Month: November 2013

Categories
Music

That would be cool!!

Phil Collins to return to music?

Phil Collins could be set to make a return to the music world.

Speaking to the German press – via The Guardian – the musician said that he has been thinking about playing solo again and also with his band Genesis. He commented: “I have started thinking about doing new stuff… some shows again, even with Genesis. Everything is possible. We could tour in Australia and South America. We haven’t been there yet”.

In 2011 Phil Collins announced his retirement from music. The drummer/singer made the announcement on his website, Philcollins.co.uk, writing: “I am stopping so I can be a full-time father to my two young sons on a daily basis,” he wrote.

Collins last played with Genesis in 2007 and last played live in 2010. He has now said that his younger children are encouraging his return to performing. Foals once said they wanted to bring Phil Collins out of retirement to work with them. Speaking to the Daily Star, the band professed their love for Collins, who quit music due to ongoing health issues, including nerve damage, hearing problems and back pain. Frontman Yannis Philippakis said: “We love Phil Collins – we’ll help him drum again.”

In 2010 Collins admitted that he had considered committing suicide. “I wouldn’t blow my head off,” he told Rollingstone.com. “I’d overdose or do something that didn’t hurt. But I wouldn’t do that to the children.”

Categories
Movies

Bring it on!!!

Quentin Tarantino’s Next Film Will Be a Western

Quentin Tarantino said his next movie will be a Western during an appearance last night on The Tonight Show. The film will not be a sequel to Django Unchained but the director said the experience of making that movie inspired him want to make another in the same genre. “I had so much fun doing Django, and I love Westerns so much, that after I taught myself how to make one it’s like, ‘Well, OK, let me make another one now that I know what I’m doing,'” he said. He appeared on the show to promote the hardcover graphic novel of Django Unchained.

The director, who won a screenwriting Oscar for Django, also told Leno about how his writing habits have changed in recent years to accommodate a more relaxing lifestyle. “[In the past] if I had to write during the day, I’d go out to a restaurant or go out to a bar and write in public and get the juices flowing that way, but then at home I’d write all night long,” he said. “But that kind of changed around the time of Inglourious Basterds. I’d start writing at home from 10 in the morning until 5 or 6 or 7, whenever the muses leave you, and that would be the work for that day.”

Beginning about five years ago, though, the director has preferred to retreat to his pool and “soak” after writing. While there, he thinks about what he has just finished scripting. “If I just finished a scene, then I’m thinking about the scene – ‘How I can make it better?'” he said. “All these ideas come to me and dialogue, and I kind of work it out a little bit. And I get out of the pool and I make notes, but then I don’t do them. I go out and I watch TV or I go hang out. And then the next day, [working on those notes is] my work.”

Around the time Django Unchained was supposed to come out last year, Tarantino found himself defending the role of movies in everyday life. After the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the movie’s distributor canceled the film’s premiere. The director then commented that linking movie violence with the school shooting was “disrespectful.” He also chalked up the violence in Django as being just another element in a Western. “I just think, you know, there’s violence in the world, tragedies happen, blame the playmakers,” he said. “It’s a Western. Give me a break.”

Categories
Bruuuuuuuuce!!

That would be cool to own!!

Springsteen ‘Born to Run’ manuscript is for sale

NEW YORK (AP) — A handwritten working manuscript of Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 hit “Born to Run” will be offered at auction on Dec. 5, with a presale estimate of $70,000 to $100,000, Sotheby’s said Wednesday.

The seller was not revealed. The auction house said the document used to be in the collection of Springsteen’s former manager, Mike Appel.

Sotheby’s said most of the lines in this 1974 version, written in Long Branch, N.J., are apparently unpublished and unrecorded, but the manuscript does include “a nearly perfected chorus.”

Springsteen’s thought process, written in blue ink on an 8½-by-11 sheet of ruled notepaper, looks like this:

“This town’ll rip the (out your) bones from yourback / it’s a suicide trap (rap) (it’s a trap to catchthe young) your dead unless / you get out (we gotto) while your young so (come on! / with) take myhand cause tramps / like us baby we were born to run.”

