Categories
Radio

Should I play it?!?

Straits’ ‘Money’ fit for radio: Council
The word “faggot” is usually too hurtful for Canadians to hear on the radio — but the classic song Money for Nothing gets a pass.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) ruled Thursday that the 1984 Dire Straits hit is nuanced and thoughtful enough to be played uncensored.
In February 2010, Newfoundland rock station CHOZ-FM aired the uncensored, eight-minute version of the song. The song is written from the point of view of a working class man, and in one verse, he uses the anti-gay slur repeatedly when describing a rock star on TV.
A listener complained, saying the use of the “other f-word” was hateful and discriminatory.
A regional branch of the CBSC agreed the word was hostile and sent the matter to the national board for a ruling.
The CBSC says the “other f-word” is generally not acceptable on the air, but when put into context of the song narrative, it is not intended to be abusive.
Composer Mark Knopfler has said he wrote the words while in a New York department store, from the perspective of a “bonehead who worked for the store, a great big macho guy with a, you know with a checked shirt on and a cap and a pair of work boots” who was complaining about his lot in life and jealous of the success of the performer he was watching on a TV screen.
Most radio stations had already dropped the lengthy album version and used the tighter radio edit, which doesn’t include the offending word.
Categories
CBC

Congratulations, one and all!!

CBC Saskatchewan wins television news award
The supper hour newscast of CBC television in Saskatchewan has won a Gemini award for presenting the best local news program in Canada for smaller markets.
The honour was presented to production leaders at a ceremony in Toronto.
“It’s kind of like the Emmy awards of Canada,” co-anchor Costa Maragos said in describing the prestige associated with the award. “I’ve been at this [event] four times. And my fourth time I’ve been nominated for a Gemini. But to be part of this great television team at CBC in Saskatchewan is just such an honour.”
“This award belongs to everyone at CBC News Saskatchewan,” Paul Dederick, the executive producer of CBC News in Saskatchewan, said in accepting the award. “Including our news team, our hosting team, our communications team, our support team. Everybody owns a little biddy piece of this award. Thanks.”
CBC Saskatchewan submitted a sampling of programs for the award.
“The newscasts we’ve submitted feature live reports on the troubles of a former politician, a taxi dispute in Saskatoon and a story about students and plagiarism,” a synopsis on the Gemini Awards website noted. “Throw in the best local weather and sports and there’s still room for fun.”
The presentations Tuesday are part of three Gemini Awards galas. The annual celebration will be capped by a televised bash on September 7th, hosted by comic Russell Peters.
Categories
Television

OMG, I so do not care!!!!

Ron Artest, Chaz Bono, Nancy Grace on new ‘DWTS’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The new cast of “Dancing With the Stars” has been revealed.
ABC says the 13th season of the hit show will feature a mix of actors, athletes and TV personalities. 
Set to tango and quickstep with professional dance partners will be basketball star Ron Artest; World Cup soccer player Hope Solo; reality stars Robert Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari and Chaz Bono; TV personalities Nancy Grace, Carson Kressley and Ricki Lake; singer-actress Chynna Phillips; actors David Arquette and J.R. Martinez; and Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis, who may be better known in the United States for being George Clooney’s ex-girlfriend.
Ryan O’Neal was set to join the cast, but his publicist said the actor had not yet fully recovered from recent knee-replacement surgery.
The new cast members will perform their first dance routines on the season premiere on Sept. 19. The first celebrity contestant will be eliminated on Sept. 20.
Categories
Awards

I watched it all…from start to finish…and once again it was nothing special!!

