Trailer Watch: Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow is about two kids who set out to remake Rambo: First Blood after seeing a bootleg version of the movie. It is the second feature film from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy director Garth Jennings.



Rambow first premiered at last year's (2007) Sundance where it was a big hit and garnered critical acclaim. It became the big buy of Sundance when Paramount Vantage purchased it for $7 Mil.

I have been very impressed with Paramount Vantage. Since branching off from Paramount Classics in 2006 it has put out an impressive list of titles including Babel, Black Snake Moan, Into the Wild, and two of this years front runners for Best Picture No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Vantage, which is the "art house" division of Paramount Pictures earned 19 Oscar nominations this year. It created some buzz at this year's Sundance when it purchased the rights to the film American Teen.

Son of Rambow hits theaters May 2008.

Back Tomorrow

Haters will be back tomorrow...Until then enjoy this video.

G.I. Joe Casting News

Another role has been cast in Hollywood's latest attempt to recreate my childhood. Dennis Quaid has signed on to play General Hawk, the leader of the G.I. Joe team, in the live action G.I. Joe film.

The rest of the G.I. Joe cast:

Dennis Quaid as General Hawk

Channing Tatum as Duke Hauser

Marlon Wayans as Ripcord

Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow

Ray Park as Snake Eyes

Adebisi as Heavy Duty

Rachel Nichols as Scarlette

Sienna Miller as The Baroness

I notice there is no one listed yet for the roles of Cobra Commander or Destro, characters that are essential. There were rumors going around that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the kid from Third Rock from the Sun) was in talks to be in the movie; he would actually make an interesting Cobra Commander.

OK I'll stop nerding out now. Carry on.

Box Office Recap: WTF!?!?!

In what has to be one of the worst box office weekends of all time, the #1 slot went to...*drum roll*...Meet the Spartans with a gross of $18.7M.


That's right ladies and gentlemen a movie starring Carmen fucking Electra is #1 in the box office. Meet the Spartans is another in a line of spoof movies done by the dynamic duo of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the knuckleheads responsible for such greats as Epic Movie, Date Movie, and the worst parts of the Scary Movie franchise. This time they set their sites on 300 (and movies like it).

Other than Boobs McWhoreface the next most famous people in this cinematic travesty are Kevin Sorbo and Diedrich Bader. Fucking Hercules and the dude from The Drew Carey Show NOT funny enough to be on Whose Line people! How the hell does something like this happen? I realize the choices at the theaters are about as bad as any of the candidates for either party in the Presidential Primaries, but wasn't there a better option than going to see fucking Meet the Spartans like reading a book, or going outdoors, or ritual suicide?

Does this mean the Cloverfield hype is officially done? If it couldn't beat out fucking Meet the Spartans in only its second week of release, it has to be considered a failure in some respect...right?

Classy

If you head over to TheDarkKnight.com, the official site of the new Batman movie, you will see that Warner Bros. has replaced the existing site with this page.

A classy move.

Quick Hits - They Spent How Much On What Now?!?!? Edition

Dancin' at Sundance
Going into this year's Sundance Film Festival there was three movies getting a lot of hype; Mysteries of Pittsburgh starring Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, and Peter Sarsgaard. Mysteries is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Michael Chabon of the same name...Choke, the story of a sex addicted con-man (played by Sam Rockwell), is based on a book by Fight Club author, Chuck Palahniuk...and The Wackness, but that buzz is mostly because Sir Ben Kingsley makes out with one of the Olsen Twins in the film. The spotlight however was stolen when it was announced that Focus Features purchased Hamlet 2 for a whopping $10 Million. According to it's IMDb page, Hamlet 2 is about a high school drama teacher who tries to motivate his students and save the department by writing a sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Did Focus Features lose a bet or something?

Sam Mendes takes on the American Family...Again
In 1999 Sam Mendes directed American Beauty, a drama filled with dark humor that examined the lives of a suburban American family. The film won 5 Oscars including Best Director for Mendes and Best Picture. Now, Mendes is ready to take on the American Family again, this time in a comedy. The un-titled feature, written by Dave Eggers, follows a pregnant couple as they travel across America looking for a place to settle down. Now here is the cool part; The Office's John Krasinki and SNL star Maya Rudolph are rumored to be attached. The film is being co-produced by the same folks who did Little Miss Sunshine, so there seems to be a lot of potential.


