The Couch Potato Report - November 28th, 2009
This week The Couch Potato Report peels hockey, angels, demons, four Christmases, and a fight club.
Alright, I was away for the past couple of weeks, so I do have some of the biggest titles that came out in my absence coming up for you, but first, the biggest releases from this past week, in case you would like a movie to watch tonight.
And if you like big names above the marquee, big stars, well, how about two-time Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks? And four-time Nominee, and winner of the Best Director Oscar for A BEAUTIFUL MIND, Mr. Ron Howard? How about those names? They're pretty big.
Together, those men have given us the great films SPLASH and APOLLO 13, along with the very good 2006 film THE DA VINCI CODE.
And now, Ron and Tom, Tom and Ron team up again for the sequel to that latter film, yes the book is a prequel, but the film is a sequel...it is based on a Dan Brown book, so don't get caught up in the details...yes Hanks and Howard are working together again as symbologist Robert Langdon is back on screen!!
This time around, he has been asked to help solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.
Although, he isn't altogether sure why.
The genres that I would put ANGELS & DEMONS in are Mystery and Thriller, although it really isn't all that mysterious and certainly isn't thrilling.
No, I'll admit it, it isn't the worst film I have seen this year, it occasionally has a few unique flashes of brilliance.
Unfortunately, just as one is introduced, it seems to run away from the unique stuff, to get to the next plot device.
Simply put, ANGELS & DEMONS is a boring film that I didn't care for at all. The booked I liked.
I recommend the book, not the movie.
This next film I do recommend, but I say that with some reservations. I liked FUNNY PEOPLE, a lot! It will easily make my list of the year's Ten Best, but you might like it as much as I did because in it Adam Sandler plays a character named superstar comedic actor who is not always likeable.
However, the film is a comedy, so he doesn't stay unlikeable for long, especially when the story focusses on the fact that he is dying.
And yes, I did say that is is a comedy.
After he is diagnosed, he hires Canadian born actor Seth Rogen from KNOCKED UP and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS to be his assistant, and friend. Rogen is a young comedian who grew up watching the superstars films.
For me, FUNNY PEOPLE is at it's best when it features the comedians and comedic actors who populate the picture just talking. Those scenes are very entertaining and feature some very smart dialogue.
However, all the good words aside, at 2.5 hours, FUNNY PEOPLE is too long, and could have cut out the whole third act, but it made me laugh out loud, both times I've seen it, and so I recommend it.
FUNNY PEOPLE is funny.
You know, I also liked this next film, I liked FOUR CHRISTMASES a lot.
FOUR CHRISTMASES stars Vince Vaughn from WEDDING CRASHERS and SWINGERS and Reese Witherspoon from LEGALLY BLONDE and WALK THE LINE as a young couple who are planning to spend the holidays in Fiji, however they get storm stayed at home...and now they have to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.
In addition to exposing each other to families they had not met, the visits also expose some cracks in their - previously very happy - relationship.
FOUR CHRISTMASES is very funny and at only 80 minutes long, it goes by very fast.
PLUS, in addition to Vince and Reese, the fantastic cast includes Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, country singers Dwight Yoakam and Tim McGraw, Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth from PUSHING DAISIES and more familiar and very enteratining faces.
One warning, however, this film isn't for the whole family, and there is a scene revealing the Santa secret, so be forewarned.
Also be forwarned...laughs ahead!! FOUR CHRISTMASES is a very entertaining movie!!
Okay, the final Brand New release this week is FIGHT CLUB, a movie that I love and have a lot to say about.
Oh, come on...but I have a lot to say about this 1999 film that has now debuted on Blu-ray in a spectacular 10th Anniversary Edition.
I am breaking the rules...Edward Norton and Brad Pitt star in Director David Fincher's great, very dark film about an office drone and a soap salesman who start a club to help vent male aggression.
In addition to th eability to see the film in High Definition, and it looks great by the way, the superb 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION Blu-ray for FIGHT CLUB also features some new Special Features as well.
