Zappa says Fraggle film will rock
The theatrical film will will feature old favorites like the main Fraggles, Traveling Matt, The Trash Heap and celebrity cameos and acclaimed musicians
Ahmet Zappa remembers the time before Paris Hilton and Kevin Federline, when celebrities earned their fame by creating something artistic — and then used their influence to make the world a better place. He remembers John Lennon singing about peace; his father, Frank Zappa, promoting independent thought; and Muppet-master Jim Henson shaping the impressionable young minds of a generation. And now he's got a new job, because Ahmet Zappa also remembers the Fraggles.
"People always come up to me and talk about my father," the 32-year-old actor/writer recently said. "My father was very political, outspoken, an amazing musician and a great dad. Jim Henson, to me, is such an icon. What [Henson] did for kids — entertainment, education, storytelling and inspiring creativity — he was just such an important person. It feels nice to be involved in another family business."
Six weeks ago, Zappa won the high-profile assignment of developing the full-length rebirth of "Fraggle Rock," the vibrant 1980s TV program Henson pitched to networks as the children's show that would end wars. Looking back now, the "Sesame Street" imaginer packed his program with messages about racial tolerance, creature codependence and even the importance of recycling. But, as Henson knew then and Zappa knows now, all that stuff often takes a back seat to the reason why people really care about the Fraggles: they're fun.
"I grew up having the Fraggles on television, singing songs that I thought were really catchy and fun," Zappa remembered, professing his love for the colorful 22-inch characters and the Gorgs, Doozers and talking trash heap that surrounded them for five seasons on HBO. "There are a lot of messages in 'Fraggle Rock' that fans have kept close to their hearts, so we have to be respectful of the television show and very respectful of Jim Henson's Fraggle message. As far as the movie's concerned, that's what we are focusing on now: how to maintain Fraggledom."
Currently, Zappa is hard at work squeezing 96 episodes into a movie that will properly reflect that same "Fraggledom" for old fans, as well as their children. Told in a contemporary context using far more human interaction, new characters and plenty of music, the movie will be produced by Henson's daughter, Lisa, and directed by his son, Brian. Barely able to contain his enthusiasm for the project, big-kid Zappa gave us a first look at what we can expect from the "Fraggle" flick.
"If you take the landscape of kids' music now, I don't personally enjoy it," said Zappa, whose debut children's book, "The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless," displayed an unrestrained imagination that impressed the Henson clan, along with a taste that seemed to connect with today's kids. "'Fraggle Rock' is good music, good instrumentation, catchy little jingles and stories that are all very sweet."
Part of that sweetness is in the nonjudgmental dependency between the different races and colors of Fraggles, and the creatures that surround them. "It's a complete ecosystem," Zappa said of Henson's idea to show children how living creatures need each other. Zappa's script will pick up with level-headed Gobo, artistic Mokey, athletic Red, nervous Wembley and chronically depressed Boober in the same underground tunnels where we left them 20 years ago, and follow the crew as they journey for the first time into "Outer Space" — or as we like to call it, the real world.
"Traveling Matt is in the movie," Zappa confirmed, referring to Gobo's adventurous uncle whose naive reports from Outer Space are indicative of the fish-out-of-water humor Zappa will embrace. "The funny part about Traveling Matt and Outer Space is he'd see a fire hydrant and assume it was a person. He thought cars were animals, that they were living organisms, and he thought elevators were people changers, because the doors would close and then open, and there'd be new people in there all the time."
For the currently untitled movie, that mentality will be applied to some of the strange things we currently take for granted. "Back when that show was made, there weren't cell phones, so imagine a Fraggle finding a cell phone," Zappa said, citing one early idea. "It's been a lot of fun putting myself in that head space. It's not every day that you wake up and imagine yourself Fraggle height and take it seriously — being that tall, what would the world look like to you?"
Zappa said the film will also reflect larger changes in the world. "A lot of things have become disposable, and there are certainly a lot of environmental changes," he observed. Invoking the name of the wise, old talking compost-heap character, he added, "A lot of bad stuff has happened since the original 'Fraggle Rock,' and Trash Heap is all-knowing. She was always my favorite character on the show, so we're going to do her some justice."
When talk turned to the monstrous neighbors that tormented Gobo's gang, however, Zappa got suspiciously tight-lipped. "I can't say too much about the Gorgs right now," he smiled cryptically. "That stuff is top secret."
Keeping the CGI to a minimum, Zappa and the Hensons plan to return to the magic of the original Muppet movies that made millions forget they were watching puppets. "There's going to be human interaction with Fraggles," he said, adding that the film will feature plenty of celebrity cameos. "If you have an actor acting opposite a puppet, they can react off the mannerisms, the maneuvers, the facial expressions; it's a character. That puppet is an actor, as well — versus CGI, which happens after the fact."
