About (Late) Last Night: Jane Lynch has pot (or maybe not) [Video]

Jane Lynch of "Glee" sat down with Jay Leno to explain how the rumor got started in Hollywood that she had marijuana at Elton John's post-Oscar party. It wasn't hers, she said. It belonged to the person next to her.

Really.

She said that she's actually at work on a book about her previous problems with substance abuse, and that she no longer drinks alcohol or smokes anything -- marijuana included. In fact, she shared with the audience a picture of herself from the 1980s, with a can of beer in front of her -- on Christmas morning.

For the Gleeks out there, she divulged some sweet gossip: Sir Elton wants to be on the show. John told her that he's a big fan of "Glee," and has actually had a meeting with the show's honchos, trying to do a guest spot. The role might include him being the lover of Sue Sylvester. 

-- Rick Rojas

'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: That's right, Lil' Jon, the catfight's 'poppin'

The assignment was to create a children's storybook, but for Lisa Rinna this week's "Celebrity Apprentice" was something of a nightmare. 

The haunting of Rinna began when much of her team either threw her under the bus or didn't bother to speak up. The team — wait, I'm sorry,  Dionne Warwick — came up with the story of a young lioness who learned to be herself. The men told a story of acceptance as students learned to welcome Lil' John, a newcomer different from his classmates.

The judges ultimately decided it was the men who won the night. But that's irrelevant. We've learned who's who for the season. And Star Jones has fallen right into the archetype defined oh so brilliantly by the infamous Omarosa in the first season. She's there to manipulate, to throw around big words simply because she can ("plausible deniability," for example) and issue threats that serve only to illustrate her grandiose illusions. "When you try to take down the queen," she said, "you better kill her."

Oh, brother!

This seems to be the appropriate place to remind everyone what this show is about: raising money for charity. And maybe raising the stock of celebrities — and semi-celebrities — who may not, um, be at their peak. This is supposed to be a rehabilitating experience, and it actually can be.

The funny thing about reality shows like this one that create so many villains is that these shows also have the remarkable ability to humanize. A lot of these contestants, on "Celebrity Apprentice as well as other shows, arrive as caricatures and tabloid headlines. Even the ones looked upon positively are thought of as two-dimensional superlatives: "Academy Award-winning Marlee Matlin" or "music legend Dionne Warwick. (Just as  Rinna had those unfortunate lips and Star Jones was the heavyset co-host of "The View" who, for initially obfuscated reasons, lost a ridiculous amount of weight.)

Though these shows aim to show as many flaws — if not more — as lighthearted moments of humility, they also show the contours that make a flat character come to life.

Rinna is more than a former soap opera star. She's a weak project manager, and she has the personality of the type-A PTA mom who naturally puts herself out there as a martyr. But she's kind and honest to fault. Or Meat Loaf, another example. He's always been portrayed as this alpha-male type, but he was gushingly emotional over a children's book. It may have seemed a bit much at some points, but it was endearing — and I'd argue he even ingratiated himself with the Donald by showing his emotional side.

Then you have the other side of the coin: the people who, the more you see of them, the more you realize how absolutely horrible they are. Star Jones apparently wanted to show that women could be strong and didn't always have to have catfights. And guess what she started! A catfight. She saw weakness in Lisa Rinna and she pounced. She may have been a smart player, but she didn't do anything to further the notion that women can actually get along on reality television. 

And Dionne Warwick was even worse. Warwick tried to act as though she was manipulative and outsmarting Rinna as well. But she was the diva — in the worst possible way. She was self-aggrandizing, trying to get as much credit as possible.

Just take the whole deal over the book cover. Jones contended it should say "written by Star Jones"; Warwick believed it should say "conceived by Dionne Warwick." Remember: This is their team effort for charity. 

Thank goodness for Marlee Matlin. She's the one to watch on this show and turned out to have wonderful wit and refreshing honesty. While everyone watched as Rinna was sacrificed at the Donald's altar, it was Matlin who stepped up and said Warwick should be fired — she conceived a failed story and she's a pain to work with (and if you remember last week, she's not that great with a credit-card machine).

