On this episode of “Braxton Family Values”, we get to see Tamar’s first recording session with Harvey. After searching for a song that she thinks will be right for her, she stumbles across a track with Lil Wayne rapping on it and decides that BOOM! this was the right track for her. Tamar calls her sound something like “hood rat pop” and doesn’t want any of that “Jersey Shore fist pumping music”. I’m sure you catch my drift, right? She knows that her hubby Vince isn’t going to be pleased with her song selection, but she’s hopeful that he will make her the “happiest princess in the pond” and let her do her own thing when it comes to her record. I ain’t mad at ya, Tamar! Meanwhile in LA, Toni calls an emergency meeting for her whole family, including her mother and father, because she has a huge announcement to make. The other girls are a little worried considering the urgency of Toni’s meeting and the fact that Towanda know’s Toni’s big announcement and is not spilling the beans to the rest of the girls. During Toni’s big meeting, she reveals that she has to have surgery- the next day! The girls are a little shaken up, shocked and scared at Toni’s news, but she assures them that she’ll be just fine. When the day comes for Toni’s big surgery, she has her whole family by her side, including her ex husband, Kerri. She comes through her surgery successfully, and although the girls are happy that Toni is alright, they are more focused on the fact that their mother and father are actually getting along during this time! Say what! Papa Braxton jokes that the girls though he and his ex-wife went on a date when they went to the cafeteria in the hospital together. But it is great to see them two getting along great especially considering what happened during their last face to face meeting.. Back in Atlanta, Towanda’s husband, Andre, has finally finished his book and is preparing for a book signing. Towanda was unsure if she would be able to attend the book signing because of the issues Toni was having with her surgery, but luckily she showed up to the book signing and was very proud of him for his efforts. But let’s be real, Andre still aint got no job. What did you think about this week’s episode? Tamar: “I Saw Yo Baby Daddy, Leaving In The Caddy!”, “Braxton Family Values” [RECAP] Trina Braxton: “This Season You’ll Get To See Why I Started Drinking” [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] The Braxton’s Get Bikini Ready For VIBE [PHOTOS] “Braxton Family Values” Reunion: Which Braxton Holds The Plastic Surgery Crown?
19-year-old from Florida receives a $5 million recording contract and a spot in a Pepsi commercial that will air during the Super Bowl. By Adam Graham Melanie Amaro performs on “The X Factor” finale Photo: FOX From early reject to grand-prize winner, Melanie Amaro was crowned champion of Fox’s “The X Factor” on Thursday (December 22), winning a $5 million recording contract and a spot in a Pepsi commercial that will air during next year’s Super Bowl. Amaro, a 19-year-old from Sunrise, Florida, beat out 30-year-old Columbus, Ohio, contestant Josh Krajcik for the title of “X Factor” winner. Chris Rene, the 28-year-old from Santa Cruz, California, came in third place. When the results were read, an emotional Amaro exclaimed, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” She was swarmed by members of her family, and “X Factor” host Steve Jones struggled to get a word from her. After performing Beyoncé′;’s “Listen,” Amaro said, “God is good,” and thanked her fans. “Thank you so much, thank you. I’m just, I’m so happy and I don’t know what to say,” she said. “This is something I’ve wanted for all my life!” Amaro’s victory was espzaecially sweet considering she was technically eliminated from the competition after Simon Cowell sent her home following one of the early rounds. Deciding he had made a mistake, Cowell paid a personal visit to her home and invited her to rejoin the competition. In the end, Cowell was pleased with his decision, as well as America’s choice of Amaro as its first “X Factor” winner. “We came here to find a superstar, we found a superstar. Thank you to everyone who supported the show,” Cowell said. He called Krajcik “a worthy runner-up.” Krajcik, the husky, self-described burrito slinger, congratulated Amaro on her victory. “Melanie deserves it, she has a wonderful voice,” he said. “I’ve had such an incredible experience here. I got to be myself and sing what I wanted to sing. I couldn’t be happier.” Earlier in the