TV reminds you to drink responsibly this New Year’s
Today is New Year’s Eve — or, as some call it, Amateur Drunk Night. As we close the books on 2008, it’s likely that a fair number of us will be knocking back a glass of champagne or five, or perhaps a couple of nice cocktails.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, provided you’re not driving and provided you don’t overdo it and end up with a tongue-fuzzing, eye-reddening, dear-lord-why-won’t-everyone-just-be-quiet hangover.
I’m not going to go all The More You Know on you or anything, but I thought it might be helpful to share a few examples from recent TV history about what happens when you overindulge.
Beverly Hills, 90210 – “U4EA”
The story: This Very Special Episode of the original 90210 finds the gang heading to a rave that Emily Valentine (in one of her earlier appearances, before she came back with the really weird haircut) knows about. She slips a mickey — the Ecstasy stand-in referenced in the episode title — into Brandon’s drink, which causes him to get so loopy that he has to leave his beloved car at the club, where it’s vandalized. Also, David downs a bottle of whiskey, but only Kelly seems appalled. (Link is to the full episode, which has some embedded ads.)
The lesson: While at an underground club populated by your new friend’s sketchy acquaintances, make sure you keep your drink in your hands. Plus, make sure you bring your egg to the right convenience store.
Gilmore Girls – “To Live and Let Diorama”
The story: While Stars Hollow wonders (OK, snickers) at the new town museum, Rory, Paris and Lane — each of them feeling down on love — partake of a few cups of Miss Patty’s leftover Founder’s Day punch, which Rory says “is used to remove tar from construction sites.” Paris ends up wandering the streets barefoot, Lane discovers Zach is in a bluegrass band, and Rory finds herself on Lorelai’s bathroom floor, still despondent. Kirk, meanwhile, gets sideways on sugar and needs a Pop-Tart hair of the dog the next day.
The lesson: Stay away from any beverage that can also be used as a solvent, but if you don’t, greasy food will help.
The Bachelor: London Calling – “Episode 1”
The story: Opening-night jitters have gotten the better of several Bachelor contestants over the years, causing them to overdo it on the champagne and make slurry spectacles of themselves on national television. Few have done that as spectacularly, though, as Stacey Elza, who got very handsy with Matt Grant, shoved her underwear into his hands and babbled on about discovering a drug to cure a disease no one even knows about yet — before passing out. The relevant clips are about seven minutes in here and at the start of this one.
The lesson: Eat something before the limo picks you up. And don’t go on The Bachelor.
Friends – “The One in Vegas”/”The One After Vegas”
The story: Before “What happens in Vegas …” became a tourism-board tagline and an Ashton Kutcher movie vehicle, this season finale/season premiere two-parter put the lie to that, while also illustrating a lesser-known maxim: It’s all fun and games until someone with a fake beard drawn on her face gets married to the guy who said her name when he was marrying someone else. (Although I do love the “Hello, Mrs. Ross!” “Hello, Mr. Rachel!” exchange.)
The lesson: When you’re married in Las Vegas, you’re married everywhere.
The Simpsons – “Boy Scoutz ‘N the Hood”
The story: After finding $20, Bart and Milhouse go on a Squishee- and candy-fueled bender (Broadway style!) that ends with the two of them enrolled in the Junior Campers. I’m actually not a fan of the episode’s second half — despite the presence of Ernest Borgnine, Homer is a little too aggressively stupid for my taste — but the first part is absolutely brilliant. The Squishee scenes can be found here, as well as below.
The lesson: You need to cut your Squishee syrup with some kind of mixer, and never, ever go camping with Homer.
Happy New Year, everyone!!
Year: 2008
Categories
May they all rest in peace!!
Famous faces who have left us in 2008
A roll call of notable people in arts, entertainment and popular culture who died this year:
(Cause of death cited for younger people if available.)
January
– Milt Dunnell, 102. Legendary Canadian sports journalist known for his deft turn of phrase and encyclopedic breadth of experience. Jan. 3.
– Bill Belew, 76. Costume designer, created Elvis Presley’s jumpsuits. Jan. 7.
– Johnny Grant, 84. Honorary Hollywood mayor. Jan. 9.
– Maila Nurmi, 85. TV’s spooky, sexy “Vampira.” Jan. 10.
– Dusty Cohl, 78. Credited with taking the Toronto International Film Festival to an international level. Jan. 11
– Brad Renfro, 25. Actor; played title role in The Client. Jan. 15. Drug overdose.
– Allan Melvin, 84. Actor; Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch. Jan. 17.
– Lois Nettleton, 80. Actress; had long career on Broadway, television. Jan. 18.