Is She a Terror Target or Terror Threat?
A 16 year old kid was arrested in Tennessee after is was discovered the teen was hellbent on hijacking a plane and flying it into a Hanna Montana concert.

The 16-year-old boy was removed from Southwest Airlines Flight 284 Tuesday night by authorities at Nashville International Airport and found with… handcuffs, rope and duct tape in his bag. It has not been determined if the boy was trying to crash the plane… into a “Hannah Montana” concert in Lafayette, Louisiana. The teen is believed to be suicidal.

Bolds said the teen was calm throughout the flight and never made an attempt to hijack the plane but told the FBI after he was apprehended about his original plans to commandeer the aircraft. Authorities searched the teen’s home in California and found a mock cockpit.

“His plan had a low probability of success,” [FBI spokesman] George Bold said.

If his target was Britney Spears I say let him go and give him a medal. Maybe a parade in the Canyon of Heroes.

New James Bond Film Title Announced
The Quantum of Solace...Whaaat?

Rambo hits theaters today!

Trailer Watch: Defiance

Edward Zwick is on the short list of my favorite directors. He made his directorial debut in 1986 with About Last Night, the dramedy starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. His big break came 3 years later when he directed the Civil War epic Glory, one of my all time favorite films. His last two features, Blood Diamond & The Last Samurai, were beautiful, engaging, and intense action dramas. Each received multiple Oscar nominations. Zwick’s newest film is Defiance and it stars Daniel Craig (James Bond), Live Schreiber, and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot). It is the story of three Jewish brothers who escape Nazi occupied Poland into the forests of Belarus and join up with Russian freedom fighters.

If you are going to see any WWII epic this year (and there are a few to choose from) this is the one to see. It looks incredible.

Defiance is set for release later this year.

Bonus Clip:

The first teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek was released in theaters this past weekend in front of Cloverfield. Check it out here.

Slow Day

It's a slow news day as I think most people are probably too shocked/absorbed by the death of Heath Ledger.

A few updates:

• Police have denied reports that pills were "strewn" across the room in which Ledger was found. They did however confirm that there were various bottles of prescription and non-prescription sleeping pills including the popular Ambien. Many of the prescription sleep aides warn against use with certain respiratory conditions and there were reports that Ledger had pneumonia which could cause said respiratory conditions.
  

• There are unconfirmed reports that tests on a $20 bill confiscated by the police from the apartment turned up traces of narcotics. The same report claims "drug baggies" were also taken from the apartment.
  

• The autopsy came back inconclusive pending results of the toxicology tests. These test results normally take a few days to come back. Although suicide has not been ruled out it is highly unlikely. Chances are his death will be ruled as "accidental".

Accident? What did he trip and fall onto a pile of pills and accidentally ingested them? Too soon?

There has obviously been a lot of statements made in tribute to Heath as the entertainment community reacts to his death. The nicest sentiment however came from Larry Williams, the father of his ex-fiance Michelle Williams.

“I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent. My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family. The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved
dearly.”

Heath Ledger Dead!

Heath Ledger is dead. NY Times reports:

The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities.

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Officials said pills were found near the body.

A Knights Tale is one of the my all time favorite "guilty pleasure" movies, I've been a Heath Ledger fan ever since. Sad.

How is that someone like him dies and Britney Spears is allowed to live?

I'll keep you posted as the story progresses.

Maybe Next Time She Will Listen

I'll give Madge credit, at least it appears she doesn't need to be told twice.

