The Couch Potato Report
This week in the Couch Potato Report a film that doesn't get lost in translation and we'll go under the Tuscan Sun.
Bill Murray has starred in some of the most successful, and funniest comedies of all time.
His resume includes STRIPES. GHOSTBUSTERS. MEATBALLS. QUICK CHANGE. GROUNDHOG DAY. And CADDYSHACK.
As he matured as a person and as a performer he slowly segued from out and out comedic roles to playing funny characters in the mostly dramatic films RUSHMORE and THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS.
If you look at his career trajectory the Oscar nominated performance he gives in this week's major new release doesn't come as a surprise.
If you know Bill Murray only from the aforementioned list of the most successful, and funniest comedies of all time then prepare to be surprised by LOST IN TRANSLATION.
Murray is Bob Harris, a once popular American actor who now finds more acceptance and money from the people of Japan than from his own country.
He goes to Tokyo to shoot some whisky commercials for a big payday.
Contrast this with Charlotte, a young wife who is staying at the same hotel while her photographer husband does a multiple-day photo shoot.
Both Bob and Charlotte are married people, but they are also very lonely people. And neither one of them can sleep.
The entire plot of LOST IN TRANSLATION is about these two people getting to know each other.
Bob, in his early-fifties, is old enough to be Charlotte's dad, but that doesn't matter here. It's not about age. It's about the place and time.
The two find each other, spend time with one another, and even sleep in the same bed together.
But while most filmmakers would have to include a physical love affair to round out a story like this writer-director Sophia Coppola doesn't. She only allows Bob and Charlotte to go so far.
If they go any further is all up to you, depending on how you perceive what takes place.
LOST IN TRANSLATION gives us Bill Murray's most understated performance, and he is superb. With just a smile, a frown, his body language, or just the look in his tired eyes, he lets us in on Bob's emotions without telling us a thing.
His Oscar nomination for the film is well justified. His eventual victory might be seen as some as a reward for his body of work, but don't let yourself believe that. He is that charming, that wonderful and that heartbreaking in LOST IN TRANSLATION.
The actress he's working with is named Scarlett Johansson. She was in THE HORSE WHISPERER a few years ago and you might also know her from GHOST WORLD. She is equally impressive, playing Charlotte as a deeply troubled, yet intelligent young woman who just can't make some of life's most important decisions. Unfortunately she didn't get an Academy Award nomination for her efforts, but she is just as good as whoever actually wins.
LOST IN TRANSLATION was my favourite film of 2003, so obviously I'm going to have nothing but praise for it. In an attempt to offer you a complete review, let me admit that this is a film that you might want to avoid if you are tired, feeling lonely or depressed. I could also see how the long, quiet scenes of isolation could bore a casual film viewer.
But if you are in the mood to meet two people who exist in the here and now, a here and now that is completely foreign, and then decide for yourself how their time together will end, then watch LOST IN TRANSLATION.
Personally, I've seen it over a dozen times and I can't wait to watch it again.
I'm not sure I'll ever watch UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN again, but I have to admit I'm glad I took the time to see this week's other major new release.
After a less than amicable divorce, a woman played by Diane Lane - from UNFAITHFUL and A WALK ON THE MOON is persuaded by her friend to take a tour of Italy. On a whim she buys a rundown villa and sets out to renovate it.
The scenery in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN is breathtaking. You may never look at a countryside, people or food the same way again.
Now, if I may have a word with all of the gentlemen out there. Ladies, look away for a minute. Guys, this will make a great Valentine's Day gift! In fact, keep one handy in case you have a fight between now and then.
Okay ladies, I invite you to pay attention again so I can recap.
LOST IN TRANSLATION and UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN are available to rent and own right now.
COMING NEXT WEEK
INTOLERABLE CRUELTY - A woman falls in love with her ex-husband's divorce lawyer in the Coen Brothers film that isn't really a Coen Brothers film. (George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush)
IN THE CUT- Meg Ryan is a woman gets involved in a dark relationship with a cop who may or may not be a killer. This film garnered the majority of it's theatrical hype because Ryan is naked in it. (Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Bacon)
SYLVIA - This is the tale about a true life love story between two influential artists. (Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, Michael Gambon)
WONDERLAND - A murder investigation centers around porn star John Holmes. (Val Kilmer, Josh Lucas, Eric Bogosian)
That's this week's Couch Potato Report.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!
It's a baby boy for singers Kreviazuk, Maida
TORONTO (CP) -- Singer Chantal Kreviazuk and her rocker husband Raine Maida have welcomed a baby boy to their family.
Rowan was born on Jan. 16, Sony Music Canada said in a statement.
The couple wed in December 1999. This is their first child.
