Friday, June 28, 2013

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Chehon Wespi-Tschopp


Photo courtesy of Chehon Wespi-Tschopp

We had so much fun having Chehon on the show on Wednesday. Listen to how perceptive his thoughts are on some of the dancers and choreography. You are definitely watching a budding choreographer and director...mark my words!

See our official in studio photo with Chehon here >>

We had a lot of questions about Chehon's dating life and you see his reaction to the question when I asked it. Yep, comes with the territory of being a good-looking guy, but I totally respect his privacy. It's actually a very smart move, in my opinion.

Photo courtesy of Chehon Wespi-Tschopp

We didn't have time to get to all of the questions, but I know a lot of you are excited about his new movie, East Side Story, with Witney Carson. Hopefully, we will have both of them back on the show later in the season.

If you missed this week's show, you can watch it below or download the podcast here.

PHOTOS: 4th Annual Thirst Project Gala

Can you find me in this photo? 

It was another incredible year at the 4th Annual Thirst Project Gala at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday night. Founder Seth Maxwell got pied and hosed down in his tux after raising $200,000 from the evening. Definitely a fun way to end a moving evening.

I was so honored to host the red carpet and interview room with guests like Kirsten Vangsness, Pauley Perrette, Michael Welch, Audrina Patridge, and Drake Bell. If you missed any of the live stream, you can watch it below.  Enjoy my photos and remember, even $5 will make a huge difference. Donate: Thirst Project



 Interviewing Drake Bell

 On the red carpet...my outfit post is coming soon!

 Kirsten Vangsness killed it as host of the evening.

 Tahj Mowry, Josh Sussman, Crystal Reed and Camila Banus do a Vine!

 My seat mate at Table 6 and such a lovely singer...Coco Jones!

 Roshon Fegan and Audrina Patridge

 Twilight reunited: Christian Serratos and Michael Welch

 Pauley Perrette receiving her honorary award.

 Seth Maxwell after his pie and water mess, but $200,000 for charity is awesome! 

 One of the sweetest kids in Hollywood...Shake It Up's Roshon Fegan

With Kirsten Vangsness: Photo courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

 Interviewing Mollee Gray from STYCYD, Season 6



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: First Voting Week Preview

I had a crazy day with the Thirst Project Gala live stream, so I didn't have a chance to create a link for everyone to put their questions for tonight's SYTYCD show. I did let the cat out of the bag though...our guest is:

Chehon Wespi-Tschopp!!

Yep, Season 9's male winner.

We are so excited to have him on our show.

9pm PT Live on AfterBuzz TV.

You know the drill....enter your questions below for our guest.  It's going to be a great show!


Monday, June 24, 2013

SYTYCD: Did a contestant buy Twitter followers?


With so much focus from the fans about Twitter on last season's Dancing with the Stars, I decided to take a look at So You Think You Can Dance.  Fox has each contestant create a new account with the season and their name.  It is a level-playing field and the audience can decide who to follow during the season.  I think this is incredibly fair way to handle everything if the producers decide to do any Twitter voting. Fans spent half the season of DWTS arguing over the number of Twitter followers for Disney star Zendaya and how unfair any Twitter voting was for the celebs. While the SYTYCD contestants are in a different situation, I like the way the network handles the social media aspect of the show.

On Thursday, I created a Twitter list for the contestants so I could follow them without cluttering my already over-cluttered feed.  I wrote down how many followers each contestant had as of Thursday, June 20, thinking it would be fascinating experiment to see who is the fan favorite early on.

Last Thursday's Twitter count.

If you can read my chicken scratch in the photo above, notice that Malece Miller topped the Top 10 girls while Brittany Cherry was at the bottom. For the Top 10 boys, Nico Greetham was at the top with 2,410 followers and Carlos Garland had only 661 followers. If you checked their numbers today, you would see an increase for all of the contestants by now.

However, over the weekend, I noticed one contestant's numbers jump astronomically: Paul.  He went from 729 followers to over 5,000 within two days.  Really?  It made me think that only one thing happened: He bought followers. You can buy about 5,000 followers for about $75 via several internet sites. It's a deceiving way to make people think you have more followers than you actually do. Many of the accounts following you are fake or inactive when you buy them off of the internet.

