jared leto

Jared Leto is the lead singer of the band '30 Seconds to Mars,' which just recently won the MTV Video Music Award for "Best Rock Video." (And -- oh yeah -- Jared is also an actor.) On 'Chelsea Lately' (weeknights, 11PM ET on E!), Leto showed up to present Chelsea with a gift, and then the two of them discussed his current "trendy" haircut.

Handler and Leto both appeared on the 'VMAs.' And apparently, based on that show, the actor has come to the conclusion that Chelsea is into spanking. So he presented the host with her very own spanking paddle. How considerate!

With the news coming down this week that MTV is adapting the UK's teen sensation Skins for American audiences, it became obvious which show I was going to do next for this column. The thing about Skins that works so well is that it rings of authenticity, which is rare in teen programming. It also features teenagers who are truly acting their age; no old dudes with male pattern baldness pretending to be high school sophomores.

We've seen all this before. A long time ago, before The WB and UPN built programming models for teen audiences, there was a little show on ABC that nobody really knew what to do with. My So-Called Life tackled teen issues, not in "a very special episode" way, but in a raw, unfiltered way. It was wonderful.

If this blog grinds to a complete halt, here's why: Hulu has made all 19 episodes of 'My So-Called Life' available for streaming. You can now look at Jordan Catalano on your computer every day. Dreams do come true.

Some of you may be saying, "What is this 'My So-Called Life' you speak of?" To which we reply with a sad face': 'MSCL' was an acclaimed but short-lived series that aired in 1994-95 and starred Claire Danes and Jared Leto. The coming-of-age story focused on sensitive teen Angela Chase and the people in her orbit: her parents, her crush (Jordan), friends and neighbors. It was amazing. We're still mourning the show's untimely death.

But why read about it when you can watch it? Right now! Here are some of the staff's favorite episodes:

"This life has been a test. If this had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do."-- Angela Chase

Say what you will about My So-Called Life: It was a pivotal show in American TV History. Although it was canceled after only two years and 19 episodes, when MTV picked it up and began showing it round the clock, it acquired a cult following that keeps it resonant even today.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Elijah Wood is still talking about his scuffle with Jared Leto at the MTVU Woodie Awards.
  
• The Food Networks says that the "McDonald's I'm lovin' it" screen during Iron Chef was a technical error, not subliminal advertising.
  
• This is only the beginning: Twentieth Century Fox has subpoenaed YouTube, forcing them to identify the user who uploaded several unreleased episodes of 24 to the website.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• When shows like The Sopranos and The Wire are syndicated onto basic cable, the content standards get more strict. Can these shows sell without their usual language, violence, and nudity?
  
• Nicole Richie was voted the 3rd best-dressed woman alive by Glamour magazine. Apparently, the stick-in-a-bag look is really hot right now.
  
• Jared Leto has come a long way since My So-Called Life. Now he gained 65 pounds for his new movie role and won't need to worry about being called a "pretty boy" for a while.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

I had originally thought that Kevin Covais had made a pact with the devil and that's how he made it to the Final 12. But a reader thinks it might be this website, Vote For The Worst.com. Apparently, this website has been around for a couple of AI seasons, but I've never heard of it before. (Just call me Kellie Pickler...tee hee.) This site's goal is to rally the troops and push through the crappier contestants. Why? To teach AI producers a lesson. They feel producers put some people on (i.e. Kevin) just for the purpose of getting viewers, and that when the time is right, America will vote them off. VFTW.com says, "hey, let's keep these poor bastards around for a wee bit longer." Their best of the worst picks this year are Kellie Pickler and Kevin.

Their problem with Kellie is not that she can't sing, but that they aren't buying her "caaaa-laaa-maa-ri" act. Read their list of grievances here. The site digs up some dirt on Kellie to prove that she's not as naive as she seems. I don't know. I'm looking at that pic, and anybody who rocks tie-dye in 2003 seems pretty naive to me. The site also claims that her life hasn't been as hard as she lets on. They also point to another contestant, Brenna, who had it much harder. Apparently, Brenna's biological father was killed when she was 12-years-old. Then, she lost her step-father when he (get this) jumped in front of a "careening vehicle" to save an 8-year-old boy. (Read that article here.) Wow, and she never even used it for the sympathy vote. I hated Brenna, but I have a lot of respect for her now. She could have manipulated family tragedy for her own gain, but she didn't.

[Thanks Melissa, & I think that Ace looks like a penis-topped Jared Leto too.]