– Suzanne Pleshette, 70. Beautiful, husky-voiced actress; sardonic wife on The Bob Newhart Show. Jan. 19.
– John Stewart, 68. Member of Kingston Trio; wrote Monkees hit Daydream Believer. Jan. 19.
– Heath Ledger, 28. Actor nominated for Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. Jan. 22. Drug overdose.
– Margaret Truman Daniel, 83. Harry Truman’s only child; a singer, TV personality, mystery writer. Jan. 29.
February
– Shell Kepler, 49. Actress; gossipy nurse Amy Vining on General Hospital. Feb. 1.
– Barry Morse, 89. Canadian actor played the relentless detective in 1960s TV series The Fugitive. Feb. 2.
– Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, around 91. Beatles’ guru; introduced transcendental meditation to West. Feb. 5.
– Phyllis A. Whitney, 104. Novelist whose suspense tales (Feather on the Moon) sold millions. Feb. 8.
– Roy Scheider, 75. Two-time Oscar nominee (The French Connection, All That Jazz); police chief in Jaws. Feb. 10.
– Steve Gerber, 60. Comic-book writer, created Howard the Duck. Feb. 10. Pulmonary fibrosis.
– David Groh, 68. Played Valerie Harper’s husband on sitcom Rhoda. Feb. 12.
– Perry Lopez, 78. TV, film actor (Chinatown.) Feb. 14.
– Robin Moore, 82. Wrote The French Connection, The Green Berets. Feb. 21.
– Mike Smith, 64. Lead singer for British band Dave Clark Five. Feb. 28.
March
– Jeff Healey, 41. Rock, jazz musician (Angel Eyes). March 1. Cancer.
– Gary Gygax, 69. He co-created Dungeons & Dragons; hailed as father of role-playing games. March 4.
– Dave Stevens, 52. Comic book artist, created “The Rocketeer.” March 10. Leukemia complications.
– Ivan Dixon, 76. Actor; Kinchloe on Hogan’s Heroes. March 16.
– Anthony Minghella, 54. Oscar-winning director, turned literary works (The English Patient) into acclaimed movies. March 18. Hemorrhage.
– Paul Scofield, 86. British actor; won Oscar for A Man for All Seasons. March 19.
– Arthur C. Clarke, 90. Visionary science fiction writer (2001: A Space Odyssey). March 19.
– George Gross, 85. Founding sports editor of the Toronto Sun and considered by many a legend in the sports journalism field. March 21.
– Neil Aspinall, 66. Longtime Beatles friend; managed their business enterprises. March 23.
– Sherri Wood, 28. Vibrant Sun Media entertainment writer, after a courageous 11-month battle against brain cancer. In four short but dynamic years with Sun Media, she interviewed everyone from Kim Cattrall to Coldplay and reviewed everything from music to movies. March 24.
– Richard Widmark, 93. Hollywood leading man; made sensational debut as a giggling killer (Kiss of Death). March 24.
– Abby Mann, 80. Socially conscious screenwriter, won Oscar (Judgment at Nuremberg). March 25.
– Sean Levert, 39. A third of 1980s R&B trio LeVert (Casanova). March 30. Natural causes.
– Dith Pran, 65. Cambodian journalist whose harrowing story inspired The Killing Fields. March 30.
April
– Wayne Frost, 44. Hip-hop pioneer known as Frosty Freeze (Flashdance). April 3.
– Charlton Heston, 84. Oscar winner (Ben-Hur). April 5.
– Ollie Johnston, 95. Last of Disney animators called “Nine Old Men” (Fantasia). April 14.
– Hazel Court, 82. Actress in 1950-60s horror movies (The Raven). April 15.
– Danny Federici, 58. Keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen (Hungry Heart). April 17. Cancer.
– Al Wilson, 68. 1970s soul singer (Show and Tell). April 21.
– Albert Hofmann, 102. Discoverer of LSD, which influenced music, art in 1960s. April 29.
May
– Jim Hager, 66. One of Hager Twins on Hee Haw. May 1.
– Eddy Arnold, 89. Country singer known for his mellow baritone (Make the World Go Away). May 8.
– Larry Levine, 80. Recording engineer; helped Phil Spector create Wall of Sound. May 8.
– John Rutsey, 55. Original drummer and co-founding member of the seminal rock band Rush. May 11.
– Robert Rauschenberg, 82. His use of odd and everyday articles made him an art world giant. May 12.
– John Phillip Law, 70. 1960s actor (Barbarella). May 15.
– Alexander Courage, 88. Emmy-winning composer (Star Trek theme.) May 15.
– Jack Duffy, 81. Actor and singer best known for playing charades on the popular 1970s TV comedy show Party Game. May 19.
