (which made a lot of people not happy).

3) The show forced a generation of people too familiar with boring plots and say-nothing movies to think. To explore what an artist is trying to say about life, love, and forgiveness. About fate, destiny, and choice. Forcing people to think, decide, and discuss (aka: argue, scream, and fight) about the show was the greatest thing about it.

After last night I also realized that:

4) Jimmy Kimmel sucks. Three alternate endings? That wasn't funny.

In the coming days I will continue thinking about the series and the final episode. And I will continue to ask questions:
Was the show all about Jack?
At what point did the Island end up under water?
How long will Michael be forced to roam the Island whispering to people?
If Michael can't be redeemed for killing Libby and Ana Lucia, how come Ben is let off the hook?
Was Walt supposed to be the next Jacob?
How come babies can't be born on the island?
Are Nicky and Paolo also whispering on the island?

And the main question I'll be asking is what is more important? The question or the answer?

WEZ SEZ: LOST is like a work of art. You can love it, or hate it, but you will never understand it fully... only what it means to you.

I always wanted to be a famous dancer...

2010-04-26T14:22:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been updating this as much as I should (try ever), but I saw this video and couldn't resist! It's a trailer for everyone's favorite "Flashdance goes to prison" movie, Jailbird Rock!

"I always wanted to be a famous dancer... dancer... dancer..."

It's the kind of inspired hilarity that only the 80s could produce. Check it out and never stop dancing...

Jailbird Rock TRAILER. from Hadrian Belove on Vimeo.

Frightening commercial FAIL...

2010-04-09T16:22:00.002-04:00

The British have gone too far. They must be stopped! "What have they done now?" you ask? They have made a commercial (and product) that would only appeal to clergy members of the Catholic church. An anatomically correct doll that pees on you when you tickle him. I don't know what else to say. You have to see it to believe...

eBay auction of Michael Jackson painting "The Book"...

2010-04-07T09:35:00.003-04:00

Starting tonight on internet auction site eBay.com, you will be able to bid on the 40x50 inch Michael Jackson work of art, "The Book".The painting was done by Australian artist Brett-Livingston Strong and is reportedly the only painting for which the troubled pop star ever posed. It shows the King of Pop in a red velvet jacket holding a journal at his famous Neverland Ranch.

The auction will start tonight with a minimum bid of........... $2.75 million dollars. The owner, Marty Abrams, who currently has the painting hanging in his house (why?) is hoping for over 3 million. The bidding will end on April 17th, so get your pocket books ready!

You know where I'll be tonight! Watching all the crazy people on eBay blow through their life savings for a creepy, 80s inspired painting of a dead singer. At least he'll live on forever in this painting which also supposedly features Tinker Bell in the background...

Nicollette Sheirdan slaps Marc Cherry with a lawsuit...

2010-04-06T09:19:00.000-04:00

Nicollette Sheridan (46) has slapped the creator and producers of Desperate Housewives with a $20 million dollar lawsuit. Sheridan played Edie Brit on the show for 5 years before being killed off last year. Although it seemed that all had parted ways amicably, she is not going quietly. The suit was filed on Monday in the Los Angeles Superior Court and accuses the show's creator, Marc Cherry of assault and battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful termination. She also named Touchstone Television, ABC Studios, and ABC Entertainment group in the suit. She is requesting a jury trial for the case. Here is more information from radaronline.com:

Sheridan alleges that “on September 24, 2008, during a rehearsal for the show, when Sheridan questioned Cherry about something that was in the script, Cherry took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head." The suit says Cherry “created a hostile work environment for the cast, crew and writers who work on the show, and Sheridan in particular.”
Sheridan says Cherry later “begged for forgiveness,” and although she reported the incident to ABC, “Cherry’s abusive and aggressive behavior towards (her) not only persisted, it worsened.”
The suit also contends that when Cherry discovered Desperate Housewives’ co-star Teri Hatcher went over Cherry’s head to speak to ABC executives about him, he said, “I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies.”

Sheridan says that in February 2009, she was informed that she was being terminated from the show, and that her character would be killed off. Her suit claims her firing cost her millions of dollars in future earnings.

