By Terri MacLeod


The King of Pop will live on forever. The gravity-defying moonwalk, the sequined glove, the cropped pants, and black loafers - Michael defined my generation. I can document my life by his music. When the news broke of his sudden death, I (like the rest of the world) was stunned, shocked and saddened - now a week later, I still can't believe Michael Jackson is gone!

When I returned home from work on June 25, I told my 14-year-old daughter about his death. ...To which she replied, "Why are you upset about him? Isn't he the creepy guy who slept with young boys?"  

My daughter's reaction shocked me! She had no appreciation or understanding of Michael's musical legacy. Obviously, this generation isn't growing-up on Michael. Most tweens today are familiar with his dance moves and mega-hits like "Billie Jean" or "Thriller," but for the most part Michael's 'Wacko Jacko' reputation eclipsed his immense talent, or, seemingly so to my daughter.  

While, I am not here to debate Michael's addiction to painkillers, his questionable relationship with children, or his gasp-worthy plastic surgery, I do believe there are many life lessons we as parents can pass on to our children about Michael's complicated and seemingly very lonely life.

For starters, let's try and get our kids to stop and listen to the music. Michael is, in my opinion, the greatest entertainer our generation has ever seen! He set off a global phenomenon that is rarely seen and quite possibly will never be seen again. His music, his dancing, and his outright sheer genius as a performer, is something to celebrate and be inspired by. For a moment, try and forget all the craziness in his later years and let his music get passed on to the next generation, and hopefully, set into motion a new crop of young artists. As Michael once said, "I always wanted to do music that influences and inspires each generation."    

By Darius Pirnazar

As a member of the production team here at Access Hollywood, I was a part of our "Farrah Week" last week, in which we celebrated and dug deep into Farrah Fawcett's personal life and career. But even though this "special" is meant for celebration of all that is Farrah, I can't stop myself from feeling incredibly guilty.
 
I'm not sad just because of the fact that she's going through a bitter fight with cancer, because let's face it... she's had a wonderful life as a sex symbol and as a successful actress in Hollywood (and I'm saying this even though it might be a little harsh). I have lost three members of my immediate family to cancer and none lived a very glamorous life when they were healthy, so having cancer and losing the battle is not something new to me (or to anyone to that matter). I can guarantee that almost every person that reads this blog will definitely know at least one person that has had cancer or is currently battling it.
 
What bothers me is that I wasn't born when she was at the height of her career and I don't remember much about her when she was "it."  What I do remember is growing up seeing tabloid headlines taking swings at her and her family. And late night comedy shows and stand-up comics using her as the butt of their jokes.
 

 So "Star Trek" is the best-reviewed movie of the year, and it knocked "Wolverine" off the top of the box office with more than $72 million. A big start, but it's still logical to assume that most of the moviegoers who boldly went to see "Star Trek" over the weekend never even saw a full episode before in their lives.

 

Since the new movie is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, might I suggest going back to the original series to see what made it so great in the first place?  Start here - easily the greatest "Star Trek" episodes of all time.

5) "Where No Man Has Gone Before"   

Written by:  Samuel A. Peeples

Original Airdate:  September 22, 1966

Course Plotted:  At the edge of the galaxy, a mysterious force of energy penetrates the Enterprise and transforms two crewmembers into godlike creatures.

Why it's great:  The second pilot is also the first episode to feature James T. Kirk, and William Shatner proves that he had the Captain down from the beginning. It's also filled with high tension, as Kirk is forced to maroon an old friend on a barren planet before he takes over the Enterprise.

Where to Find it:  "Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One" (on DVD and Blu-ray)

By Darius Pirnazar
 
I'm so tired of people who voice their opinions without the full knowledge of the topic they're speaking about. 

Take Miss California for example; I don't have any issues with her voicing her opinion in regards to gay marriage. What bugs me so much is that she has now become the flag bearer for all of those who champion mindless rhetoric and oppose "CHANGE" in our society, without really knowing anything about the subject. 

I know... I know... we've heard the word "CHANGE" many a time during this past election season. But let's face it, "CHANGE" is what was needed in this country from The President on down.

Let's say, for example, Carrie Prejean (Miss California) was in this same pageant 60 years ago and she was asked if she believes that inter-racial marriages should be allowed.  Now, if she took the same approach as when she answered the question on gay marriage, how would we view her and her comments?

Access Hollywood movie critic Scott Mantz is in Rome, Italy, to cover the junket for "Angels & Demons." Read his first blog on his foreign adventures here.

Today was supposed to be the easy day.  Just three interviews with "Angels & Demons" director Ron Howard and supporting actors Ayelet Zurer and Pierfrancesco Favino.  Get to the Sony Hospitality Suite at 3 PM, start
interviews at 3:30 PM, be done by 4:30 PM.  Piece of cake.  Or so we thought.

The interviews were supposed to take place on the roof, which makes
sense -- if you're gonna be in Rome, make it look like Rome.  Otherwise,
what's the point of flying thousands of miles when you can just drive a
few miles to to get to the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills?