show, third-place finisher Rene said he felt “amazing” for getting the chance to participate in the competition. “I got to touch a lot of people’s hearts out there, and I just gotta say thank you,” he said. Rene’s mentor in the competition, L.A. Reid, called Rene — a recovering substance abuser who celebrated his eighth month of sobriety earlier this week — a “gentleman” and a “talent.” “This is how it turned out, it doesn’t matter,” Reid said. “This is my man.” “The X Factor” was one of the year’s most anticipated shows. It debuted in September with lofty expectations, with Cowell — who abandoned his judging position at “American Idol” to bring “X Factor” to these shores — predicting the show would attract 20 million viewers per episode. Instead, it pulled about half that, averaging 11.1 viewers over the course of the season, and criticism from viewers who questioned the show’s over-the-top production and the awkwardness of host Steve Jones. Thursday’s results show followed Wednesday’s performance episode, when the three finalists performed duets with superstar acts: Amaro with R. Kelly, Krajcik with Alanis Morissette and Rene with Avril Lavigne. Following the show, Cowell heavily endorsed Amaro to be the winner. Thursday’s two-hour episode featured a host of musical acts. Justin Bieber performed on the show, dueting with surprise guest Stevie Wonder on “The Christmas Song” and later with “X Factor” finalist (and Biebs superfan) Drew Ryniewicz on “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” 50 Cent also appeared on the show, performing his new single “Wait Until Tonight,” as well as his 2003 smash “In da Club” alongside Tony Yayo, “X Factor” rapper Astro and several members of the Los Angeles Lakers. Pitbull, meanwhile, appeared and did a quickie version of his single “International Love” and was later joined by Ne-Yo and “X Factor” contestant Marcus Canty on “Give Me Everything.” A countdown of the show’s top five most shocking moments rightfully named Rachel Crow’s December 8th elimination as the season’s biggest shocker, and Crow herself was brought out and joked about stealing host Jones’ job. She introduced Leona Lewis, who covered Snow Patrol’s “Run” over a package of the season’s most memorable moments. The top 12 finalists opened the show with a group performance of Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory.” The top three contestants also performed holiday songs, with Amaro doing “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Rene crooning “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and Krajcik taking on the Eagles’ “Please Come Home for Christmas.” Prior to the reading of the results, Amaro and Krajcik shared the stage together and performed David Bowie’s “Heroes.” What did you think of the “X Factor” results? Let us know in the comments!
Josh Krajcik appears to be the favorite going into the performance finale. By Gil Kaufman Josh Krajcik performs on “The X Factor” Wednesday Photo: Ray Mickshaw / FOX Sure, the ratings for “The X Factor” haven’t necessarily scaled the heights that creator/judge Simon Cowell had initially promised and hoped for. But by the time the giant flashing curtain falls on the show at the end of Wednesday night’s (December 21) performance finale, viewers will have tuned in to one of the most unpredictable finales in recent reality-singing show history. The three finalists could not be more different, and if you haven’t tuned in before now, what you’ve missed is nothing less than a master class in building the public persona and marketability of a potential singing star. While Paula Abdul’s groups didn’t last long on the show, the other three judges are still represented in the finale, with each having taken a very different path to Wednesday’s penultimate show. Record executive L.A. Reid has perhaps done the most impressive job building up his contestant, Chris Rene, into a post-millennial everyman. Rene arrived with one of the most compelling backstories of the season. The 28-year-old Santa Cruz, California, singer/songwriter emerged from auditions with the kind of hard-luck tale that you never hear on these kinds of shows. Fresh from rehab and newly sober after years of struggles with crystal meth addiction, Rene — with his heavily tattooed arms and bad-boy pin-up looks — quickly proved to be that rare hybrid rapper/singer who can carry a sweet melody while writing his own hook-filled rhymes. Plus, Rene did something else audiences almost never see: He played an original, the soulful