What many people do not know is that there is a site that will track the percentages of fake followers. I did a little sleuthing and this is what I came up with for Paul's account.



His account is showing that over half of his followers are inactive on Twitter. Let's compare his account to Nico who had the most followers last week:


Nico, who is now up to 3,131 followers as of Monday, only has 13% of inactive followers. That is a a pretty typical number. Every Twitter account has some fake and/or inactive followers because of spam accounts or people who only open an account to follow celebs, but are inactive tweeters. The real number to focus in on is how many of the accounts that are following you are "good." This is where I raise eyebrows.  Nico has 84% and Paul has only 44%. Also, remember that Paul's follower count jumped from Thursday to Saturday...not on a show night after the audience watched him dance.

I am suspicious. I'm pretty sure that Paul bought followers because the pressure is on to be "America's Favorite Dancer."  Maybe he feels even more stressed to perform since he won SYTYCD Armenia? We all know how important social media is to connecting to the fans. I just think it's a really sneaky way to do it.

Chime in! Let me know what you think about social media, buying followers, and SYTYCD. Am I wrong? Is Paul wrong to do this?  I look forward to your feedback. 


Friday, June 21, 2013

The 4th Annual Thirst Project Gala


For those of you who have followed my blog for a long time, many of you know about the Thirst Project since I post about it from time to time. On Tuesday, June 25, I will be hosting the red carpet for the 4th Annual Thirst Project Gala.

Seth Maxwell is a longtime friend of mine and his work is so inspiring. Just to share a few facts with you:
  • Almost 1 billion people on the planet do not have access to clean drinking water.
  • 4,400 children die each die from diseases caused by contaminated water.
  • The average distance a woman walks to collect water is 3.75 miles.
  • The chore is often left to young girls leaving no time for education.
  • Water is a human right!
I hope you join me for this year's gala. The live stream begins at 5:30pm PT. I have embedded the YouTube link below.

Some of the celebrities I will be interviewing include:
  • Michael Welch-Twilight
  • Crystal Reed-Teen Wolf
  • Peta Murgatroyd-DWTS
  • Audrina Patridge-The Hills
  • Pauley Perrette-NCIS
I hope you join me on Tuesday!



Thursday, June 20, 2013

SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV Top 20: Anna Trebunskaya

I am so excited for this season of SYTYCD. Last season was boring and it felt like it would never end. This season feels like the show got a nice boost of energy. I don't know why it feels different, but it does.

We were so lucky to have Anna Trebunskaya join us for our first guested episode. She gave us some great insight on Serge Onik who was eliminated during the Green Mile. We also talked about Armen Way who didn't make it to the Top 33. Both are very strong male ballroom dancers, perhaps stronger than the two finalists Paul Karmiryan and Alan Bersten.

See our weekly SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV Vine video >>

Also, I was the only one who disagreed about BluPrint. I love his work, but he leaves me emotionally empty. He strikes me as this season's Alexa Anderson, but everyone thinks he will be a finalist. Let's see what happens.

If you missed the episode, you can watch it below or download the podcast here.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Top 20 Preview

It's time for guests on SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV. The live Hollywood shows begin this week along with the Top 20 announcement, so we are ready to announce our first guest on the after show. For my DWTS fans, it's going to be a very familiar face. She missed the last week of our show, but she promised to come back for SYTYCD this summer and she's holding true to her promise.

It's Anna Trebunskaya!


With the ballroom dancers having such a strong showing last year and so far in the audition rounds, they are going to be a big part of this season...Jenna Johnson, anyone?  So, Anna is the perfect guest to kick off the season.

Just like DWTS, you can ask questions for Anna in the comment section below. We will be focusing on SYTYCD, so most likely, DWTS questions will not get asked/answered.

See you on Wednesday at 9pm PT LIVE on AfterBuzz TV!  Watch here.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Media Mondays

Coming soon...some fun, new photos!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was filled with a lot more work than I realized...Kim Kardashian had her baby. Sigh.  I also had a fun photo shoot, saw a show, hit a red carpet, and covered the Daytime Emmys. I'm so happy this week is pretty chill.