– Dick Martin, 86. Zany co-host of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, which took television by storm in 1960s. May 24.
– Sydney Pollack, 73. Oscar-winning director, a Hollywood mainstay (Tootsie, Out of Africa). May 26.
– Harvey Korman, 81. Emmy winner for The Carol Burnett Show. May 29.
– Lorenzo Odone, 30. His parents’ battle to save him from rare disease inspired Lorenzo’s Oil. May 30.
June
– Yves Saint Laurent, 71. One of the most influential, enduring designers of the 20th century. June 1.
– Mel Ferrer, 90. Actor (War and Peace), producer of movies starring then-wife Audrey Hepburn. June 2.
– Bo Diddley, 79. A founding father of rock ‘n’ roll, known for “shave and a haircut, two bits” rhythm. June 2.
– Bob Anderson, 75. He played young George Bailey (James Stewart) in It’s a Wonderful Life. June 6.
– Jim McKay, 86. Wide World of Sports host who told Americans about killings at 1972 Olympics. June 7.
– James Reaney, 81. Governor General’s Award-winning poet, author and dramatist of three famous plays about Ontario’s Donnelly family. June 11.
– Tim Russert, 58. Host of Meet the Press whose personality and passion made him beloved in Washington. June 13.
– Stan Winston, 62. Oscar-winning special-effects maestro (Jurassic Park). June 15.
– Cyd Charisse, 86. Dancer turned actress; starred in musicals with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly. June 17.
– Kermit Love, 91. Costume designer; helped create Big Bird, other Sesame Street characters. June 21.
– George Carlin, 71. The dean of counterculture comedians who taught us “Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV.” June 22.
– Dody Goodman, 93. Daffy comedian (Jack Paar Show, Grease) June 22.
July
– Larry Harmon, 83. He turned Bozo the Clown into a show business staple. July 3.
– Evelyn Keyes, 91. She played middle O’Hara sister in Gone With the Wind. July 4.
– Dorian Leigh, 91. 1950s supermodel, made Revlon’s super-red “Fire and Ice” lipstick famous. July 7.
– Les Crane, 74. Innovator in talk radio, TV; hosted show opposite Johnny Carson in 1960s. July 13.
– Jo Stafford, 90. Singer; topped charts in early 1950s (You Belong to Me). July 16.
– Larry Haines, 89. Actor on Search for Tomorrow for nearly its entire 35-year run. July 17.
– Estelle Getty, 84. Actress; played the sarcastic Sophia on The Golden Girls. July 22.
August
– Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 89. Nobel-winning Russian author who chronicled Stalin’s slave labour camps. Aug. 3.
– Bernie Brillstein, 77. Agent, studio head; guided Saturday Night Live stars. Aug. 7.
– Mahmoud Darwish, 67. Palestinian poet who eloquently told of his people’s experiences. Aug. 9.
– Bernie Mac, 50. One of “Original Kings of Comedy” who connected with audiences across a wide spectrum (Ocean’s Eleven). Aug. 9. Pneumonia.
– Isaac Hayes, 65. Soul crooner who laid groundwork for disco; won Oscar, Grammy for Theme From Shaft. Aug. 10.
– George Furth, 75. Actor-playwright; wrote Tony-winning book for Company. Aug. 11.
– Jerry Wexler, 91. Record producer who coined “rhythm and blues”. Aug. 15.
– Dave Freeman, 47. Co-author of 100 Things to Do Before You Die. Aug. 17. Accidental fall.
– Pervis Jackson, 70. Bass singer in 1970s R&B group The Spinners. Aug. 18.
– Fred Crane, 90. Actor who gave opening line in Gone With the Wind. Aug. 21.
September
– Jerry Reed, 71. Witty country singer (When You’re Hot, You’re Hot) and actor (Smokey and the Bandit). Sept. 1.
– Bill Melendez, 91. Producer-animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown in Peanuts TV specials. Sept. 2.
– Anita Page, 98. Co-starred in 1929 Oscar-winner The Broadway Melody. Sept. 6.
– Gregory Mcdonald, 71. Wrote Fletch mysteries. Sept. 7.
– Richard Monette, 64. Actor and the longest-serving artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Sept. 9.
– David Foster Wallace, 46. Author famed for complex, darkly witty works (Infinite Jest). Sept. 12. Suicide.
– Charlie Walker, 81. Grand Ole Opry star (Pick Me Up on Your Way Down). Sept. 12.
– Richard Wright, 65. Founding member, keyboardist for British band Pink Floyd. Sept. 15.
– Connie Haines, 87. Big-band singer; performed with Frank Sinatra. Sept. 22.