It takes a lot to stand up to a legend. And it takes even more to do it with class and respect. Amid Jones' ignition of a catfight, it's nice to see Matlin — a real class act — honoring a pledge Jones proved herself woefully incapable of living up to. 

— Rick Rojas

Photo: NeNe Leakes, left, Lisa Rinna, Star Jones and Hope Dworaczyk work on their children's book on "Celebrity Apprentice" on Sunday night. Credit: Douglas Gorenstein / NBC 

Ashthon Jones, booted from 'American Idol,' talks about her future

Ashthon Jones was ousted Thursday night on "American Idol." But the Nashville native with an endearing life story as a runaway who returned to her family and found God says that her future will be big and bold, even if she doesn't know what path it will take. She will simply follow God's will.

Jones worked as a store manager before she left for "Idol," but she's not going back. "Now it's time for me to be an artist and performer, that God put in me a long time ago," she said in a conference call with reporters Friday morning.

"I believe something great is going to come from this experience," she said.

She befriended her fellow finalists -- she's "best friends" with all of them, she said -- and was praying for Casey, who missed the show because he was hospitalized.

Many "American Idol" contestants -- winners, even -- have come and gone, fading away with their brief run-in with fame. She said she realizes the attention from "Idol" is fleeting, but she plans to make a career for herself in the music industry and says that she has the persistence and the faith to carry her where others have fallen short.

"That strength has nothing to do with me," Jones said. "That strength comes from God."

"This is not the end -- I couldn't end right there," she said, alluding to her final moments on the "Idol" stage Thursday. "This is only the beginning."

Still, she was emotional on the "Idol" stage. She ususally holds in her emotions and puts on a tougher front. "Sometimes you got to let it out," she said. "Sometimes you can't hold back."

RELATED:

'American Idol' recap: Ashthon goes home, and Casey goes missing

A peek inside the Top 13 party

Full Show Tracker coverage of "American Idol"

-- Rick Rojas

Photo: Ashthon Jones. Credit: Frank Micelotta.

 

About (Late) Last Night: On 'Nightline,' Kathy Griffin takes on Sarah Palin and life not quite on the D-List [video]

 

Kathy Griffin took Sarah Palin head on in the former Alaska governor's challenge to the comic who has had quite a bit of fun poking at the Palin family. In an interview on "Nightline," Griffin addressed her controversial comments about two of Palin's daughters, Bristol and Willow, and her tenuous relationship with the former first family of Alaska from Wasilla. 

This, of course, comes after Palin called Griffin a "bully" in an appearance on Fox News, chastising her for targeting her children. "She’s a 50-year-old adult bully, really is what she is," Palin said, "kind of a has-been comedienne."

After noting that this was coming from a former governor (as in: has-been), Griffin replied, : "If you think a comedian is a bully, then what that tells me is you've never been bullied.... "To throw that word around — when I do my work with the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community, I'm talking about the guy from Rutgers. I'm talking about the real stuff. She's playing a different game."

"This is all grist for the mill, and she knows it," Griffin continued, saying the former governor was playing the badgering tactics she herself often deploys in taking on others in Hollywood. 

The interviewer, Bill Weir, asked if she thought Palin should run for president, or any public office, offering up the fiery comic more fodder.

"Ahh!" Griffin replied. "That would be great!"

— Rick Rojas

About (Late) Last Night: On 'Conan,' Pee-wee Herman and the story of Lent [video]

Pee-wee Herman dropped by "Conan" last night on his water skis in a total blast from the past.

He apparently left the playhouse to visit Conan on Ash Wednesday to tell the story of Lent -- a time of sacrifice, turning away from temptation and, um, dreidel. And it all culminates in Easter, with a man-chick emerging from a giant egg. 

