CliqueClack

Catching up with Big Brother 16, aka House of Crazies

Ah, summertime. That time of year when it’s way too hot to go outside, so what better diversion than CBS’ perennial “social experiment” Big Brother to while away the hours? This year’s sixteenth edition brought some new changes to the game, and one big change for the viewers at home — this is the first season the show is being broadcast in high def! Reportedly three years in the making, the house is full of more cameras than ever, giving us some new things to see. I have to say, the house looks fantastic in HD.

After last year’s extremely controversial cast, the producers seem to have picked a group this year that’s a bit more fun … although some racist, homophobic tweets discovered from House Guest Caleb prior to the show’s premiere have thrown a little bit of a dark cloud over him, making viewers wonder when and if that side of him will come out on the live feeds. The rest of the House Guests seem to be quirky and almost lovable (for now) with outspoken, blue-haired feminist Joey, mom of three Brittany, nerdy super fan Christine, dopey underwear model Cody, faux surfer dude Hayden, bow tie-wearing minister Jocasta, Gomer Pyle’s long-lost cousin Donny, and pink-haired Frankie, who wastes no time in reminding us (but not his fellow House Guests) that he’s Ariana Grande’s brother, in the mix.

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James Cagney plays a wise guy, dreamy sailor aboard the U.S.S. Arizona in Here Comes the Navy

December 7, 1941, is a date which will live in infamy. Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, claiming the lives of more than 2,500 people and destroying 18 American ships and nearly 300 airplanes in the process. One of the most famous ships that was destroyed was the U.S.S. Arizona, which sustained nearly half of the casualties. Bombed four times before sinking to the bottom of the Pacific, the U.S.S. Arizona lost approximately 1,177 crewmen on that bleak morning.

Although it’s been more than 70 years since the attack, the statistics are still pretty sobering. Did you know that fuel continues to leak from the U.S.S. Arizona’s wreckage? It’s as if the ship continues to bleed because those ugly wounds will never properly heal. As you fire up your grills and prepare your colorful desserts in anticipation of the patriotic July 4th weekend ahead, you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with this week’s Throwback Thursday?”

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Careful what you serve on MasterChef

It’s been a while since I’ve put out a post about MasterChef.

Last year — season 4 of the series — was a relatively quiet one. That’s not to say there weren’t fireworks and controversy dolloped throughout the episodes. Though quiet, the show’s fourth incarnation still remained completely watchable and even included the neat caveat of having a contestant from season 3 (Luca Manfé) not only returning but winning the whole enchilada as well. Additionally, MasterChef Junior debuted last summer. And while it mirrored the first season of its parent program, it held its own and was intriguing in its own right with kids 8 – 13 years of age getting the opportunity to strut their culinary stuff.

Then, Monday night showed us something we haven’t seen previously on the program. Something that made you take pause and think about … at least for a minute. You bandied with the dilemma of it, if only for a moment, considering what could or should be done given the situation. In the end, you knew the decision made was the right one, that there couldn’t be any other outcome.

Here’s what went down:

The final contestant called before the judges — Tyler Viars — brought his panna cotta to Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich to be reviewed …

… except it wasn’t Tyler’s panna cotta. It was another contestant’s creation. Continue reading 'Careful what you serve on MasterChef' »

Win passes to see And So It Goes in Norfolk, Baltimore or DC

CliqueClack has partnered with Clarius Enertainment to offer readers in, Norfolk, Baltimore and DC an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new uplifiting comedy And So It Goes starring Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton, and Sterling Jerins.

There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Douglas), and that’s just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet — until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart — to his family, to Leah, and to life itself — in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner.

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Tammy gives Melissa McCarthy a chance to grow and be funny

I am a Melissa McCarthy fan … to a point. She really burst into stardom with her scene-stealing role in Bridesmaids and her TV series Mike and Molly (she was also a bright spot on the under-appreciated Samantha Who?). She had an impressive first-time hosting gig on Saturday Night Live where she showed a real range of characters from her patented obnoxious slob to a Mae West style old-time movie star.

Then she made Identity Thief which was just awful. Then she hosted SNL for a second time and pretty much did the same character over and over again. McCarthy followed those performances up with The Heat, in which she again played the same character but at least she had some great comedic chemistry with Sandra Bullock and a great supporting cast to play off of. It seemed that she was falling into a rut.

When the previews for her new comedy Tammy first began to appear, showing McCarthy’s character once again unkempt and obnoxious, robbing a fast food restaurant, it seemed that we were again in for more of the same. But McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, have managed to surprise by giving us what we expect but making Tammy a bit more human.

