I just saw Hairspray. I've not seen the Broadway musical or the original 1988 film (I know ... gasp!), but I really enjoyed it.  I love musicals, and this was particularly campy and upbeat, and certainly put me in a good mood.

But perhaps the most important thing about my sojourn to Hairspray is that I now finally see what the teenage girls of the world see in Zac Efron.  I've never seen High School Musical (although I may have to now), but I was totally impressed with his singing and dancing.  And he is adorable!  I am much too old for this, but I sort of want to hang a Zac Efron poster in my cubicle now. Dreamy!

You know how you have those celebrities you love that no one else really seems to?  I have an inexplicable fondness for Tori Spelling, for example. I think I may be only one.

Well, I also find that there are celebrities that I simply cannot stand ... for no good reason.  They could be perfectly adequate - even celebrated! - in their crafts, but they just rub me the wrong way.  This, of course, does not mean, celebrities everyone hates like Paris Hilton or J Lo.  Instead, I am talking about celebrities that the rest of the world seems to love that I find personally repugnant.  I am not saying that everyone should dislike these people ... and hey, they could be perfectly wonderful individuals in real life.  This is all completely subjective. 

Who is on your list of Celebrities You Cannot Stand for No Reason? 

10. Jennifer Garner - More annoying during her Alias days, but she always seemed so fake and cutesy.

9. Anne Hathaway - Just ... blah. I don't get the appeal.

8. Sarah Jessica Parker - Is it me or did she totally start affecting the Carrie Bradshaw persona in all of her real life interviews?

7. Brian Dennehy - Don't ask me why. 

6. Zach Braff - Always appeared to be pretentious to me. 

5. Andy Roddick - Ugh!  (Clearly, I do not share Mandy Moore's taste in men.)

4. Scarlett Johannson - Smug. Blah line delivery.  Why does everyone love her?

3. Jude Law - Not as attractive as he thinks he is.

2. Michelle Trachtenberg - I just cannot get over the annoyance of Dawn "Get OUT! Get OUT! Get OUT!" Summers.

1. Jimmy Fallon - This guy seriously bugs.  He spent years on SNL cracking up during his own jokes.  Isn't keeping a straight face, like, the first thing you need to train yourself to do as an SNL castmember?

Below are my completely subjective and occasionally very shallow Emmy picks in response to the nominations being announced today.

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

House is the only show in this category I watch regularly, so ... there you go.

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Ah, Kiefer, how brightly our love once shone.  But 24 sucked this season, and Hugh has taken my heart.

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

I like Mariska Hargitay, but I like Kyra more.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael Emerson, Lost
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy
Terry O'Quinn, Lost
Masi Oka, Heroes
William Shatner, Boston Legal

Dude, how can I not go with Locke?  Lost had its ups and downs this season, but Terry O'Quinn always delivers.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Aida Turturro, The Sopranos
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

I don't really care about this category, but I have liked Katherine Heigl since My Father, the Hero and she was great in Knocked Up, so I'll throw her my support.

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Tim Daly, The Sopranos
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
John Goodman, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
David Morse, House
Eli Wallach, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Forest Whitaker, ER

I also have no strong feelings regarding this category.  I actually thought David Morse's storyline on House was kind of lame, and no one from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip should be rewarded with anything.  I'll go with Tim Daly since I always found him attractive.

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kate Burton, Grey's Anatomy
Leslie Caron, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Marcia Gay Harden, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Elizabeth Reaser, Grey's Anatomy
Jean Smart, 24

Like I said, 24 sucked this season, but Jean Smart is awesome.

COMEDY SERIES
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty

A category I am actually interested in!  I watch four out of five of these shows.  The Academy's continued insistence that Two and a Half Men is a quality show blows my mind.  I like Entourage as the fluff it is, 30 Rock is a hilarious show that keeps improving, Ugly Betty is a fantastically campy soap, but The Office is ... perfect. 

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Steve Carell's Michael Scott is a brilliant creation. 

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Wow, remember when this category was completely overtaken by the Desperate Housewives?  I have to go with America.  Betty is adorable, Guadalajara pauncho, braces, and all.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

A tough one.  Jeremy Piven is 95% of what makes Entourage worth watching, but I am going to go with Neil Patrick Harris.  He is legen - wait for it - dary as Barney. 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men
Jenna Fischer, The Office
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Jenna Fischer's Pam is my single favorite character on TV. 