Perry wins top award but Beyonce baby tops show
Beyonce and Jay-Z’s offspring doesn’t even have a name yet, but it was the indisputable breakout star of Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, upstaging everyone, even Katy Perry’s win for video of the year.
Perry, who had the most nominations coming into the show with 10, came away with three moonman trophies, including video of the year for the inspirational clip “Firework.”
“I feel like I’m doing something right when I sing that song,” said Perry, conservatively dressed in a cotton-candy pink jacket, a skirt and something best described as a Green Bay Packers cheesehead decoration.
But the night’s big news came from Beyonce, who stole the show before it even began when she announced on the black carpet that after more than three years of marriage, the dazzling couple had produced the ultimate all-star collaboration. Dressed in a loose-fitting, off-the-shoulder red gown, she clutched the baby bump that so many celeb-watchers had been predicting since the two wed.
Later, Beyonce performed “Love on Top,” and if Twitter hadn’t already spread the news, her outfit gave clues to her impending motherhood; instead of her typical sexy outfits, she dressed in conservative spangled tux — but still danced around in her signature stilettos.
Beyonce didn’t utter a word about the pregnancy, but ended the number by taking off her jacket and rubbing her swollen belly; in the audience, an elated Jay-Z hooted and clapped for his wife as Kanye West hugged him.
In an instant, Beyonce and her soon-to-be child managed to overshadow the night’s events. Lady Gaga’s much-hyped opening number, during which she performed as a greasy, leather-jacketed male alter-ego during a performance of “You and I,” became less interesting. So did the evening’s meticulously planned wild moments, from Nicki Minaj’s origami-like outfit to a dance-off between the members of Odd Future and Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen.
There was one apparently unscripted moment during Jay-Z’s performance with Kanye West of “Otis,” off their chart-topping joint album “Watch the Throne.” Near the end of the song, someone tried to walk on the stage, but was quickly apprehended by a crew member as a bemused Jay-Z looked on. It was the second time Jay-Z had someone walk on unannounced during an MTV performance; two years ago, it was Lil Mama.
Britney Spears captured the night’s first award, for best pop video, and later was honored with an MTV Video Vanguard award for her visual legacy. Lady Gaga, sticking to her gender-switch shtick, leered at Spears as she paid tribute to her.
“She’s a pop music legend, and the industry would not be the same without her,” Gaga said. “I used to hang pictures of her on my wall and touch myself when I was in bed.”
Later, Gaga fished for a kiss, but as Spears leaned in, she quickly pulled back, reminding viewers, “I’ve done that before.”
The show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles had no official host, though comedian Kevin Hart delivered an opening monologue and was featured in a series of vignettes during the show.
Adele had perhaps the highlight of the night as the seven-time nominee delivered a powerfully understated performance of “Someone Like You,” off her top-selling “21” album.
Chris Brown also wowed with an aerial number, soaring above the crowd in between high-stepping choreography.
Russell Brand provided the evening’s rare poignant moment during a tribute to his late friend, Amy Winehouse, who died a month ago after struggling for years with drug and alcohol abuse. Brand urged people to remember the 27-year-old for her music, and urged others suffering to get help.
“A lot of people just get the disease, not many people get the incredible talent that Amy was blessed with,” said Brand, who successfully battled drug addiction himself. “Let’s remember there is a solution … that solution is available.”
Tony Bennett, who joined Winehouse in what is believed to be her last song on his upcoming “Duets II” album, showed the audience a clip of the pair singing “Body and Soul.”
Moments later, Bruno Mars sang one of her hits, “Valerie,” but closed the song out with the refrain, “Amy, we’ll miss you baby,” as a somber-faced audience looked on.
Categories
Awards

Here is all of them!!

List of winners of 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
Pop Music Video: Britney Spears, “Till the World Ends.”
Rock video: Foo Fighters, “Walk.”
Hip-hop video: Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass.”
Collaboration: Katy Perry featuring Kanye West, “E.T.”
Male video: Justin Bieber, “U Smile.”
Female video: Lady Gaga, “Born This Way.”
Video with a message: Lady Gaga, “Born This Way.”
Choreography: Beyonce, “Run the World (Girls).”
Editing: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep.”
Special effects: Katy Perry featuring Kanye West, “E.T.”
Cinematography: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep.”
Art direction: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep.”
Direction: Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise.”
Best new artist: Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers.”
Video of the year: Katy Perry, “Firework.”
Categories
The Couch Potato Report

See anything you like?

The Couch Potato Report – August 27th, 2011
 
Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report is David Suzuki’s LEGACY, the greatest movie ever sold, and The Muppets.
 
World-renowned Canadian scientist, activist, environmentalist and educator, Dr. David Suzuki feels that he is in the last part of his life, and so he sat down and wrote THE LEGACY – a ‘last lecture’ – what he describes as “a distillation of my life and thoughts, my legacy, what I want to say before I die”.
 
