Month: March 2012

Categories
Movies

My gosh that sounds like a bad idea!!!

Eddie Murphy in ‘Twins’ sequel?

LOS ANGELES — Eddie Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito could be sharing some brotherly love – or at least humour – on the big screen soon.

A sequel to the 1988 comedy “Twins” is in the early stages of development, a spokesman for Universal Pictures told TheWrap. The plan would be for Schwarzenegger and DeVito to reprise their roles from the Ivan Reitman-directed original with Eddie Murphy coming aboard to play a third character – presumably, a triplet sibling to Schwarzenegger and DeVito.

Though the project is in the early stages of gestation, it’s possible that Reitman could be involved in some capacity.

“Twins” starred Schwarzenegger as Julius Benedict, the product of a genetic experiment to create the perfect child. Bred and raised to be intellectually and physically superior but spiritually pure, he tracks down his long-lost sibling, the street-wise, criminally inclined Vincent (played by DeVito).

Since finishing his tenure as the Governor of California, Schwarzenegger has revived his acting career, appearing in the action film “The Expendables” and its sequel, due out in August. He’ll also star in the upcoming thriller “The Last Stand,” and alongside Sylvester Stallone in the Summit action thriller “The Tomb.”

Categories
Movies

I figured I would let the fans see it first, and I will go see it sometime down the road.

‘The Hunger Games’ battles to $155M opening weekend

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Hunger Games” has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic record book.

The huge haul marks the third-best debut ever in terms of revenue, behind the $169.2 million opening for last year’s “Harry Potter” finale and the $158.4 million opening of 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”

“Harry Potter” and “Batman” were well-established franchises. “The Hunger Games” set a revenue record for a non-sequel, taking in more than twice what the first “Twilight” movie did with its $69.6 million opening weekend.

“This is the birth of a franchise. To launch in this fashion is mindboggling,” said David Spitz, head of distribution at Lionsgate, which now also owns the “Twilight” franchise after its purchase of Summit Entertainment.

While it’s already a blockbuster on its North American home turf, “The Hunger Games” had a much slower start overseas. The film took in a modest $59.3 million in 67 markets, including Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Australia.

The “Harry Potter” finale took in a record $314 million overseas in its debut last summer, and half a dozen other films have opened with more than $200 million outside the United States.

Even “John Carter,” a dud domestically, managed to take in more than “The Hunger Games” overseas, launching with $70.6 million in 55 international markets two weekends ago.

Still, “The Hunger Games” amassed a worldwide total of $214.3 million in just a few days.

Domestically, it also was by far the biggest start for a film opening outside the busy summer and holiday seasons. According to Sunday studio estimates, “The Hunger Games” came in nearly $40 million ahead of the previous March record-holder, 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” at $116.1 million.

“The Hunger Games” slid into the No. 3 spot on the domestic revenue chart ahead of “Spider-Man 3,” which opened with $151.1 million in 2007. Factoring in today’s higher tickets prices, “The Hunger Games” sold fewer tickets over opening weekend than “Spider-Man 3,” though.

Fans camped out for the first screenings of “The Hunger Games,” which began just after midnight Friday. Many fans showed up dressed as favorite characters from the story.

“That type of behavior puts it on the level of the ‘Star Treks’ and ‘Star Wars,'” Spitz said. “I was so excited to see how everyone was responding to the material and how ecstatic they were to be a part of it.”

With a broader fan base than the “Twilight” franchise, “The Hunger Games” pulled in bigger crowds than the top-grossing installment of that series. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” leads that franchise with a $142.8 million opening weekend in 2009.

Women and girls have made up as much as 80 percent of the audience for the “Twilight” flicks. Though it features a female lead, “The Hunger Games” drew more balanced crowds, with girls and women accounting for 61 percent of audiences, according to distributor Lionsgate.

Despite its teen fan base, “The Hunger Games” also did well among older moviegoers. Fans 25 and older made up 56 percent of the crowds.

“The Hunger Games” stars Jennifer Lawrence as a teen who is one of 24 youths forced to compete in a televised death match in a post-apocalyptic North American society.

The film is based on the first novel in the best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Lionsgate plans to release part two, “Catching Fire,” in November 2013, and hopes to do the finale, “Mockingjay,” as a two-part film installment.

“The Hunger Games” gave Hollywood a huge lift during a normally quiet time at theaters, with the start of the summer movie season still a month and a half away.