Such human-puppet interactions will also help the "Fraggle" filmmakers entice big-name bands to perform new songs with the fun-loving characters. "'Fraggle Rock' is such a music-based movie, and the show had new songs every episode — we can safely say we'll have a lot of recognizable bands," said Zappa, who has established friendships with some of the biggest names in music. "I've been inundated with calls from famous bands, songwriters, different actors, who are just huge fans of 'Fraggle Rock' that they're just like, 'I'll do anything.' There's a certain religious fervor with Fraggles."
The most coveted assignment, however, will go to the group that reinterprets one of the most infectiously catchy theme songs in TV history. "[We won't be] changing it lyrically, but that was such a recognizable song, a new version will probably be made," Zappa said.
As for the film's plot, Zappa said his script will tap into many of the same themes he tried to work into his book. "I'm writing about relationships that seem very similar to the experiences I've had in my own life," he said. "Which aren't necessarily normal — the things I experienced growing up, my sense of humor. I would think some people may assume I'm a little odd, but I think the characters in 'Fraggle Rock' will have some larger-than-life human characters. There will also be some new puppets. Puppeteered characters that are sarcastic, silly, irreverent and don't talk down to kids."
If those sound like the kind of words that would have once come from the mouth of Jim Henson, then Ahmet Zappa is remembering everything just right. "We are moving as fast as humanly possible — and Fraggily as possible," he added, saying that some major "Fraggle" details should develop after the holidays, as the filmmakers continue to eyeball a late-'08 or early-'09 release date. "The Fraggles need to be here sooner, rather than later."
MURPHY BACK IN CRITICAL FAVOR WITH 'DREAMGIRLS'
December 10, 2006 -- We never thought we'd see the day, but Eddie Murphy fans can once again hold their heads high.
After a seemingly endless stretch of mediocre, self-indulgent comedies, Murphy's supporting role in "Dreamgirls," out Friday, very nearly steals the show from both Beyoncé and her underdog rival, Jennifer Hudson.
As James "Thunder" Early, an old-school R&B singer who employs the Dreamettes (Beyoncé and Co.) as backup singers, Murphy flexes both comedy and musical muscles that one would think had atrophied from lack of use. His onstage performances - which particularly recall his James Brown impersonation from '80s-era "Saturday Night Live" - are on fire.
Perhaps Oprah said it best, when she had Murphy and the rest of the cast on her show recently: "I think we didn't know that you had that in you," she told him. (Twice.)
Given the caliber of performances we've seen from him over the last decade, it's entirely possible even Murphy himself didn't know he had that in him. Audiences and critics certainly didn't, and are reacting with delight.
"It's like the old Eddie Murphy!" says Hollywood Reporter online columnist Martin Grove. "It's a standout supporting-actor performance. He's going to get a nomination."
Sure enough, Oscar buzz is already building for Murphy, who'd be contending against some other very strong, dramatic performances this year (Jack Nicholson in "The Departed," Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children," Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine").
But none of those has nearly the comeback zing of the role that may put Murphy back on the map of cinematic respectability. As far as career moves go, it's right up there with another legendary reboot:
"It's the same sort of thing John Travolta did when he took a role in 'Pulp Fiction'," says Grove. "It showed what his real ability was, and he kind of reinvented himself."
And nobody was more overdue for a reinvention than Murphy, whose last quality performance - besides a memorable vocal turn as Donkey in "Shrek" - was in Steve Martin's relatively low-profile 1999 comedy "Bowfinger." Aside from that blip on the radar, nothing Murphy's done has made a major impact since all the way back in 1988, with "Coming to America" (and even that was greeted with a collective "Eh" by critics).
In that film, he discovered his talent for playing several roles simultaneously - remember how he turned out to be the white guy in the barbershop? - which would pave the way for later films such as "The Nutty Professor" and its sequel, in which he played eight characters.
But for an actor who starred in some of the best comedies of the early '80s - "Trading Places," "48 Hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop," not to mention two raucous (if highly un-PC) concert movies, "Delirious" and "Raw" - Murphy squandered his good buzz with astonishing speed.
Even in those early films, he began to get a reputation for being unpleasant to work with. John Landis, who directed him in "Coming to America" and "Trading Places," made his feelings public in a recent interview, describing Murphy's habitual lateness, rudeness to his fellow actors and unwillingness to rehearse.
He also became more of a control freak, starting with 1989's "Harlem Nights," which he starred in, wrote and directed. That poorly reviewed film kicked off a steady decline for the comedian that included such disasters as "Boomerang," "Beverly Hills Cop III," "Holy Man," "Showtime," and the animated TV show, "The PJs," which was criticized by Spike Lee and others for its racial stereotyping.