WEZ SEZ: Nicollette Sheridan - Loved her as Edie Brit and always wondered why they got rid of her. The show just isn't the same without her. Could this be the explanation?

Read the original story at radaronline.com

Two gay fighters, one vogue dancer...

2010-04-02T13:12:00.000-04:00

The most amazing fight that film has ever captured was released a few days ago. The video clip shows two (gay?) men fighting in a Chicago area welfare office. The winning queen goes crazy after the fight and throws down the fiercest triple turn, backwards fall combo I've ever seen. Werk it out girl...

It's time for Ronald McDonald to retire...

2010-03-31T11:41:00.000-04:00

The creepy, too-smiley clown that teaches children that eating disgusting food that makes you fat equals a free toy that was made in China, may soon be sent to the same place as Joe the Camel. That's right, Ronald McDonald may be forced into early retirement. As more information is being released about the dangers of fast food, more and more people are beginning to see that our children need to be protected from the ruthless marketing of companies that sell products that will ultimately lead to diabetes, and potential early death. Corporate Accountability International is a coalition of health professionals, parents and corporate accountability advocates and they are calling on the world's largest restaurant chain to retire Ronald McDonald for good. They say that the character has too much influence on kids. This group also helped retire Joe the Camel from Camel Cigarettes.

Corporate Accountability International is throwing a retirement party for Ronald McDonald in downtown Chicago today. This is the first of many events they have planned to force the restaurant giant to retire their "chief happiness officer". (via Chicago Tribune)

These fast food companies are selling food that is literally addictive and causes too many health problems to count (watch Super Size Me for proof if you don't already know). Their shameless marketing to children must stop. If the health and obesity problem in this country is ever going to be changed, we have to start with education in the home and school. How can parents and teachers compete with a clown? How are children supposed to eat healthy when Ronald McDonald is telling them to come to McDonald's? Children are essentially being rewarded with cheap toys for eating bad food. You can't compete with that.

And honestly, a world without Ronald McDonald would be a better place for everyone, not just kids. Now every time you walk into McDonald's to spend $7 on an early death, you won't have to be smiled at by your worst fear: a clown.

WEZ SEZ: Ronald McDonald - it's time to retire for good.

McDonald's Commercial (1998) - These bloopers are hilarious

Check the Corporate Accountability International website for more info and to help stop the clown.

Only 6 more episodes of LOST...

2010-03-31T11:08:00.000-04:00

Feeling, well, LOST? The folks at "Instant Dharma" have a great re-cap talk from last night's episode. They offer a lot of insight and share your frustration with that annoying V countdown clock! Watch the re-cap below, but be warned: CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

Michael Lohan's new girlfriend thinks TMZ is 911...

2010-03-17T11:52:00.000-04:00

According to Michael Lohan's new ~~daughter~~ girlfriend Kate Major (26), Michael recently suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a NY hospital. Apparently she phoned TMZ to inform them of his impending "procedure". Why does anyone care? As a person, I hope he's OK, but the Major / Lohan team has got to stop shoving themselves down our throat. They can't even have a heat attack without calling 911 and leaving it at that? Maybe 911 actually rings TMZ as most emergencies in the Lohan household require media attention.

Sweet Shots: Angelina Jolie is a mom at work...

2010-03-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

Angelina Jolie took some time out from a busy day of filming her new movie, The Tourist in Venice, Italy to spend some time with her children (Zahara and Shiloh are seen below). The mom / actress / wife of Brad Pitt / goodwill ambassador for the UN looked radiant as usual.

Sweet Shots: Kate Winslet...

2010-03-16T12:47:00.000-04:00

Kate Winslet hit the waves of Mexico with her two children on Monday to tan away her recent split from her husband of 7 years, film director Sam Mendes. The two Oscar winners said the split was amicable and due to conflicting work schedules. Best of luck to both...

Lady Gaga to guest star on Glee...