This is the latest in a comeback tour for the star -- he's on Broadway, he'll be on HBO and he had a hilarious digital short with Andy Samberg on "Saturday Night Live" just a few months ago. (Also, the man portraying Pee-wee, Paul Reubens, did a wonderfully hilarious turn in the first season of "30 Rock," as Prince Gerhardt, the victim of centuries of royal inbreeding.)

Here's the digital short, which also features Anderson Cooper.

 

-- Rick Rojas

About (Late) Last Night: Stephen Colbert, pundits fret over loss of light bulbs, Easy-Bake Oven, freedom

Who knew losing incandescent light bulbs could be so funny ... and controversial?

Call them curly-qs or pigtails, the new long-lasting bulbs have killed the Easy-Bake Oven and have the punditry all riled up about what to do without the light bulbs they've always known. "It's the end of all light-bulb-based cooking," Stephen Colbert proclaimed Tuesday night, adding, "This light-bulb ban has set off a watt riot."

Just watch and see how much whining can come from a change in light bulbs. Whether or not you agree, you must admit it's fun to watch how little it takes to get some pundits going.

Most of the late-night hosts are off this week, so we're left with Comedy Central's shows and a swerve to nerdier sensibilities. On "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart sat down with Brian Christian, the author of "The Most Human Human," about a test in which a panel of scientists has to figure off if a digital conversation is with another human ... or a computer. It's a test to see who's the most human human. It's worth watching, even though it's a little on the wonky side.

Speaking of wonks, Snooki's February interview with David Letterman was replayed last night. After an intellectual night we've just seen, it's worth reliving that wonderful interview, so we can have a healthy balance of guilty pleasure. And Snooki never fails in that department: She admits that "Jersey Shore" won't last forever -- say it ain't so! -- so she's hedged her bets with fat pink slippers surely to keep her rolling in money and partying on the shore long after the cameras have gone away.

The Daily Show - Brian Christian
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

— Rick Rojas

About (Late) Last Night: Huckabombs and Angry Birds [Video]

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has been put on notice.

Last night, Stephen Colbert took to his Colbert Nation to rant against statements by Huckabee, now a Fox News Channel host, in a slew of recent radio appearances. Huckabee challenged Natalie Portman for getting pregnant out of wedlock, said President Obama grew up in Kenya and had an upbringing comparatively foreign to most Americans and compared gay marriage to, well, incest. 

But it's not what Huckabee said in dropping these "huckabombs," Colbert said. It's that the Republican politician didn't say any of this on his show. (On "The Colbert Report," he said, Huckabee was a "steaming pile of reason.")

Colbert, however, did correct the governor on a couple points. He advised him to be careful when criticizing Portman's child because "that kid she's pregnant with is Luke Skywalker." And Colbert said Huckabee had a few facts wrong on the president's personal story.

"Obama didn't grow up in Kenya," Colbert said. "He was born in Kenya, before moving to Islamistan, where he then traveled back in time to plant his birth announcement in a Hawaiian newspaper."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in cable land, the Angry Birds became life-sized. Over on "Conan," Conan O'Brien welcomed his new Finnish online viewers with a tribute to one of their country's greatest contributions while dissing their enemy neighbors of Sweden. His stage was taken over by the Angry Birds game, bringing down Ikea furniture -- the symbol of Swedish engineering.

 

— Rick Rojas

Sarah Palin to Kathy Griffin: 'Come up to Alaska and pick on me'

Ever since Sarah Palin came into the media spotlight, she has been fodder for comedians. But Kathy Griffin has apparently pushed too far, and Palin is firing back.

The also controversial  comedian -- who, perhaps not coincidentally, will  be playing the role of a Sarah Palin-like conservative politician on an upcoming episode of "Glee" -- has been particularly biting in her snark about Palin and her family. The most recent swipe was at Palin's daughter Bristol and her apparent weight gain while on "Dancing with the Stars." Griffin called her "White Precious."

"Kathy Griffin can do anything to me or say anything about me," Palin said in an interview Saturday with Fox News host Jeanine Piro, herself a former Republican politician in New York.