“The imagery and tone are constant from the present manuscript to the final song,” the auctioneer said.

There are also some words in the margins: “Wild” and “Angels” and a word that looks like “velocity,” with the letter “t” in Springsteen’s curlicue cursive.

“Although Springsteen is known to have an intensive drafting process, few manuscripts of ‘Born to Run’ are available, with the present example being one of only two identified that include the most famous lines in the song,” Sotheby’s said.

The document will be part of a Manhattan sale of fine books and manuscripts.

Categories
Music

Great music for a great cause!!

The Beatles, U2, Eminem, One Direction Contribute To ‘Songs For The Philippines’ Relief Album

The recorded music industry is responding to the disastrous typhoon in the Philippines with a fundraising compilation which features the biggest names in the business.

The Beatles, Bob Dylan, U2, Eminem, One Direction and Katy Perry are among the superstars who have contributed tracks for the relief album, all proceeds from which will be donated to Philippine Red Cross.

All three major music companies are supporting the 39-track “Songs for the Philippines,” which is available through iTunes’ global network of digital stores at iTunes.com/Philippines.

All the artists, record companies and music publishers working on the project have waived fees.

As previously reported, users can go to the iTunes store to donate to the American Red Cross; funds raised will go to help the Asian nation, which has been devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The death toll from the supertyphoon is currently at more than 5,200.

‘Songs For The Philippines’ track listing:
1. The Beatles – “Across The Universe”
2. Bob Dylan – “Shelter From The Storm”
3. Michael Bublé – “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”
4. U2 – “In A Little While”
5. Bruno Mars – “Count On Me”
6. Beyoncé – “I Was Here”
7. Eminem – “Stan” (Live from BBC Radio 1)
8. Cher – “Sirens”
9. Adele – “Make You Feel My Love”
10. Katy Perry – “Unconditionally” (Johnson Somerset Remix)
11. One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
12. Fun. – “Carry On”
13. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way” (The Country Road version)
14. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
15. Justin Bieber – “I Would”
16. Alicia Keys – “New Day”
17. Imagine Dragons – “30 Lives”
18. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”
19. P!nk – “Sober”
20. Kylie Minogue – “I Believe In You”
21. Enrique Iglesias – “Hero”
22. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Factory Of Faith”
23. Linkin Park – “Roads Untraveled”
24. Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
25. Muse – “Explorers”
26. Lorde – “The Love Club”
27. Josh Groban – “Brave”
28. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger”
29. Paolo Nutini – “Simple Things”
30. Ellie Goulding – “I Know You Care”
31. James Blunt – “Carry You Home”
32. Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
33. Earth, Wind & Fire – “Sign On”
34. Apl.De.App – “Going Out” feat Damian Leroy
35. Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
36. Jessica Sanchez – “Lead Me Home”
37. Lily Allen – “Smile”
38. The Fray – “Love Don’t Die”
39. The Beatles – “Let It Be”

Categories
CBC

This is bad news for CBC, but more importantly it is bad news for hockey fans!! Sportsnet does an awful job with baseball, and that will likely be the case with hockey too. Bad, bad news!!

Deal gives Rogers rights to all NHL games through 2025-26

Starting next season, Rogers Communications will be the National Hockey League’s exclusive broadcast and multimedia partner in Canada.

As part of the $5.2 billion, 12-year agreement, Rogers obtains the national rights on all platforms to every NHL game through the 2025-26 campaign—including all playoff games and the Stanley Cup Final.

“Canadians are passionate about hockey, and through this landmark partnership with the NHL we’ll be able to bring hockey fans more games and more content on their platform of choice,” said Nadir Mohamed, the President and CEO of Rogers Communications.

The deal—the largest of its kind in NHL history—also includes the NHL Centre Ice and NHL Game Centre Live properties, as well as rights to the All-Star Game and the NHL Draft. This is the first time a major league in North America has made such a long-term commitment to a single company.