It started as a lecture, became a book and is now the basis of the documentary FORCE OF NATURE – THE DAVID SUZUKI MOVIE, which features parts of the lecture combined with footage from his work as an activist, and his time spent as host of CBC television’s THE NATURE OF THINGS.
 
As you might expect, FORCE OF NATURE – THE DAVID SUZUKI MOVIE does deliver an environmental message as Dr. Suzuki does offers up a blueprint for sustainability and survival, but the movie never hits you over the head with the message, it is just offered…almost as a suggestion, and not as fact from a learned scientist, activist, environmentalist and educator.
 
Other David Suzuki movies have attempted to pound the message into our heads, repeatedly, this one just offers it up…and that helped make the movie more enjoyable…and it is enjoyable, so enjoyable that I highly recommend it…and to Dr. Suzuki, I hope you are still giving ‘last lectures’ for many years to come!
 
This next release is also a documentary, and it does hit you over the head – repeatedly – with its message…but in THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD…that’s kind of the point.
 
Product placement is a form of advertisement, where products are placed within movies, radio shows, music videos, or television or news programs. It happens when someone professes to enjoy this restaurant, prefers that brand of pop, and likes clothes from only one store…that is the definition of product placement, as explained here on the only radio station I listen to, CBC!!
 
THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD is the latest comedic documentary from Morgan Spurlock – who also gave us SUPER SIZE ME – and it takes us behind the scenes of product placement, marketing and advertising in movies…and it was financed through product placement, marketing and advertising.
 
Yes, Spurlock took money from several different companies so he could show us how companies get their products in films and on TV, and he does it all in such a clever way that you might not always notice that you are not only watching a doc, but also commercials for the sponsor’s products.
 
THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD is informative, entertaining and even funny as well.
 
I really enjoyed it!
 
In addition to some documentaries, there are also some new movies out this week, and the one that I was most curious about was directed by Jodie Foster and stars Mel Gibson as a once successful toy executive and family man who – as the film begins – is suffering from depression and about to lose everything…until he finds a beaver hand puppet, puts it on, and gives it a voice.
 
With the puppet on hand, his life turns around and he is successful again – at home and at work – as long as he keeps the beaver on his hand. That is something his teenage son can’t understand.
 
THE BEAVER is not a great film, but it is much better than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t think I would, but I enjoyed it.
 
Another new movie this week is the high school wresting dramatic comedy WIN WIN,  starring Paul Giamatti from SIDEWAYS and CINDERELLA MAN as a struggling lawyer, volunteer wrestling coach and family man who takes some money from a client that he shouldn’t have.
 
Because of that, he meets teenager who just happens to be a star athlete – and the pair help each other find some stability in their lives – and even though they have both done something wrong, everything seems WIN WIN…until the athelete’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke.
 
WIN WIN is funny and nice, entertaining and fun, with just the right amount of drama thrown in for good measure.
 
The only thing, the only thing working against it is the fact that you know Giamatti’s character is going to get caught…so I spent the whole movie waiting for the othet shoe to drop, and that was a distraction for me.
 
Otherwise, I liked it…this is a good one!
 
I didn’t like THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of the television series EASTBOUND & DOWN!!
 
Didn’t like it at all…I…LOVED IT!!
 
Kenny Powers is a self-centered, rude, profane former professional baseball pitcher, who – in SEASON ONE of EASTBOUND AND DOWN – returns to his hometown to coach gym after an up and down career in the major leagues.
 
In the shows second season, we catch up with Kenny in Mexico, trying to leave his old life – and love – behind.
 
But he can’t.
 
He also can’t stop being self-centered, rude, profane, and we – the audience – are better for it!!
 
There is no getting around the fact that Kenny Powers is a jerk…a complete and utter, unaplogetic jerk…but the writing on this show is so strong, and he is so well played by the great Danny McBride of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and TROPIC THUNDER, that you still root for him.
 
Even though he is the cause of his own misery and downfall, you root for everything to work out for him.
 
Okay, maybe you don’t always root for Kenny Powers, but you will during most of THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of EASTBOUND & DOWN.
 
I absolutely love this show!!
 
NEDS…in 1970s Scotland, NEDS were NON-EDUCATED DELINQUENTS…and in 2011 there is a movie called NEDS, but you won’t care…I sure didn’t.
 
