1. Ben Affleck is in early negotiations to direct Argo, an adaptation of Joshuah Bearman’s April 2007 Wired magazine article about the Tehran hostage crisis. George Clooney is co-producing the political thriller. [via THR]
2. Ted Williams is planning to auction off the cardboard sign from the YouTube video that launched his 15 minutes of fame, as well as his camouflage jacket. The proceeds from the sale will go toward the Ted Williams Second Chance Foundation, which was created to help talented people who need “a hand up and not a hand out.” [via TMZ]
3. “This year, when the Black Eyed Peas perform, I’m planning on doing my own little ‘Boom Boom Pow’ just to show ‘em that this ol’ cheerleader still has some shake in her.” – Paula Deen’s musings on Super Bowl XLV
4. At the beginning of last night’s episode of The Daily Show, Justin Bieber was in Jon Stewart’s seat because they’d swapped bodies, Freaky Friday-style. Watch the clip — which was apparently a promo for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never — here.
5. Lady Gaga has already confirmed that she will premiere her new single “Born This Way” at this year’s Grammy Awards, but now there’s a rumor floating around she’ll do a duet with Muse as well. (PS: Check out her out on the cover of the March issue of Vogue above.) [via Digital Spy]
If you’ve been reading the news recently — and with the situation in Egypt, who hasn’t — then you may know that our esteemed Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is attempting to redefine rape because he doesn’t think the government should pay for abortions that result from them. Read all about it here, or just watch Kristen Schaal’s wonderful segment on last night’s Daily Show, in which she explains that violent, “forcible rape” is “rape-rape,” while other forms of rape are merely “rape-ish” or even “rape with benefits.” Laugh at Schaal and then cry about what it all means after the jump.
1. The 2011 Oscar nominations are in, with The King’s Speech dominating the pack with 12 nods. The Academy Awards will air live on ABC on February 27th. [via THR]
2. According to Diplo, Beyonce and Sleigh Bells guitarist Derek Miller have been in the studio together working on new material, but it’s unclear whether it will ever be released. [via NME]
3. Steve Morrison, the CEO of All3Media, the British-based company behind Skins, is shocked that so many companies have pulled their advertising from the show; yesterday afternoon, Schick became the sixth advertiser to drop the series. [via THR]
4. Last night on The Daily Show, Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly — who denied on-air that her network uses Nazi rhetoric— got served by Jon Stewart. Big time. Check out the cliphere.
5. Joe Magnaniello, who plays the hunky werewolf Alcide on True Bood is reportedly one of the frontrunners for the role of Superman in Zack Snyder’s upcoming reboot. [via io9]
Tonight, IFC premieres The Onion News Network, a weekly half-hour series in which the satirical newspaper and website tries its hand at “bringing truth to cable news.” Though the execution is timely (the series is full of Fox News-style whooshing graphics, barking pundits, and aggressive slogans like “news without mercy”), the notion of parody news goes back decades. Join us for a brief history of fake news in popular culture.
When it comes to television, basic cable gets kind of a bad rap. While network shows draw in massive viewership and premium channels have greater leeway to develop smart, cinematic programming, all but the very best cable fare can get lost in the shuffle. But in an article for Salon, Matt Zoller Seitz extolls the virtues of AMC, claiming it could very well become the next HBO. His piece got us thinking about all of the other great shows on basic cable. Our list of the 15 best, culled through an informal Flavorpill staff poll, tackles everything from the obvious picks (Mad Men, The Daily Show) to cult-y favorites like No Reservations and The League.
If you caught Jay-Z last night on The Daily Show, where he stopped by to promote his new book Decoded, then you know that there wasn’t enough time for Jon Stewart to ask all of his questions. Click through for the full, uncensored version of the interview that includes an interesting discussion about the differences in gauging success in rap vs. rock and roll, the natural progression from rapper to entrepreneur, and Hova’s thoughts on the future of hip-hop.
1. In case you missed it last night, here’s President Obama’s interview on The Daily Show. Our favorite part had to be when Jon Stewart referred to the president as “dude.”
2. Despite our issues with this week’s Rocky Horror-themed episode of Glee, we’ve got high hopes for this coming week. Rumor is that Kurt will have his first kiss! [via Ask Ausiello]
3. Brian Eno’s new record Small Craft On A Milk Sea is streaming in full at NPR. [via Pop Candy]
4. Hear Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester do her best Taylor Swift impression. OK, not really. It’s a song she recorded for her upcoming movie Country Strong, which also stars Gwyneth Paltrow. [via Idolator]
5. New Line has offered Tom Cruise a role in the film adaptation of Rock of Ages. He’d be playing a singing bartender. This is not a joke. [via Deadline]
1. Proving that her love of gift giving has no bounds, Oprah bestowed Thursday night’s audience of The Daily Show with free flights to DC for Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity. She’ll also be paying for their hotels, the lucky bastards. [via THR]
2. On a related note, NPR has decided that it would be unethical for any of their journalists to attend the event because they need to preserve their neutrality. [via Rolling Stone]
3. Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Rashida Jones are all in negotiations to join Jason Segel in the cast of Disney’s untitled Muppet movie. [via THR]
4. The Situation is in talks to become a part owner/spokesperson for a luxury gym at the Plaza Hotel — aka what will be “the most exclusive and most VIP fitness club in the United States.” [via NYP]
5. Angelina Jolie, whose directorial debut centers around a love story set in the Bosnian War, has been banned from shooting in Bosnia. Says the country’s cultural minister: “We will only give them a permit to film if we can see the script and it shows the story doesn’t insult Bosnian women, victims of war.” [via Express]