– Paul Newman, 83. Oscar-winning actor/race driver/philanthropist who never lost the heartthrob cool of his anti-hero performances. Sept. 26.
October
– House Peters Jr., 92. TV actor; the original Mr. Clean. Oct. 1.
– Frank Kerr, 52. Lead singer of Hamilton punk band Teenage Head.
– Nick Reynolds, 75. Founding member of Kingston Trio. Oct. 1.
– Eileen Herlie, 90. Stage, TV actress; Myrtle Fargate in All My Children, Oct. 8.
– Neal Hefti, 85. Trumpeter; composed themes for The Odd Couple, Batman. Oct. 11.
– Edie Adams, 81. Singer-actress; partnered with husband Ernie Kovacs. Oct. 15.
– Jack Narz, 85. Longtime game show host, unwittingly involved in quiz show scandal. Oct. 15.
– Levi Stubbs, 72. Dynamic Four Tops frontman (Baby I Need Your Loving). Oct. 17.
– Dee Dee Warwick, 63. Soul singer; performed with sister Dionne. Oct. 18.
– Rudy Ray Moore, 81. Raunchy, influential black comedian (Dolemite). Oct. 19.
– Mr. Blackwell, 86. Designer whose worst-dressed list skewered fashion felonies. Oct. 19.
– Estelle Reiner, 94. Had famed line in When Harry Met Sally — “I’ll have what she’s having.” Married to Carl Reiner and mother of director-actor Rob Reiner. Oct. 25.
– Gerard Damiano, 80. Directed Deep Throat, 1972 porn film that became unlikely hit. Oct. 25.
– William Wharton, 82. Painter-turned-author whose novel Birdy won National Book Award. Oct. 29.
November
– Shakir Stewart, 34. He succeeded Jay-Z as head of Def Jam Recordings. Nov. 1. Suicide.
– Michael Crichton, 66. Best-selling author whose books became blockbuster films (Jurassic Park). Nov. 4.
– Maria Elena Marques, 83. Actress (The Pearl). Nov. 11.
– Mitch Mitchell, 61. Drummer with Jimi Hendrix Experience (Purple Haze). Nov. 12
– Kenny MacLean, 52. Bassist for the 1980s band Platinum Blonde. Nov. 24.
– Patricia Marand, 74. Broadway actress (“It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman.”) Nov. 27.
December
– Paul Benedict, 70. Actor; played English neighbour Harry Bentley on The Jeffersons. Dec. 1.
– Odetta, 77. Folk singer with powerful voice who inspired civil rights marchers. Dec. 2.
– Forrest J. Ackerman, 92. Editor, literary agent; credited with coining term “sci-fi.” Dec. 4.
– Beverly Garland, 82. Actress in 1950s cult hits (Swamp Women). Dec. 5.
– Nina Foch, 84. Oscar-nominated actress (Executive Suite, Spartacus). Dec. 5.
– Dennis Yost, 65. Lead singer of 1960s group Classics IV (Stormy). Dec. 7.
– Robert Prosky, 77. Prolific character actor (Hill Street Blues). Dec. 8.
– Bettie Page, 85. Beauty who daringly bared it all in the straitlaced ’50s. Dec. 11.
– Van Johnson, 92. Boy-next-door Hollywood star (30 Seconds Over Tokyo). Dec. 12.
– Sam Bottoms, 53. Actor who had small but memorable roles in Apocalypse Now, The Last Picture Show. Dec. 16. Brain cancer.
– Majel Barrett Roddenberry, 76. Star Trek actress (Nurse Christine Chapel); widow of creator Gene Roddenberry. Dec. 18.
– Robert Mulligan, 83. Oscar-nominated director of To Kill a Mockingbird; helped launch Reese Witherspoon’s career. Dec. 20.
– Eartha Kitt, 81. Sexy singer (C’est Si Bon), dancer and actress who preferred Broadway to movies. Dec. 25.
– Ann Savage, 87. Actress who earned a cult following as femme fatale in such 1940’s pulp-fiction films as Detour. Dec. 25.
– Delaney Bramlett, 69. Singer-songwriter-producer who penned classic rock songs (Let It Rain) and worked with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Dec. 27.
Hail to the Leaf: CBC campaign pitches a Cancon playlist for Obama
Barack Obama has proclaimed himself a fan of music both old-school and new, but a new CBC Radio campaign specifically aims to get some Canadian content onto the U.S. president-elect’s radar for Inauguration Day.
On Monday, CBC Radio 2 is officially launching a campaign inviting music lovers to craft a definitive Canadian playlist as a gift to the incoming U.S. president.