folk/rap hybrid “Young Homie,” during his audition round, which brought the audience, and the judges, to their feet. As the weeks went on, trash collector Rene continued to show his versatility, last week pulling out a guitar and playing his second original song this season (“Where Do We Go From Here”) and unwinding his colorful background during Michael Jackson week as the grandson of Leon Rene, who wrote the Jackson 5 hit “Rockin’ Robin.” And when he revealed this week that he was still using as his father died of cancer and that his dad’s final request was to make him proud, Rene likely melted more hearts across the country. Nicole Scherzinger is represented by wooly bear of a man Josh Krajcik , the 30-year-old Columbus, Ohio, singer whose story line has mainly focused on his determination to not return to his old job rolling burritos. Krajcik, whose powerful, gravelly soul delivery is reminiscent of a young Michael Bolton/ Joe Cocker, has logged many years performing his original songs and covers in Ohio bars with the Josh Krajcik Band, with whom he’s released two albums of original songs. Unlike Rene, though, with the exception of playing piano and guitar on the show, Krajcik has not emphasized his musical chops. Instead, with a few deviations (including a Rihanna song that kind of went sideways on him), he’s covered a variety of songs that are staples on singing competitions, including Etta James’ “At Last,” the Cocker version of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” and the ubiquitous “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. The serious, humble Krajcik appears less appealing to a pop audience, as he’s not adept at dancing and is unlikely to have the marketability of a more contemporary singer. His voice, though, is undeniable and fans appear to enjoy hunting out the generous amount of his original material available on the Internet. Plus, as “American Idol” has proven several seasons in a row, America loves a middle-of-the-road Midwestern/Southern dude. Cowell’s lone remaining female contestant, 19-year-old Florida-by-way-of-the-British-Virgin-Islands belter Melanie Amaro came pre-loaded with a crazy story. You see, despite having one of the strongest voices in the competition from the first time she auditioned, Cowell decided after the judge’s home rounds to let her go in favor of some of his other favorites. But in a scene nobody who has followed the almost pathologically self-confident career of Cowell could have predicted, the former “American Idol” judge did an about-face the next week and admitted a mistake and begged Amaro to return. She’s never looked back since, crushing just about any song thrown her way, from the Eagles’ “Desperado” to Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Yes, she’s a diva, but she doesn’t act like one, and like her fellow finalists, she’s never been in the bottom three. Which one will emerge victorious and win the much-vaunted $5 million prize? It’s your choice now, America. Who do you think will win “The X Factor?” Let us know in comments below.
The Weinstein Co., who along with Movieline have championed Uggie the dog ‘s gripping performance in awards season frontrunner The Artist , broke the news today via Twitter that the canine thespian, alas, has not qualified for contention in this season’s BAFTA race. “@BAFTA has stated that @Uggie_TheArtist is not qualified to run as Best Supporting Actor for the role of ‘DOG’ #Sadmomentintime,” the studio lamented. Fear not, Uggie — the Oscars may recognize your genius yet! ( Go Team Uggie! ) [ @WeinsteinCo ]
There’s no squabbling among judges on The Biggest Loser . No controversy over who gets eliminated each week and who goes on to collect the $250,000 grand prize at the end of the season because there is no voting. There is simply the scale, the numbers it reads and the resulting eliminations. Therefore, we can’t debate the merits of the “Battle of the Ages” winner, can just offer our congratulations to… … John Rhode! This 41-year old special education teacher and football coach from Mesa, Arizona dropped 220 pounds throughout the competition. That adds up to 49.44% of his initial weigh-in body weight of 445 pounds and, to put it mildly, is truly astounding. A job very well done, John!
VH1 has been hyping up the return of Basketball Wives Miami for Season 4 all this week. Earlier this week they livestreamed the photo shoot of this season’s cast. Check out some of the early shots and tell us, which of the “Wives” looked more bangin’???