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Beau Bridges, My Name Is Earl
Martin Landau, Entourage
Sir Ian McKellen, Extras
Giovanni Ribisi, My Name Is Earl
Stanley Tucci, Monk

Eh, the only one of these shows that I watch regularly is Entourage, so I'll go with Landau. 

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Dixie Carter, Desperate Housewives
Salma Hayek, Ugly Betty
Judith Light, Ugly Betty
Laurie Metcalf, Desperate Housewives
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

A great performance.

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

It is tough for me to choose between The Amazing Race and Project Runway, but I have to go with the Race.  Its always exciting and the host Phil is dreamy.

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher

Jon is still number one.

There are only three days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released and the world will know how the Harry Potter saga ends.  This anticipatory week has been filled with spoilers (true or false ... we don't know yet) being spread on the Internet.  Digital images of what may or may not be the book were published online, as most fans are trying desperately to protect themselves from finding out what happens before they have the actual book in their hands.

In fact, I was interviewed by the Boston Herald regarding how I intend to protect myself from spoilers.  With media swirling around the leaked copy, I sort of want to lock myself in a room until Saturday.  However, I am just attempting to be extra careful about what websites I visit.  After I buy the book, I am leaving for a weeklong cruise to Bermuda where I will be away from the Internet and chatty coworkers. 

The release of the seventh Harry Potter book will surely be an event and the end of an era.  Different cities are hosting different events to celebrate.  Harvard Square (the event I am planning to attend) is turning into Hogwart's Square on Friday evening and will feature performances from Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys and the Hungarian Horntails.  It will be the closest I will come to a trip to Diagon Alley until the Harry Potter theme park in Florida opens in a few years.

How are you planning to celebrate the seventh Harry Potter release?

Even though it is probably the worst television show on the air, every summer, I look forward to Big Brother.  It is so deliciously entertaining to watch people sit around a house, unable to leave, and make idiots of themselves for an entire summer.  The forces of boredom and competition seem to conspire to make these contestants absolutely crazy.  Its brilliant to behold.

In addition, there is the host, Julie Chen, whom fans have dubbed Chenbot because of her unwavering ability to say everything in a complete monotone.  Julie has always treated the show like it is serious news, interviewing the contestants as if she is speaking with a head of state. 

The greatest Big Brother contestant ever is, as many fans would agree, the Evil Dr. Will who took such glee in lying, lying constantly, and lying to everyone.  He was funny, smart, and cute ... characteristics most Big Brother contestants lack.  (Let's face it, the casting directors seem to veer more towards "cute" than "smart.")

So far, this season has featured:

a) a girl who has cried over an unflattering picture of hers, and accused a guy she has a crush on of trying to make out with her since she was jealous that he was flirting with other girls (yeah, you make sense out of that one!)

b) two former middle school friends feuding over a lost five dollars

c) a man who refers to himself as "Evil Dick" and is on the show with his estranged daughter

d)  a web designer with extremely scary eyebrows

and

e) a guy who has publically accused his ex-boyfriend (also in the house) of giving him an STD.

Does summer TV get any better?

Have you ever loved an actor that couldn't seem to find his big break?  That's how I have felt for years about Nathan Fillion. 

Nathan Fillion and Keri Russell in Waitress - image credit: IMDB

Nathan Fillion is fantastic.  All Joss Whedon nerds know him, of course, as Captain Mal in Firefly and Serenity where he was at once charmingly gruff and able to deliver a perfect one-liner.  Fillion is a true leading man - handsome and strong while funny and vulnerable.  Although Firefly never really made it out of cult status, I've always felt that Fillion, himself, would.  How could people not love this guy? 

I thought that his big break might come with Drive, which was promptly canceled after two or three episodes. (What more could we expect from the Fox Network?)  I began to accept that Nathan might never really make it.

Then I saw a little movie called Waitress, which made a huge splash at Sundance this year.  The story behind Waitress is a sad one.  The writer, director, and co-star, Adrienne Shelly, was killed senselessly last year before she ever got the chance to see her movie achieve the critical and popular success it has. 

Waitress is an adorable, quirky movie in which Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a depressed, Southern waitress in a terrible relationship who makes delicious pies inspired by the people and events in her life (i.e. "I Hate My Husband" pie).  When Jenna finds herself pregnant, she is not excited about it and ends up falling for her awkward OB-GYN, played by Nathan Fillion.  Nathan is absolutely lovely in this movie, proving his chops at romantic comedy. 

