The Candy mailbag: Answering your questions

Before we begin, I'd like to point out that RollingStone.com has posted its new cover story about Johnny Depp. That should ease some of our Friday tensions.

But back to your questions -- submit them via e-mail or the comments section. What I don't get to this week I'll save for next Friday.

Awhile back, you posted a link to a game where they showed you a scene without faces, and you had to guess the movie. Could you repost that link? -- Blakelyn S.

Ah, you're thinking about Invisibles. I love that game, though I'm still not very good at it!

I saw that you mentioned Entourage in one of your recent chats. Are you a fan of the show? If so, would you be as excited as I would be about a real Queens Boulevard movie? -- Matt F.

I am a fan of Entourage, and the show continues to get better each season. This year they're really letting Jeremy Piven run wild with his role, so it's worth watching just to see him in action.

I don't know if I'd dig a Queens Boulevard flick or not, since it's hard to determine what that movie was actually about. I got the impression the director was sort of a Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez hybrid with a hefty chunk of L.A. attitude thrown in. I'm up for anything different on the big screen, though Adrian Grenier's bit part in The Devil Wears Prada did not convince me that he deserves to be a real-life movie star.

I watched the pilot for Nobody's Watching on YouTube. It wasn't the best show ever, but it was better than a lot of the shows that get on air. I looked online for a cast list, but had no luck. Do you know the names of the actors/actresses from the pilot? -- Jon G.

It's a good pilot, and by now it's been seen by more people than some shows that actually make it on the air. For more info, check out this IMDB thread about the cast. (You may have to register to see it, but registration is pretty painless.) Also, this thread was tracking the show's production and may contain a few more bits of info. Hope that helps.

Take a Giants break

Thanks to Pop reader Sarah B. for giving me a heads-up on today's They Might Be Giants performance at noon ET. Plug in your headphones, and you can listen live online.

Horrors and half-truths in 'The Devil Wears Prada'

The Devil Wears Prada hits a little too close to home for me.

While watching the film, I couldn't help but compare the humiliations suffered by Andy Sachs (the bumbling assistant played by Anne Hathaway) to my own days as a college intern at a New York-based fashion magazine. The ads portray the movie as skewering the world of style mags, but I believe the reality is far more hellish than Devil makes it out to be.

Below, I've compared the flick to some of my own experiences. I include mild spoilers, but no major plot points are revealed:

In The Devil's world: Andy revolutionizes her plain-Jane wardrobe via frequent trips to Runway magazine's enormous fashion closet.
In the real world: The mag where I worked kept its clothes room under lock and key. If any girl dared to swipe designer outfits, she'd be eaten alive before you could say "Jimmy Choo."

In The Devil's world: No-nonsense editor Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) plops her coat and purse on Andy's desk each morning.
In the real world: Yes, I hung coats. I also removed pollen stains from them with Scotch tape. The mental stimulation overwhelmed me.

In The Devil's world: Andy picks up designer clothes for features and photo shoots.
In the real world: Forget the duds: Most of my time outside the office was spent retrieving lunch orders, theater tickets, prescription drugs and other random desires. One time, an editor called me into her office and said, "I'm craving a cookie. I think it has white chocolate chips, maybe some nuts ..." I was then told to wander the city until I found something that matched her description.

Early buzz: 'OC,' the 'Transformers' and more

It's Friday! This week has seemed extra-long, and I'm counting the hours until I kick back with a tub of popcorn and Superman Returns.

Some headlines to keep you occupied:

- Here's another reason to go to Amsterdam: The city plans to open a theme park inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

- On Sunday you can watch an entire Who concert online for only 99 cents.

- Fox has only ordered 16 episodes of The OC next season.

- Tori Spelling appears on the new cover of Us magazine, just days after her father's death.

- Why am I so obsessed with the Transformers movie?

- All of you with World Cup fever may want to watch this trailer for Once in a Lifetime, which follows the "extraordinary story of the New York Cosmos."