After accepting submissions for one week, producers will determine the top 100 nominated songs and release a shortlist on Jan. 12. Five days of public online voting will determine the final tally of “49 songs from north of the 49th parallel” for Obama ó to be revealed on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.
“One of the best ways to know Canada is through the depth and breadth of our artistic expression,” said Denise Donlon, executive director of CBC English Radio.
“We’re excited about the new president, and we want him to be excited about us.”
Early suggestions: from Bach to rap
A few CBC personalities and Canadian cultural figures have already weighed in with suggestions.
After reading that Obama enjoys Bach, pianist Angela Hewitt suggested the president-elect listen to a particular recording of Grosser Herr, o starker Konig from the composer’s Christmas Oratorio, featuring “one of Canada’s greatest artists, the baritone Gerald Finley.”
Rick MacInnes-Rae, host of CBC Radio’s Dispatches, picked the song Saskatchewan by Drummondville, Que., band Les Trois Accords because “Obama needs to know Quebec has moved on from Expo 67. And how to spell Saskatchewan. So do Canadians, come to think of it.”
Canadian rap pioneer Maestro Fresh Wes listed his own song Stick to Your Vision among his choices because “it’s a song dealing with perseverance and inspiration. Obama has inspired millions with his perseverance.”
Obama an eclectic music lover
Obama has been described as an avid and eclectic music fan.
Last summer, when he and Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain were asked for their top 10 songs, Obama offered a wide-ranging list that included Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter, Bruce Springsteen’s I’m on Fire, The Fugees’ Ready or Not and Aretha Franklin’s Think.
Also during the campaign, he revealed that Stevie Wonder, BeyoncÈ and Earth, Wind and Fire are among the other musical acts that get him dancing.
‘Sesame Street’ is 40 but young at heart
Ah, Sesame Street. Big Bird. Bert and Ernie. Grover. The Cookie Monster. The good old days.
The street is still hot. It celebrates its 40th year in 2009 with its largest audience: 8 million viewers on 350 stations in 120 countries.
Not wanting to be left out of the fun, hundreds of celebrities have visited TV’s most famous boulevard over the years. Sarah Jessica Parker appeared to discuss the art of sighing, first lady Laura Bush stopped by to read, and Robin Williams waxed eloquent on the wonders of feet.
Now a book, the first out of the gate to mark the anniversary, is arriving in stores. Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street (Viking, 384 pp, $27.95) is by Michael Davis, a former columnist for TV Guide who spent many happy hours wandering Sesame Street with his children.
“It touched me in a very profound way,” Davis says.
Davis spent five years reporting and writing the story of the longest-running children’s show in TV history, which was the brainchild of Jim Henson, the late Muppets creator, and entrepreneur Joan Ganz Cooney. Davis refers to the show as “a confluence of genius” and dubs Henson “wondrously human.”
Sesame Street began on Nov. 10, 1969, as an educational children’s show and evolved into a sophisticated program that combined education and entertainment.
Carol-Lynn Parente, Sesame Street’s executive producer, has been with the show 20 years and sees the magic firsthand.
“There are times that some of what makes this work is mysterious even to us,” Parente says. “But the essence of what has made us as successful as we’ve been is our ability to evolve. The life of a preschooler today is much different than it was in 1969.”
Davis believes the show will go on forever. “They still approach each season as an experiment. As long as they do that, they will grow and change as children grow and change and the culture grows and changes.”
Some 40th-anniversary highlights scheduled in 2009:
ï A panel discussion Jan. 30 featuring the show’s contributors at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.
ï Another book, Sesame Street: A Celebration of Forty Years of Life on the Street, by Louise Gikow (Black Dog & Leventhal, fall).
ï A Sesame Street: 40th Anniversary two-disc DVD (November release).
“Australia” another letdown for Nicole Kidman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ñ Maybe Crocodile Dundee should have starred in “Australia.”
Twentieth Century Fox appears to have given up on director Baz Luhrmann’s latest period epic in North America, and is hoping that foreign sales will rescue the costly picture.
The movie has sold just $44.3 million worth of tickets at the U.S. and Canadian box office after five weekends, and is shaping up to be the latest in a line of disappointments for its star, Nicole Kidman.
The News Corp-owned studio says it hopes “Australia” will reach $50 million domestically. The project cost $130 million and movie theaters generally keep about half of the gross.
“We were hoping to do more in the U.S., but it’s tough. There’s a lot of competition,” said Bert Livingston, Fox’s senior vice-president of domestic distribution.
Adding insult to injury, “Australia” failed to get any nomination for the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards. Fox had counted on the recognition to boost its Oscar hopes and to expand the movie beyond its core audience of older women.
