The Pulp Fiction episode that led down this winding road to Cougar Town…

If you don’t watch Community, this season there was a very special episode called “Critical Film Studies.” But before we get into what that was about, one thing’s first: what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you watching Community? It’s awesome. Anyway, the episode, although advertised as a Pulp Fiction homage, actually ended up being an homage to the quiet conversation film My Dinner With Andre, with the character Abed planning a My Dinner With Andre inspired birthday dinner with study-group pal Jeff. Throughout the dinner, Abed tells a tale of his recent visit to the set of the TV show Cougar Town and how he got to appear in a scene as an extra. The fact that he says Cougar Town (an awful, awful name for a TV show) about 27 times throughout a 4 minute story is what made it hilarious, but the joke just got a lot funnier. Oh and he also said he pooped his pants and had to run off set while they were filming, and that’s always funny.

Abed has referenced Cougar Town many times on the show, partially because it’s just a funny show for a pop culture nerd to be obsessed with, but also because several Community and Cougar Town producers worked together on Scrubs for years. Nothing wrong with a little cross-promotion! Dan Byrd and Busy Philips from Cougar Town even showed up in the background of the Community season finale to further mix things up. But on this week’s Cougar Town we finally got what we’ve been waiting for: Abed as an extra. In the scene he does everything you’d imagine Abed would (aka everything an extra never should: overacted, looked right into the camera, stared at the actors and even mimed their actions. Oh. and then he ran off set. Remember the pants incident I mentioned?

It’s a hilarious cross-over that exists just because it’s fun. Abed should show up on every TV show. Check it out:

Last night’s So You Think You Can Dance episode of Vegas week was probably the most entertaining of the season so far (I hope it only goes up from here). Why didn’t they show us all of these fab dancers during the auditions? There’s a lot of talent this season and fingers crossed that also includes better shiny, happy personalities compared to Season 5’s snoozy gang. Video clips (by MJ) and recaps below:

First, each dancer performs a solo in their own style:

Nathan Trasoras (Contemporary) – I’ve made it no secret that I’ve had a semi-cougar crush on this newly-turned 18-year-old from Southern California since his audition last season. Back then he was too young to participate but Nigel promised him a free pass to this season’s Vegas audition. Nathan is still squeal-y adorable with his rosy cheeks and Taylor Lautner resemblance. He does what seems to be his signature move again - a big pirouette spin which ends in a sweeping leg (but I’m no dance expert). He’s not the best dancer in the bunch, but has a great center of gravity, excellent charisma and a positive attitude - I think he’s perfect for the show (ya hear me, Nigel??). I hope he makes it to Top 20.  VIDEO

Ellenore Scott (Contemporary) – Ellenore is a deliiiight! Again, why were they hiding her all season? Talk about having both “personality” and skill, she combined them perfectly in her solo. It was cheeky, exquisite and her musicality was superb. Hope she makes it far. VIDEO

Sadly, two early favorites are cut without much fanfare: Allison Becker, the deaf dancer, and Thomas Hamilton, the crack baby who wanted to use dance to get out of his crummy town. Their solos just weren’t strong enough for the judges. VIDEO

The gay male ballroom dancers, Willem de Vris & Jacob Jason perform together, but Jacob is cut and peaces out without saying goodbye to Willem. Add another tally to the “awkward goodbyes” category. VIDEO

The surviving dancers learn a Hip Hop routine with Tabitha & Napoleon and perform in pairs.