If you have never seen thsi film, and you don't mind dark, violent movies, then you should see it.
Just don't tell anyone.
Okay, I'm moving on...let me tell you about five releases now that came out while I was away, that you might be curious about...and we'll start with CBC's Own, Mr. Don Cherry!
DON CHERRY's ROCK EM SOCK EM HOCKEY NUMBER 21 features all the best action, hits, goals, saves and bloopers from the 2008-2009 NHL season.
It also features the best of last year's Coach's Corner - a feature that you can see each and every Saturday Night during Hockey Night In Canada on CBC Television.
If you like Don Cherry and hockey then this one is a must see!
If you like comedy that is almost over the edge, but not quite....comedy that pushes the envelope as far as it can go...humour that actually makes you uncomfortable at times, then this next release is a must see for you.
The folks who gave us BORAT back in 2006 are now back with another one of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's characters from DA ALI G SHOW, folks...meet Bruno.
The film is about a flamboyant Austrian fashionista who takes his show to America, and it has some laughs.
No, BRUNO isn't as consistantly funny as BORAT, and the character's open sexuality may turn some people off, but when this film is funny, it is one of the funniest of the year.
I liked it, I laughed, and I mildly recommend it.
THE UGLY TRUTH is the next release, and the ugly truth about this romantic comedy is that it doesn't feature characters or lovers you can root for. It is a mildly enjoyable film at times, but it never seems to strive to be anything more than mediocre...and so that is all it really is.
THE UGLY TRUTH stars Katherine Heigl from GREY'S ANATOMY and Gerard Butler of 300. She is a lonely morning show producer who is forced to work with a chauvinistic correspondent to improve ratings.
He also tries to help her find love...and since it is a romantic comedy, you'll be able to see how it ends a mile away.
Like I said, it doesn't strive for much, and I'll never sit through THE UGLY TRUTH again, but I didn't mind it.
IN THE LOOP is the name of the film I have next, and this is a small British film about a US President and UK Prime Minister who want a war, but not everyone on their staffs agree that war is a good thing.
IN THE LOOP is a movie that is funny, politically in tune, very smart, interesting and full of pop culture references. I admit, I thought it would be better than it was, but it was still very good.
If you are looking for a smaller film to watch this weekend, get IN THE LOOP.
I have a cinematic classic to conclude this week's Report...that one is next. Right now G.I. JOE - THE RISE OF COBRA.
I won't pull punches here, this G.I. JOE movie is not great...in truth, it is pretty bad and some of the special effects look like they were done by rank amateurs...however, the cast tries hard, some of the effects are not bad, and even though I didn't like it and couldn't with a clear conscience tell anyone to go and see it...G.I. JOE - THE RISE OF COBRA might entertain you if you expect absolutely nothing from an action movie about an elite military unit that takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.
I know I was entertained at times...G.I. JOE - THE RISE OF COBRA is okay.
Okay, so I mentioned the cinematic classic that I had to conclude this week's Report...well, here it is!
In August of 1959 a movie was released about a hapless New York advertising executive who was mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock NORTH BY NORTHWEST stars Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint and it is a classic in every sense of the word.
The new 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of NORTH BY NORTHWEST brings the film to High Definition for the first time, and includes a wealth of special features, along with a 44-page book. It is available now on Blu-ray along with the 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of the great film FIGHT CLUB.
G.I. JOE - THE RISE OF COBRA, IN THE LOOP, THE UGLY TRUTH, BRUNO, FOUR CHRISTMASES, FUNNY PEOPLE and ANGELS & DEMONS are all available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
And DON CHERRY - ROCK EM SOCK EM HOCKEY NUMBER 21 is available now only on DVD.
And don't miss Coach's Corner tonight, on CBC Television's Hockey Night In Canada!!
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In HUMPDAY two guys take their bromance to another level, the 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION of THE ROCKET allows us to once again celebrate the great Maurice Richard.
Also next week, MY EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE and THE LIMITS OF CONTROL.