Photo from The Daily Mail

Oscar Nominations Announced

The Oscar Nominations were announced this morning. Only one major shocker with Keira Knightley getting the shaft in the Best Actress section. I just hope the Academy bought her dinner first. No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood both led the way with 8 noms apiece. I will of course make my picks before the Feb 24th telecast and of course be wrong with almost all of them. Performance by an actor in a leading role
	George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
	Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
	Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
	Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
	Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
	Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
	Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
	Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
	Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
	Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
	Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
	Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
	Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
	Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
	Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
	Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
	Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
	Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
	Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
	Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Best animated feature film of the year
	“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Brad Bird
	“Surf's Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Achievement in art direction
	“American Gangster” (Universal) Art Direction: Arthur Max Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
	“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Art Direction: Dennis Gassner Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
	“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Art Direction: Dante Ferretti Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Art Direction: Jack Fisk Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Achievement in cinematography
	“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.) Roger Deakins
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Seamus McGarvey
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Janusz Kaminski
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roger Deakins
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Robert Elswit
Achievement in costume design
	“Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
	“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
	“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
	“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood
Achievement in directing
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Julian Schnabel
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Jason Reitman
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Tony Gilroy
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Paul Thomas Anderson
Best documentary feature
	“No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
	“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production Richard E. Robbins
	“Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara
	“Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
	“War/Dance” (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine
Best documentary short subject
	“Freeheld” A Lieutenant Films Production Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
	“La Corona (The Crown)” A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
	“Salim Baba” A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
	“Sari’s Mother” (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production James Longley
Achievement in film editing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Christopher Rouse
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Juliette Welfling
	“Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment) Jay Cassidy
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Dylan Tichenor
Best foreign language film of the year
	“Beaufort” A Metro Communications, Movie Plus Production Israel
	“The Counterfeiters” An Aichholzer Filmproduktion, Magnolia Filmproduktion Production Austria
	“Katyń” An Akson Studio Production Poland
	“Mongol” A Eurasia Film Production Kazakhstan
	“12” A Three T Production Russia
Achievement in makeup
	“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
	“Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount) Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
	“The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
	“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
	“Falling Slowly” from “Once” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
	“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
	“Raise It Up” from “August Rush” (Warner Bros.) Nominees to be determined
	“So Close” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
	“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
Best motion picture of the year
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) A Working Title Production Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers
Best animated short film
	“I Met the Walrus” A Kids & Explosions Production Josh Raskin
	“Madame Tutli-Putli” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
	“Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
	“My Love (Moya Lyubov)” (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov
	“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
Best live action short film
	“At Night” A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
	“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production Andrea Jublin
	“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (Premium Films) A Karé Production Philippe Pollet-Villard
	“Tanghi Argentini” (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
	“The Tonto Woman” A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown
Achievement in sound editing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Matthew Wood
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins
Achievement in sound mixing
	“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
	“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin
Achievement in visual effects
	“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
	“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier
Adapted screenplay
	“Atonement” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
	“Away from Her” (Lionsgate) Written by Sarah Polley
	“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
	“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
	“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
Original screenplay
	“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Diablo Cody
	“Lars and the Real Girl” (MGM) Written by Nancy Oliver
	“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Written by Tony Gilroy
	“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Brad Bird Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
	“The Savages” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Tamara Jenkins

This is Just Weird

Even in 1989 Prince Akeem of Zamunda knew there was no way Laurence Tynes could possibly fuck up 3 times in a row.

Giants are going to the Super Bowl!!!!

Cloverfield Monster "Tears" Up Box Office

Cloverfield was the big winner at the box office this weekend grossing an estimated $41 Million, a new opening weekend record for the month of January. The previous record was $36 Million held by the special edition re-release of Star Wars.

I saw Cloverfield Friday after work and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the movie's first person perspective. Other people in the theater with me did not get it. Some people even booed at the end. I think they were expecting multi camera glamor shots of the monster and more back story, but it just isn't that kind of movie. You are meant to experience the attack the same way the characters are as they go through it. As I told one person, the monster itself isn't as important as the effects of the monster attack (even though it was a pretty bad ass creature).

I don't want to say too much about the movie and ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet, but I will say this. The main characters were hipsters and morons. I was rooting for the monster.

Trailer Watch: Baby Mama

The baby craze in Hollywood continues. Baby Mama is the latest comedy from Austin Powers 2 & 3 scribe Michael McCullers who is making his directorial debut. Baby Mama takes recent pregnancy comedies like Knocked Up (accidental pregnancy) & Juno (accidental teen pregnancy) and puts the shoe on the other foot, with a story of someone actually looking to get pregnant, but can't.

Kate (Tina Fey) is a hard worker who always put her career ahead of her personal life. Now she is 37 and ready to have a baby, but when she finds out she is incapable of getting knocked up she hires immature slacker Angie (Amy Poehler) to be her surrogate. When Angie is preggers she moves in with Kate, hilarity ensues. Think The Odd Couple meets Knocked Up.