To say nothing of 2002's "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," which reaped some of the most scathing reviews in recent memory.
Then there were the high-grossing (and often just plain gross) family-friendly comedies: "Dr. Doolittle," "The Nutty Professor" and "Daddy Day Care."
For each, Murphy's paycheck hovered around the $20 million mark. Financially, he's come out on top. His presence alone can open a major Hollywood movie, no matter how much of a dud it ultimately turns out to be.
Still, his comments to Oprah about "Dreamgirls" were revealing:
"The movie works on so many different levels," he said. "It's beautiful, it's well-acted, it's well-photographed, it's written well. . . It was the first movie I've ever been in where I was, like, just, you know, across the board - I think it should be recognized, you know?"
We know. We couldn't agree more.
Columbia Records joins fight to save world's oldest music store
Columbia Records has joined Bob Dylan, Justin Timberlake, Super Furry Animals and other musicians in a battle to save a music shop in Wales that is recognized as the world's oldest record store.
Spillers Records, in downtown Cardiff, is listed as the oldest music store by Guinness World Records. It sold the first wax phonograph cylinders in 1894.
But its co-owner, Nick Todd, said it may be forced to close within months because the landlord, Helical Bar, wants to redevelop the building and plans to double the rent.
"The rent rise was a bombshell. We cannot sell enough records to cover that," says Nick Todd, the store's co-owner.
The store, which sells vinyl records and CDs, offers a selection of jazz, folk, reggae, metal, world and dance music.
Welsh bands such as Super Furry Animals and Manic Street Preachers have launched a campaign and called attention to the petition. They've collected signatures from major artists including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Dylan and Timberlake.
The petition, now available online from the store's website, calls on Helical Bar to acknowledge Spillers as an asset to the city centre and to charge an affordable rent.
"Spillers was a lifeline. It gave us our musical education — the only record shop in Wales where we could find music that made us who we are," said a statement released by Manic Street Preachers.
The petition, which now has 1,700 signatures, will be delivered to the landlord but no date has been set for the presentation.
Columbia Records said this week that it was supporting the petition to keep the store's rent low.
"We are the oldest record label in the world and they are the oldest record shop," Jim Fletcher, marketing manager for Columbia, told The Independent newspaper.
"I think the idea of going down the local record shop is something we can all identify with, in the same way as people like local bookshops."
Landlord threatens to backdate rent increase
Todd is also facing another burden: his wife is the co-owner and they are going through a divorce. This means Todd will have to buy out his wife's half of the business as well as facing the store's soaring rent.
Todd said he has been entertaining offers from other buyers, but many have been put off by the rent increase.
"[The owners] said that if we sell it, they are backdating the rent and that would cripple us," Todd told the icWales website.
"I know progress and I understand about commercialism, but I don't think these people are taking into account the detriment they will cause."
Todd, who said it would break his heart to sell the store, believes he'll close its doors within six months if he can't find a buyer soon.
Prince to perform at Super Bowl halftime
NEW YORK - McCartney, Jagger and now Prince.
For the third year in a row, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act will headline the Super Bowl halftime entertainment. This time it's Prince.
The Purple One, winner of six Grammy Awards and nominated for five more this year, will play at the game in Miami on Feb. 4.
The Super Bowl, which will be televised by CBS, is annually television's highest rated show. An estimated 141 million people watched last year's game between Pittsburgh and Seattle.
The Rolling Stones headlined the halftime show for that Super Bowl, and two years ago it was Paul McCartney.
The NFL has tended to take a more cautious approach since Janet Jackson's widely criticized "wardrobe malfunction" at halftime of the 2004 game. That game also was televised by CBS.
Last year, Mick Jagger's microphone was silenced as he sang sexually suggestive lyrics in a couple of songs the Stones performed.
Prince gained attention early his career with raunchy lyrics and racy performances, but has toned down his act somewhat in recent years.
Eastwood film tops L.A. critics list
LOS ANGELES - Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima," the second of his two World War II sagas this year, was picked as the top movie of 2006 Sunday by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Set for release Dec. 20, "Letters From Iwo Jima" stars Ken Watanabe and chronicles the battle from the perspective of Japanese soldiers defending the island against U.S. troops. The film comes just two months after Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," which centers on the U.S. troops depicted in the legendary photo of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima.
The runner-up for best picture was "The Queen," a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family in crisis after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. "The Queen" earned the group's honors for best actress for Helen Mirren, supporting actor for Michael Sheen and screenplay for Peter Morgan.