NEDS is set in Glasgow and is primarily about a smart student named John. It is a time when everyone had a knife and the threat of violence was everywhere, and although John tries to stick with his studies, he eventually joins a gang and gives up school for a life of crime.
 
NEDS (NON-EDUCATED DELINQUENTS) isn’t an awful movie – most of the characters are, but the film isn’t – it just doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t seen before, and the lea character just isn’t worth rooting for. I didn’t actually care of he turned hi slife around or not.
 
Plus, since the accents in the film are so strong – I had to watch it with subtitles to understand most of it.
 
NEDS is just more work than its worth, so skip it.
 
I also suggest you skip the most recent adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel JANE EYRE.
 
This is the story of a woman named Jane Eyre who – after a less than ideal childhood – she becomes a governess and lives happily at Thornfield Hall, where she meets Mr. Rochester, her employer.
 
They grow close, and soon fall in love…and then she learns his secret…one that could destroy her happiness forever!!
 
The story of JANE EYRE is timeless, and that is why movie studios keep trying to make a version of it that will stand the test of time. This one is the sixteenth film, and there have been countless stage productions of it and television adaptations, and they still have yet to create a version that can be called definitive.
 
Yes, this newest one is well made, and one cannot quibble with the source material, but it was boring too often, and I didn’t care about the a
ctors playing the leads, and if they ended up together and happy or apart and not.
 
Which is why I suggest you skip it, and just read the book.
 
It is fantastic!!
 
We are at war now on The Couch Potato Report. It is 1916 and as The Great War rampages across Europe, a brave platoon of tunnelers fight beneath enemy lines to defend an underground labyrinth packed with enough explosives to change the course of the war.
 
Yes…right now, we are BENEATH HILL 60.
 
BENEATH HILL 60 is an Australian film about the tunnellers and the man who is their leader. It is also a love story – told in flashbacks – about that man and the woman and life he left behind.
 
BENEATH HILL 60 is based on real, very interesting events…but the film never manages to fully capture the horrors of was or any of the claustrophobia you would feel being underground.
 
It is interesting, and at times pretty good, but it is never compelling.
 
This one is for war buffs only.
 
It is BLU-RAY BEACON time now, with The Muppets straight ahead, let me talk now about a movie that is also interesting, is very good, and is very compelling at times.
 
This is the 1991 Academy Award nominated film BOYZ IN THE HOOD!!
 
BOYS was nominated in the categories of Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and writer/director John Singleton easily deserved both nods as his film about a group of childhood friends growing up and trying to survive in a Los Angeles ghetto has stood the test of time.
 
The Blu-ray for BOYZ IN THE HOOD has a very good transfer of the film to HD and comes with both old and brand new bonus features, including an all-new retrospective with the stars and filmmakers.
 
It continues to be a film I easily recommend, and I also now suggest you pick up this Blu-ray!!
 
Finally this week, THE BLU-RAY BEACON shines on two new releases that bring my beloved Muppets to HD…yes, It’s time to play the movies, it’s time to turn down the lights, it’s time for me to talk about the Muppets, from the Muppet Show…that’s right!
 
1984’s THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN is the first of the two releases and it features Kermit and the gang heading to New York City to put their musical on Broadway…but once they arrive, they find out that it won’t be as easy as they thought.
 
THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN has never been my favourite Muppet movie, but it is still fun and the Blu-ray features an interview with the late, great Muppet creator, Jim Henson.
 
MUPPETS FROM SPACE has also never been my favourite film from the group, but parts of it are also still fun, and it too is now available in High Definition.
 
MUPPETS FROM SPACE Is not the film I would use to introduce anyone to the Muppets – who I have loved for as long as I Can remember – but once you are a fan, this story of Gonzo trying to discover where he comes from does have it’s moments.
 
Not many of them…but some…and it looks great in HD.
The still entertaining MUPPETS FROM SPACE and THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN, the AcademY Award nominated film BOYZ N THE HOOD, BENEATH HILL 60, WIN WIN, JANE EYRE, NEDS (NON-EDUCATED DELINQUENTS), THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of the crass, but very entertaining EASTBOUND & DOWN, Jodie Foster’s better-than-it-should-be THE BEAVER, the insightful and entertaining documentary THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, and FORCE OF NATURE – THE DAVID SUZUKI MOVIE are all available now in stores and online.
 
Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report
 
WE’RE THE WEAKERTHANS, WE’RE FROM WINNIPEG is a concert film slash documentary that follows the band  on a cross-country tour.
 
Also next week, the Academy Award winning Best Foreign Film IN A BETTER WORLD, Robert Redford’s THE CONSPIRATOR, and TOP GUN debuts on Blu-ray!
 
I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
 
For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.
 
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here again next time on The Couch!
Categories
Movies

Looks like there are some good ones coming!!!

The fall movie preview
Time to grow up or sober up, whichever is easiest. After a recession-proof summer (on track to set a record with $4.5 billion in North America) that gave us warring wizards, battling bots, hung-over Thailand tourists and boozy bridesmaids, the fall movie season is upon us.
Traditionally, that means the studios have packed away their pricey toys in favour of classy, mature Oscar bait. And, aside from some notable exceptions, this autumn will be no different.
Here then is our annual fall movie preview, covering what’s coming soon from now until late November, when the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend signals the holiday film season. But that’s another preview. As always, release dates are as tentative as Gerard Depardieu’s bladder.
Moneyball (Sept. 23)
The players: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright; directed by Bennett Miller (Capote)
The plot: Based on true events, Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Pitt) assembles a winning team on a shoestring budget.
The score: Which baseball cliche would you prefer? Homerun? Grand slam? Going, going “¦ gone? Moneyball is said to be testing into the stratosphere with preview audiences and the Oscar chatter for Pitt is building.
J. Edgar (Nov. 11; wide, after a limited opening Nov. 9)
The players: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas; directed by Clint Eastwood
The plot: DiCaprio is J. Edgar Hoover, the famously loathed FBI director who knew the dirt on everyone, but harboured some scandalous secrets of his own.
The score: DiCaprio, like Pitt, rarely feels much Oscar love. This could change that. Whether filmgoers warm to a period drama about a spiteful, paranoid bureaucrat is another matter.
The Ides of March (Oct. 7)
The players: Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Hoffman, George Clooney; directed by Clooney
The plot: An idealist (Gosling) campaigning for a presidential candidate (Clooney) learns how politics can leave you in need of a hot shower and a bar of soap.
The score: The material is firmly in Clooney’s wheelhouse — both as an actor and director. But can anything convince people, who are sick of politics in real life, to pay to see a downer about Washington insiders?
Paranormal Activity 3 (Oct. 21)
The players: The directors are Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who made last year’s faux-doc Catfish.
The plot: This prequel, set in 1988, promises to shed light on the franchise’s supernatural secrets, exploring how the Featherston sisters first encountered the demon that would later plague them as adults.
The score: Barring “found footage” fatigue, it should pay off like an ATM for all involved.
Drive (Sept. 16)
The players: Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks; directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
The plot: A Los Angeles stuntman moonlights as a getaway driver.
The score: The Fast and the Furious for intellectuals — or at least action fans who prefer Steve McQueen to Vin Diesel.
Puss in Boots (Nov. 4)
The players: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton; directed by Chris Miller (Shrek the Third).
The plot: The pantless swashbuckling feline gets his own spinoff/prequel.
The score: Catnip for families. A recent parody trailer — in which the “bad kitty” explains why he doesn’t wear trousers — generated more than 1.2 million views on YouTube in a week. Who needs Shrek?
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Nov. 18)
The players: Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, John Hurt; directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In)
The plot: Adapted from John Le Carre’s Cold War 1974 thriller, Oldman is British agent George Smiley, tasked with uncovering a Soviet mole.
The score: Sensational cast, masterful director, crackling source material — what more do you need? Robots that morph into cars?
Happy Feet Two (Nov. 18)