I love me some Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Fey is a real deal triple threat. She is the show runner, head writer, and star of 30 Rock. She has really come into her own recently as a fantastic comedic actress. She has won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for her acting on 30 Rock. This is her first lead in a feature.

Baby Mame directed by Michael McCullers and starring Tine Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, and Maury Tierney hits theaters on April 25th.

Crazy

It's a crazy talking to a room full of crazies after accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award in Craziness.

There have actually been a few different videos of Tom talking about Scientology posted on and quickly pulled down from the internet recently. In an effort to understand the whole Scientology thing better (it's all a bit mysterious and confusing) I have tried watching as many of the videos as I could before they got yanked. The problem is that in all of the videos Cruise says absolutley nothing of substance for me to able to glean any information about Scientology. Cruise tends to speak in cliches or broad generalities that don't make him sound smart so much as just a pompous ass. It's the kind of rah-rah bullshit that may get the weak minded going, but anyone with half a brain should be able to stop and say to themselves "wait a minute, nothing he just said means ANYTHING AT ALL".

The Oscars Will Happen No Matter What

The official poster for the 80th Annual Oscars was released yesterday

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) will hold the 80th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony come hell or high water or writers strike.

According to Variety, AMPAS is still planning on holding the traditional awards ceremony on February 24th, but also has plans for an alternative show in the works just in case. Gil Gates, Producer of the Oscar telecast says that when it comes to an alternate show things are being "played by ear." One reported scenario for an alternate show would have the nominees write their own introductions.

The Oscar nominee luncheon will still be held on February 4th. AMPAS President Sid Ganis said he will write his own speech for the event.

There have been questions about this year's Oscars Ceremony ever since the Golden Globes Awards Ceremony was derailed when Dick Clark Productions, the shows producers, was unable to secure a special waiver from the WGA, who vowed to picket any televised gala event. Most of the nominees and A-List talent set to attend the show stated that they would refuse and cross a picket line to attend the event forcing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to cancel the event and instead held a 1-hour press conference style show to announce the winners.

Jon Stewart is set to host the Oscars on Feb. 24th at 8pm est live on ABC.

Scene from Indy 4

Indy: Ah crap! It looks like we took a wrong turn and have ended up on the set of "Legends of the Hidden Temple". Hey kid, go ask Olmec if he has direction back to the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

LaBeouf: A womp bop a looma

Indy: Huh?

LaBeouf: a womp bam boom

Indy: Where's my gun?

A Shining Example

If there was anything to be learned from the Golden Globe Awards Press Conference last night, it was just how dearly important the writers are. Without having any previously written content in front of them the hosts, "Access Hollywood's Billy Bush & Nancy O'Dell, were left to their own devices live in front of a national audience, it was a train wreck. Bush and O'Dell's solution to having no script was witty banter...fail! You can't blame Bush and O'Dell though, they were just doing their jobs. Unfortunately their jobs under normal circumstances only require looking pretty and reading what's on the prompter with proper diction, not improvise and form their own opinions. Their was nothing on the prompters last night other than a queue for the next award. Those guys were working without a net and it was a long way down.

Shows like "The Daily Show" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" can exist in this sort of writerless vacuum because they have lots of very smart people working on the show (outside of the writing staff), but even more because they are hosted by extremely intelligent comedic personalities. Stewart, O'Brien, Leno, etc. all started out as stand-up comedians. They created their own material and went out in front of live audiences and lived or died with their stuff. It's the comic mentality that allows these guys to go out without writers and create a show each night. Those guys are a rare breed. Most performers couldn't do that, they need material to work with and will create a character based on the words on the page. Apart from their own upcoming contract negotiations, I think this is the reason why so many SAG actors have taken up the WGA's fight. They understand their relationship with the writers.

The Golden Globes can certainly be considered a major casualty of this strike. Can the Oscars now survive without Bruce Vilanch and Co. or will they be next?

Even though last night showed us just how valuable writers can be, I don't think the WGA membership is giving each other congratulatory back slaps. They know as well as everyone else that there were no real "winners". NBC lost millions (though no one should cry for them), the nominees lost a chance to be recognized for their work, the public lost a chance to see the glitz and glamor they crave, and Hollywood lost a chance to let loose and have fun in a time a building tensions.