2010-03-16T12:34:00.000-04:00

The hit making, yellow hair wearing, bloody clothes reveling pop star, Lady Gaga has agreed to join the cast of the Golden Globe winning TV musical comedy GLEE. The show's creator, Ryan Murphy announced, "We reached out to Lady Gaga and she said, 'Yes, I'd love to be a part of it.' So we will be doing Lady Gaga this season." He also spoke of the upcoming Madonna episode saying she gave permission to use ten of her songs for the tribute episode and that she, "cooperated in every way possible."

Before she goes on the show, Gaga has got to get it together. Check out this recent concert footage from her Monster's Ball tour in New Zealand where it looks like she is about to collapse. She can barely dance and is not even trying to move her mouth more than 50% of the time. What is she doing?! Her other "Bad Romance" performances and are nothing like this. After all the rumors of her canceling shows due to collapsing, this seems to be proof that all is not well in the land of Gaga. Seriously, this barely passes as performance art let alone a pop-star concert...

The Candy Shop: The hot mess edition...

2010-03-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

The Candy Shop: Hot Mess Edition

There is no shortage of hot mess stories for this edition of the Candy Shop. Read them deliciously.

- Gabourey Sidibe's mother has lashed out at Howard Stern for calling her daughter the "size of planet" with no chance of a future acting career. The Oscar nominated actress's mom retorted by saying, "Get a life. He can see, you can see, I can see Gabby is a big girl. She's a big woman, so what's wrong with that? She's not like everyone else in the world. I don't see him giving jobs out to anybody, so why should we care what he says? He might not hire her, but someone else will!"

- Kimberly Wyatt has taken to dissing the vehicle that made her famous. The former Pussycat Dolls singer / dancer is working on her new, sure to be over in 2 minutes, solo career and is trashing the former group. Her debut single is called "Not Just a Doll" and features such hot mess lyrics as:

"Just be this way and act this way. So talk this way, I won't do all that you tell me. Sit and stay, no right to say, so walk this way...
"Ain't no strings attached, now I'm feeling free at last. I just want to sing and dance, so I had to take a chance."

- Kate Gosselin put her extensions back in. She just won't leave us alone will she? Apparently, people like her as they pay this hot mess to speak at conventions! She recently spoke at the Women’s Expo in South Bend, Ind. She will also be dancing on this season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Hopefully she's the first one voted off so she can go home and be with her kids who are being cared for by 5 nannies right now.

- David Beckham tore his left Achilles tendon and will be out for the rest of the season. No World Cup for the Becks.

- Anna Nicole will soon be an opera. Wait. What? The Royal Opera House in London will premier the brand new opera Anna Nicole Smith along with Madame Butterfly next year in February. According to a spokesperson for the Opera, "It's very much in the modern zeitgeist and fits into our season of women who have been victims or died unfortunately. Women who were quite iconic in their particular era." Sounds like one hot mess of an opera! Can't wait...

Tue Blood stars support the Make-A-Wish foundation...

2010-03-15T13:07:00.001-04:00

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, the happily engaged stars of HBO's True Blood turned out on Sunday (March 14) in Santa Monica, CA to help support the Make-A-Wish foundation's Day of Fun! They helped out by manning carnival games and enjoying the rides! See some shots of Matt Bomer and Mischa Barton at the same event after the jump...

WEZ Weekend Box Office: March 15th...

2010-03-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

A brand new weekly box office review with candy commentary by yours truly...

1) Alice in Wonderland: $62M (2 week total: $209M). Alice was number one for the second week in a row proving that mediocre movies directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp will always make a lot of money despite the fact that they're not very good and Depp hasn't made a surprising choice since the first Pirates movie (which wasn't very good, either).

2) The Green Zone: $14.5M (1st week). Matt Damon stars in this Iraq war movie that was quasi-marketed as a new installment in the Borne franchise. The movie also boasts actors who were actually soldiers who fought in the REAL Iraq war proving that just because you lived it, doesn't mean you can act it.

3) She's Out of My League: $9.6M (1st week). Never heard of it. Next!

4) Remember Me: $8.28M (1st week). Already forgot you.

5) Shutter Island: $8.14M (total $108M). Still want to see this. Heard it's good?