This past Christmas holiday weekend, one of the busiest of the year, “Australia” tumbled 10 places to No. 19 with four-day sales of $1.3 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers. It played in 711 theaters, down from 2,212 the weekend before. The top film was Fox’s canine comedy “Marley & Me,” which opened to $50.7 million.
RESPECTABLE OVERSEAS SALES
“Australia” is doing respectably overseas, with ticket sales of about $46 million from 51 countries, Fox said. The top market, naturally, is Australia with $16 million after five weekends. It opened at No. 1 in Spain, France and Germany last weekend, but at No. 3 in Britain.
Foreign sales are crucial as Luhrmann’s previous films, 2001’s “Moulin Rouge” and 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet” each earned about two-thirds of their worldwide hauls outside of North America. By contrast, recent smashes “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” tallied slightly more domestically.
Kidman plays an icy English aristocrat who falls for a cowboy played by compatriot Hugh Jackman as they drive her herd of cattle across the Australian outback during the early days of World War Two.
Reviews were mixed, although critics generally agreed that it looked great.
Despite winning an Oscar in 2003 for “The Hours,” Kidman is not a big box office draw. The 41-year-old actress has never headlined a movie that grossed more than $100 million in North America. Her recent flops include “The Invasion” and “Fur.” Forbes magazine reported in September that she was Hollywood’s most overpaid celebrity.
Fox was hoping “Australia” would make up for a bad summer, when it dropped such bombs as the Eddie Murphy comedy “Meet Dave” and a belated “X-Files” sequel. But the studio enjoys a reputation for fiscal discipline, and a spokesman said Australian taxpayers would refund upwards of 40 percent of the film’s $130 million cost through a new government subsidy.
Kidman’s publicist did not return messages. Luhrmann’s publicist referred inquiries to Fox. In an interview two weeks ago with the Hollywood Reporter, Luhrmann likened his movie to “old Hollywood classics” like “Gone with the Wind.”
He also said “Australia” was on a similar trajectory as “Moulin Rouge,” which ended up with $72 million in North America. But after five weekends in wide release, that film had banked about $60 million and was still playing in 1,271 theaters, according to inflation-adjusted data provided by Box Office Mojo.
BNL’s ‘HNIC’ to debut on New Year’s Eve
TORONTO – The Barenaked Ladies’ cover of the old “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song will debut on TSN on New Year’s Eve.
The bluegrass version of the song – which includes vocals – will air during the first intermission of a game between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames at 10 p.m. ET.
The group recorded their version of the song last month, following Simple Plan’s rock recording of the iconic tune in October.
Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart says it was a thrill for him as a die-hard hockey fan to play the song.
In June, CTV acquired the rights to the song, which is officially called, “The Hockey Theme.”
It was created by Vancouver-born Dolores Claman in 1968 and was heard on the CBC for decades on “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts.
It is now heard on TSN and RDS and will be used during CTV’s hockey coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Categories
The year in review!
Twilight Was Bigger than Dark Knight?!
Los Angeles (E! Online) ñ If only Wall Street had bet on Twilight. Or Hannah Montana. Or Kirk Cameron.
With a $167.3 million overall domestic take as Sunday, per Box Office Mojo, Twilight made more than four times its reported $37 million production budgetóthe best rate of return on any film in the 2008 Top 10, including The Dark Knight.
The Batman epic was a pretty good investment, too, very nearly tripling its gargantuan $185 million budget with a $530.8 million domestic take, Hollywood’s second-biggest ever.
Still, The Dark Knight was nothing compared to these off-the-charts performers: High School Musical 3: Senior Year ($89.7 million), which grossed about eight times its $11 million budget; the Hannah Montana concert movie, which made about nine times its $7 million budget; and, Cameron’s Fireproof, which cost $500,000 to produce, and made $33.1 millionóor, more than 60 times its budget.
Other winnersóand losersóof the box-office year that was, per stats from Box Office Mojo and The-Numbers.com:
Winners:
ï Titanic. If The Dark Knight couldn’t get within even $50 million of the big-boat movie, then maybe it really won’t ever be sunk as Hollywood’s all-time domestic box-office king.
ï Robert Downey Jr. Rising from The Shaggy Dog, Downey was the only star to score two Top 20 live-action hits, Iron Man ($318.3 million) and Tropic Thunder ($110.5 million).
ï Will Smith. With apologies to Downey, Smith was the only star to sell a Top 10 movie, Hancock ($227.9 million), solely with his name.
ï Women. Tween and teen girls flocked to Twilight. Actresses fronted, or helped front, four Top 20 hits: Sex and the City ($152.6 million), Mamma Mia! ($143.8 million), Wanted ($134.3 million) and Four Christmases ($111.8 million).