- A trailer for The U.S. vs. John Lennon is online. This is a documentary about Lennon's political activism, not the scripted Jared Leto-Lindsay Lohan flick.

- Also, have you seen the preview for Charlotte's Web? It's hard for me to think of Julia Roberts as a spider ...

- Did you know actress Lori Petty (Point Break, Tank Girl) has her own clothing line? She also displays her paintings on her website. (Thanks to Pop reader Dave W. for the info.)

- Break out your best outfit for the day: A Grey Gardens soundtrack is due in August.

- Finally, Pop reader Jennifer sent me a link to this awesome list of cartoons posted on YouTube. Shows include Animaniacs, Felix the Cat, South Park, Tom and Jerry and just about any other animated series you can think of.

CD o' the week: 'Nineteeneighties'

I'm glad I've finally found time to write about a CD you've gotta hear: Grant-Lee Phillips' Nineteeneighties, which hit stores this week. As you might guess from the title, the disc features covers of Phillips' favorite retro tracks, including the Pixies Wave of Mutilation, R.E.M.'s So. Central Rain and Echo and the Bunnymen's The Killing Moon.

Gilmore Girls fans may recognize Phillips as Stars Hollow's resident busker, who scored a sweet (and fictional) gig opening for Neil Young. The musician did just announce a real tour, though, so try to catch him this summer.

Several Nineteeneighties tracks are online, including these:

- Wave of Mutilation

- The Psychedelic Furs' Love My Way

- The Cure's Boys Don't Cry and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' City of Refuge

And here's my all-time favorite Phillips tune:

- Mockingbirds (on MySpace)

Your '90s flashback for the day

The other day I posted a Billy Ray Cyrus coloring page from Let's Paint the 90s, a fun watercolor book that comes out in August. Today I present a one-hit wonder word search, featuring classic artists such as Snow, 4 Non Blondes and Chumbawamba. Click on the image at left, print and enjoy.

Ten women who could spice up 'The View'

Star's gone -- let's move on.

That's how I feel about this week's View catastrophe, in which Star Jones Reynolds abruptly departed the show, leaving Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and that shoe designer from Survivor with two empty seats at their table.

It's only been three days, but I'm already sick of hearing both sides of the story. The most exciting thing about Star's vacant spot, I think, is that it gives the show a chance to become relevant again. How great would it be if The View recruited a woman viewers could identify with? If it's not asking too much, perhaps she could be funny and intelligent to boot.

Since I'm sure ABC is scrambling to fill the seat, here are some quick ideas. Feel free to add your own suggestions to the comments section.

1. Bette Midler. Hey, it's summer. Why not turn the show into a bawdy, say-anything romp? I'd love to see what trouble Bette 'n' Joy could get into together.

2. Mary-Louise Parker. She's hilarious, spontaneous and could simultaneously promote the new season of Weeds.

3. Sandra Oh. Grey's Anatomy fans are missing the actress, and I'd love to see her unscripted.

4. Paula Deen. I'm not sure what to make of the Rachael Ray hysteria. To me, Deen is the more appealing foodie, and I wouldn't mind spending more time soaking in her sweet Southern accent.

5. Joan Cusack. I know I'm on a Cusack high this week, but this one seems like a perfect fit. Joan is a successful mother, a Midwesterner and has a great sense of humor.

6. Pam Grier. The L Word star and former Foxy Brown would be a refreshing addition to the cast. If she got the gig, I know Quentin Tarantino would start watching ...

7. Amy Sedaris. Since she's already in New York and is promoting Strangers with Candy, I believe there's a good chance she'd say yes.

8. Jane Pratt. Those of us who grew up with Sassy and Jane magazines would tune in to watch the former editor, if only to relive the fond memories.

9. Lisa Kudrow. I suppose she's busy, but still -- out of all the Friends, she's the one I'd want to hang out with.

10. Parker Posey. After all, I'd much rather see her on a morning show than in a Pepsi commercial.

Our 'Lost' discussion? Yep, it's back.