The New York Film Critics Online Awards on Sunday also were dominated by "The Queen," which earned five honors: best picture, best actress for Mirren, supporting actor for Sheen, director for Stephen Frears and screenplay for Morgan.
Also Sunday, the American Film Institute released its picks for the year's top-10 movies, including "Letters From Iwo Jima," the musical "Dreamgirls," the Sept. 11 drama "United 93" and the outrageous comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
The Los Angeles critics group split its best-actor prize between Sacha Baron Cohen, who reprised his television character as a Kazakh journalist observing America in "Borat," and Forest Whitaker, who plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."
The supporting-actress honor went to Luminita Gheorghiu for "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," a Romanian film about an elderly man quietly fading away as he's shuffled from hospital to hospital over the course of one night.
Paul Greengrass was named best director for "United 93," with Eastwood the runner-up.
Among other honors from the Los Angeles critics: animated film, "Happy Feet," documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and foreign-language film, "The Lives of Others."
The flurry of film honors come at the start of Hollywood's long season leading up to the Academy Awards on Feb. 25. Critics picks often differ substantially from the films that ultimately triumph at the Oscars, though they do give a boost to the prospects of some films.
The New York Film Critics Circle releases its 2006 honors Monday, while nominations for the Golden Globes, the biggest Hollywood prizes before the Oscars, are announced Thursday.
The AFI's top-10 list also included the ensemble story "Babel," the fashion-world satire "The Devil Wears Prada," the gritty classroom drama "Half Nelson," the animated penguin romp "Happy Feet," the bank-heist thriller "Inside Man," and the road-trip tale "Little Miss Sunshine."
The AFI does not rank its picks for best films of the year. The list was chosen by a panel of 13 filmmakers, critics, scholars and AFI trustees.
A separate AFI panel picked the group's top-10 television shows of the year: "Battlestar Galactica," "Dexter," "Elizabeth I," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes," "The Office," "South Park," "24," "The West Wing" and "The Wire."
The films and shows will be honored at an AFI luncheon in Los Angeles on Jan. 12. The Los Angeles critics awards will be presented Jan. 14.
'Apocalypto' earns $14M, resurrects Mel
LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's bloody epic "Apocalypto" debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie, proving the filmmaker still can deliver a winner despite his drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic rant last summer.
"Apocalypto," a Disney release set in the Mayan civilization and told in an obscure Mayan language, opened with $14.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It was a modest haul compared to the $83.8 million opening weekend of Gibson's last movie, the 2004 religious blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which went on to do $370 million domestically.
But "Apocalypto" overcame the baggage of Gibson's personal troubles as well as its difficult subject matter, which features a no-name cast in a hyper-violent tale that includes beheadings and images of hearts ripped from people's chests.
"The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably are a bit on the surprised side around town that it's No. 1," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "Two months ago, nobody would have bet on that."
Sony's romance "The Holiday" debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.
The Warner Bros. thriller "Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, opened at No. 5 with $8.5 million. Set against Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s, the film follows a mercenary pursuing a rare diamond.
Also from Warner Bros., the holiday comedy "Unaccompanied Minors," about a group of kids run amok while stranded at an airport Christmas Eve, premiered at No. 6 with $6.2 million.
The Warner Bros. animated hit "Happy Feet" and Sony's James Bond adventure "Casino Royale," which had been the top-two movies for three-straight weekends, slipped to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
"Happy Feet" took in $12.7 million, raising its total to $137.7 million. "Casino Royale" grossed $8.8 million, lifting its total to $128.9 million.
The overall box office fell sharply, with the top-12 movies grossing $86.8 million, down 25 percent from the same weekend last year, when the blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" opened with $65.6 million.
Disney reported that Gibson's "Apocalypto" drew solid crowds across-the-board, with movie-goers equally split between men and women and the core of the audience ranging from 18 to 45.
The publicity over Gibson's problems and his contriteness since last summer may have stoked interested in "Apocalypto," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
"Whenever I tell people I saw the movie, they'd be like, `You saw it? How was it?' There was a huge curiosity factor," Dergarabedian said. "A movie about Mayan civilization was never destined to be a big hit, let alone a No. 1 movie. But through Disney's marketing, which highlights Mel Gibson — I believe they associated him very closely with the movie — I think that strategy paid off."
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Apocalypto," $14.2 million.
2. "The Holiday," $13.5 million.
3. "Happy Feet," $12.7 million.
4. "Casino Royale," $8.8 million.
5. "Blood Diamond," $8.5 million.
6. "Unaccompanied Minors," $6.2 million.
7. "Deja Vu," $6.1 million.
8. "The Nativity Story," $5.6 million.
9. "Deck the Halls," $3.9 million.
10. "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," $3.3 million.