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 next time on The Couch!
Former Doctor Who to play John Lennon
Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston is to play John Lennon in a new BBC drama covering Lennon's life from 1967 to 1971.
Lennon Naked centres on the effect on Lennon of the death of the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, and the impact of re-establishing contact with his long-lost father Freddie. It also covers the period of his life when he breaks up with first wife Cynthia Lennon and meets Yoko Ono, to be played by Naoko Mori.
The 90-minute drama is scheduled to air on BBC 4, one of four channels run by Britain's public broadcaster, next year. It is currently being filmed in London.
Eccleston starred in Danny Boyle's 1994 film Shallow Grave and served a single season in the role of Doctor Who in the BBC revival of the show in 2005. He later appeared in NBC sci-fi show Heroes and Hollywood film GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra.
New holiday albums abound this season
From the standards to more contemporary collections, store displays are filled with new or revamped holiday-themed releases this year, including albums by Straight No Chaser and A Fine Frenzy, along with a series of various collections that feature artists like Colbie Caillat, Weezer and Collective Soul.
Here is a quick look at some of the releases, with links below to previous coverage of acts like Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and Sting.
Various artists - "A Very Special Christmas Volume 7" (Universal Music Enterprises)
While recording "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Colbie Caillat's contribution to "A Very Special Christmas Volume 7," the singer/songwriter dolled up her studio to get in the mood.
"It was really funny," Caillat said. "We were in LA. I was wearing sandals and a dress. It was hot outside. I had a Santa hat on. We had Christmas decorations everywhere."
She recorded it with her longtime producer, Ken Caillat, who doubles as her father. "We had all the same musicians that are in my band on the song. My two best friends came and did background vocals. I think the song sounds beautiful."
Set for release Nov. 23, "A Very Special Christmas Vol. 7" benefits the Special Olympics, and features original recordings of new and traditional Christmas songs that each artist selected for the album. In addition to Caillat, acts featured on the album include the Carter Twins, Charice, Miley Cyrus, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso, Kellie Pickler, Ashley Tisdale and Carrie Underwood.
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A Fine Frenzy "Oh, Blue Christmas" (Capitol Records)
This Target and iTunes exclusive explores the feelings that A Fine Frenzy frontwoman Alison Sudol had following a breakup earlier this year.
"The whole EP is a post-breakup Christmas album," Sudol said. "It's not like your typical sugar and spice, sugarplums record. There's a lot of melancholy going on."
The collection contains three holiday classics ("Blue Christmas," "Winter Wonderland" and "Christmas Time is Here," from "Charlie Brown Christmas") alongside three seasonal Sudol originals ("Redribbon Foxes," "Winter White" and "Wish You Well").
"It was really fun," Sudol said. "At first, it was really challenging. I actually started trying to write Christmas songs like a year or so ago as an exercise. It's different because a Christmas song, you want to get a bit of nostalgia and embody the feelings of the music, but you also don't want it to be cheesy. I wanted to focus on, 'What do I go through in the holidays? And what do I feel and what do I notice?'
"It seems to me, personally, that the things that are great during Christmastime are magnified. Like, everything is that much better. Everything is magical and spectacular. The things that are wrong or sad are just so much more wrong or sad. That's where I was just trying to approach this album. Family stuff and break-up things and sort of struggling with materialism of Christmas versus what it's supposed to be like."
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Straight No Chaser "Christmas Cheer" (ATCO/Atlantic)
"Christmas Cheer," by the a cappella group Straight No Chaser, is the companion piece to last year's "Holiday Spirits," according to member Randy Stine.
"We did an album last year that was a little more the nice, relaxing holiday music," Stine said. "Maybe you'd have it on in the background opening gifts in the morning. This album is a little bit more of the Christmas party, I'd say. It's a little more up tempo, a little more tongue-in-cheek, a little more humor involved."