Overall domestic revenues totaled $214 million, up 76 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” led with $23.8 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Business has soared this year, with domestic receipts now at $2.4 billion, 19 percent ahead of last year’s. Hollywood also has a potentially record-breaking summer lineup coming that includes the superhero tales “The Avengers,” ”The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

“With this incredible weekend for ‘The Hunger Games,’ we’re perhaps experiencing what could be called the perfect box-office year,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “We’re just on a trajectory like I’ve never seen.”

The previous No. 1 movie, Sony’s action comedy “21 Jump Street,” dropped to a distant No. 2 but held up well in its second weekend with $21.3 million. That raised its domestic total to $71.1 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Hunger Games,” $155 million.
2. “21 Jump Street,” $21.3 million.
3. “Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax,” $13.1 million.
4. “John Carter,” $5 million.
5. “Act of Valor,” $2.1 million.
6. “Project X,” $2 million.
7. “A Thousand Words,” $1.9 million.
8. “October Baby,” $1.7 million.
9. “Safe House,” $1.39 million.
10. “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” $1.37 million.

Categories
The Couch Potato Report

I do…I really do LOVE The Muppets!!!

The Couch Potato Report – March 24th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report are The Muppets, two very good remakes, and The Deer Hunter.

You will not find a bigger fan of Jim Henson’s Muppets than one Daniel Edward Reynish. As millions of others have, I grew up on Sesame Street as a child, never missed The Muppet Show, and then waited in line to get my ticket to see THE MUPPET MOVIE.

I have been entertained by The Muppets for as long as I can remember…so you can imagine my excitement…and trepidation…when I heard that the franchise was being rebooted…by Jason Segel of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

I had enjoyed his work in the past…a lot at times…but these are The Muppets!!!!

Happily, the reboot is very, very entertaining!!

In THE MUPPETS Jason Segal and Amy Adams star as humans who work to reunite Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and the gang in order to save their old theatre from a greedy oil tycoon.

As a long time fan, I must admit that THE MUPPETS isn’t spectacular. It relies on the troupe’s past history too much, the songs are good but never great, and they really couldn’t get a bigger celebrity guest host than Jack Black?!?!

But – that truth aside – THE MUPPETS is a very good film…and I loved it, and can easily recommend it to old and new fans alike. This is one that the whole family can watch together!

Yes, The Muppets are back, and I for one welcome them with open arms!!

I also welcome the Hollywood version of Stieg Larsson’s book THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO with open arms…and was rewarded with another great film from director David Fincher, who also gave us SEVEN and FIGHT CLUB.

In THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is recruited by a wealthy retired businessman to find a woman who has been missing for forty years.

Blomkvist is joined in his investigation by Lisbeth Salander, an intelligent, eccentric woman with a photographic memory and bad social skills.

I called the Hollywood remake of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO a great film, and it is…fans of mystery thrillers should not miss it!!

I have to admit that I liked the original Swedish film better. There is less at stake in Fincher’s version, it isn’t as raw, and it tries to soften up Lisbeth Salander at times, which I didn’t think worked at all.

But I recommend it…both versions, actually. Neither are as good as the book, but they both come highly recommended.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY is up next.

Based on the 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, Gary Oldman from THE DARK KNIGHT stars as George Smiley, an intelligence expert in forced retirement who is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the “Circus”, the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence Service.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY was put on film once before – as a six-part television mini-series in 1979 starring the great Alec Guinness stars as George Smiley – and that version had plenty of time to flesh out the story in le Carré’s book.

However while this update doesn’t have that much time, it does have an exceptionally strong cast that all bring enough weight to their roles that not everything needs to be explained. That cast includes John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, and television’s newest Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY is intriguing, involving, slow and smart. I really enjoyed it and can easily recommend it.

Lets spend a few minutes with babysitters now…an actual cinematic one, and some new releases that may act as them over the next few weeks.

The actual cinematic one leads the pack.

Jonah Hill from 21 JUMP STREET stars in a movie called THE SITTER…an awful movie about a college student on suspension who is coaxed into babysitting the kids next door.

He is looking forward to an easy night of getting paid to watch TV, while three pre-teen kids entertain themselves, until his would be girlfriend calls and asks him to bring some treats to a party.

So he packs up the kids in their family mini-van and heads out for what turns out to be a wild night.

Now, if you are thinking that THE SITTER sounds exactly like the 1987 comedy ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, well it does. This is basically just a remake of that great film, minus everything that made it great.

Jonah Hill is no Elisabeth Shue, and the adventures in this new version aren’t engaging or entertaining at all.

Sure, I laughed a few times…but not enough to make it worth my while and so I can’t – and don’t – recommend it.