‘I was trying to destroy myself physically,’ McElhenney says of gaining 50 pounds to play Fat Mac, one of MTV News’ Top 50 TV Characters of 2011. By James Montgomery Rob McElhenney as Fat Mac in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Photo: Joey L./ FX Gregor Samsa became an insect. Hulk Hogan dyed his beard black and joined the nWo. Metallica used to be awesome. Transformations are as much a part of life as eating, breathing and making fun of Lulu, yet rarely are they as unexpected as the grand, grotesque metamorphosis Rob McElhenney pulled off on the seventh season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” when he turned the formerly fitness-obsessed Mac into a bulbous, bloated buffoon … mostly because he thought it would be funny. But McElhenney was also making a deeper point, too. By gaining 50 pounds of solid fat, he took a not-too-subtle jab at one of TV’s oldest tropes: Namely, that as shows go on, characters don’t age and they seemingly get better-looking. It’s the kind of deconstructionist slant that has made “Sunny” a cult favorite and made Fat Mac one of the year’s best characters. Because while, sure, it was funny to watch him inject insulin into his ginormous gut, you couldn’t help but ask yourself why there aren’t more characters like him on network shows. So, in celebration of Fat Mac’s inclusion in MTV News’ Top 50 TV Characters of 2011 , we spoke to McElhenney about piling on the pounds, the silky comfort of Tommy Bahama shirts, and how, someday, he hopes to be considered “the De Niro of basic-cable comedy.” MTV News : First off, congratulations on making our list of the Top 50 TV Characters of 2011. Fat Mac actually came in at #8 on the list. Rob McElhenney : I made the top 10? F— yeah! That’s really awesome. Who was ahead of me? [We start reading McElhenney the list, but he makes us stop when we reveal that Snooki came in at #3.] What? Are you f—ing kidding me? I refuse to hear anything else. Jesus Christ. MTV : Mac’s transformation was one of the television highlights of the year, and not just because it’s funny to see him, you know, lug around a garbage bag filled with chimichangas. You just don’t see characters put on that kind of weight on sitcoms now, or really ever before. McElhenney : Yeah. Vanity is such a huge part of television, and if you watch any average sitcom, you notice that the actors get better-looking as the years go by. And I caught myself sitting in the editing room last year, looking at myself, and I said, “Man, I don’t look very good in this scene; I should try to find a different shirt or something next time.” And I realized, “Wow, that is the first time I’d ever really thought that.” So I realized I needed to go in the extreme opposite direction. It’s always been our goal to do the opposite of what any sitcom on network television would do, so that’s what I did. MTV : So it went beyond, just, “It would be funny to see Mac gain an obscene amount of weight …” McElhenney : It wasn’t just a stunt. I thought, if we were being true to the characters, and we were really showing what these people would look like if they lived the way that they claimed to live, this is what we would look like. All we do is sit around and drink and eat terrible food, and there’s certainly no exercise going on, and we don’t seem to really care about our health. So when you hit a certain early-30s, mid-30s range, it’s going to start to fall apart. So, to me, it was less of a stunt or a gag and more of an actual representation of what Mac really might look like at this point in his life. MTV : So once you decided you were going to gain the weight, how’d you go about doing it without, you know, totally destroying your body? McElhenney : Oh, I was basically trying to destroy myself physically as much as I possibly could. I was trying to eat around 5,000 calories a day, and at first I was doing it as healthy as possible, but after like the 3,000th calorie of grilled chicken breast and rice, you realize you literally have to consume twice as much volume as opposed to just eating a cheeseburger. So after a while, I started eating a lot, a lot of doughnuts. It was really hard, man. The key to