"She’s a 50-year-old adult bully, really is what she is, kind of a has-been comedienne."

Meanwhile, Jane Lynch described Griffin's role on "Glee" to "Access Hollywood": "She wears this very Sarah Palin outfit and she’s very righteous… She’s pretty amazing in it!" Lynch continued, "I don’t think anyone can out-Tina Tina Fey in the Sarah Palin department. But Kathy Griffin puts her stamp on her own Sarah Palin character, so it’s great.”

In the Fox interview, Palin dared Griffin to come up to Alaska. "Come up to Alaska and pick on me," Palin said. "But leave my kids alone."

RELATED:

Full Showtracker coverage of 'Sarah Palin's Alaska'

-- Rick Rojas

 

'Celebrity Apprentice' recap: Donald Trump's circus is back in action, and what a show!

Justin Bieber probably should have watched the premiere of "Celebrity Apprentice" Sunday night on NBC.

It might have been instructional to see how poor David Cassidy, a 60-year-old man still described as a "teen idol," was humiliated. It could be argued, and it would be true, that "Celebrity Apprentice" is merely a vehicle to humiliate one-time "celebrities." But this was a new low.

I must admit I fall well outside the demographic that knows who David Cassidy is, and I'm even further from knowing anything about his music. But if the Wikipedia entry on him is at all true (I had to look him up to know who he was), this was likely a big step down. 

You know you're clinging onto fame like Mufasa hanging off that cliff in "Lion King" when you've subjected yourself to a comeuppance from Richard Hatch, the dreadful, tax-evading winner of the first "Survivor." And it's clear that things have taken a weird turn when you're relying on Jose Canseco to both protect you and vouch for you.

What can I say? It was a weird night.

A peek inside the 'American Idol' party, where the top 13 soak in the spotlight

Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson glide across the red carpet. Lights flash, reporters bellow out their names, but they are unfazed. They wave, they chit-chat, they stop and pose. To them, this is just another party, just another season of “American Idol.”

To those who follow behind them on the red -- er, blue -- carpet, the finalists for the 10th season of “Idol,” this is their star turn. A blizzard of white strobes flashes in a room already blindingly bright. Some finalists start posing like they’re taking profile pictures for their Facebook pages. Some stand cautiously toward the back of the cluster.

James Durbin, a faux-hawked Adam Lambert lookalike, blossoms before the cameras, strutting, smiling a broad, cheeky grin. Paul McDonald, the sensitive type with a colorful wardrobe that caught Steven Tyler’s eye, wilts at first. In a rapid-fire of group shots posing next to a Ford Focus, he squints his watering eyes and scrunches his reddening face, overwhelming by the publicity blitzkrieg.

These artists are billed as a normal young men and women, hailing from Hometown, U.S.A. And here they are being courted by reporters dressed like models at a boat show, asking what it’s like to be living their life. There are a lot of 'This is absolutely amazing' and 'I can’t believe I’m here' responses.

Durbin mentioned how in awe he was of the response he’s gotten from fans. He’s received an onslaught of letters and messages on his Facebook page and elsewhere online, and was surprised by the positive words they’ve had to say. And, he added, “all the good stuff, all the inspirational stuff” -- he reads it. “I can’t even describe it,” Lauren Alaina, only 16, said in her sweet Southern drawl. “I can’t believe it’s happening to me.” The night comes together like something from a fairly tale.

On the roof of the parking garage of the Grove shopping center sprouted a glitzy, star-studded nightclub. Tarp walls and fake grass flooring turned into something that looked like the inside of a lava lamp. J-Lo -- a bona fide superstar -- is sharing a small chair with her husband, Marc Anthony, in a cordoned-off VIP section. As the DJ plays her latest song, “On the Floor,” she bobs up and down in her chair, nodding along with the beat.

It is a party for the finalists, but it seemed as though they missed much of it. They were still over on the other side of the tent working the carpet. They would make their way to the end of the line and start again. Hours had passed since the finalists first arrived. J-Lo left with her entourage. Many of the cameras were packed up and hauled away. Crew members started taking down part of the barricade between the press and the carpet.