Tom Barnard Podcast:  We talk about the NSA and the surveillance calls. Guess which celeb knew about the calls before the rest of the U.S.? Shia LaBeouf.  Listen in at the 46-minute mark.

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD:  See our take on Vegas week here.

Clevver Movies: I was invited back to It's a Wrap to talk about the villains for Man of Steel 2. Who do you think it will be? Lex Luthor or someone else?



SheKnows:  My favorite articles from last week:
Disney teams up with Carly Rae Jepsen for The Little Mermaid--I'm not sure I like this idea.
John Stamos on Lori Loughlin: "The one that got away"--Awww, Uncle Jessie and Aunt Becky...what could have been.
Sarah Palin back at Fox News--Let the headlines begin. 

Listen later today to start your entertainment news week:
1:30pm PT Metro News Hotline with Dave Weekley

A big thanks to BMW DesignWorks Group USA for the fun ride last week!



Thursday, June 13, 2013

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Vegas

We finally made it to Vegas! I am so excited for the season to start because I think the Top 20 is going to be the strongest cast we have seen in a few seasons.  We will also start bringing in guests next week, so stay tuned to see who will be our first guest on AfterBuzz TV.

Alas, we found out Jake's fate on the show as well. I'm sad he won't continue on, but we are all so proud of him for making it to Vegas. It's such a big accomplishment. Congrats, Jake....we love you!

Finally, I have a few choice words for Nigel Lythgoe. I have a problem when he starts setting up scenarios on the show to create drama like #TheBattle. Viewers can see right through this staged moment and it created a fraudulent moment on a show that has so much heart when it just lets the drama unfold naturally.  So, stop tinkering with the show, Nigel!

Let me know who your favorites are for the Top 20 in the comments below. It will be interesting to see if your predictions are right!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tony Awards, Monkeys and More!


 Just a few fun photos from my weekend. The first two photos are from Maria Menounos' birthday party. She had a monkey, snake and a bird all joining the Hawaiian festivities. If you missed my Vine videos of DWTS' Derek Hough and Karina Smirnoff on the dance floor, click here or here.


On Sunday, I was asked to live tweet The Actors Fund Tony Party. It was such a fun night filled with incredible honorees from TV and film in addition to celebrating Broadway's biggest night.


 Tommy Tune and Anne Jeffreys

 Listen to Tommy Tune tap at the opening of the show here

 June Lockhart showing off one of the first Tonys ever awarded. She won for For Love or Money in 1948.


 Marissa Jarot Winokur accepting her award.

 The petite Cathy Rigby McCoy jumped on a chair to accept her honor.

 Charlotte Rae from The Facts of Life. See our photo together here






Monday, June 10, 2013

Media Mondays

I shot another few episodes of ClevverTV's It's a Wrap. Episodes up soon! 

Holy cow!  Monday slid right past me. My Prius signaled me with the red triangle of death and I spent most of my day commuting back and forth by foot, bus and subway to get my car serviced at my favorite dealer.  The good news is that my car was fixed within a matter of hours and it didn't cost me a thing. Hooray!

Here are all of my media appearances from last week:

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: If you missed last week's episode, here is our discussion about the Memphis auditions. I am so excited we move on to Vegas this week!



SheKnows: My favorite articles from last week:
Writers Guild names 101 Best Written TV Series-Do you agree with this list?
Ricky Gervais wants to host 2014 Oscars-Let the host speculation begin.
Lindsey Vonn gets drug tested at red carpet event-I mean, when you are in a gown, you might as well pee in a cup.

Tom Barnard Podcast: We talked way too much about me in this episode...if you are dying to know my backstory, listen in at the 15:45 mark.

The Radio Dish: We talk about my favorite punk in the biz-Justin Bieber. Sigh. Is his 15 minutes up yet? Listen in at the 22-minute mark.


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Jesse Eisenberg: The Worst Press Junket Interview Ever?



By now, many of you have seen the above interview with Now You See Me star Jesse Eisenberg and Univision reporter Romina Puga. If you haven't seen it, watch the awkward interview before you read some of my thoughts.

I've talked a lot about press junkets in the past. It is seriously speed dating for reporters since we get a timed 4-10 minutes (about 15 minutes if you are a big outlet like E!) to ask every question about the movie while trying to navigate asking a personal question which is often forbidden.  On average, you are in the room with the celebrity for 4-5 minutes.