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Win passes to see The Fluffy Movie in Washington, DC

This contest is closed. Winners will be notified by email. Follow CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr for contest alerts, reviews and breaking news.

CliqueClack has partnered with Open Road Films to offer readers in the Washington, DC area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new stand-up comedy film The Fluffy Movie starring Gabriel Iglesias.

The Fluffy Movie captures worldwide comic phenomenon Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias in never-before-seen footage from his sold-out “Unity Through Laughter” tour. Spanning over 23 countries, and more than 400 cities, this is the summer’s must-see big screen comedy event.

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Win passes to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in Baltimore or DC

This contest is now closed. Comments are closed. Winners will be notified by email. Follow CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr for contest alerts, reviews and breaking news.

CliqueClack has partnered with Twentieth Century Fox to offer readers in Baltimore and DC an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, and Kirk Acevedo.

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

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Win passes to see Earth to Echo in Baltimore, DC or Virginia Beach

This offer is now closed. Follow CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr for contest updates, reviews and breaking news.

CliqueClack has partnered with Relativity Media to offer readers in the Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new adventurous family flick Earth to Echo.

Tuck, Munch and Alex are a closely bonded trio of inseparable friends, but their time together is coming to an end. Their neighborhood is being destroyed by a highway construction project that is forcing their families to move away. But just two days before they must part ways, the boys find a cryptic signal has infected their phones. Convinced something bigger is going on and looking for one final adventure together, they set off to trace the messages to its source and discover something beyond their wildest imaginations: hiding in the darkness is a mysterious being, stranded on Earth, and wanted by the government. This launches the boys on an epic journey full of danger and wonder, one that will test the limits of their friendship and change all of their lives forever.

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Reading Joss Whedon is a comprehensive look at the king of pop culture

Writing academically on culture is nothing new; scholars have written seriously about movies for decades, and even television has been seriously analyzed in such works as The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall. But usually it’s on those common targets like Steven Spielberg or Orson Welles, more of the “high” culture targets and not so much on popular or cultish art except to decry its worth in modern society or be dismissive in general. Joss Whedon is an interesting focus for a work, as he started as a very obscure artist, just a well known writer within the screenwriting industry working to fix up scripts (although his notes were often ignored).

His show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a switchup of the critically and commercially hated movie of the same name, gained him many fervent fans, though a relatively small amount. Soon enough he had gained enough success to create the Angel spinoff, which was a moderate success, and then the beloved Firefly, which was cancelled after one season but it is still considered one of the finest seasons of television ever by its rabid fanbase. After another cancelled show (Dollhouse) and online movie (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Joss was brought into the domain of Marvel comics, writing an excellent run of comics (Astonishing X-Men) and being hired to write and direct their ambitions movie The Avengers. Somehow that movie made a billion dollars, so now Whedon is a household name.

Reading Joss Whedon is a collection of scholarly essays on Whedon’s various works, some specific to one work and others analyzing ideas and themes over several. As in any collection, the quality is mixed, from excellent and engrossing to dry and dogmatic. But you won’t get anything else out there with this level of research and analysis, so the benefits of reading those gems outweighs the downsides of skipping the less interesting essays. The book is edited primarily by Rhonda V. Wilcox with help from Tanya R. Cochran, Cynthea Masson, and David Lavery. Wilcox and Cochran also wrote books on specific Whedon works, including Investigating Firefly and Serenity, which I quite enjoyed. One thing that I found particularly good in this collection was the level of research done, collating together disparate interviews, books, movies, and television episodes to convey fascinating insight. There were a few pieces that were exceptionally dry and primarily listing bits of episodes in simplistic ways, but those can easily be dismissed.

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Witches of East End, Masters of Sex, The Bridge come to home video

Plenty of big TV titles hit home video this week, and with the second season of Lifetime’s Witches of East End about to commence, now’s your chance to catch up on the first season of the magical sudser. If you’re looking for more adult fare, Showtime’s Masters of Sex gets a first season release before its July 13 season two premiere. FX’s drama The Bridge is also now available before season two premieres July 9. Syfy’s Lost Girl season five is set to premiere in the fall, so you’ll have time to watch all of season four before then. Reality TV is represented with Cake Boss and Filthy Riches, animation for all ages ranges from Dragonball Z to The Boondocks, and classic TV fans can enjoy new releases for Mama’s Family, NYPD Blue, My Favorite Martian and Star Trek: The Next Generation. These titles and more are available now. You can see all of the June 24 release highlights in our handy shopper’s guide, and you can get more information or make a purchase by clicking on the appropriate links.

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