Our Family Wedding also debuted this weekend to a little over 1600 screens pulling in $7.6M and Avatar (no longer being shown in 3D) is still taking in money despite loosing the Best Picture Oscar to The Hurt Locker bringing in $6.6M with a domestic total of a whopping $730M!

Paris Hilton to punish America with another CD...

2010-03-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

That's right, Paris Hilton is in the studio screeching her way through recording a brand new CD, and when she doesn't have enough inspiration, she simply hits her Twitter page to ask her followers for help. "Hey Everyone, just in the studio working on more music. What kind of subjects do you guys think would make great song..."

Dear God, Paris! Really? You are asking your followers on Twitter for help on what would make a great song? The number one place I could think to turn for music writing advice would be your followers: a bunch of sex-obsessed guys and teenage girls who think "loves it" is still in. Why would you turn to a lyricist? That would be too smart.

Yes, they do say the stars are blind, but so is America if we actually go out and purchase another horrible excuse of a CD trying to pass as pop music. Paris, stick to what you know: looking cute, pouting your lips, and causing a scandal.

The new Calvin Klein X commerical...

2010-03-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

The new Calvin Klein commericial featuring the very seXy Kellan Lutz, Mehcad Brooks, Fernando Verdasco, and Hidetoshi Nakata has been released and it is X. (Click HERE if you want to see the print campaign) The commerical is actually quite funny, and as with all Calvin Klein ads, pushes the limits. The guys seductively and playfully look at the camera and ask, "Do you want to see my d X k?" A red "X" appears to bleep out the word. Well, not sure how creative it is, but it will make you laugh at the very least...

See the full commercial after the jump...

Sweet Shots: Amanda Seyfried for Esquire...

2010-03-12T22:16:00.001-05:00

Amanda Seyfried. Love her. She's funny (Mean Girls), an amazing actress (Big Love), and doesn't play the LA game (via her interview with Esquire). Check out this Sweet Shot from the upcoming "Women We Love" edition of Esquire...

Amanda stays in such great shape by sticking to a raw food diet. She told the magazine that her diet is "intense. And sort of awful. Yesterday for lunch? Spinach. Just spinach. Spinach and some seeds." Poor little skinny white girl...

Just in case you haven't seen the new Twilight trailer...

2010-03-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the brand new Twilight Saga: Eclipse trailer:

I may be one of the only people that feel like this, but the movies are so much better than the books! When reading the books, I just wanted to strangle Bella. She was so stupid and clumsy. The movies always put the annoying, 100 page stretches of Bella obsessing over Edward's God-like charm or crying because he left her into one nice little montage. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are amazingly talented and they bring so much to these characters. The one weak link (which can be seen so clearly in this trailer) is Taylor Lautner. Boy can't act. The other two literally steam-roll over him and he's left looking blank-faced saying cheese-tastic lines like "I'm going to fight for you until your heart stops beating." Although that line would be difficult for any actor to say, his rendition is so cringe-inducing you have to wonder why it made the cut?

WEZ SEZ: Twilight Saga: Eclipse - The movies are better than the books (minus Taylor Lautner).

Zoolander 2 is on the way...

2010-02-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

Ben Stiller has confirmed that a Zoolander sequel is officially in the works! The film will surely prove once and for all that is more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good looking.

Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux are working on the script (Theroux previously penned Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2) and Jonah Hill is set to play the villain. Owen Wilson is not yet confirmed for returning as Hansel, but it just wouldn't be Zoolander without him.

Hansel. He's so hot right now. Hansel.

WEZ SEZ: Zoolander 2. Can't wait!

via Deadline

Mel B shaves her daughter's head...

2010-02-24T11:41:00.000-05:00

Former Spice Girl and Mom of the Year recipient, Mel B got a new haircut and loved it so much she decided to give it to her two year old daughter (Angel) too. Poor girl. Not only does Angel have to grow up knowing that every time she watches a terrible movie starring Eddie Murphy she's watching her dad humiliate himself, she also has to know that her mom channeled all her neuroses into one awful haircut...