The players: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink, Elizabeth Daily; directed by George Miller (Happy Feet, The Road Warrior)
The plot: Mumble’s son, Erik, would rather fly than dance.
The score: The trailer — in which baby penguins cover SexyBack — makes my brain bleed. But I’m willing to give the sequel itself the benefit of the doubt (the original did win an Oscar, after all).
Real Steel (Oct. 7)
The players: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly; directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum)
The plot: Rocky with robots. Set in the future, Jackman is a washed-up boxer who assembles an underdog contender.
The score: Will moviegoers ever tire of watching big droids pummel each other? No, I don’t think so either.
The Descendants (November TBD)
The players: Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster; directed by Alexander Payne (Sideways)
The plot: Clooney plays a middle-aged father who re-examines his life and his relationship with his daughters after his wife’s boating accident.
The score: Payne — who also directed Election and About Schmidt — is peerless at making smart, resonant comedies about the plights of people who feel real. No reason to think he’s going to stop now.
The Best Of The Rest
From astronauts to Greek gods to dolphins, here’s what else is ahead in the next three months
Apollo 18 (Sept. 2) A found footage thriller about a secret ill-fated moon landing. Think Paranormal Space Activity.
Contagion (Sept. 9) Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Kate Winslet headline this thriller from director Steven Soderbergh about a global pandemic.
Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (Sept. 9) A small-town kid aspires to be a porn star.
I Don’t Know How She Does It (Sept. 16) Sarah Jessica Parker stars in this adaptation of the best-seller.
Straw Dogs (Sept. 16) A remake of the Sam Peckinpah classic with James Marsden and Kate Bosworth terrorized by rednecks.
Dolphin Tale (Sept. 23) Based on the true story of a family, who rescued a dolphin after her tail was severed in a crab trap.
Killer Elite (Sept. 23) A former special ops agent (Jason Statham) has to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro).
Abduction (Sept. 23) Imagine The Bourne Identity starring Taylor Lautner. Now imagine yourself not laughing.
Machine Gun Preacher (Sept. 30) Gerard Butler stars as Sam Childers, a real-life criminal who, after finding God, came to the defence of hundreds of orphans in Africa.
Breakaway (Sept. 30) A hockey flick with a Bollywood twist.
Dream House (Sept. 30) Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz discover their new home has a dark past. Naomi Watts co-stars.
50/50 (Sept. 30) Joseph Gordon-Levitt has cancer. But Seth Rogen is there to cheer him — and presumably audiences — up.
What’s Your Number (Sept. 30) Anna Fari
s sets out to determine who her best “ex” was.
Wanderlust (Oct. 7) Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd join a counter-culture commune.
Footloose (Oct. 14) Remake of the movie that will follow Kevin Bacon to the grave.
The Thing (Oct. 14) A prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 horror milestone.
The Big Year (Oct. 14) Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson are bird watchers in this comedy from the director of Marley & Me.
The Three Musketeers (Oct. 21) Buckle your swash — in 3D.
The Rum Diary (Oct. 28) Johnny Depp stars in this adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson novel.
Johnny English Reborn (Oct. 28) Rowan Atkinson spoofs James Bond again.
Anonymous (Oct. 28) Roland Emmerich (2012, Independence Day) takes a sabbatical from blowing up the world to direct this period piece about the origins of Shakespeare’s plays.
Margaret (October TBD) A teenager tries to make amends for her role in a traffic fatality. With Anna Paquin and Damon.
Tower Heist (Nov. 4) Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy conspire to rob the architect of a Ponzi scheme.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Nov. 4) Dude, the title says it all.
Jack and Jill (Nov. 11) Adam Sandler plays twins. The joke? One of them is a woman.
Immortals (Nov. 11) Mortal Theseus (Henry Cavill) battles bloodthirsty King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke).
My Week with Marilyn (Nov. 18, limited) Michelle Williams is Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh is Sir Laurence Olivier in this film about the making of The Prince and the Showgirl.
Categories
Movies