With Easter coming soon, you will see this next film just about everywhere…and you should avoid it at all costs!!

HOP introduces us to E.B., the Easter Bunny’s teenage son. His Father would like him to take over the family business – and become the Easter Bunny – while E.B. wants to become a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

So E.B. leaves Easter Island and heads to Los Angeles, where he meets Fred after the out-of-work, unmotivated guy who is looking for his next career….and you won’t care.

The characters aren’t ones you’ll care about, the jokes aren’t funny and even little kids will see through how useless the movie is…so don’t waste your money, and their time on it.

Skip, HOP…just ignore it…and you should also skip HAPPY FEET TWO…a not fun, not funny, not engaging, not interesting, not entertaining sequel to a film that was all those things.

In the original 2006 film Mumble was a penguin who couldn’t sing, so he had to find his soul mate through dancing.

HAPPY FEET TWO introduces us to Mumble’s son, Erik, who is also struggling to realize his talents in the Emperor Penguin world.

There is also a threat to the penguin world that takes over the majority of the second half of this film that I couldn’t wait to end!!

The first 55 minutes seemed like two hours…and there was still 44 minutes left after that!!!

The only thing, the only thing about this movie that I liked were the characters of Will and Bill the Krill, as voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

Skip HAPPY FEET TWO, even kids won’t care. This movie is awful…and so is HOP and THE SITTER. Don’t waste your time with any of them!!

To a franchise now that has given me plenty of laughs over the years…and entertained me…Robot Chicken!!

Robot Chicken is a sketch comedy that parodies pop culture, life and politics using stop motion animation, toys, action figures, claymation, and various other object.

In 2007 they did their first all STAR WARS show, which was followed in 2008 by Episode II and in 2010 by Episode III…and now ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE I to II are available together in a three disc set.

I love ROBOT CHICKEN and STAR WARS and the first pair of combinations of them really worked, but by EPISODE III the frat boy, sophomoric humour is starting to wear thin

I laughed out loud a lot at the first two, but only a few times at ROBOT CHICKEN – STAR WARS EPISODE III.

Ultimately I recommend the entire trilogy, just know that the quality dips as it goes along.

While the original STAR WARS film was in production in 1976, there was also a small animated film being made called WAR WIZARDS…which eventually became just WIZARDS, as you can read in the new 24 page book that comes with the 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION blu-ray of writer-director Ralph Bakshi’s still interesting animated film…which just happens to feature Mark Hamil from STAR WARS as one of the voice cast.

Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, WIZARDS is a tale about a good wizard and his group who aim to fight an evil wizard who’s using technology in his bid for conquest.

WIZARDS was an interesting, yet odd film when it first came out, and it is still both of those things. I have always admired it…but have never loved it and I did enjoy watching it again this week.

Animation, LORD OF THE RINGS and war movie fans should all seek out this impressive 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

From 1977, we move to 1986 now and the erotic love story 9 1/2 WEEKS, which is new on blu-ray.

This flick stars Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke and follows the two-month affair between her art-gallery dealer and his Wall Street executive.

It is about two adults doing more and more adult, adult things – which feel good to both parties, until it all spirals out of control.

9 1/2 WEEKS features a cast of great looking people, and a fantastic soundtrack full of 80s stars.

The blu-ray doesn’t offer a pristine version of the film, or any extras, but it does sound great.

Should this be one you consider a classic, don’t miss it!!

My last line there is true here as well…should you consider DANGEROUS LIAISONS a classic, don’t miss it on blu-ray either!

Starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman, this is a smart and witty film about rich and bored aristocrats in Europe who are having fun playing games using passion and betrayal as easily as others use cards.

The blu-ray for DANGEROUS LIAISONS also doesn’t offer a pristine transfer, and only has minimal extras, but the film itself is still great, and worthy of a viewing, if you have never seen it.

Finally this week, we head back to 1978 for the film that was named Best Picture.

THE DEER HUNTER also won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken), Directing (Michael Cimino), Film Editing, and Sound and it remains an interesting film, from start to finish.

In addition to Christopher Walken, THE DEER HUNTER also stars Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

It is a movie that looks at how going to and coming back – or not coming back – from Vietnam effects a group of friends in a small industrial town.

This is an incredible film, full of tension, drama, and fantastic performances.

Unfortunately the new blu-ray for THE DEER HUNTER only features minimal extras, but the movie itself remains a classic, one that features some often imitated scenes.