The dorky, “whimsical” Teddy Tedholm (remember? Mr. Clown Pants from Boston?) manages to pass the Hip Hop round, but my favorite b-boy from the auditions, ridiculously strong and mind-blowing Jean Lloret, doesn’t make it. *frowny face* I love his personality much more than b-boy Legacy’s, and hope he tries out again next year. VIDEO

Tap dancer Ryan Kasprzak (brother of Season 5 Top 20 contestant, Evan Kasprzak) barely gets a pass from the judges! Uh oh, and here I thought it’d be smooth sailing for him this season. The judges put pressure on Ryan to work a lot harder for the next challenge: a super-speed Latin ballroom number choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. VIDEO

Ballroom wears down a lot of dancers. Newbie Contemporary dancer Billy Bell (of “swayed back” and “banana bunch fingers”) gets clocked in the nose (*cue Marcia Brady clip - “Oooouggh! My nose!“) by his partner’s elbow (I think it’s salsa-hip hop-pop lock dancer Christina Santana) and ends up with a gushing, bloody nose. It’s better than a missing toenail *still gagging*, so I’m fine. VIDEO

Oh. Em. Gee! How much fun was it to watch Krumper Russell Ferguson perform the ballroom number with World 10 Dance Champion Iveta Lukosiute? Their dance backgrounds are so different, but they have excellent chemistry and the judges can’t believe that Russell totally holds his own with a ballroom star like Iveta. Both pass to the next round. VIDEO

On the other side of things, b-boy Legacy and Jonathan Litzler, the tumbler-Contemporary dancer from New Orleans, don’t impress the judges and are asked to DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES (yay, it’s back!). We also see that bloody-nosed Billy Bell passes the round with his partner, even though they hardly got to practice. Skills. VIDEO

Ryan Kasprzak dances the ballroom round but still doesn’t win over the judges. He’s cut. So much for that. I wonder if Nigel was so hard on him because they were simultaneously filming Season 5 and lil bro Evan was totally overstaying his welcome while better dancers were getting sent home…We watch Ryan “say goodbye” to his fellow dancers for what feels like ages. One thing’s clear: he’s a popular guy on campus with other dancers. VIDEO

Time for Jonathan Litzler and Legacy to DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES. Legacy scrapes through, while cutie patootie Jonathan doesn’t convince the judges that he was really DANCING FOR HIS LIFE, so he’s out (though begged to try out again next year). VIDEO

We get clips of Nathan Trasoras and Atlanta’s “excellent technique, but no personality” dancer, Amber Jackson, passing the Ballroom test, while Teddy Tedholm and “I get winded just watching him” New Orleans Bouncer, Shelby “Skip” Skipper get the axe.

Next week: More high-pressured, stresstastic Vegas Week episodes. Blood, sweat and tears tears tears. I love the clip they keep showing of choreographer Laurieann Gibson barking, “Your life is on the line… NOW DANCE!” So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 is chugging along… NOW WATCH!

Oh snap!  Cougar Town, that show I’ve been trashing without seeing for the past few months, finally premieres tonight at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.

To refresh your mem, Friends’s Courteney Cox stars as Jules, a divorcée/real estate agent whose neighbor bets she can’t pull in younger men the way he does women.  All the while, Cox delivers lines like: “I was 19, I started thinking with my coochie-cooch, and then, bam, I had a kid.” Hilarity ensues!

Gross me out!

I read a few reviews of the show and it seems common consensus is that the problem with the show isn’t Courteney Cox (who we can all agree is a wholly decent comedic actress), but the concept itself.  I particularly liked this excerpt from the Los Angeles Times’s review:

This is a real show whose main conceit is that having sex with a younger man is fun and exciting for women over 40. Crude stuff for a family newspaper, but despite the warm-and-fuzzy-celebrity cred that star Courteney Cox brings to it, some funny lines and good acting all around, Cougar Town is a crude show, built on jokes about oral sex and droopy breasts, a show in which words like “coochie” are used with regrettable abandon… Clearly, creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel (both previously of Scrubs) are trying to take on some legitimate issues, and no doubt there is pathos and insight to be gleaned from a divorced woman staring down her mid-40s as her child prepares to leave the nest, wondering if this is as good as it is ever going to get. But that is no excuse, and I mean whatsoever, for having that woman look at a shirtless young man and say, “I want to lick him.”