it was force-feeding myself this milkshake that I made every day that had weight gainer, chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream, and creatine, which creates bloating, and force-feeding myself two of those every day, and those were about 1,000 calories a piece, and that’s what really put it over the edge. MTV : You know, it’s funny, because you hear about all these actors gaining or losing weight for roles, and they’re almost always lauded for doing so. Does it bother you that, after going through so much, people only see Fat Mac as this sort of stunt? McElhenney : Well, I’d like to enter that conversation. You know, “the De Niro of basic-cable comedy.” [ He laughs. ] Nah, it doesn’t bother me. We’re not that kind of show. But I don’t think people understand how hard it was to just gain all this weight. I started at 162 and I got up to 212 … and I was also working out, just doing, like, powerlifting, because I noticed that most of my weight was just going to my gut, and it wasn’t filling out everywhere else and it wasn’t really playing, so to create that sort of non-defined, smooth look, I had to lift weights, and then the fat just sort of sat on top of the muscle. I was trying to create David, and as we all know, Michelangelo had to start with a slab of marble and then whittle it down. So I was just creating the slab. MTV : Another great thing about the character this season is that he introduced the Tommy Bahama shirt into the national conversation. McElhenney : [ He laughs. ] I see a lot of people wearing them. And I think middle-aged guys wear them because they think it hides their gut, and it doesn’t. In a bizarre way, it makes them look bigger, and originally I was wearing these super-tight T-shirts, and since my fat was kind of rolling out from underneath it, you would think that you would look bigger onscreen that way, as opposed to this big, flowing shirt. But for whatever reason, they actually accentuate the size. They’re like a muumuu. And the truth is, once you slip one of those bad boys on, they’re unbelievably comfortable. They’re made out of silk, and they really just flow and they breathe, and I was like, “Goddamn, I kind of really love these shirts.” I took some home, but my wife [“Sunny” co-star Kaitlin Olson] wasn’t having it. MTV : One of the key episodes this season was “How Mac Got Fat,” which, as the title implies, explained why he put on all the weight. There are scenes of you in flashback when you were skinny. Can you explain the backstory of that episode? McElhenney : We shot it last season, and it was a completely different episode and we were going to air it this year, because we had one less slot last year. So that was always the intention, and then as we started the season, and I went through this endeavor, we realized we couldn’t just air this episode because it wouldn’t make sense anymore. So we sort of broke down the episode and said, “How can we tell this as a flashback, and create this as being the reason why Mac did this in the first place?” So we rewrote it, based on the cut and based on the footage we had, and then we went back and created this completely different episode. It was literally the last thing we shot this season. MTV : So, finally, we know you’ve dropped most of the Fat Mac weight now. Looking back, how do you feel about the entire endeavor? McElhenney : Yeah, I’ve dropped almost all of it. I think the remaining 10 to 12 pounds are probably just going to stay. I’m OK with that. [ He laughs. ] And, you know, I’m really happy I did it. It was hard, but it was worth it. I can tell you right now that this never would’ve happened on network television. Because when I would’ve gone in to pitch it to the network executives, they would’ve said, “Absolutely not.” Because the glamour is such an important part of how they sell their shows, so trying to make the actors look as good as they possibly can is an important part of the process. And our show has never been about that. MTV will reveal the best artists, songs and movies of the year. Come to MTV News each day to see more big reveals and check out more of MTV’s Best of 2011 music, TV, movies and news coverage.