Leading up to the baby's birth, the Toronto-based couple was busy working with Avril Lavigne on her second album. Kreviazuk has been wearing the hat of songwriter, and Raine that of producer.
INDY 4 Ready To Go
According to Variety, the script for INDIANA JONES IV is ready to go.
Writer Frank Darabont said, "I've finished my work, so now it's in the hands of God, or Spielberg and Lucas if you prefer." Filming is scheduled to begin this year with a 2005 debut.
TheRaider.Net got in contact with Lucasfilm and they had this response: "Currently, work is continuing on a final version of the screenplay for INDIANA JONES 4, and and once all parties have signed off on the script and schedules permit, shooting will begin. Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford and George Lucas are all returning for this fourth Indiana Jones adventure. At this time, we have no details about the plot or other actors".
Janet Jackson Apologizes for Bared Breast
NEW YORK - Janet Jackson apologized Monday for an incident in which one of her breasts was bared for a moment as she sang with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night.
In a statement released Monday night, Jackson said it was a last-minute stunt that went awry.
"The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my halftime show performance was made after final rehearsals. MTV was completely unaware of it," Jackson said. "It was not my intention that it go as far as it did. I apologize to anyone offended — including the audience, MTV, CBS and the NFL."
Jackson's performance with Timberlake sparked a federal investigation and set new standards for raunch in an entertainment industry that seems to be setting new highs — or lows — every day.
"Every time an artist does something you think they sort of break the barrier, and it keeps getting more and more outrageous," said Tom Poleman, senior vice president of programming at New York City radio station Z100. "I think artists will keep on exploiting every opportunity they can get."
When Timberlake snatched off part of Jackson's bustier, revealing a breast clad only in a sun-shaped "nipple shield," the barrier was shattered before 89 million viewers.
Federal Communications Commission chief Michael Powell said in a statement, "Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt." He promised an investigation, with potential fines of up to $27,500. If applied to each CBS station, the fine could reach the millions.
Despite the apparent premeditation — the display coincided exactly with Timberlake singing, "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song" — all involved denied that the peep show was planned, and Jackson and Timberlake both issued apologies.
"This was done completely without our knowledge," said Chris Ender, entertainment spokesman for CBS, which was deluged with angry calls. "It wasn't rehearsed. It wasn't discussed. It wasn't even hinted at. ... This is something we would have never approved. We are angry and embarrassed."
The NFL said it was "extremely disappointed." Several members of Congress, the Parents Television Council and the Traditional Values Coalition expressed outrage. Even halftime producer and CBS corporate Viacom cousin MTV — the network that has given us "Jackass," Diana Ross fondling Lil Kim's pastied breast and Madonna kissing Britney Spears at last August's MTV Awards — was contrite.
"Unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional," said MTV.
But was it?
Although Timberlake issued a statement shortly after the show blaming the debacle on a "wardrobe malfunction," in comments to the syndicated show "Access Hollywood" right after the incident, he didn't seem too sorry.
"Hey man, we love giving you all something to talk about," he said, laughing.
Jackson's official Web site was bombarded with angry postings. Her spokeswoman, Jennifer Holiner, said a red lace garment was supposed to remain when Timberlake tore off the outer covering.
Holiner said she was not sure whether Jackson's medieval-looking nipple decoration was meant to be seen, but added that the singer does wear such jewelry.
But the display still raised questions such as: If it was an accident, why did a choreographer promise "shocking moments" in an interview with the Web site MTV.com prior to the show? And how could it be a coincidence with the timing of the words to Timberlake's song "Rock Your Body"?
MTV Networks Group President Judy McGrath says the shocker was supposed to be Timberlake's appearance — and not what he did afterward. McGrath was sitting in the audience and didn't see the flash, but said the pair "looked upset" afterward.
While she praised Jackson and Timberlake as artists, she said: "I don't appreciate someone who doesn't communicate what their plans are. I think it was a misguided move on their parts."
Whatever the intent of the stunt, it is not the first time Jackson has used her sexuality to grab an audience. Over the years, Jackson, 37, has evolved from a shy innocent who barely showed her ankles to a vamp who has bared almost all on regular basis.
A classic Rolling Stone magazine cover in 1993 showed a topless Jackson, her breasts covered only by the hands of her then-husband. At the time, she was promoting the album "Janet," which was described as her first time exploring sexuality in her music.
She has revisited that theme often. Promoting "The Velvet Rope" album in 1997, she appeared on the cover of Vibe wearing a nipple ring on the outside of her clothing. On her last album, "All for You," she appeared on the album's artwork nude, obscured only by a sheet. And in a recent HBO concert special, Jackson was seen running topless in a waterfall, though her breasts were barely visible.