Travis (Dan Byrd of Aliens in America) is Jules‘ teenage son, whose actual adolescence is being preempted by his mother’s second go-round. Jules seems to take pride in her lack of boundaries, giving their relationship an ick factor that even Byrd’s quietly hilarious performance cannot overcome. He does his very best, though, stealing every scene he’s in. “Why don’t you laugh at my jokes?” his mother asks after she cracks one about the fact that, in an attempt to prove her attractiveness, she flashed a neighbor kid. “Because they make me sad,” Travis says, giving voice to us all.

Wow.  That is some seriously poignant shizz right there.  Let’s all watch Cougar Town tonight and cry.

Blarf!  Remember how weirded out we were to learn that Courteney Cox had signed on to star in a sitcom called Cougar Town? Remember how dismayed we all were to find out how low our beloved Friends’s standards had dropped?

Okay, maybe it was just me… but you’re about to agree 100%.

What I’m about to show you isn’t easy on the eyes.  Posted today, it’s two preview clips from Cox’s new show, Cougar Town, premiering this fall no ABC.  Observe:

Sacre bleu!  I’m at a loss for words.  What is with the over-the-top delivery of those embarrassing jokes?  I don’t remember Courteney Cox ever being so awkwardly zany, either.

Perhaps she’s better suited for the quippy, dry East Coast humor of her youth (see: Family Ties, Friends).  Us Californians are SO obnoxious.

I blame Jennifer Aniston.

LOLZ!  Poor Lisa Rinna!

Following her ridiculously pathetic campaign to get on The CW’s upcoming Melrose Place update, Lisa is reneging.

Here’s what she told Entertainment Weekly:

“I don’t think I wanna go back anymore. Seriously, I watched some old tapes recently — Harry [Hamlin, her husband] and I were going through stuff. It doesn’t feel right! It feels weird. I’ve changed my mind. You can’t go back!”

Lippy Lisa played character Taylor McBride from 1996-98 on the original series.  I guess she’s no longer in any mood to reprise the role.

What, did she JUST find out the show was crappy?

I call sour grapes!  Shenanigants!  I assume she didn’t get the call she was hoping for and is now doing some back-pedaling.  All’s fair in love and Melrose Place, Lisa.

Can’t she just join the cast of Courtney Cox’s Cougar Town or something?  Throw this woman a bone, someone.

The skillz of the final group competing to be in American Idol’s Top 12 were more even than the past weeks, but I was totally unimpressed. Am I just a scrooge about things or is this year’s bunch really cardboard-bland?

From top (l-r):

Arianna Afsar (”The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA) - She tried her best to mix up the melody, but why do these children pick such cobwebby songs? ABBA is dated enough, but “The Winner Takes It All” is one of their snooziest works! The judges also sighed at the lame song choice, although the kept saying that Arianna was “cute as a button.” Unfortch, all I could focus on was her odd, pinched, button nose.

Alex Wagner-Trugman (”I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John) - This kooky dweeb reminds me of Charlie Korsmo, the kid actor from “Hook“. His singing was terrible - tons of exaggerated throat-growling and note-fouling. And the “dancing”! He was just a clumsy, flailing ragdoll. No more, please.

Felicia Barton (”No One” by Alicia Keys) - After finalist Joanna Pacitti was nixed for having too much experience and too many music industry connections, Felicia won a first-class ticket to Hollywood, where she gave an overdone rendition of “No One”.  She looked fab, but I couldn’t stand her over-the-top lounge-singer style. I may be alone here cuz the judges were nay-sayless and seemed to like her.

Jorge Nuñez (”Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John) - He ain’t a looker but I thought Jorge did a nice job with this American Idol standard number. But what is up with the judges’ offensive suggestion of, “Hey, you there from Puerto Rico - stop sounding so Puerto Rican.”?? Not to mention nutball Paula saying maybe he should keep his accent because it sounds funny? Paula, you’s got some ’splaining to do!

