As the below video went viral over the weekend, Hollywoodland at least speculated that the celebrities involved had walked into the project unaware of what they were really getting into. The whole production just seemed too random, poorly produced and, well, embarrassing. According to “Married with Children” star David Faustino (though PopEater remains a little skeptical), everyone was told the video was for charity, not to promote a Norwegian television show. If that’s the case, and we find that to be the only plausible explanation, it appears as though the goodwill of a number of trusting and well-intentioned individuals was abused, and Hollywoodland would like to take this moment to apologize for Friday’s mockery:

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PopEater:

For one celebrity at least, it was one big fraud. ‘Married With Children’ actor David Faustino tells the Hollywood Reporter that he was duped by the disarming Norwegians after they said the whole thing was for charity.

“It was just one of those things that happened on the red carpet at some event, where a camera crew nabbed random, extremely gullible celebrities — apparently like myself — and asked them for an interview,” TV’s Bud Bundy says. After the interview, Faustino says they sprung the idea of singing ‘Let It Be.’ “They were, like, ‘We’re putting this video together and it’s for charity.’”
He adds, “At least I remember I thought I was doing something good for somebody.”

Is Faustino mad that he was lied to? “Oh well. Live and learn. F**k it. Let it Be.”

(more…)

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The above video is some sort of promotion for the Norwegian television show “Gylne Tider,” that’s set during the 1980s.

Whatever.

Just when we were sure VH1 celebrity reality shows were the bottom of the fame barrel along comes this — something so stupefyingly awful and embarrassing we actually said, “Poor Tonya Harding.”

Mickey Rourke? Glenn Close? They still have careers. Okay, they’re 80s icons in a way but Jason Alexander is all over this thing and “Seinfeld” was a 90’s phenomenon. And what’s Peter Falk doing there? Last we heard he was suffering from a serious case of dementia. Did some mercenary relative hustle him out there for Norway’s daily rate?

Most heartbreaking is David Faustino; the Mighty Bud Bundy — and Kathleen Turner, who just stands there as though she’s no longer capable of even a lip sync. They were giants! It is always nice to see Leslie Nielsen, though.

Five, ten years ago an American star could grab a quick overseas payday and get away with something like this without anyone stateside becoming the wiser. It’s fairly common for a movie star to do commercials in a foreign country, something they wouldn’t do here for fear of the effect it might have on their image. With YouTube and the Internet, those days are now over and whatever the celebs in this particular video got paid can’t be worth it (Tonya Harding excepted) now that the end product’s gone viral. (more…)

Forty years ago this week the cover photo for the “Abbey Road” album was taken, representing the final walk of the Beatles as a rock group.

Fourteen days later, on August 22nd, they posed together for a final promotional photo shoot, which was their last appearance together at any Beatles event. Although one more album was released (“Let it Be”), “Abbey Road” was the last album recorded by the band, which was already virtually dissolved as a unit. Yet the album was a great artistic and commercial success. The “Let it Be” album was intended to be released first, but the group did not think it ready. They moved on to record “Abbey Road” and released it on September 26th and October 1st, 1969, respectively, in the UK and the US. The cover photo, fittingly designed by Paul (as he was the only member who had a passion to keep the group together; even as he finally sued to end the partnership), depicts the band’s final crossing of “Abbey Road,” toward their studio home of the prior eight years. Ironically, even bizarrely, convicted murderer and “wall of sound” creator, Phil Specter, did the final mixing in 1970 of several songs on “Let it Be,” almost as an audition. He was not aware there would be no more Beatles, although he did some work for Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. (more…)