This has been quite a year for Pitbull, with his solo work and collaborations with Ne-Yo, J. Lo and others burning up all conceivable music charts and airwaves. Next year, it looks like he’s breaking into acting with a high-profile guest spot. TV Fanatic reports that Pit is in talks to appear on Glee as Santana’s brother. Santana came out of the closet to her parents this season, off screen, but her only family member that we actually met was her grandma, who threw her out. No word on whether she and Pitbull’s as-yet-unnamed sibling are close. In other casting news, Glee is reportedly casting Rachel’s gay dads, while Ricky Martin is coming on board as a Spanish teacher in early 2012, and Gloria Estefan is very close to signing on as Santana’s aforementioned mother. So much for the producers’ promise of less stunt casting in Season 3 …
‘It’s hard not to look cool while holding a crossbow,’ Reedus says of Dixon, one of MTV News’ Top 50 TV Characters of 2011. By Josh Wigler Norman Reedus Photo: MTV News Maybe it’s the crossbow. Maybe it’s his prickly disposition towards his fellow survivors, an armor he casts aside when lost little children are dropped into the mix. Or maybe it’s just the simple fact that Norman Reedus is a bit of a badass. Whatever the reason (let’s face it, it’s the crossbow), there’s no question that Daryl Dixon is the coolest character on “The Walking Dead.” In fact, he’s one of the coolest characters on television,evidenced by his #13 position on MTV News’ Top 50 TV Characters of 2011 list. It’s a well-earned victory for the zombie-killing hillbilly: In one and a half seasons, we’ve seen Daryl bash zombie brains with rocks, slash open throats with double axes, and even hallucinate a conversation with his brother while killing even more zombies. Between all that, Daryl has spent much of the current second season searching tirelessly for the missing Sophia — a search that ended tragically during the midseason finale. Whether Sophia’s death will push Daryl back to being the antisocial bully of yesterday or galvanize him even further as a protector of this group of survivors remains to be seen, but we can tell you this much: No matter where Daryl goes next, we’ll be along for the ride. Reedus swung by MTV News headquarters to talk about the awesomeness that is Daryl Dixon, touching upon the character’s damaged past, his coolest kills and his future with the series. MTV News : Fans have been hugely supportive of Daryl Dixon. Even [“Walking Dead” creator] Robert Kirkman has admitted that Daryl is a favorite of his. It just seems to be the general consensus that people love this character. What has the fan reaction been like in your experience? Norman Reedus : Actually, walking across the street [in Times Square] just now, a cop grabbed me by the arm and said, “I love your character on ‘The Walking Dead!’ ” I get it a lot, actually. I [even] have my own Daryl Dixon “Hello Kitty” iPhone case. It’s been really good, you know? The fans really like Daryl, and I’m really appreciative. MTV : What is it about Daryl Dixon that’s just so f—ing cool? Reedus : Well, it’s hard not to look cool while holding a crossbow, first off. But he’s interesting in that he has a different sort of struggle than anyone else. He’s trying to just get along with people for the first time, I think. That one moment where Carol reaches down to kiss him on the forehead and he [recoils], he thinks he’s about to get hit. There’s this damaged thing about him that’s really interesting. And when you have a backdrop like “The Walking Dead,” it’s even more powerful. But you have Rick and Shane fighting for what’s the best thing in this group, and Daryl is just sort of trying to find his footing. He’s not used to people telling him he’s worth a damn. So once people start telling him that, his first reaction is fight or flight. He’s such an interesting person. You could have that personality type in a Wall Street movie and he’d still be interesting. MTV : You touched on it briefly, but this season has been largely about the struggle between Rick and Shane. Is this a world where you can spend multiple days searching for a missing girl — even though chances are good that she’s dead in a barn next door — or is it time to abandon those values and forge ahead? Daryl seems to have come down on a side, with his whole mission this season focused on finding Sophia. What was his motivation there? Why was he so obsessed with finding Sophia? Reedus : A couple of things. First off, in that scene I mentioned with Carol, I’m covered in scars. You couldn’t see them super up close in that scene, but I’m shredded with scars. There’s a backstory with Daryl that he was a beaten child and he was [abandoned], and I’m really trying to play that up. He’s a very damaged person. When Sophia gets lost, he takes it upon himself to look for her, to clear up some of the demons he has. He took it very personally. Besides, he can handle himself in the woods. He doesn’t really need these people for survival — he’s looking at them for a very