Several of you have asked me to resurrect our Lost discussions, especially since ABC is airing reruns in order and the websites are still stumping thousands of fans.

Have you caught any new clues since the finale? Before you add to the comments section, you may want to peruse our last three discussion threads. Good luck!

Early buzz: A pop politics edition

I'm back! My long meetings are finally over, so I can stop using phrases like "core vision" and "competitive differentiators" and resume discussing things like reality shows and Star Jones. Here's a long list of headlines to get you started:

- Kimberly P. sent me this link to the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. Some unexpected picks include U2's Gloria, The Beatles' Revolution and The Pretenders' My City Was Gone.

- On a related tip, here's a surprising interview Ann Coulter did with jambands.com about the Grateful Dead (she's a big fan -- no joke). Thanks to Mark R. for the tip.

- Pamela K. sent me this ad for An Inconvenient Truth, brought to you by the makers of Futurama.

- Several of you urged me to watch this presidential version of U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday.

- I'm not sure why I have so many political links today, but here's the last one: It asks the burning question, "What if President Bush were a Jedi?"

- Leo DiCaprio is helping to develop a film about Timothy Leary.

- Look up in the sky: It's bunny Superman!

- For those of you who can't get enough Clark Kent, go here to watch old episodes of The Adventures of Superman, Lois & Clark, Superman cartoons and Look, Up in the Sky!, a Superman documentary.

- Benjamin K. points out IMDB's page for the Evil Dead remake, which has yet to be cast.

- Several of you have pointed out this funny clip that describes every Adam Sandler movie ever made.

- Thanks to David C. for telling me about this ELO tribute band. My prayers have (sort of) been answered.

- OK, this footage makes me even more curious about the upcoming Transformers movie. (Update: The footage isn't from the flick. But don't you wish it were?)

- Here's a trailer for a movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a great idea to me, either.

- Fans of the All-American Rejects can watch a recent concert with the band on American Eagle's website.

- This week you can hear the new album from the Brand New Heavies online. (Thanks to Brent P. for the tip.)

- A Netflix reminder: Cache came out on DVD this week. After you watch, go here to share your thoughts and read others' theories.

40 reasons to love John Cusack

Today marks the 40th birthday of an actor I've grown up with and love more with each movie: John Cusack. From Say Anything to High Fidelity, Cusack has expanded the image of the leading man to encompass offbeat, intelligent and/or sensitive guys. With one look, he can make you laugh, cry and sigh simultaneously.

In honor of the milestone, here are 40 things I love about the actor. I encourage you to add more in the comments section.

1. His real name is John Cusack. That's John Paul Cusack, to be exact. If he'd changed it to something like Johnny Danger, he wouldn't be the same.

2. His movies are worth seeing. OK, so America's Sweethearts didn't break any new ground. Neither did Pushing Tin. But overall, Cusack films are a pretty safe bet, and you can't say that about most A-list stars.

3. He avoids the tabloids. Cusack has always fiercely guarded his privacy, and that kind of determination benefits us all.

4. He was once a geek like the rest of us. Who knew the awkward guy from Sixteen Candles and and Better Off Dead would become such a sexy leading man? Unlike lifelong hunks Depp and Brad Pitt, Cusack has no trouble playing the everyman.

5. He avoided the Brat Pack curse. Despite appearing alongside the likes of Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe, Cusack managed to avoid typecasting, scandal and a post-'80s career crash.

6. He loves his sister. John and Joan Cusack have starred in a long list of movies together, including Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. How can you not love a guy who keeps his family so close?

7. He loves his other siblings, too. Ann Cusack had a bit part in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Grosse Pointe Blank. Bill Cusack appeared in Con Air. You can see Susie Cusack in High Fidelity. It's too bad his parents didn't have 10 more kids, or the Cusack clan could be running Hollywood right now.

8. Jeremy Piven is his pal. You can spot his former roommate in One Crazy Summer, Say Anything, Serendipity, Grosse Pointe Blank and several other films. Here's hoping Cusack will return the favor with a guest stint on Entourage.