Have a delicious long weekend

... brought to you by Lord Simcoe. I searched for a Simcoe cake, but, sadly, such a thing does not appear to exist. A great failure of cake-makers everywhere, I think.

That's all for this week. I have to admit it was a bit rough coming back from vacation and having to sit down for many, many hours every day. My neck does not like it. So this long weekend, I'm going to be lying down watching the Being Human, season 1 DVD. I've been wanting to see this show since forever and the kind people at BBC video have sent me a set. The show begins airing on Space Aug. 23. I'm also planning on starting to read China Mieville's Kraken.

See you Tuesday.

Neil Young and The Double Rainbow

Daddy must be so proud

Here's a little sunshine story to make you see that the youth of today has all kinds of drive and initiative:

"Laurence Fishburne's 19-year-old daughter is making a serious push to break into Hollywood - and she's doing it with a hardcore sex tape. TMZ has learned Montana Fishburne is starring in a porno flick for Vivid Entertainment - explaining, "I've watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape." Unlike the celeb she admires - Montana is not arguing that her tape was stolen or obtained illegally. We're told the flick is set to be released in August."

Inspired by Law & Order

This is pretty cool/pretty silly. There's an art show in LA called "Inspired by their stories." "Each piece is an artist's interpretation of a one-line episode summary from the DirecTV program guide." Thank you, Garnet. Here are but a tiny selection.

"Detectives investigate claims of voodoo" by Alexa Rose:

"Briscoe and Green search for lost customer" by Ellen Schinderman:

"A complicated murder case," by Brandon Bird:


 
 

This makes me want to be an alcoholic

Amazing art

See, if the AGO would just sometimes display something like this instead of their boring fancy paintings, maybe I'd go. This epic piece was commissioned by someone who obviously has very specific ideas of what he likes. Such as Chewbacca riding a giant squirrel while valiantly battling Nazi swine. Via Neatogeek.

What not to see this weekend

It doesn't look like Charlie St. Cloud is going to be the flick that will help Zac Efron transition to grown-up movies. You can read my colleague Bruce DeMara's review here. The weeper is currently at 27 per cent fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. Here are some review quotes:

"A melodramatic and hopelessly disorganized feature-length episode of "The Ghost Whisperer" that trots out an exhausted "Sixth Sense" escape clause after painting itself into one too many narrative corners."

"The picture is a declawed mess, begging for tears in the end. I hope the filmmakers are willing to accept puzzled looks instead."

"Some bad movies should carry a leper's bell to warn off ticket buyers. Such a contagion is Charlie St. Cloud, a load of mawkish swill starring Zac Efron."

"Perhaps no haunted, grieving character in the history of cinema has had his abs lingered over as much as Efron here."

"The schmaltzy spawn of The Sixth Sense."

"This movie has all the elements of a Nicholas Sparks novel except for letters and logic."  

"Maudlin, manipulative tearjerker...St. Jude, as the script helpfully explains, is the patron of hopeless cases, but even his presence can't save this picture."

The Walking Dead trailer

Swedish police officer dancing

That's pretty much it. Via Buzzfeed.

So, like, what's going on with American Idol this morning?

My colleague Deb Yeo aready posted on her Reality Check blog last night that Ellen Degeneres has quit that sinking boat and that J.Lo may be taking over. Here's a round-up of various stories:

From Ellen's website: "A couple months ago, I let FOX and the "American Idol" producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me. I told them I wouldn't leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on "Idol" and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be."

J.Lo has no problem hurting people's feeIings "Is Jennifer Lopez adding a new job to her resume? An industry source tells PEOPLE that the singer-actress has closed a deal to become a permanent judge on American Idol‘s season 10. “It’s true,” says one insider. “She’s excited about it.” The news comes the same day that Ellen DeGeneres announced she was stepping down from her position as Idol‘s newest judge. The talk show host announced her departure, saying, “It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.” According to another source, Lopez’s longtime manager, Benny Medina, orchestrated the deal. Lopez, 41, mom of twins Max and Emme, will join judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi on the panel. She previously served as a guest mentor to contestants in 2007. Simon Cowell also announced his departure from the show earlier this year.bFox has not officially announced any replacements for Cowell or DeGeneres, and had no comment about whether Lopez would be joining the show."

But what about Kara? "Sources connected with the "American Idol" negotiations tell TMZ Kara DioGuardi has judged her last contestant on "American Idol" - because she's been fired. We're told the show will be going back to a three-judge format and assuming all deals are finalized, the judge's panel will consist of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. We're told the only way Kara could get a reprieve is if the J-Lo deal falls apart - but we're told that deal is done. Ellen DeGeneres announced earlier Thursday that she was leaving the show after just one season."