ï Paris Hilton. Her opus, The Hottie & the Nottie ($27,696), was so not the lowest-grossing movie of the year. In fact, it reigned over films starring Catherine Zeta-Jones (Death Defying Acts, $3,561), Heather Graham (Miss Conception, $1,503) and Nick Stahl (How to Rob a Bank, $711óyes, $711).
In-Betweeners:
ï Hollywood. Despite The Dark Knight, overall revenue was down $86.8 million from last year, a drop of about 1 percent. Ticket sales fell even furtheróa dip of about about 4.25 percent, representing 59.1 million fewer admissions. But, given the nation’s economic meltdown, things could have been worse, and, oddly, things got better after Wall Street’s collapse in September. “I think the fact that the Industry held its own is remarkable,” Exhibitor Relations’ Jeff Bock said.
ï Speed Racer. In May, this looked like the flop of the year. Then came the $130 million Australia ($44.3 million gross), and the realization by Disney that Prince Caspian ($141.6 million) wasn’t The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($291.7 million). In the end, Speed was still a bombó$43.9 million gross; $120 million budgetóbut it wasn’t the bomb.
ï Adam Sandler. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan ($100 million) didn’t bomb, but it didn’t clear its $90 million budget by much. Bedtime Stories, which opened on Christmas, isn’t bombing, but it isn’t Night at the Museum.
ï Brendan Fraser. Put him in a $145 million movie, like The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, or a $60 million movie, like Journey to the Center of the Earth, and you get the same result: a so-so $100 million or so gross.
ï M. Night Shyamalan. His The Happening ($64.5 million) made more than it cost, but people disliked it about as much as Lady in the Water.
Losers:
ï Wallets. The average ticket price hit $7.20, the National Association of Theatre Owners reported on its blog, a new all-time high.
ï Blockbusters. Of the year’s 24 members of the $100 million club, four failed to match their budgets with their domestic takes alone: Quantum of Solace ($164.3 million gross; $200 million budget); The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian ($141.6 million gross; $200 million budget); The Incredible Hulk ($134.3 million gross; $150 million budget); and, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ($102.3 million gross; $145 million budget).
ï Prince Capsian. “That one looked like a guaranteed $200 million-plus superhit, with a real chance of surpassing $300 million,” Box Office Guru’s Gitesh Pandya said in an email. Instead, it might have cost the Narnia trilogy its third leg.
ï The X-Files. Fox revived the franchise with a can’t-lose $30 million investment only to lose when I Want to to Believe couldn’t crack even $21 million.
ï 10,000 B.C. ($94.8 million), The Spiderwick Chronicles ($71.2 million), Hellboy II: The Golden Army ($75.8 million) and Mike Myers’ The Love Guru ($32.2 million) and every other underperformer.
Here’s a look of the top-grossing films of 2008 through Sunday based on numbers compiled by Box Office Mojo:
1) The Dark Knight, $530.8 million
2) Iron Man, $318.3 million
3) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $317 million
4) Hancock, $227.9 million
5) WALL-E, $223.8 million
6) Kung Fu Panda, $215.4 million
7) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, $174.9 million
8) Twilight, $167.3 million
9) Quantum of Solace, $164.3 million
1) Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, $154.5 million
(Published Dec. 29th, 2008)
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It will be back!!
‘Terminator’ to be preserved in US film registry
WASHINGTON ñ One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous one-liners will be back for generations to come, now that 1984’s “The Terminator” has been selected for preservation in the nation’s film archive.
The low-budget film directed by James Cameron set a new standard for science-fiction and made Schwarzenegger, now California’s governor, a star. The Library of Congress announced Tuesday morning that it’s one of 25 films being added to the National Film Registry. The formal unveiling was scheduled for 8 a.m.
The move will guard Schwarzenegger’s deadpan, “I’ll be back,” against deterioration, along with the sounds and images of the other culturally significant picks. Other titles being added to the registry include the groundbreaking all-black-cast film “Hallelujah” from 1929; Richard Brooks’ 1967 film adaptation of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”; and the 1972 film “Deliverance,” based on James Dickey’s novel about four businessmen on a nightmarish canoe trip in the remote Georgia wildnerness.
“The registry helps this nation understand the diversity of America’s film heritage and, just as importantly, the need for its preservation,” Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in announcing his 2008 selections. “The nation has lost about half of the films produced before 1950 and as much as 90 percent of those made before 1920.”
As time passes, older nitrate- and acetate-based films begin to deteriorate, Billington said. The Library of Congress is working to digitize and preserve endangered film and audio files at its new Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, an approximately $250 million facility built in a bunker in the hills near Culpeper, Va.