And of course, Jackson has a new album, "Damita Jo," due out in the spring. The single, "Just a Little While," hit radio late last week. Already, the hype for the album promises a disc in which Jackson explores — what else? — her sexuality.
Asked whether he thought the strip tease was an accident, Z100's Poleman laughed.
"Are you kidding me?" he said.
Over-the-air TV channels cannot air "obscene" material at any time and cannot air "indecent" material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The FCC (news - web sites) defines obscene as describing sexual conduct "in a patently offensive way" and lacking "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." Indecent material is not as offensive but still contains references to sex or excretions.
The FCC has come under fire from lawmakers and outside groups who say the agency hasn't done enough to shield the public from indecent programming. The Bush administration has endorsed a bill raising the $27,500 maximum fine to $275,000.
Over at Z100, whose audience tends to range from 12 to 34 years old, the radio station was playing Jackson's new single every two hours on Monday.
"All of our listeners, they saw right through it," Poleman said. "Nobody is buying for a second that it wasn't a setup, but at the same time, they're cool with it."
So were stores that sell nipple jewelry. In Greenwich Village, Cassioppia Tattoo and Piercing's owner Bianca Bubenik placed a newspaper photo of the singer and her exposed breast in a display case alongside nipple decorations similar to the one Jackson wore.
"She's coming out with a new CD soon," Bubenik said. "We were just discussing it this morning — it's a publicity stunt."
And it has people talking at just the right time about Jackson — until the next celebrity shocker.
Already this year, we've seen Britney's 55-hour marriage, Michael Jackson dancing at his child molestation arraignment and Steve Irwin frolicking with his newborn and a crocodile ... and it's only February.
"Who knows?" said Poleman. "It's up to their imagination."
U.S. Watchdog Investigates Jackson Breast Incident
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Monday vowed to investigate whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast.
During the break in the National Football League's championship game Sunday in Houston, singer Justin Timberlake reached for Jackson as they performed a duet and tore off part of her black leather bustier, prompting widespread outrage.
The game garnered the best Super Bowl ratings in six years, and the incident provoked wall-to-wall coverage on cable news networks. President Bush was asked to comment but said he fell asleep before the halftime show.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell promised a "thorough and swift" investigation of the stunt aired during one of the year's most popular American television broadcasts, which draws a major worldwide audience.
"That celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt," Powell said in a statement that was echoed by others on the panel. "Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better."
But despite a public outcry over the incident, police in Houston said no charges would be brought because prosecutors determined there was no criminal act. Said Police Chief Joe Breshears, "actions that may seem in poor taste do not necessarily rise to the level of violations of Texas law."
The CBS network, which broadcast the game, and MTV, which produced the football halftime bonanza, apologized for what they described as an unscripted moment. Both are units of media conglomerate Viacom Inc. .
Timberlake said the baring of Jackson's breast resulted from a "wardrobe malfunction," while Jackson herself said the disrobing went further than she had anticipated.
"The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my half-time show performance was made after final rehearsals," she said in a statement issued by her publicist. "MTV was completely unaware of it. It was not my intention that it go as far as it did. I apologize to anyone offended."
Still, Jackson's label Virgin Records, capitalized on the attention, announcing that her new single "Just a Little While," was being delivered to U.S. radio outlets on Monday, ahead of schedule.
Virgin said track from her upcoming album, "Damita Jo," was released early due to a "firestorm of interest" fueled by unauthorized Internet downloads of the song.
'BROADCAST STANDARDS'
The episode comes as television networks find themselves on the defensive over the bounds of good taste, with the FCC taking a more aggressive stand against indecency and Congress threatening to sharply raise fines for such incidents.
"We attended all rehearsals throughout the week and there was no indication that any such thing would happen," CBS said. "The moment did not conform to CBS broadcast standards and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."
The NFL said it would not likely allow MTV to produce another halftime show.
Some questioned whether it was unplanned since MTV's Web site promised ahead of the show "shocking moments" and Timberlake sang the line "I'll get you naked by the end of this song," moments before the incident.
Complaints flooded into the FCC about Jackson and male singers grabbing their groin area while performing. The FCC could fine each station that aired the show up to $27,500 per violation as well as consider revoking broadcast licenses.
"Whether or not CBS executives did or did not know in advance is irrelevant, Viacom executives had the duty to know." said Parents Television Council President Brent Bozell who urged the FCC to fine each station the maximum.
The FCC already is considering action against General Electric Co.'s NBC network for an incident in which U2 rocker Bono uttered an expletive during a live broadcast.
Federal rules bar the broadcast of obscene material and limit the airing of indecent material that contains offensive sexual or excretory references to late night hours when children are unlikely to be watching.