different kind of survival, for interaction that he’s not used to, which is a new world for him. Looking for Sophia alone in the woods isn’t a scary thing for him; he can go out there himself. But he took it personally because that girl represented something to him that was larger than just this world we’re living in, trying to survive. He went after her with a lot of gusto. MTV : Of course, we got an answer to Sophia’s whereabouts, though it wasn’t the answer Daryl was hoping for. Can you talk about that experience, shooting that scene in the barn and losing [actress Madison Lintz] from the cast? Reedus : That day sucked, because I really like Madison. She’s such a cool little girl. It was really emotional. Jon [Bernthal] had a lot of dialogue and was doing his amped-up thing. Melissa [McBride] was doing her emotional oh-my-god thing, and [Andrew Lincoln] was doing his “no, stop!” thing. [Chandler Riggs] was doing his “no, I can’t believe that’s true!” thing. And Daryl’s just like, “Let’s kill somebody!” Then [Sophia emerges] and there were a few different ways you could go. With Melissa running in, for Daryl to take her on — damaged people gravitate toward damaged people, and he took it upon himself to hold her. I know there are lots of rumors about [Daryl and Carol] having a romantic affair, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s more of a protection thing, which I find much more interesting than kissy-kissy sexy-sex stuff. That day was big. It was a large day. We shot it for a few days, actually, to get it all down. MTV : Daryl has made a lot of personal progress this season, but will Sophia’s death set him back? How does he react to finding out that she’s gone? Reedus : It’s going to be interesting. It sets him back in certain ways, in that the hope’s gone. That little girl that he’s looking for, if she’s one of them, he doesn’t really give a crap anymore. You can have these so-called leaders of the group saying “do this, do that,” and he doesn’t really need them anymore. So you find out that Daryl sort of separates himself a little bit. He reacts violently to anything emotional revolving around that story line. There’s another side of that in that he’s looked upon more as one of the leaders now, so there’s a new set of responsibilities that Daryl has to deal with. Whether he wants them, whether he wants to take them, [is another story]. But it’s interesting to see him looked upon as a leader. Fireworks fly. It’s not necessarily something he wanted or asked for. He’s not super thrilled about it. MTV : Daryl has had some of the best zombie kills of the series. Which one was your favorite this season? Reedus : Ooh. My best kill of the season? Well, I like last season, the double-ax to the throat. That was fun. [This season], I liked slashing the zombie churchgoer across the face; that was kind of fun. And I liked shooting the well-dressed zombie in the woods [in the season premiere], that was kind of fun too, then cutting his chest open and reaching inside of him, the gut bag. That was cool. That was a lot of fun. That was Andy and me being, “Ooh, gross!” You’d put your hand inside and it goes [makes a balloon deflating noise], and they put tubes of hot air that would blow in your face with gas inside the intestines. It was disgusting. [Co-executive producer and makeup effects designer] Greg Nicotero is completely twisted. MTV : Looking beyond Daryl, this show has taken off in a big way. Ratings are huge, and it’s been getting a lot of attention. Obviously you’re very close to the show, but what’s your take: Why is “Walking Dead” so huge? Reedus : There’s a whole thing about the economy that I’ve heard, that when the economy is bad, for some reason zombies and horror films are huge. Maybe that’s part of something. But also because it’s not really about zombies. It’s about these people trying to get together and working together and making lives for themselves, whether life is even worth living anymore. There’s this desperate smell in the air that people have to come together who won’t normally come together, and I think that’s the appeal, really. It’s like that show “Survivor.” These people try to figure it out, cut each other’s throats, be a–holes here and there and rip each other off — that’s part of it [on “Walking Dead”]. Plus, our special effects are so amazing. Our cinematography is so great. Our writing is really good. There are a lot of elements that have come together. It’s more than just a zombie show. I think that’s a big deal. MTV will reveal the best artists, songs and movies of the year. Come to MTV News each day to see more big reveals and check out more of MTV’s Best of 2011 music, TV, movies and news coverage.
Highlights of the Denver Broncos thrilling 35-32 victory over the Minnesota Vikings can be viewed below: Click here to watch the NFL Network crew discuss how far the Broncos can go this season (starting at the 5:33 mark). Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Opposing Views Discovery Date : 04/12/2011 23:18 Number of articles : 2