The five-time Academy Award winning 1978 film THE DEER HUNTER, the three-time Oscar winning 1988 film DANGEROUS LIAISONS, 1986’s erotic drama 9 1/2 WEEKS, Ralph Bakshi’s 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of WIZARDS, ROBOT CHICKEN – STAR WARS – EPISODES I, II and III, the less than entertaining sequel HAPPY FEET TWO, the awful Easter film HOP, the useless “comedy” THE SITTER, the very entertaining TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, the Hollywood version of Stieg Larsson’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – which isn’t as good as the Swedish film or the book, but is still very good – and the great for the whole family reboot of THE MUPPETS are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

Canadian director David Cronenberg’s latest – A DANGEROUS METHOD; the Chinese biography CONFICIOUS; the Japanese sci-fi/action/thriller BATTLE ROYALE; Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star in the Oscar nominated EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE; and Ben Affleck’s THE TOWN is released in an ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION.

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
Awards

It is unlikely they will ever get in…sadly!!

Simmons slams Rock Hall exclusion

Outspoken KISS rocker Gene Simmons is angry the band has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, branding the snub a “joke”.

This year’s induction ceremony includes Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – and the decision to omit the legendary ’70s rockers yet again rankles with the band.

Simmons tells Rolling Stone magazine, “It’s become a joke. We’ve been thinking about it and the answer is simply, ‘We’ll just buy it and fire everybody.’ In all seriousness for the fans, for something to be called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is such an insult to Madonna, Blondie… Who the f**k knows what other disco act is in there? It’s an insult to them because they don’t get to be in the ‘Dance Hall of Fame,’ because that’s what they do. They’re legitimate dance, disco artists. They don’t belong in rock and roll.”

KISS frontman Paul Stanley agrees with his bandmate, adding, “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has reached a point where they’re really scrounging and scratching to find someone left that they consider viable. With all due respect, when you get to Patti Smith you’re about two steps away from Pete Seeger.”

Categories
Movies

Please let it be better than the second one!!!

‘The Hangover Part III’ gets release date

To the surprise of absolutely no one: There will definitely be a third installment of the popular Hangover film franchise.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are reteaming with producer Todd Phillips for The Hangover Part III, slated for release on May 24, 2013.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis will reprise the roles of Phil, Stu and Alan, a.k.a. “the Wolfpack.” In the previous two films, the three friends’ attempts to plan a celebration have resulted in disaster for them, but also produced billion-dollar success at the worldwide box office, notes Warner Bros.

“We’re going to surprise a lot of people with the final chapter we have planned,” Says Phillips in the release. “It will be a fitting conclusion to our three-part opera of mayhem, despair and bad decisions.”

Phillips is writing the screenplay with Craig Mazin, who also collaborated with him on the screenplay for The Hangover Part II.

Categories
Movies

Next year…unless the deal falls apart again, that is!!

’24’ Movie Pushed to Next Year

Kiefer Sutherland has made peace with Twentieth Century Fox over his “24” movie, but the project has been pushed until next year.

The movie production was set to start shooting next month after Sutherland wraps the season for his television series, “Touch,” but a dispute over budget and the star’s fees put the project off schedule and means it has to be pushed until next year.

“It didn’t work out right now. Everyone is trying to figure out how to do it next year,” an individual close to the project told TheWrap.

A Fox spokesman did not respond to several requests for comment.

The plan now is for a new writer to rework the script, which Billy Ray wrote.

Earlier this month, TheWrap reported that Kiefer Sutherland, who stars in the television series and the film, and is one of the movie’s producers, was furious with Fox over budget and salary issues.

In the early stages of negotiations, Fox offered to pay Sutherland $1 million, rather than the $5 million he wanted. In another round, the studio offered $2 million.

The studio also wanted to cap the movie’s budget at $30 million, while Sutherland and producer Brian Grazer thought the movie needed at least somewhere in the low $40 million range.

Categories
People

May she continue to rest in peace!!

Houston died from drowning, coroner says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitney Houston was a chronic cocaine user who had the drug in her system when she drowned in a hotel bathtub, coroner’s officials said Thursday after releasing autopsy findings that also noted heart disease contributed to her death.

The disclosure ended weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and her death was ruled accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner’s officials said there weren’t excessive quantities.

“We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,” Patricia Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and manager, wrote in a statement to The Associated Press.

Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston’s death.

Coroner’s Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston’s system, and the drug was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He said the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system. Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy Awards bash.

The singer also had buildup of plaque in her arteries that can restrict blood flow. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the condition is common in drug users, although he said it wasn’t clear whether Houston had a heart attack on the day she died.

“It just beats up their heart and they will go to use and they will have a heart attack,” he said.

