News, Reviews and Commentary from the World of Popular Culture 2012-02-14T13:50:15Z Copyright (c) 2012, PopMatters.com ExpressionEngine tag:popmatters.com-popwire,2012:02:14 tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154622 2012-02-14T16:35:47Z 2012-02-14T16:35:47Z Luaine Lee PASADENA, Calif. — Who would’ve thought that a set of Legos would lead to TV stardom? But that’s what happened to fashion guru Tim Gunn. The mentor from TV’s “Project... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154620 2012-02-14T15:35:30Z 2012-02-14T15:35:30Z Rene Rodriguez MIAMI — In “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” Nicolas Cage punches Satan. He punches Satan in THE FACE. Playing Ghost Rider, Cage also saves a little boy and helps people and does... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154619 2012-02-14T13:59:48Z 2012-02-14T13:59:48Z Greg Kot CHICAGO — Whitney Houston was for nearly two decades the center of pop music, an inspiration to several generations of pop divas, from Mariah Carey to Beyonce, and countless “American... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154578 2012-02-13T21:35:16Z 2012-02-13T21:35:16Z Rich Heldenfels Tuesday’s new offerings on DVD and Blu-ray include Johnny Depp delving again into Hunter S. Thompson’s works, Woody Allen offering a peek into his writing process, the original Israeli... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154567 2012-02-13T20:35:15Z 2012-02-13T20:35:15Z Randall Roberts LOS ANGELES — With the world watching as it mourned the loss of one of its most renowned singers, the performers at the 54th Grammy Awards faced a challenge: how to balance the grieving process... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154571 2012-02-13T19:35:58Z 2012-02-13T19:35:58Z Randall Roberts LOS ANGELES — The voice floats confidently but quietly in the first few lines of Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” the song for which the superstar... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154573 2012-02-13T18:35:42Z 2012-02-13T18:35:42Z Geoff Boucher LOS ANGELES — Woody Harrelson wants the windows down. “Do you mind if we go old style on this? I don’t like air conditioning.” The journalist at the wheel of the Honda Accord... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154574 2012-02-13T17:35:23Z 2012-02-13T17:35:23Z Yvonne Villarreal LOS ANGELES — The post-apocalyptic drama “The Walking Dead,” which resumes its second season Sunday on AMC, prides itself on its sprawling ensemble cast: one part zombies looking... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154569 2012-02-13T16:35:03Z 2012-02-13T16:35:03Z Amy Kaufman LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers readily committed to “The Vow” this weekend, as the romantic drama posted the biggest opening of the year. The tear-jerker starring Channing Tatum and... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154568 2012-02-13T15:35:45Z 2012-02-13T15:35:45Z Margaret Wappler LOS ANGELES — Wisconsin-bred band Bon Iver, the indie folk project founded by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, was named best new artist at the 54th Grammy Awards, besting crowd favorite Nicki... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154572 2012-02-13T15:01:49Z 2012-02-13T15:01:49Z Henry Chu LONDON — The breakout silent movie “The Artist” continued its unscripted run of awards glory Sunday when it was named best film and claimed six other trophies at the British film... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154566 2012-02-13T14:20:35Z 2012-02-13T14:20:35Z Reed Johnson LOS ANGELES — Roughly a quarter-century ago, Whitney Houston’s peers crowned her pop’s new princess when they awarded her the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. At... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154417 2012-02-09T20:35:25Z 2012-02-09T20:35:25Z John Horn LOS ANGELES — When Universal Pictures hired Daniel Espinosa to direct its rogue CIA agent thriller “Safe House,” the studio knew it was rolling the dice. The Swedish filmmaker had... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154422 2012-02-09T19:35:07Z 2012-02-09T19:35:07Z Greg Braxton LOS ANGELES — BET, which has been targeted in recent years for showcasing provocative music videos and other programming that critics and cultural observers said showed blacks in a negative and... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154415 2012-02-09T18:35:50Z 2012-02-09T18:35:50Z Rebecca Keegan NEW YORK — At night after she finished the day’s shooting of “The Iron Lady” in London, Meryl Streep would undergo a kind of ritual. Makeup artists painstakingly removed the... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154416 2012-02-09T17:35:32Z 2012-02-09T17:35:32Z Sam Quinones LONG BEACH, Calif. — In its heyday, World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach had a full-time disc jockey playing music for customers, and clerks learned their clients’ tastes so well they... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154420 2012-02-09T16:35:15Z 2012-02-09T16:35:15Z Patrick Goldstein LOS ANGELES — Last weekend I hosted a panel at the Santa Barbara Film Festival that featured five producers whose films were Oscar best picture nominees. At one point I asked everyone how many... ]]> tag:popmatters.com,2012:pm/news/23.154421 2012-02-09T15:35:49Z 2012-02-09T15:35:49Z Susan King LOS ANGELES — Ayuko Babu, cofounder and executive director of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival, which kicks off its 20th anniversary Thursday, peppers his conversation with the word... ]]>