As a result of this deal, Canadians will be able to find NHL game coverage on up to nine different channels on some nights during the season.

“Our fans always want to explore deeper and more emotional connections to NHL hockey,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, “and that is precisely what Rogers has promised to deliver over the next 12 years–channeling the reach of its platforms and the intensity of its passion for the game into an unparalleled viewing experience.”

Rogers, already a big player in the Canadian sports landscape thanks to its ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays and a 37.5 percent stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, will spread game coverage to all of its platforms, including the radio—both terrestrial and satellite—and the web, through internet streaming as well as wireless and mobile tablets. The agreement also gives the company ownership of all digital highlights.

“Our vision is to build on the NHL’s legacy in Canada with an emphasis on storytelling, innovation, and technology—weaving the NHL, its teams and its stars even deeper into the fabric of Canadian culture,” said Keith Pelley, the President of Rogers Media. “Today’s announcement significantly increases the value of our premium Sportsnet brand and reinforces our commitment to making Sportsnet the No. 1 sports media brand in Canada.”

The $5.2-billion deal is comprised of annual payments, starting at just over $300 million next year then increasing gradually to more than $500 million in the final year. There is also a $150 million upfront payment that will be spread over the deal’s first two years.

As part of a separate sub-licensing deal, Rogers selected the CBC as its partner for the English-language broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada. (TVA was selected as the partner for all French-language broadcasts.)

The Board of Governors will vote on the agreement when they meet during the second week of December.

Categories
Bruuuuuuuuce!!

I want it now please!!!!!

Bruce Springsteen to Release ‘High Hopes’ Studio Album in January

Columbia Records announced Monday that Bruce Springsteen’s 18th studio album, “High Hopes,” will be released on Jan. 14, 2014.

The record is an eclectic combination of cover songs, new songs, and songs previously performed by Springsteen in some format. The album was produced by Ron Aniello, who also worked with Springsteen on his previous release, “Wrecking Ball.” Additionally, producer Brendan O’Brien shares production credits on three tracks.

Springsteen is accompanied on this release by the E Street Band, along with Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman, Audioslave, Rage Against The Machine) who temporarily joined the band on the 2013 Australian tour to fill in for Steve Van Zandt (who was absent due to filming commitments for his Netflix series, “Lilyhammer”). Both Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons (who passed away in 2008 and 2011, respectively) also appear on the record.

“High Hopes” Tracklist:
1. High Hopes (Tim Scott McConnell) – featuring Tom Morello
2. Harry’s Place * – featuring Tom Morello
3. American Skin (41 Shots) – featuring Tom Morello
4. Just Like Fire Would (Chris J. Bailey) – featuring Tom Morello
5. Down In The Hole *
6. Heaven’s Wall ** -featuring Tom Morello
7. Frankie Fell In Love
8. This Is Your Sword
9. Hunter Of Invisible Game * -featuring Tom Morello
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad – duet with Tom Morello
11.The Wall
12. Dream Baby Dream (Martin Rev and Alan Vega) – featuring Tom Morello

A closer look at the songs of “High Hopes”:

THE COVERS:

HIGH HOPES: Both a cover and a previously recorded number, this upbeat rockabilly tune by The Havalinas was first recorded by Springsteen in 1995 as part of the sessions for Springsteen’s Greatest Hits album, later released on the “Blood Brothers” DVD. The song was revived onstage when Springsteen visited Australia in the spring of 2013, with one of Morello’s trademark guitar solos. In the liner notes, Springsteen credits Morello with the suggestion to add this track to the band’s set: “Tom and his guitar became my muse, pushing the rest of this project to another level. Thanks for the inspiration Tom.” This track, along with “Just With Fire Would,” are noted as coming out of a mid-tour recording session in Australia.