I'll never forget when I was asked the question...

"Mantz, did you read 'Angels & Demons?'"

Little did I realize where this was leading: to Rome, where the junket for the film version of "A&D" was going to take place.  Makes perfect sense, since most of it was filmed there.  But since I was never there before, I was both excited and nervous about the prospect of traveling halfway around there world to a country where they literally didn't speak my language.

Turns out that getting there was the hardest part.  Catch a flight to
Chicago, then run down three gates to catch my connection to Rome (with
just 20 minutes to spare -- fun!).  Between the length of both flights
and the time change, I was gonna hit some serious jet lag.  And as for
sleeping on the plane...well, fuggedaboudit.

By the time I landed, grabbed my bags and got to my hotel -- the Boscolo
Exedra in the heart of Rome -- I was way too excited to to take a nap (I
mean, really?).  I also had just a couple hours to check in, get my
computer up and running and, of course, see the movie.

I've been working for Access Hollywood for almost 9 years. In that time, I've interviewed a lot of celebrities, and I learned very early on not to get star-struck. That would have been the kiss of death to my career as a producer and, later, as a film critic.

But then there was the new "Star Trek." And with that came Leonard Nimoy, who has been one of my lifelong heroes after playing Spock for 43 years. When I knew I was going to interview him, I got really excited. Then I got nervous, which is -- dare I say it -- logical, given how much "Star Trek" has meant to me for, well, all my life. (Without giving my age away, let's just say it rhymes with "shmorty!")

When I sat down for the interview, I showed Nimoy that I was wearing a "Star Trek" tee shirt, and I explained that I cannot remember a time in my life when I wasn't a huge "Star Trek" fan. I also explained that "Star Trek" changed my life, and if it wasn't for "Star Trek," I wouldn't be where I am now -- living in LA and reviewing movies for Access Hollywood. He then proceeded to call security, and I was dragged kicking and screaming from the Four Seasons.

Seriously, I told him that although I was really excited, I was also really nervous to see new actors playing the characters that I've loved all my life. But then I saw the movie, and I loved it -- it's a "Star Trek" movie for everyone. He's very happy that the new movie is appealing to so many people outside the fan base, but "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (which he directed, as I pointed out!) also appealed to non-Trekkers. I explained how important it was for "Star Trek" to appeal to everyone, and when I started to quote "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" by saying, "The needs of the many outweigh..." he finished the quote with "...the needs of the few or the one!" We had a moment.

By Matt Smith, Access staffer

 

This has absolutely nothing to do with entertainment news whatsoever.

It has nothing to do with Lindsay Lohan. It's not about Britney Spears. Nor is it the latest on Chris Brown & Rihanna. Instead, it's a little something about life and death and love.

There are a lot of heavy hearts out there today. Particularly in the world of baseball, where a 22-year-old kid lost his life.

Last night, Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other people were killed early Thursday morning in a hit and run accident when a minivan ran a red light, striking the car they were traveling in. According to the police, the driver of the minivan was driving on a suspended license, under the influence of alcohol, and had a prior drunk driving conviction. Senseless and tragic; words so often used that I wonder if they begin to lose meaning. 

OK, let me begin by saying that I am the last person who would have paid money to go see "Hannah Montana The Movie." I am a 32-year-old grown man with no children. I am not exactly the "target audience." I have never watched the "Hannah Montana" TV show, and I have never before been a particularly huge fan of Miley Cyrus throughout my work covering her in celebrity news.

That being said, I attended one of the earliest screenings in conjunction with my work here at AccessHollywood.com preparing for our "Meet Miley Contest" along with Disney and Yahoo's OMG!, the results of which you'll see back here beginning April 6.

That being said, this movie is fantastic!

You've got to put all of your film pretensions aside when watching it; this is not "The Reader" or "Babel" - it's a fun teen movie that sets out to be the best it can be for its genre. And it certainly achieves that.

I found myself completely taken back to teenage-hood for this film - the same way in which films like "Bring It On," "Mean Girls" and "Clueless" did for me. It's the kind of movie that you'll likely be singing along with and quoting to friends for years to come. It has heart and passion, and it's just plain a fun ride.

The movie certainly serves as a vehicle for Miley Cyrus to begin moving forward from the "Hannah Montana" role, but it by no means is an end to the character.

Pitiful. Pit-i-ful. P.I.T.I.F.U.L. Ugh!

Some kind of way I got sucked into watching "The Bachelor" and the thing is, I ENJOYED it.

I consider myself a strong woman. Empowered. High self-esteem. So, the whole notion of 25 women flying thousands of miles to all live in one house together, begging some strange guy that they have never met before to please, PLEASE, PLEEEEZZZ give me freaking flower so I can feel good about myself is, well, it's just a foreign concept to me.

But there I was, curled up in front of the television wondering, wagering who it was gonna be. Which gal would get the rose and Jason's proposal?