The exact amount of cocaine in Houston’s system was not disclosed Thursday but will be contained in a full autopsy report to be released in about two weeks, officials said.

Cocaine use has been known to cause damage to the heart and could have cause Houston’s death, said Dr. Michael Fishbein, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He had no role in the investigation.

He said a likely scenario was that Houston’s cocaine use interfered with the normal function of her heart.

“There’s no reason to drown in a bathtub unless you’re incapacitated,” Fishbein said.

Family and friends said after Houston’s death that they didn’t believe she was still abusing drugs.

“I don’t think drugs was an issue for her before her death. I don’t know what happened that day,” Patricia Houston said in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Houston, 48, was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack.

Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world’s best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” ”How Will I Know,” ”The Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You.” But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn’t hit the high notes.

Interest in her music skyrocketed after her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, but Houston’s drug use derailed her career and took a heavy toll on her once pristine voice.

But by the end of her career, she was a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming. Her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills and was eventually unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

She had been attempting a comeback when she died. She had finished filming a remake of the movie “Sparkle” in which Houston sang the gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Producers of the film have said the singer was a complete professional on the set.

Categories
Movies

Yet another reason why Michael Bay is a horrible filmmaker!!

Is Michael Bay changing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ history in new movie?

As any kid who grew up watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in cartoon and live-action form can tell you, the little green guys’ back story involves a run-in with some mysterious radioactive ooze, but Michael Bay recently revealed that he might be taking some liberties with the turtles’ origins.

“These turtles are from an alien race,” Bay said recently at an event. “And they’re going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely loveable.”

Bay, who is producing the Ninja Turtles’ upcoming flick, upset a lot of fans and at least one Ninja Turtle — or rather the guy who voiced Michaelangelo in the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movies, Robbie Rist. He writes in an open letter to Bay on his Facebook page that Bay is “sodomizing” the franchise. Rist continues, “I know believing in mutated talking turtles is kinda silly to begin with but am I supposed to be led to believe there are ninjas from another planet? … The rape of our childhood memories continues … ”

After an outpouring of criticism from fans, Bay took to his own forum with this:

“Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.”

Categories
Blu-ray

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!

The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Gets Digital Makeover

“Yellow Submarine,” the Beatles’ 1968 animated feature film, will hit shelves again on May 28, digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release.

The DVD/Blu-ray combo will feature bonus material including a making-of documentary, the original theatrical trailer, audio commentary, interviews, behind-the-scenes photos and more. Each edition comes packaged with reproductions of animation cels from the film, collectible stickers and a 16-page essay by Walt Disney/Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter.

The “Yellow Submarine” soundtrack album — featuring songs like “All Together Now” and “All You Need Is Love” — will also be rereleased on CD alongside the film.

Based around Beatles songs and pop art style, the late-’60s film used live-action photography and animation, in a process that took nearly two years, 40 animators and 140 technical artists to create.

On April 24, the “Yellow Submarine” picture book, which combines the film script with original artwork from the movie, will be released by Candlewick Press in hardcover and digital editions.

Categories
Music

Two of the top three are greatest hits albums?!?

Adele overtakes Pink Floyd in UK’s all-time biggest selling albums list

Adele has overtaken Pink Floyd in the UK’s all-time biggest selling albums list, according to the Official Charts Company

The singer leapfrogs Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ with her second album ’21’, which was released in 2011. This comes just three weeks after it was announced that Adele had surpassed Michael Jackon’s sales for ‘Bad’.

’21’ has sold over 4.14million copies in the UK and is now the seventh highest selling album of all-time. Adele can overtake Dire Straits, who sit in the 6th spot with ‘Brothers In Arms’, by selling just 12,000 more copies. According to the Official Charts Company, the singer could achieve this by the end of the week.

The top 5 biggest selling albums of all-time have remained the same for some time as no artist has come close to challenging, until now. Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’ is Number One, with sales of 5.83million, and ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ by The Beatles fills the Number Two slot with 5.04million.

Abba’s ‘Gold’ is Number Three, ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis is in fourth and Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ sits in fifth place.

The biggest selling albums of all-time Top 10 now stands as follows:

1. Queen – ‘Greatest Hits’
2. The Beatles – ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’
3. Abba – ‘Gold’
4. Oasis – ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’
5. Michael Jackson – ‘Thriller’
6. Dire Straits – ‘Brothers In Arms’
7. Adele – ’21’
8. Pink Floyd – ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’
9. Michael Jackson – ‘Bad’
10. Queen – ‘Greatest Hits II’