Now I am reading that Nathan may join the cast of Desperate Housewives next season (a show I still kind of love, though I do not admit this to many people).  Perhaps Nathan is finally getting the recognition he deserves!  I just hope that he does not get stuck in a storyline where he is forced to moon over Susan as she trips over everything in sight.

Who are some actors you love that never really were able to break out?

Sometimes, movies come along that look so deplorably awful that they are also fascinating.  Case in point: License to Wed.  I've not seen a movie trailer as painfully lame as this one since perhaps Little Man. The very idea of sitting through this movie makes my blood curdle. And apparently, I am not the only one, as it got trounced at the box office by Transformers.

I really, really like Mandy Moore, and I love John Krasinski and sort of want to marry his character, Jim Halpert, from The Office, so it saddens me to see them saddled with a movie that has absolutely no chance of being good.  I mean, come on.  Robin Williams as a wacky pre-marriage counsellor?  No.  Ugh.

Maybe this movie is not as bad as I think - and if anyone out there has seen it and liked it, please tell me that its awesome because the idea of the adorable Mandy and my beloved John in such a lame-looking movie is eating at my soul.

I think I'll just stick to The Office and Chasing Liberty.

In better movie news, Variety reports that New Line is close to a deal to finance and distribute a film version of Sex and the City and that filming may start as early as this fall.  How comforting it will be to hear Carrie Bradshaw intone, "I couldn't help but wonder..." on the big screen.

The Spice Girls have announced that they will reunite for a tour through 11 cities across the world later this year. These shows will be their first since 2001, and the first with the entire group since 1998 when Geri Halliwell left to pursue a solo career. (Remember Geri's single "Look at Me"?  Yeah. Neither does anyone else.) 

For those of us (i.e. me) who still love to bop around to "Wannabe," and secretly enjoy their terrible ripoff of A Hard Day's Night, Spiceworld, this is exciting news indeed. Girl power!

Yesterday was a particularly fortuitous day for fans of 90's pop. The Backstreet Boys also announced a reunion.  They are recording their sixth album, which will be released later this year. 

It has been pretty sad and disheartening to look upon Katie Holmes ever since she paired with Tom Cruise a couple of summers ago.  I loved Dawson's Creek and during the first couple of seasons, Katie was a breath of fresh air as the feisty spitfire Joey Potter.  (Of course, Joey totally started to suck once the gang went to college and she seemed to be the center of everyone's universe, even winning over a mugger - a MUGGER! - with her plucky charm.) 

Katie Holmes may never have been the best actress in Hollywood, but she showed some potential by choosing some interesting projects (Go, Pieces of April), and always maintained her sweet, Midwestern disposition.  However, everything changed when she became involved with Tom Cruise, provided an annoying distraction in Batman Begins, and constantly blabbered that everything was "amaaaaazing." I won't even mention that suspiciously shifting pregnancy belly.

Now, Katie has made what I consider her strangest move yet...

High Heels at the Beach

Joey would be mortified.

NBC aired one of the most absurd reality shows I have ever come across last night, Age of Love.  On this show (which I already love), formerly credible tennis star, Mark Phillippoussis (who, despite what the host says, is not in the "prime of his career" if he is appearing on this train wreck) is trying to find his True Love.  Reality TV is only for people who are totally committed to finding True Love, you know?

Anyway, Mark thinks he is appearing on a regular dating reality show, and when the women are revealed to be 40-somethings, he looks like someone punched him in the gut.  Its hilarious.  The worst part of this show is that it does not pit totally awesome, secure, successful 40-somethings against drippy, naive 20-somethings in order to maybe equate age with depth and life experience or whatever (sort of like how Average Joe pit dorky but sweet and bright guys against dense himbos).  The 40-somethings are as vacant and desperate as any 20-something I have ever seen on a reality show (though they are totally hot).  When Mark's introduction video pictured him cuddling a puppy that he got because he was lonely on Valentine's Day, I rolled my eyes ... while these women oohed and aahed. Seriously, who are these people?

The 20-somethings were not revealed until the end of the episode (standing hilariously provocatively behind a curtain), so it remains to be seen how this "twist" will play out.  Honestly, the "social experiment" aspect of this show would only make sense if the bachelor were 35 - equidistant in age between the 20-somethings and 40-somethings.  As it is, there is only a year or two in age difference between Mark and some of the girls.  Actually, it might also be more interesting if the 40-somethings were noticably more attractive than the 20-somethings to see if a man will go for youth over beauty.

This show is appalling and I will totally be watching every episode.