Three hunky men in one talk show! We’re so lucky.
It started with Robert Pattinson on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he was promoting his new film The Rover. The Scottish actor, musician, and former Disney child star wore a kilt and sang songs, treating the audience to some great a capella numbers. Later that night, pop stars Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart joined him on stage.
We’d heard that there had been a competition to see who could get the highest ratings on Jimmy Kimmel Live. So Kimmel did something a little different. He threw a beauty contest for movie fans where the challenge was to impersonate famous movie kisses. He thought it would be funny to have the three hunky men on stage, singing and dancing and acting out famous movie kisses. It was a match made in Heaven.
For my money, Lautner’s “Jenny” from Twilight is the greatest kiss ever in a movie. It’s so passionate and beautiful and made me swoon every single time I saw it. So it made sense that he was picked to be the judge of the contest. He’s very knowledgable when it comes to film, and he’s also an experienced lip-reader, so he was the perfect choice to score the contestants’ performances. You can bet he knew every single one of their lines by heart. This was also Kristen Stewart’s first public appearance since her scandal. Her affair with Rupert Sanders, the director of Snow White and the Huntsman, had broken worldwide records for celebrity and media attention. Her appearance on stage with the other two was electric. It was like watching Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson make out with the prettiest woman in the room.
The whole thing was a big hit with the audience and the critics. The next day the New York Times said Lautner’s and Pattinson’s performances “dominated the television screen.” It’s fair to say that the lip-syncing contest was one of the highlights of the entire episode. I don’t know if it was the kilt and the Scottish background or Taylor Lautner’s brooding good looks, but Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner definitely stole the show. It’s clear that Jimmy Kimmel has a bit of a thing for the Twilight cast. A few months after that, he did an entire episode based on Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final Twilight movie. It was titled: “Breaking Dad: Robert Pattinson’s Midlife Crisis.” Once again, Mr. Kimmel thought it would be wise to bring in the big guns. He called in Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner and had them dress up as parents. It was hysterical. They play fathers and sons who are in a fight over the future direction of the family. It’s kind of funny because it’s kind of true. Robert Pattinson plays the father who is obsessed with his son’s hockey career. After the son’s embarrassing defeat, the father screams at him, “You’re not my son anymore! I don’t even know you!” It’s funny because it’s true. It’s also kind of sad because it’s so funny. And that’s the way it is with most of Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy. It’s funny because it’s sad. And it’s usually pretty accurate. In a lot of the cases, it’s a combination of all of those things. (The exception is when he brings in Sarah Jessica Parker. That girl can eat nails for breakfast and never feel guilty about it.)
Then there was the time he had Tom Cruise and Kevin Spacey on stage together. The latter was promoting his new film American Beauty. The former was promoting his new film Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation. These are two very accomplished actors. And they’re both straight edge. So when they’re paired together, you know it’s going to be a funny, crazy, high-energy performance. (It didn’t hurt that Kevin Spacey is a great dancer either.)
The point is: Jimmy Kimmel is a funny man. A lot of his comedy is based on current events and popular culture. And he’s a talented interviewer, having won an Emmy for his work. He can ask anyone anything he wants, and it’ll be hilarious to watch the interview unfold. (Side note: It’s also one of the most useful interview shows on television. Everyone should watch it. Maybe not while eating, but you get my meaning.)
The Rover’s premiere was on March 11. Four days later, on the 15th, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, and Kristen Stewart were back on the Jimmy Kimmel Live stage for a special appearance to promote the film. Unfortunately, I was working that night, so I didn’t get to see the show. But I heard it was great. The audience gave them a standing ovation, and Jimmy Kimmel even shed a tear or two. I think it’s safe to say that they’re not just doing this for the hell of it. There’s been a lot of press about this lip-syncing competition. And the three hunky men are clearly enjoying themselves. (Side note: Jimmy Kimmel was one of the first celebrities to speak out about the COVID-19 pandemic. He was always one of the first to tune in to any kind of health crisis in entertainment. It’s kind of amazing that he’s been able to keep doing this for so long.)
After the screening, they signed autographs and took selfies with fans. One man even asked them to sign his leg because he’d loved the film so much. (I’m pretty sure the phrase “leg of the world” wasn’t used in the 18th century, but it should have been.)
On the day before the premiere of the highly anticipated film The Last Knight, the most famous men in Hollywood gathered for an annual awards ceremony. It’s the Academy Awards, and this year the attendees are celebrating a century of Hollywood movie making. In 1914, there were just 14 film awards. Now there are over 90. It used to be that the most famous film stars wouldn’t even dream of attending this event. But today, the movie sets are closed, and the sets of many a traditional film are now wrapped up in cardboard. So it was really only a matter of time before the cameras started rolling for the 2019 Oscars. And boy did they ever start rolling.
What’s interesting is that throughout the year, there were several big-name stars who were publicly critical of the annual Academy Awards. In the past, critics have often pointed out that the Oscars are a bit of a joke, given the popularity of some of the films and the actors in them. (You know what they say: popularity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.) So it was certainly an interesting conundrum for the Academy to try and solve: how to make the Oscars more appealing to as many people as possible. (Side note: I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came up with an app for that purpose soon. Just type in your favorite movies and the Oscars will propose a virtual red-carpet experience for you. I mean, come on. It’s already done for the Superbowl. Why not for the Oscars too?)
So the Academy did something unprecedented. They launched an entire Oscar website devoted to promoting the films and songs that should have won awards at the 2019 Academy Awards. The site hosts interviews, movie clips, and most importantly, a ballot where users can vote for their favorite films and song-worthy songs. It’s basically done as a public service to expose how ridiculous the Academy Awards can be. And it sort of backfired. The public took offense to the site and voted it #2 on their list of the top ten most irritating websites. (Just kidding.)
But what do you expect from the Academy? They’re not really known for their common sense. (I mean, come on. Who voted for Titanic in any of the major categories? Or for the criminally underwatched drama BlacKkKlansman? Or for Gucci Mane’s album Trouble Man for Album of the Year? All of these are incredible movies that were criminally overlooked by the academy.)
I think it’s fair to say that the Oscars have become sort of like the Pope’s visit to America. Everyone knows that it’s coming, but no one really wants to see it. (That metaphor sort of stopped working when Barack Obama was elected president. But you know what I mean.)
Anyway, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
The Mainstream Media and the Fandom
The coverage of the Lip-Syncing contest was pretty much everywhere. Even Entertainment Weekly wrote about it, saying, “Jimmy Kimmel’s lip-syncing competition was one of the most talked-about events of SXSW. Even people who didn’t watch the show found themselves talking about it.” (Side note: I can personally vouch for that. It was all anyone was talking about at work.)