Recorded in July and August, the collection features a selection of holiday-themed classics, reworked in the group's style. The compilation is led by the new single "The Christmas Can-Can" and also features a studio version of the YouTube hit "The 12 Days of Christmas." "Who Spiked The Eggnog" came about from their "goofy sense of humor," Stine said.
"I think we wanted to have something a little bit different than last year's, so we'd have two contrasting albums rather than just putting out two things back to back that could have been a double disc or something like that," Stine said. "We wanted to make sure they both had their own unique feel to them."
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Various Artists "JDRF's Hope for the Holidays" (United States Distribution)
Creedence Clearwater Revisited bassist Stu Cook is flattered to share space on this album with the likes of Weezer, Collective Soul and The Beach Boys on "JDRF's Hope for the Holidays" collection, for which the band recorded Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run." The album benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
"This is something else isn't it?" Cook said. "It's a great release. Weezer's got a brand new album out. It's cool. We're on an album with these guys. The Creedence phenomena reaches across at least three generations, anyhow. To actually be on an album with a pretty mainstream band that has a much younger core audience is exciting.
"We had a fun time putting that together," Cook added, speaking about his band's rendition of "Run Rudolph Run." "It's one of Chuck Berry's classic songs and we thought we'd put our spin on it."
CCR was on tour in Ontario, Canada, in late July when it headed in the studio to record the song, which the band rehearsed for a month.
"We had two nights in the same location, so, usually, when we're in the same places for two nights, we don't do a soundcheck unless necessary on the second day," Cook said. "We took the opportunity to do a recording session. Everything was set up to play the concert that night. We went in in the afternoon and played the song a few times and recorded it live."
For more information, visit HolidayHope.net.
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Various Artists "We Wish You A Metal Xmas" (digital only EP) (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Anvil singer/guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow calls the recording process for "Frosty the Snowman," from the digital EP "We Wish You a Metal Xmas," "magical."
"While we were in the studio, I did a Jewish version, which had them rolling in their seats," said Kudlow, who is Jewish. "Man, they were dying. It was so funny."
The four-song, holiday EP, set for release on Nov. 24, also features appearances by Doro Pesch and Michael Schenker on "O Christmas Tree," Whitesnake's Doug Aldrich and DevilDriver's Dez Fafara on "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer," and Girlschool on "Auld Lang Syne," as well as other notable metal talent.
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Joey+Rory "It's Christmas Time" (single) (Columbia)
Husband/wife duo Joey+Rory are offering their take on holiday traditions with their poignant single "It's Christmas Time," proceeds from which will benefit their local affiliate of Feeding America, The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
"It's Christmas Time" was tune written during a stay at Joey's family farmhouse in Indiana.
"Just sitting in the house where Joey grew up made me think about all the Christmases she spent there," Rory explained. "All the trees they picked out and decorated, all the gifts wrapped while the kids tried to sneak downstairs, all the Christmas dinners cooked and the last-minute guests who showed up at their door. I woke up early in the morning before anyone else, pulled out my guitar and wrote the song with all that in mind." The single was produced by bluegrass legend Carl Jackson, who also produced the duo's debut album.