The stars are often tired and cranky if your interview time is in the afternoon. The junkets can often be two to three days of reporters marching in and out of your room. Some interviews can be fun, but I know they hear the same questions over and over again. It's tedious...however, they are paid very well to act in the film, so part of the job is to promote the film. It comes with the territory of being an actor.

Some celebrities are masters at make each interview seem fresh and interesting. My recent interview with Gwyneth Paltrow is one example. On the other hand,  I struggled through an interview with Reese Witherspoon even with her America's Sweetheart image. (Although that reputation took a hit recently.)

In some ways, I watch this video and think Eisenberg is being a big old jerk in answering some of these questions.  He possibly had a very long day of interviews, but he's an actor. He can fake it even if he doesn't like the questions.

On the other hand, I know I am watching a young, inexperienced reporter just by her questions. She went in with a gimmick and it didn't work. A more experienced journalist might have been able to save the interview and gone back to more basic junket questions just to get the footage they needed. I'm not sure if Puga reviews her questions with an editor or a producer beforehand, but it is always good to have another person review your junket questions before you go in the room. It's just a good reminder for entertainment journalists to always be prepared with a Plan B if your original set of questions is bombing. Remember, you need to make those 4-5 minutes count!

While I think this video is a great learning tool for all of us in the industry--entertainment reporters and actors, I don't think it did either Eisenberg nor Puga any favors. It makes him look obnoxious and it makes her look incompetent at her job.  I don't think I would have released the video, but Puga and her outlet did. She also wrote a blog about it as well....and it makes me sad to hear how awful she felt in that room. No one deserves that--ever.

Watch the video and give me your thoughts in the comments below!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

DWTS Connections: Lacey Schwimmer

I've shared this before, but I think it is a fun flashback for a few of you to see another DWTS connection...and this time it's not Cheryl Burke. I hosted an infomercial back in 2010 and the celebrity endorser was Lacey Schwimmer. Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to work together, but here's a fun look back at the infomercial...The Rhythm Rocker!



I also found a hilarious Consumer Reports video reviewing the workout equipment and our infomercial. You never know what you are going to find on YouTube. Watch here.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Media Mondays

Beautiful flowers from my fellow DWTS aficionado, Catherine. Thank you! My thank you vid is here if you missed it.

Hello!  We are cruising through summer already...how is it possible that it is June? Here are all of my media appearances from last week.

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: You can see everything about the show here.

Tom Barnard Podcast: We're officially live!  Last week, we talked about Philip Seymour Hoffman's 10-day trip to rehab for heroin. What??!! Listen here.  Join me tomorrow at 2:15pst as we talk the latest entertainment news...it's a juicy week for news, so don't miss out!  Listen here live.

SheKnows:
Katie Couric dishes on dates with Bob Saget & Jeff Probst--Who knew Katie had such a hot dating life?
The Young and the Restless: Jeanne Cooper tribute show--The loss of a legend.
Jessica Simpson's "Throwback Thursday" video: A Chorus Line--She's pretty darn good.

Cocktails and Cupcakes: It's always an early, but a fun morning and we dished big time. Is Beyoncé pregnant or not? Is Jaden Smith a punk? We answer all of those questions this week. It's a dishy good time. Listen here.

The Radio Dish:  More Will and Jaden Smith talk, but we get serious with a chat about Blake Shelton's benefit concert for the Oklahoma tornado victims. Listen here.


Saturday, June 1, 2013

Who Wore It Best?: Anne Heche, Cheryl Burke or...


It's time for another round of Who Wore It Best? Again, it's with the amazing creations of Gilbert Chagoury of Chagoury Couture who has designed my Oscar dress for the last three years. His work is incredible especially when it comes to the beadwork on the gowns.

I was super excited to see the dress was worn by two celebs including Anne Heche of NBC's Save Me and Cheryl Burke of DWTS. I like seeing the contrast of blondes versus a brunette wearing the gown. It shows you that a well-designed dress looks good on many different complexions, body types and hair color.

Time for the big survey! It's just for fun, so vote away.




Who Wore It Best?