No flicks for me again this weekend, but soon…I hope!!

‘The Help’ reigns again over storm-soaked weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Help” remained Hollywood’s top draw with $14.3 million on a slow late-summer weekend whose business was even more sluggish as many East Coast theaters closed to ride out the storm there.
Irene was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday, but the weekend already was a lost cause for many theaters in its path. Studio executives estimate that about 1,000 theaters shut down for at least part of the weekend and that business may have been off 15 to 20 percent because of the storm.
“It was a wild weekend,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution at Disney, which released DreamWorks Pictures’ “The Help.” ”All things considered, to kind of come out with business down only 15 to 20 percent is something to be pretty thankful for.”
“The Help” has been the No. 1 film for two-straight weekends. The acclaimed adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel about black Southern maids sharing stories about white employers amid the civil-rights movement raised its domestic total to $96.6 million and should cross the $100 million mark Tuesday.
Late August often is a dumping ground for movies with slim commercial prospects, and Irene cut even further into receipts for the weekend’s three new wide releases.
Zoe Saldana’s action tale “Colombiana,” released by Sony, opened in second-place with $10.3 million. Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes’ horror story “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a FilmDistrict release, debuted in third with $8.7 million. Paul Rudd’s comedy “Our Idiot Brother,” distributed by the Weinstein Co., premiered at No. 5 with $6.6 million.
“Colombiana” features “Avatar” star Saldana as an assassin out for revenge against the drug lords responsible for her parents’ deaths. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” produced by Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” is a remake of the 1970s TV movie about a household terrorized by tiny, savage creatures. “Our Idiot Brother” stars Rudd as a happy-go-lucky guy doing time with his three sisters after serving a short prison sentence.
Business was strong Friday night for “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” in the New York City area, but as the storm crept closer Saturday, theaters either closed or became ghost towns, said Bob Berney, FilmDistrict’s head of distribution.
Berney said he stopped by a theater complex in suburban Westchester County Saturday night and only about 25 people had turned out for 7:30 p.m. shows.
“It was just dead,” Berney said. “They were open but no one was there, whereas in Manhattan, I think all the theaters were closed.”
Studios base their weekend reports on actual revenues for Friday and Saturday and estimates for business on Sunday.
But this weekend’s numbers were more of a shot in the dark. Some theaters did not report their weekend grosses, and it was uncertain how many cinemas might remain closed Sunday or how big an audience might turn up in the wake of the storm.
“I think everybody is trying to lean toward conservative estimates,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, who said “Colombiana” managed to beat the studio’s projections of an $8 million opening weekend despite the weather.
Overall business plunged, with domestic revenues totaling $88 million, down 23 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Takers” led with $20.5 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
“It’s not like this was destined to be a blockbuster weekend, anyway,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “But going to the movies is not a top priority when you’re concerned about severe weather.”
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “The Help,” $14.3 million.
2. “Colombiana,” $10.3 million.
3. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” $8.7 million.
4. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $8.65 million ($22.1 million international).
5. “Our Idiot Brother,” $6.6 million.
6. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World,” $5.7 million.
7. “The Smurfs,” $4.8 million.
8. “Conan the Barbarian,” $3.1 million.
9. “Fright Night,” $3 million.
10. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” $2.9 million.
Categories
People

Good for them, congrats!!

Beyonce pregnancy announcement overshadows VMAs
Beyonce upstaged every performer at Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards before the show even began — she announced she and hubby Jay-Z are expecting a baby.
The soon-to-be-30 superstar arrived on the carpet holding her bulging belly while dressed in a loose-fitting, flowing red gown. MTV tweeted the news, and photos confirming her motherly status soon circulated.
Beyonce and Jay-Z have been married for three years; ever since they wed, the spawn watch has been on, with rumors of an impending announcement coming every few months.
Beyonce’s announcement overshadowed the night’s events, including Lady Gaga’s cross-dressing performance to kick off the show.
Categories
Awards

Billy, BIlly, Billy!!!

ABC denies asking Ricky Gervais to host Oscars
Ricky Gervais is once again claiming NBC wants him to return as Golden Globes host despite his seeming bridge-burning performance last January, but this time he threw the Oscars into the mix too.
“NBC have offered it — they think they can persuade the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” he said at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival on Friday, according to UK paper The Guardian. “But I don’t think they will go for it.”
Then later Gervais reportedly added: “I shouldn’t do it. It’s a second encore. Don’t do a second encore. I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?”
Gervais apparently then said he’d been approached to be considered for Oscars host. “They said to my agent, Would he like to be on our list?'” he said. “I couldn’t do the Oscars. It’s a thankless task for a comedian. They don’t want to hear jokes, they want to hear if they have won the most important award of their career.”
Golden Globes telecaster NBC had no comment. But ABC, which hosts the Oscars, denies that they ever made such an approach.
It’s tough to tell here whether Gervais is being totally serious here, or playing some version of his own patented insecure braggart character — the type of guy who would certainly boast about any opportunity. Would you like to see Gervais back at the Golden Globes podium? Or, for that matter, the Oscars?
I wouldn’t, I want Billy Crystal back!!!