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More New Holiday Releases:
Tori Amos, "Midwinter Graces" (Universal Republic)
David Archuleta, "Christmas From the Heart" (Jive)
David Arkenstone, "Christmas Lounge" (Green Hill)
David Bazan, "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (Suicide Squeeze Records)
The Beach Boys, "Christmas Harmonies" (Capitol)
Blackmore's Night, "Winter Carols" (MVD Entertainment Group)
Andrea Bocelli, "My Christmas" (Philips)
The Boxmasters, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (single) (Vanguard Records)
Ray Charles, "The Spirit of Christmas" (Concord)
Alexis Cole, "The Greatest Gift: Songs of the Season" (Motema Music)
Nat King Cole, "The Christmas Song" (Capitol)
Charlie Daniels Band, "Joy to the World: A Bluegrass Christmas" (E1 Entertainment)
Neil Diamond, "Cherry, Cherry Christmas" (Columbia)
Jerry Douglas, "Jerry Christmas!" (E1 Music)
Bob Dylan, "Christmas in the Heart" (Columbia)
Orla Fallon, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (single) (Elevation)
Family Force 5, "The Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant" (Transparent Media Group/EMI)
The Front Porch Country Band, "Christmas Once Upon a Time" (USAgency Entertainment)
Lee Greenwood, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (Ronnie Gilley Entertainment)
Rob Halford, "Halford III--Winter Songs" (Metal God)
The Hives and Cyndi Lauper, "A Christmas Duel" (No Fun AB)
House of Heroes, "House of Heroes Presents Christmas Classics" (Gotee)
Barry Manilow, "In The Swing of Christmas" (Arista)
Olivia Newton-John, "Christmas Wish" (EMI Canada)
The Mama Doni Band, "Chanukah Fever" (Mama Doni Productions)
Glenn Mohr Chorale, "A Star Still Shines" (Spencertown Records)
Kermit Ruffins, "Have a Crazy Cool Christmas" (Basin Street Records)
REO Speedwagon, "Not So Silent Night" (Sony Music Entertainment)
Frank Sinatra and Friends, "Christmas With Sinatra and Friends" (Concord)
Soundtrack, "A Christmas Story: Music From the Motion Picture" (TCM Music/Rhino)
Soundtrack, "Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas" (Denon Records)
Ronnie Spector, "It's Christmas Once Again" (single) (Bad Girls Sounds / RED)
Carolyn Stills, "George Bailey" (single) (Avatar Records)
Sting, "If On a Winter's Night" (Deutsche Grammophon)
Sugarland, "Gold and Green" (Mercury Records)
Connie Talbot, "Holiday Magic" (AAO Music/Reality)
The Song Trust, "Merry Kidsmas" (Giantslayer Records/S1 Songs/Welk Music Group)
Various artists, "A Blackheart Christmas" (Available on vinyl for the first time)
(Blackheart Records)
Various artists, "A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector" (remastered) (Legacy)
Various artists, "A Hollywood Christmas" (Time Life)
Various artists, "Gift Wrapped: 20 Songs That Keep On Giving" (Warner Bros.)
Various artists, "Now That's What I Call A Country Christmas" (Legacy)
Various artists, "Time Life's Treasury of Christmas: Traditions" (Time Life)
Various artists, "Voices: A Gospel Choir Christmas" (Time Life)
"District 9" no alien to Oscar buzz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In a year full of surprise hits without stars, "District 9" stands out as an even more unlikely box office champion than the crowd-pleasing comedy "The Hangover" or the supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity."
The low budget production (it cost an estimated $30 million) with a cast of unknowns directed by another unknown (Neill Blomkamp) bucked conventional Hollywood wisdom by proudly wearing its message on its alien sleeve and slyly combining an apartheid allegory with a good dose of action.
The result? "District 9," which boasted the guiding hand of "Lord of the Rings"' Peter Jackson as producer, cleaned up at the box office, raking in over $200 million globally.
Even more impressively, the film, featuring a non-actor -- South African Sharlto Copley -- in the lead, also became one of best-reviewed releases of the year.
"That was the real surprise, the great critical reception we got," Copley, 35, told Reuters. "I'd anticipated that people would find all kinds of holes (in the plot) and problems with my performance, but I think critics overlooked a lot of things simply because it's such a fresh film."
"District 9" combines familiar commercial elements like aliens and violence with a new setting, some sharp political subtext and a character - Copley's nerdy bureaucrat Wikus -- that is unexpected in a genre piece.
Copley plays a South African official in charge of relocating some 2 million extra-terrestrials from a shanty town in Johannesburg but who ends up being hunted by his own employers.
"I made the film for me, which is the only way I think you can make a film as a director," said Johannesburg-born Blomkamp. "It's the only yardstick you have, and I thought it would appeal to a small core of diehard sci-fi fans, so all the mainstream critical praise just caught me off guard."