Kendall Beard (”This One’s for the Girls” by Martina McBride) - Kendall is so bubbly and adorable to the max, but she isn’t the best singer by a loooong shot so I don’t really think she’ll make the Top 12. But I’m sure people will start a Facebook fan group for her anyway– oh wait, they already have.

Ju’Not Joyner (”Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White Ts) - HEL-LO! Ju’Not took a song that I pretty much hate and turned it into a silky-smooth, sultry, R&B number. I don’t think he’s right for American Idol (he’s just a little too cool for these jokers) but he was one of the best performers last night.

Kristen McNamara (”Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman) - Yet another weird-shaped nose in the bunch. I know Kristen was once a contestant on Nashville Star, so I was relieved when she didn’t choose a country song. She did a really decent job and gave the jam an interesting spin. Sidenote: she’s in her early twenties, but something about her screams “cougar“. Is it just me?

Nathaniel Marshall (”I Would Do Anything for Love” by Meatloaf) - Nope. Nathaniel didn’t even come close to having the vocal strength to pull off this song. He wins points for his *it’s so wrong that, huh, maybe it’s right* style (lady-headbands around his dome & way too tight pants), but Adam Lambert has a lot more stage presence and power in his voice.

Lil Rounds (”Be Without You” by Mary J. Blige) - The judges LOVE this lady. I really WANT to love her, but I’ve never been that blown away with Lil Rounds (PS - best name evs). Idol’s had some psychotically-fantastic soul, R&B singers in the past, so even though Lil is strong this season, I don’t think she holds a candle to some of the peeps we’ve seen.  Something about her performances just doesn’t connect with me. Well, even if America won’t vote her in, the judges will definitely choose her as one of the Wildcard winners - she’s probably guaranteed a Top 12 spot.

Scott MacIntyre (”Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby) - Scott is the infamous blind guy. He’s genuine, sweet and sang ok, but I agreed with Simon who said he wasn’t the strongest. This is when it comes down to the “whole package” thing, so I feel like America will keep Scott in just because he’s got some talent and is aw-shucks-gosh-durn likable.

Taylor Vaifanua (”If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys) - Omg, I can’t remember her performance - that’s not a good sign.. If this is who I think it is, Taylor nailed some tough notes toward the end, but it just wasn’t enough to “WOW!” I think she’s the gal that “needed to show more personality.” Yeah, I agree. Who is this chica?

Von Smith (”You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye) - Von annoys me for some reason. Was it the oversized gray suit he was wearing? Maybe the too-short haircut? I couldn’t put my finger on it, but then Simon pointed out that Von has the same vibe as Season 2’s Clay Aiken. Maybe THAT’s it (sorry, 45-yr-old moms, I’m not a fan or “Claymate”). I was amused that, rather than be gracious about it, Von was totally offended about the comparison. Well, he earns some of my respect then.

A tough night to pick a really obvious Top 3, but I’ll go with Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds and Ju’Not Joyner.

Who would I like to see win the 3 judges’ picks as wildcards? Anoop Desai (Group 1), Mishavanna Henson (Group 2) and Taylor Vaifanua (Group 3).

Catch American Idol tonight to see how it all goes down!

Ooh!  All signs point to Season 8 of Scrubs being fly.  The season starts January 6th on ABC, for what might be its last batch of eps.

Unfortch, it’ll be Zach Braff’s last season for sure.  Dr. J.D. Dorian is on to bigger and better things, namely piano lessons, studying at a university, traveling, making another movie, etc. - at least that’s what he told Tel Aviv’s Haaretz newspaper.  How precious is he, am I right?  Chopsticks, Intro to Rhetoric, and Garden State II, eh, Braff?

Now, I’m a Braff-on-Scrubs fan as much as the next gal, but if he makes another movie, I’m calling it quits on the guy.  Garden State, Zach Braff?  Really?  Cool indie rock soundtrack, bro.   Nice mentally-challenged dream girl, too.  Oy.  Hope he has a change of heart and stays on Scrubs for the long haul.