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD: Originally written and recorded by the Saints, who (along with frontman Chris Bailey), are best known as punk rock pioneers both in Australia and internationally. This track comes from 1987’s more mainstream “All Fool’s Day,” and would reach the top 30’s on the Australian charts. Springsteen and the E Street Band (with Morello) performed the song at their March 14, 2013 show in Brisbane.

DREAM BABY DREAM: Originally written and recorded by Alan Vega and Martin Rev of seminal punk band Suicide in 1975, Springsteen transformed this dark electronic composition into a warmer and more optimistic version, anchored by harmonium, when he added the song to the “Devils & Dust” tour in 2005. The track recently resurfaced as the soundtrack to a ‘thank you’ video released in October to thank the fans for supporting the 2012 & 2013 “Wrecking Ball” tour. Alan Vega, in an 2005 interview with Backstreets Magazine, said, “A lot of bands have done my stuff, Suicide stuff, and they basically try and copy and do it the way that you do it. He just – thank god! – finally somebody did their version of it. They interpreted my song, he did it his way, and such a great way, that I’m going to have to sing it that way, or not sing it at all any more!”

RE-RECORDED:

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS): This protest number was written in 2000 as Springsteen’s reaction to the Amadou Diallo shooting in New York City. It was first performed in Atlanta on June 4, 2000, just prior to Springsteen’s tour-ending ten night stand at Madison Square Garden. The performances of the song in New York resulted in enormous media coverage, as well as boycotts and protests by the New York City Police Department and the Police Benevolent Association.

“American Skin (41 Shots)” has periodically reappeared on Springsteen’s setlists in response to current events, including an incendiary performance in Florida in 2012 as response to the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD (Duet with Tom Morello): The title track of Springsteen’s 1995 acoustic album, this ode to the hero of Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” was also recorded by Rage Against The Machine in 1997 and released as a single. Their version would reach No. 35 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 34 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. These two worlds would eventually meet in 2008, when Morello joined Springsteen and the E Street Band onstage in Anaheim to perform a version that merged the two approaches, creating an electrified Springsteen version of the song, which had formerly been performed acoustic or semi-acoustic. Morello has reprised that performance many times since then, including at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts, at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London’s Hyde Park in 2012, and every night on Springsteen’s 2013 Australian tour.

NEW SONGS:

The remaining songs on “High Hopes” are Springsteen originals: “Harry’s Place,” “Down In The Hole”, “Heaven’s Wall,” “Frankie Fell In Love,” “This Is Your Sword,” “Hunter of Invisible Game,” and “The Wall.” Two of these seven tracks already have some history:

HARRY’S PLACE: An outtake from “The Rising,” “Harry’s Place” was recorded in 2002 with the E Street Band. It would be later revealed by Springsteen to Ted Koppel that “Harry’s Place” was one of two songs recorded that didn’t make the final cut for the album, Springsteen believing that the song’s subject matter didn’t fit thematically with the rest of the record. During the interview, Springsteen read some of the lyrics to Koppel:

Downtown hipsters drinkin’ up the drug line
Down in the kitchen workin’ in the coal mine
Got a special sin, mister, you can’t quite confess
Messy little problem
Maybe baby needs a new dress
Razor-back diamond shines a little too hard
Need a hammer help you handle
A little trouble in your backyard
Bring it on down to Harry’s Place

THE WALL: In February 2003, Springsteen performed two solo acoustic concerts in Somerville, MA to benefit the financially strapped Doubletake Magazine. On the first night, he debuted “The Wall.” Springsteen prefaced the song by explaining that he had taken his wife to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during a trip to Washington, DC, and while there, had been moved to look for the names of friends on the wall: “the drummer of my first band and another close friend in town.” The other dedication would later be revealed during a 2005 performance of the song as Walter Cichon, the leader of Jersey Shore band the Motifs.