With Tuesday’s additions, the total number of films in the registry will reach 500.
The registry, established by Congress in 1989, works with film archives and movie studios that own the rights to the selected films to ensure original copies are kept safe. It also acquires a copy for preservation in its own vaults among millions of other recordings.
Curators select films based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance, saying their picks wouldn’t necessarily overlap with those of a movie critic. And some aren’t feature films at all: This year’s list includes a family’s home movie, “Disneyland Dream,” which documented a trip to the newly opened park in Anaheim, Calif., in 1956.
“The selection of a title for the registry is not meant to duplicate the Academy Awards or anything like that,” said Patrick Loughney, head of the library’s audio-visual center.
The library accepted public nominations for the film registry selections online and issued a specific call for lesser-known films, including amateur and home-movie footage.
Some films were selected for their historical value, such as “Hallelujah,” the tale of a cotton sharecropper made by MGM as the studio was transitioning from silent to sound films. The 1910 film “White Fawn’s Devotion,” the oldest film selected this year, was made by James Young Deer. He was the first documented American Indian movie director, a member of the Winnebago tribe.
Other movies inspired the nation during times of trouble, such as “Sergeant York” from 1941, which told the story of a Tennessee pacifist who captured 130 German soldiers in World War I. The film, starring Gary Cooper, was released just months before the United States entered World War II.
Fox says it will try to stop ‘Watchmen’
LOS ANGELES ñ An attorney for 20th Century Fox says the studio will press its case to delay the release of “Watchmen,” but a rival studio says it plans to release the film as scheduled.
U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess last week agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. had infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the superhero flick, casting some doubt on its March 6 release date.
Feess said Monday he plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.
Fox claims it never fully relinquished story rights for the graphic novel from its deal made in the late 1980s, and sued Warner Bros. in February. Warner Bros. contended Fox isn’t entitled to distribution.
Warner Bros. said in a statement released Monday afternoon that it won’t move the movie’s release date and still thinks it will win the case, either at trial or through an appeal.
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Rock on, Dick!! Rock on!!
Dick Clark, 79, is still rockin’ New Year’s Eve
LOS ANGELES ñ Four years after a stroke, Dick Clark is relishing the prospect of another New Year’s Eve celebration, determined to appear for his 36th year in Times Square. And he’s hardly surprised by the current state of the music industry he helped build ó he predicted this, after all.
Clark, who turned 79 last month and has been in front of the cameras for 61 years, said in a recent interview by e-mail that his involvement in “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009,” diminished though it may be, is a labor of love and “not really a job.”
“Obviously, I’m not able to be as actively involved as I used to be out on the street, up on a platform and interacting with the crowds in Times Square” in New York, Clark wrote. “Thank goodness my friend Ryan Seacrest is able to handle that end of the activity on the show these days.
ABC-TV’s 3 1/2-hour live extravaganza will include performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Solange and Robin Thicke. Fergie hosts the Hollywood segments.
Clark woke up with right-side paralysis on Dec. 6, 2004 ó “Your life changes overnight,” he said. (Regis Philbin filled in for Clark on the New Year’s Eve show that year.) Clark still uses a walker or wheelchair, and speaking is difficult.
“I am one of the fortunate ones who survived and have been minimally impaired, so I’m just thankful I’m still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat of bringing in the New Year.”
The “American Bandstand” icon and longtime producer of the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Golden Globes has long considered them “my television kids.”
He’s also watched their ratings plummet in recent years.
“There was a time when they attracted a huge audience,” Clark wrote. “The audiences have dropped off as the years have gone by because of increasing television competition.
“What we are seeing is more and more talent and less emphasis on people getting awards. Television’s award shows have now become gigantic showcases for variety.”
Clark was there at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll (“American Bandstand” kicked off July 9, 1956), and he’s watched dramatic changes in the music industry. Not that those changes would come as much of a surprise.
“I can remember writing an article several years ago where I let my imagination run wild,” Clark wrote. “I said we’d see the day when music is delivered directly to our homes, and delivered to us in some form of wireless communication.
“The fun of actually holding a record in our hands will disappear and we’ll all have our own individual library of our favorite songs that we’ll listen to at home, at work, in the car wherever we happen to go.”
These days, Clark divides his time between his Malibu home and Burbank office. There’s an hourlong therapy session each morning, then he answers mail and phone calls, attends meetings and reads.
The day ends with his devoted wife Kari.
“My wife and I may join friends for dinner at a restaurant, attend a movie or just grab a bite to eat by ourselves away from home,” Clark wrote. “Occasionally, we’ll attend a music concert. Recently we’ve seen Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Frankie Valli and Cher.”