But enough about me!  More big news for Season 8 Scrubs: Courteney Cox is coming to town!  She’ll be on for a few episodes, guest starring as Sacred Heart’s new chief of medicine, a new hottie doctor that makes J.D. go gaga.

That’s right, folks.  One of our fave Friends is playing a hot older woman, on the prowl for younger blood.  Sound familiar?  Well, it should - it’s yet another cougar role for C. Cox!  She should probs branch out and play a MILF or something.

Other Friends fave Matthew Perry will be stopping by as well, along with some hilars new interns.  Should be good!

Check out some promo vids here on BuzzSugar.  And sit tight, we’ve got a whole ‘nother month to go!

OMG, you guys!  Hot new showz alert!  Three of ‘em!

Untitled Amy Poehler Comedy Project!

More info on Untitled Amy Poehler Comedy Project!  As we all know, the talented Miss Poehler is bouncing out on Saturday Night Live to be a baby mama and star in her own sitcom.  The sitcom was orig supposed to be a spin-off of The Office but then they nixed that idea and unspun it into its own thing, detes totally undisclosed and TBD.

Update! It’s been announced that Rashida Jones, a.k.a. Karen in seas 3 of The Office will be joining the cast of the unspun Untitled Amy Poehler Comedy Project as a nurse named Ann.  The show is set to be exec produced and written by same folks as The Office.

Cool non-Office spin-off, Amy Poehler!  Where’s it going to be set?  In an OFFICE?!?!

Heh.  JK.

10 Things I Hate About You: The TV Series!

OMG!  My heart has been racing since I heard this news.  10 Things I Hate About You (1999) will be spun into an ABC Family sitcom!

As someone with a PhD in teen movies, this is one of my all-time faves.  A tale of two sisters!  If there’s anything to know about me, it’s that I’m the mainstream, uptight (but like seriously cute as a button and totes popular) counterpart to the free-spirited intellectual hot girl thing my big sis has got going on.

Also exciting: in the role of Patrick Verona is Ethan Peck, Gregory Peck’s grandson and my bf’s brother’s college roommate.  I’m literally like one degree and a stolen phone number away from drinking too much wine and calling Ethan to advise him on how to work this out.  Ethan’s got some big ole shoes to fill, after all.  Heath Ledger like, BECAME Patrick Verona in the film.  Do I smell posthumous Oscar?

So many questions.  Will they make Ethan act vaguely Australian in the role?  And will this show be good?  Or barfy, like Clueless: The TV Series?

Either way, can’t wait!

Cougar: The Reality Show!

Really, producers of The Bachelor?  You’re really casting a reality show about cougars?  Are you seriously looking for single men who love “a more mature woman”?  You’re seriously going through with this?

But really.  ANOTHER cougar project?  We’re still doing this?  Can we talk about something else?  Maybe we do a different show instead?  How ’bout it?  Maybe we spin another movie off, eh?  How about Good Will Hunting: The TV Series?

Excitement, people!!!

Oh goodness!  As if being BFFs with sad ole Jen Aniston weren’t bad enough, Courteney Cox of Friends fame has just signed on to star in a new sitcom about a newly-single 40-year-old mom called Cougar Town.  Yes, Cougar Town.  Yeah, as in a show about cougars.

Anyone who’s seen Cox’s previous series, Dirt, knows that it was cliched, condescending, poorly written, and totally boring.  But Cougar Town?  Really, Courteney Cox?  The name of your new show is Cougar Town?

It’ll be co-exec produced by some dude named Bill Lawrence who apparently created Scrubs, a decent show.  Perhaps I shouldn’t jump the gun and assume it’s gonna be terrible.  But come on.  Seriously, Bill Lawrence?  You’re putting out a show called Cougar Town?  You really wanna do that?

Read Lawrence’s vision, as told to The Hollywood Reporter, here.  Barf!

And anyway, aren’t cougars kind of 2k6?  Next thing you know there’ll be a show about trucker hats.