This story is reprised by Springsteen in the “High Hopes” liner notes, adding a dedication to Walter Cichon, a local Jersey Shore musician in the Motifs. Springsteen states, “The Motifs were a local rock band who were always a head above everybody else. Raw, sexy and rebellious, they were the heroes you aspired to be. But these were heroes you could touch, speak to, and go to with your musical inquiries. Cool, but always accessible, they were an inspiration to me, and many young working musicians in 1960’s central New Jersey.” The liner notes also reveal that the title and the idea of the song came to him from Pittsburgh musician and friend, Joe Grushecky.

Not surprisingly, the track as originally performed is dark and bitter, with lyrics unvarnished and direct:

Cigarettes and a bottle of beer, this poem that I wrote for you
This black stone and these hard tears are all I’ve got left now of you
I remember you in your Marine uniform laughing, laughing at your shipping out party
I read Robert McNamara says he’s sorry
You and your boots and black t-shirt, ah, Billy you looked so bad
Yeah you and your rock and roll band was the best thing this shit town ever had
Now the men that put you here eat with their families in rich dining halls
And apology and forgiveness got no place here at all at the wall

In January, Springsteen and the E Street Band will travel to South Africa for the first time to perform three dates in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg, followed by 13 shows in Australia and New Zealand in February. Sources say that Springsteen plans to return to Europe later in 2014 on the festival circuit.

There are no North American tour dates announced at this time.

Categories
Television

Interesting choice…

‘Family Guy’ kills off major character

Warning: This story contains spoilers from Sunday night’s episode of Family Guy

Family Guy viewers paid a shocking visit to Quahog on Sunday night, as they witnessed the death of one of the show’s main characters.

A regular on Seth MacFarlane’s popular animated series since its pilot in 1999, Brian the family dog was hit and killed by a car during the Season 12 episode Life of Brian, in which Stewie destroyed his time machine and the Griffins adopted a new pet. The show’s executive producer Steve Callaghan spoke to E! Online about the painful decision, which forced the family to say teary goodbyes to their bruised and bloodied dog.

“We thought it could be a fun way to shake things up,” Callaghan says. “It seemed more in the realm of a reality that a dog would get hit by a car. As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet.”

Shortly after Brian’s death, the Griffins adopted a fast-talking new dog named Vinny, who is voiced by The Sopranos’ Tony Sirico, and helps comfort Stewie in the wake of his devastating loss.

“Where Brian was sort of a match for Stewie intellectually, Vinny is a good match for Stewie because he doesn’t let Stewie get away with any crap,” Callaghan says. “He’ll call Stewie out on his b.s. freely.”

Cast members such as Mila Kunis and Seth Green were surprised to learn of the character shakeup, which has already sparked the hashtag #BringBackBrian on Twitter. Aside from his belief that Vinny will add a new dynamic to the Griffin family, Callaghan isn’t worried about any major post-Brian backlash in the long term.

“Our fans are smart enough and have been loyal to our show for long enough to know that they can trust us,” Callaghan says. “We always make choices that always work to the greatest benefit of the series.”

Categories
Concerts

I’d be disappointed, but I slept in. Ooops!!

Monty Python reunion show sells out in 43.5 seconds

London (AFP) – Monty Python added another four dates to their “one-off” reunion show on Monday after 14,500 tickets to their first London live performance sold out in just 43.5 seconds.

John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin announced their surprise return to the stage last week, sparking huge excitement among fans of the comedians who have not performed together since 1980.

The cult British troupe said they only planned to do one show at the O2 Arena in London on July 1, and Idle said the intention was “to see if we can fill it”.

But the promoters were clearly prepared for the huge demand and added four additional shows when the tickets went live.

All five dates sold out within an hour — and some £65 tickets for the first night were immediately posted on re-sale sites for a whopping £1,600 ($2,600, 1,900 euros).

“The first show sold out in 43.5 seconds. Four further shows immediately went on sale: 2-5 July. All shows sold out within 55 minutes,” a spokesman for Monty Python told AFP.

Idle said: “It’s totally amazing. I don’t think we realised quite how much Python is loved round the world.

In a reference to the Pythons’ joke last week about why they had reformed, Idle added: “We look forward to paying off Terry Jones’ mortgage soon.”

