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Sarah Michelle Gellar Alicia Keys Jennifer Aniston Willa Ford

After the months of hype and rumors, the Late Show with David Letterman appearances, the "All Will Be Revealed" promo ads, Two and a Half Men (CBS, Monday, 9 p.m. ET) finally took to the airwaves on Monday, with its first episode sans Charlie Sheen. Due to all that media chatter, we already knew the basic plotline: Charlie Harper would be killed off, and a broken-hearted internet billionaire (Ashton Kutcher) would be moving in.
Within the first few minutes, the details were provided. Friends, family and a gaggle of ex girlfriends (including Jeri Ryan, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Jenny McCarthy, Liz Vassey, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe and Tricia Helfer) gathered at Charlie's memorial service, where we're told that he was pushed in front of a subway train in Paris, apparently by his latest love, Rose (Melanie Lynskey). He'd cheated on her (big surprise), and the next thing you know, she was telling people that "his body exploded like a balloon full of meat."
If you were expecting a wistful goodbye to Sheen's long-running character, you got nothing of the sort. A meat-exploding body doesn't leave much room for future guest appearances by the troubled actor, no matter how conciliatory he's acted these past few weeks.
No, the episode made it resoundingly clear: Charlie Harper/Sheen is dead to Men creator Chuck Lorre. Even the guys' ashes were accidentally spilled on the floor, in a not-so-subtle, changing-of-the-guard scene. Alan (Jon Cryer) dropped the urn when he was spooked by Kutcher's character, Walden Schmidt, appearing for the first time at the window.
Charlie's own mother didn't even seem particularly bereaved. Sure Evelyn (Holland Taylor) was never a lovey-dovey sort, but all she seemed to care about was selling off the beach house. With added cameos from potential home buyers played by John Stamos, as well as Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson (weirdly appearing as their old characters from Dharma & Greg, another Lorre creation), the overriding message was this: Sorry, Charlie. The show's moved on. (And, by the way, more than 27 million viewers tuned in to see it happen!)
The effect of that message was harsh, but fitting. This show has never aimed to give viewers the warm and fuzzies. It's fueled by masturbation and fart jokes, after all. One-upping each other with cruel insults is what the brothers have always done best. Even in death, there's no love lost.
Based on the first episode, Kutcher's character should fit in just fine. He was often naked, and according to Alan, he's pretty well-equipped. And even when heart-broken, he's capable of bedding two women at once.
Fortunately, he's also a little dopey and naive, which makes the character softer than the irascible Charlie Harper, and therefore easier to like. He's arguably better-looking than Sheen, and most critics reviewing the episode have pointed out that he's an equally gifted comedian. "Kutcher’s performance was good, nearly as poker-faced fine as Sheen’s was," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker.
On the other hand, if you weren't a fan of the show to begin with, there's not much new here to attract you now. "Two and a Half Men is never too funny, never too odd, never too naughty," wrote Hank Steuver of the Washington Post. He added that Kutcher "demonstrated just how uncomplicated it is."
Charlie's out, and Ashton's in. You can't get less complicated than that.
R.I.P. Charlie.
Kicking off a week packed with promotional stops, Anna Kournikova made an appearance on "Live! with Regis & Kelly" earlier today (September 20).
Dressed casually in a gray hoodie and jeans, the 30-year-old sports star took to the talk show to dish about her new role as coach on the upcoming season of "The Biggest Loser."
While injuries curtailed Anna's career as a top ten tennis player in the world, she says her relentless years of training for the sport prepared her for her latest gig.
"My mom really instilled the commitment and discipline in me. It's really helped me throughout life and that's why I'm so passionate about sports and fitness and promoting that healthy lifestyle, and spreading the world especially to kids," Miss Kournikova told the hosts.
She added, "You can learn so much through sports. It teaches you all these amazing skills you can use in life, not just while you're playing sports."
The Creative Arts Emmys were handed out Saturday night, with the prime-time Emmys slated for next Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Scott Gries/ Picture Group
A number of the music industry's biggest names took home some prizes over the weekend. No, you didn't miss some big music awards show. Instead, the likes of Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Eminem won Creative Arts Emmy Awards for their recent work on various television projects.
Timberlake took home two Emmys: one for guest-hosting "Saturday Night Live" and another for co-writing the lyrics to his monologue song from the show, according to The New York Times. Timberlake previously won four Emmys for his work on the hit sketch comedy show.
Gwyneth Paltrow took home an Emmy for her guest-starring role on "Glee." The Chrysler 200 commercial starring Eminem also took home an Emmy, according to Allhiphop.com. The commercial, titled "Born of Fire," features the Detroit-born rapper driving through his hometown while his track "Lose Yourself" plays in the background.
"We were very surprised," Aaron Allen, the creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, the ad agency that created the commercial, said. "We really wanted to win but wondered if humor would win instead."
HBO's drama "Boardwalk Empire" was the big winner at Saturday night's Emmy ceremony. The show took home seven awards including art direction, editing, sound editing and visual effects.
HBO also took home awards for "Mildred Pierce," the Lady Gaga Monster Ball concert special that aired earlier this year and the children's program called "A Child's Garden of Poetry."
The Creative Arts Emmy show will air on the ReelzChannel on Saturday. The prime-time Emmys will take place Sunday in Los Angeles.
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A pesar de lo dicho ayer, Peter Mensch, manager del guitarrista Jimmy Page, se retractó totalmente en eso que la banda buscaría un reemplazo al ultragenial Robert Plant para seguir rockeando y toureándola por el mundo tras su show de 2007 en el O2 Arena de Londres por el poder de la música más sexual de la historia. No habrá más Led Zeppelin, no hay planes de que lo haya.
Mensch comentó: "Led Zeppelin se acabó. Si no los vieron en el 2007, se los perdieron. Probaron reemplazantes a Robert Plant, pero nada funcionó. Se acabó. No hay planes para continuar. Francamente, ojalá todos dejaran de hablar al respecto."
Los fans no están nada contentos, especialmente los británicos, considerando los precios delirantes de las entradas del show reunión.
¿Y a ti? ¿Qué te parece todo esto?
Related ArtistsThe Creative Arts Emmys were handed out Saturday night, with the prime-time Emmys slated for next Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Scott Gries/ Picture Group
A number of the music industry's biggest names took home some prizes over the weekend. No, you didn't miss some big music awards show. Instead, the likes of Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Eminem won Creative Arts Emmy Awards for their recent work on various television projects.
Timberlake took home two Emmys: one for guest-hosting "Saturday Night Live" and another for co-writing the lyrics to his monologue song from the show, according to The New York Times. Timberlake previously won four Emmys for his work on the hit sketch comedy show.
Gwyneth Paltrow took home an Emmy for her guest-starring role on "Glee." The Chrysler 200 commercial starring Eminem also took home an Emmy, according to Allhiphop.com. The commercial, titled "Born of Fire," features the Detroit-born rapper driving through his hometown while his track "Lose Yourself" plays in the background.
"We were very surprised," Aaron Allen, the creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, the ad agency that created the commercial, said. "We really wanted to win but wondered if humor would win instead."
HBO's drama "Boardwalk Empire" was the big winner at Saturday night's Emmy ceremony. The show took home seven awards including art direction, editing, sound editing and visual effects.
HBO also took home awards for "Mildred Pierce," the Lady Gaga Monster Ball concert special that aired earlier this year and the children's program called "A Child's Garden of Poetry."
The Creative Arts Emmy show will air on the ReelzChannel on Saturday. The prime-time Emmys will take place Sunday in Los Angeles.
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