OSCAR CHANCES
So what chance does "District 9" have of breaking through at this year's Oscars now that the best picture category has been increased from 5 to 10 nominees?
"Everyone is very curious as to how it's going to play out," said Leonard Maltin, film critic for the TV show "Entertainment Tonight".
"It's one of the best-reviewed films of the year, and for good reason. It's one of the most original films of this, or any, year, and I think it's worthy."
Historically, the Oscars have recognized fantasy and science fiction genre films in every category but the big one, Maltin said. "So maybe this is the year."
Blomkamp, 30, said he would be shocked if it got a best picture Oscar nomination "but I think Sharlto deserves a (best actor) nomination, though I don't know how realistic that is."
Whatever happens at awards time, Copley and Blomkamp are already being wooed by Hollywood.
"My career's changed overnight," admits Copley who's currently shooting "The A-Team," a hard-core action version of the campy 1980s TV show that co-stars Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper.
"It was my favorite show as a kid, and now I'm playing Murdock, so it's a dream come true. And it all happened because of "District 9." One of the producers saw it and then went after me for the role."
But while Copley is happily meeting directors, studio executives and weighing up 20 new scripts, Blomkamp sounds more reserved.
"I'm a bit more of an anomaly. 'District 9's success has allowed me to go back to what I really want to do, which is to be in a powerful creative position where I can't be messed with too much," he said.
"But I'm not Peter Jackson or Jim Cameron, so I can't be at that level of creativity with a $200 million budget -- but I can certainly have it with a budget even slightly higher than "District 9", and that's my goal."
Blomkamp has already signed on to do his next film - "another sci-fi idea which is very much mine, and which I'm busy writing, and which I can keep control over," he adds.
"So Hollywood has come knocking, but I'm not opening the door the whole way."
Police chief: Woods' wife helped after accident
Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said his wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and help get the world's No. 1 golfer out of the SUV.
Woods was treated and released from a hospital in good condition, his spokesman said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods' vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor's yard as he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.
Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press that officers found the 33-year-old PGA star laying in the street with his wife, Elin, hovering over him.
She told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and "came out and broke the back window with a golf club."
Woods had lacerations to his upper and lower lips, and he had blood in his mouth, Saylor said.
The chief said Woods was in and out of consciousness when his two officers arrived. He said the officers held Woods to the ground and "when he woke up, he tried to get up and lost consciousness."
He said officers treated Woods for 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods was alone in his 2009 Cadillac when he pulled out of his driveway from his mansion at Isleworth, a gated waterfront community just outside Orlando.
The patrol reported Woods' injuries as serious, although Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan issued a statement that Woods was treated and released.
The patrol said alcohol was not involved, although the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed.
Left unanswered was where Woods was going at that hour. Greenspan and agent Mark Steinberg said there would be no comment beyond the short statement of the accident on Woods' Web site.
Woods, coming off a two-week trip to China and Australia earlier this month, is host of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which starts Thursday. He is scheduled to have his press conference Tuesday afternoon at Sherwood Country Club. Steinberg said he did not know if Woods planned to play next week.
The accident report was not released until nearly 12 hours after Woods was injured. Patrol spokesman Kim Montes said the accident did not meet the criteria of a serious crash, and the FHP only put out a press release because of inquiries from local media.
Montes said the patrol reports injuries as serious if they require more than minor medical attention.
Air bags in the SUV did not deploy.
Investigators still have not had a chance to speak to Woods, but when they do, "we will ask him everything," Montes said. "We just haven't had a chance to do so because he was being medically treated."
Montes said charges could be filed if there was a clear traffic violation, although troopers still do not know what caused Woods' SUV to hit the hydrant and the tree.
Woods' $2.4 million home is part of an exclusive subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that an orange and white barricade sat on top of a hole in front of Woods' home. About 10 feet away, there was a tire track near an oak tree in his neighbor's yard. The tree had a few scuff marks but was largely unscathed.
Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game last Saturday, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.
He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.