Despite the extra dates — all at the O2 in London — many fans were left disappointed and blamed touts for bulk-buying tickets.

“Ridiculous… Real Python fans are missing out here,” wrote Helen Stewart on one forum.

The Pythons will perform the most famous sketches from their films and cult television show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” — although advancing age has imposed some limits on what they will be able to do.

Cleese, 74, admitted that a repeat of his Ministry of Silly Walks sketch will be “impossible” as he now has an artificial hip and artificial knee.

The tickets were priced between £27.50 and £95 — “only £300 cheaper than the Stones”, quipped 70-year-old Idle — and the shows are likely to make the Pythons a lot of money.

Aside from Jones’ mortgage, Cleese had to pay out millions of pounds in his most recent divorce and wrote the 2011 show “The Alimony Tour” to raise money to pay his ex-wife.

‘I think I’ve forgotten that’

The troupe became famous with the irreverent and surreal “Flying Circus” show, which ran from 1969 to 1974 and was sold to almost 100 countries.

They also made several films including 1975’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, a parody of the legend of King Arthur, and “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” in 1979, the tale of a young man mistaken for Jesus which riled religious groups.

The reunion show is called “one down, five to go” — a reference to sixth member Graham Chapman, who died of cancer in 1989 at the age of 48.

Chapman took part in the Pythons’ last live performance in the United States in 1980 and their final film, “The Meaning of Life”, in 1983.

Last week the surviving Pythons would not be drawn on whether they might take their reunion tour outside Britain.

They joked about touring Europe on a camping holiday, but when asked if they would go to Australia, Cleese said: “The only problem with Australia is that there are planets closer than that.”

There will be some new material, but also a lot of the old favourites. “The main danger we have is that the audience know the scripts better than we do,” Cleese said.

One of their hit sketches was Dead Parrot, where Cleese tries to return a Norwegian Blue to a pet shop because it is dead. The owner, Palin, responds: “He’s not dead, he’s resting!”

“I suppose we’ll do some version of the parrot — Mike?” Cleese told the press conference, turning to Palin, who replied: “The parrot? I think I’ve forgotten that.”

Categories
The Couch Potato Report

Calvin & Hobbes Rocks!!

The Couch Potato Report – November 23rd, 2013

Calvin & Hobbes was a daily comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Watterson.

The very funny strip was about Calvin, an imaginative, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his blunt and usually sardonic pet tiger, who was real to Calvin, but a stuffed toy to everyone else.

Calvin & Hobbes ran from 1985 to 1995 and came to an early and quite unfortunate end as Watterson – feeling constrained by the daily deadlines and shrinking panels in newspapers – decided to stop doing it. He also didn’t want to merchandise or commercialize his characters, something his syndicate did want as they could have made hundreds of millions of dollars.

Part of the new documentary DEAR MR. WATTERSON focuses on the fact that the man walked away, but it primarily features interviews with fans – including director Joel Allen Schroeder – and other cartoonists, all discussing how the strip changed comics and even affected their lives.

What it doesn’t feature is an interview with Bill Watterson. Since walking away from the strip he values his privacy, rarely gives interviews and hardly ever makes public appearances.

I am a huge fan of Calvin & Hobbes, I Still read a few of them every day, so I really, really enjoyed DEAR MR. WATTERSON, especially the segment where the director visits the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University where the cartoonist’s original artwork is stored.

Fans will enjoy it for sure, but I also recommend it to non-fans of Calvin & Hobbes as DEAR MR. WATTERSON is entertaining and informative.

Search this one out, it is available online right now for you to view or download.

We have arrived now at THE WORLD’S END, but this isn’t just a movie about the end of the world, The World’s End is the name of a pub, the twelfth and final drinking establishment on a pub crawl undertaken by five friends who reunite in their small hometown to recreate something they failed to do twenty years earlier while in high school, visit all twelve pubs in one night.