Yet, there they were, answering the same questions just as giddy and as animated as they were the first time. They were soaking in the moment. A long road, a tough competition and an uncertain outcome lies ahead. Right now, though, they are stars. People are still calling their name.

RELATED:

'American Idol' picks the top 13 for 2011

Is Steven Tyler the reason for 'American Idol's' ratings stamina this season?

Full Show Tracker coverage of 'American Idol'

-- Rick Rojas

Photos, from top: Scott McReery, left, Paul McDonald, James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, Karen Rodriguez, Casey Abrams, Pia Toscano, Stefano Langone, Naima Adedapo, Haley Reinhart, Thia Megia, Ashthon Jones and Lauren Alaina arrive on the red carpet at the Grove in Los Angeles; Durbin said he was in awe. Credit: Mark Davis / Fox

'Two and a Half Men' crew will be paid for 4 episodes, Warner Bros says

The crew of "Two and a Half Men," whose livelihoods had been jeopardized by ongoing issues with star Charlie Sheen, will be paid for four of the eight remaining episodes in the season, Warner Bros. said Tuesday.

Warner Bros. will be footing the bill in compensating the crew members out of work after production of the highly rated sitcom was shut down last month. Paul McGuire, a Warner Bros. spokesman, said the company would not disclose how much this move will cost the company.

Earlier in February, when Sheen was expected to leave in order to undergo rehabilitation, he reportedly offered to pay at least a portion of the crew's wages if Warner Bros. and CBS would split the cost with him. Now McGuire said Sheen was in no way connected with making the decision about compensation or financing it.

The future of the show's staff has been unclear since the decision was made to halt production for the remaining episodes of "Two and a Half Men's" seventh season. It has yet to be determined whether "Two and a Half Men" will return to the airwaves for the fall season.

Although CBS will be losing a schedule staple that was the highest-rated comedy on television, the network's chief executive, Leslie Moonves, said the silver lining is that stopping production would save CBS a considerable sum of money, as reported on our sister blog Company Town.

"Short-term, financially, it is actually a gainer for us," Moonves said Tuesday at an investor conference in San Francisco. "Doing eight less original episodes saves us a lot of money."

RELATED:

CBS chief Les Moonves downplays financial effect of Charlie Sheen drama

Charlie Sheen's lawyer comes out swinging against CBS, Warner Bros. and Chuck Lorre

Who could replace Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men'? The speculation begins

Charlie Sheen hopes to regale his kids with 'epic,' 'gnarly' drug stories

Full Show Tracker coverage of Charlie Sheen

-- Rick Rojas

Photo: Charlie Sheen, left, Martin Mull and Jon Cryer on "Two and a Half Men." Credit: Greg Gayne / Warner Bros.

 

 

'Two and a Half Men' without Charlie Sheen? Show Tracker commenters offer solutions

After a day in which Charlie Sheen made a return to "Two and a Half Men" increasingly unlikely, Show Tracker commenters offered their two cents -- some of them pretty novel suggestions -- on how to save the hit comedy show if its leading man doesn't return.

Here are a few:

Julie suggests a way for the show to provide a reflective moment while also setting up a new scenario that might have the potential to carry the show for while:

"Charlie dies leaving everything to Allen. Then Allen and his girlfriend have a baby. It's now back to two and half men because the son is now a "man." Life goes on. ..."

Mike Binns said the solution was easy: Charlie and Alan get in a fight; Alan and his son move out. The interfering mother gets a bigger role, helping them establish a new life, and they find a bachelor neighbor -- just like Charlie -- next door. And, for good measure, Berta, the sarcastic housekeeper, comes along too.

In a very unscientific poll conducted earlier on Show Tracker, there was a virtual three-way tie between the hundreds of respondents guessing that writers will a) kill off Sheen's character, b) simply recast the role without explanation to viewers, or c) send him away.