However, upon arriving home, the people all look familiar, but seem different because…they are. They’ve all become robots, and it’s now up to the five guys to defeat them, save themselves and their hometown, and maybe even save the world.

THE WORLD’S END is from the same guys who gave us the great flicks SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ and I really, really enjoyed it. The film has a great cast, is loads of fun, and I can easily recommend it.

This is fun stuff!!

Also fun and funny is the straightforward Summer Comedy WE’RE THE MILLERS

Jason Sudeikis from Saturday Night Live is a drug dealer who creates a fake family so he can transprot a huge shipment of marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico. Jennifer Aniston pretends to be his wife and Emma Roberts his daughter.

I’ve seen WE’RE THE MILLERS twice now, and it even made me laugh the second time. It isn’t the funniest film of the year, but it is funny. I recommend that you shut off your brain and have a few laughs this weekend, courtesy of the Miller family.

I have a couple of kids films to review now. Neither is a classic, but I think both of them are good enough to entertain kids.

We’ll start in the air with PLANES, from some of the folks who brought you CARS. Any kids who liked CARS will also like PLANES.

PLANES is about a cropduster with a fear of heights who dreams of something bigger. He dreams of competing in an around-the-world aerial race, and – with the help of his friends – his dreams may just come true.

Unless some of his competitors get in the way of his dreams.

PLANES is never great, but it is pretty good. Like I said, any kids who liked CARS will like it, but it probably won’t resonate with anyone older.

TURBO is another movie for kids who liked cars, and for kids who like racing movies, even though it is highly implausible.

TURBO is about a garden snail who realizes his dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500…alongside cars.

Yes, this is a film about a snail who races in the Indy 500.

A freak accident turns an everyday garden snail into a racer and so now he might achieve his biggest dream: winning the Indy 500.

That is honestly what TURBO is about.

I didn’t think much of the idea behind this film, even though I love animated film and comic books and cartoons, a snail racing in the Indy 500 against cars just seems a bit too far-fetched for me.

Yet the film made using that story isn’t as bad as the idea. TURBO has dozens of colourful characters, and is bright and shiny and colourful, you know…for kids.

Kids who enjoy playing with cars and such will likely like TURBO, but it probably won’t resonate with anyone older.

The final new release I have for you this week is the blu-ray set for SEASON FIVE of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.

There are some tremendous episodes in SEASON FIVE, especially the two-parter “Unification”, where Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise have to pursue a rogue Ambassador into enemy Romulan territory.

The Ambassador is Spock, Leonard Nimoy from the original series.

And once again, the blu-ray set comes with a wealth of special features including the continuing retrospective series where the entire cast and crew look back at the show, including Patrick Stewart.

SEASON FIVE of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION looks amazing on blu-ray and is a must own for fans, and a must see for those who haven’t ever seen it.

I highly recommend it, even if you don’t usually watch science fiction.

This is great stuff!!

SEASON FIVE of the still great STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION on blu-ray; the only okay animated film TURBO; the pretty good but not great animated film PLANES; the fun and funny Summer Comedy WE’RE THE MILLERS; and the very funny and entertaining buddy-comedy-action-film THE WORLD’S END are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

The fantastic documentary DEAR MR. WATTERSON, about the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and it’s creator, is available for digital download now, and will debut on disc December 15th.

And 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
Television

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

‘The Mindy Project’ hits the break room

“The Mindy Project” will go on a two-month hiatus in 2014, Fox announced in a flurry of winter schedule changes.

The low-rated comedy starring Mindy Kaling will air its winter finale on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and then exit the lineup until April 1, when it returns with two back-to-back episodes.

In its absence, freshman comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” will slide into the 9:30 p.m. timeslot starting Feb. 4, where it will finish out the rest of its season.

Tuesdays will also see “Glee” relocated to the night starting Feb. 25, where it will air at 8 p.m., taking the spot of “Dads.”

Fox has additionally opted to give the second season of “The Following” the same NFL launch it gave “Almost Human” with the first episode of its two-night premiere airing after the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 19.