I can tell you who else wasn't a winner last night...me. I only managed to get 4.5 of my predictions correct. I realize now I was playing it safe with some of my picks (Washington and Hanks). I also realize that I shouldn't always believe the hype. Going in to last night, Juno was riding a wave of buzz and unexpected box office success. It didn't translate into gold last night.

Just out of curiosity, was there anything more obnoxious than the video of Nikki Blonski screaming her head off like a whacked out banshee when she heard herself get nominated? Sure, the story of her getting the role of Tracy in the newest version of Hairspray was nice, but enough is enough. It's time for her to move on the Lifetime movies and leave well enough alone.

Golden Globes are Tonight - Sort Of

In honor of the abridged version of the Golden Globes being held tonight here is the official Haters to the Left Abridged Golden Globes Predictions.
Winner predictions in italics.

FILM
MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
"American Gangster" - Imagine Entertainment/Scott Free Productions; Universal Pictures
"Atonement" - Working Title Productions; Focus Features
"Eastern Promises" - Kudos Pictures - Uk Serendipity Point Films - Canada A Uk/Canada Co-Production; Focus Features
"The Great Debaters" - Harpo Films; The Weinstein Company/MGM
"Michael Clayton" - Samuels Media and Castle Rock Entertainment a Mirage Enterprises/Section 8 Production; Warner Bros. Pictures
"No Country For Old Men" - A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production; Miramax/Paramount Vantage
"There Will Be Blood" - A Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production; Paramount Vantage and Miramax Films

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Cate Blanchett - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie - "Away From Her"

Jodie Foster - "The Brave One"
Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart"
Keira Knightley - "Atonement"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
George Clooney - "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "There Will Be Blood"
James McAvoy - "Atonement"
Viggo Mortensen - "Eastern Promises"
Denzel Washington - "American Gangster" (this one doesn't make me happy but I think it's what gonna happen. Day-Lewis SHOULD win)

MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"Across The Universe" - Revolution Studios International; Sony Pictures Releasing
"Charlie Wilson’s War" - Universal Pictures/Relativity Media/Participant Productions/Playtone; Universal Pictures
"Hairspray" - Zadan/Meron Prods./New Line Cinema in association with Ingenious Film Partners; New Line Cinema
"Juno" - Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production; Fox Searchlight Pictures
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Parkes/Mac Donald and Zanuck Company; Warner Bros. Pictures

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams - "Enchanted"
Nikki Blonsky - "Hairspray"
Helena Bonham Carter - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Marion Cotillard - "La Vie en rose"
Ellen Page - "Juno"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Ryan Gosling - "Lars And The Real Girl"
Tom Hanks - "Charlie Wilson’s War" (This one was tough, there are 4 conceivable winners here, Dewey aint one of them)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Savages"
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Cate Blanchett - "I’m Not There"
Julia Roberts - "Charlie Wilson’S War"
Saoirse Ronan - "Atonement"
Amy Ryan - "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton - "Michael Clayton"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Casey Affleck - "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem - "No Country For Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Charlie Wilson’s War"
John Travolta - "Hairspray"
Tom Wilkinson - "Michael Clayton"

DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Tim Burton - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - "No Country For Old Men"
Julian Schnabel - "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly"
Ridley Scott - "American Gangster"
Joe Wright - "Atonement"

TELEVISION

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Big Love" (HBO) - Anima Sola and Playtone Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
"Damages" (Fx Networks) - FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television
"Grey’s Anatomy" (ABC) - ABC Studios
"House" (Fox) - Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios
"Mad Men" (Amc) - Lionsgate Television
"The Tudors" (Showtime) - Showtime/Peace Arch Entertainment/Working Title/Reveille Productions Limited/An Ireland-Canada Co-Production

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Patricia Arquette- "Medium"
Glenn Close - "Damages"
Minnie Driver - "The Riches"
Edie Falco - "The Sopranos"
Sally Field - "Brothers & Sisters"
Holly Hunter - "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie - "House"
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - "The Tudors"
Bill Paxton - "Big Love"

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock" (NBC) - Universal Media Studios In Association With Broadway Video And Little Stranger - Inc.
"Californication" (Showtime) - Showtime Presents In Association With Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then…, Twilight Time Films
"Entourage" (HBO) - Leverage And Closest To The Hole Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment
"Extras" (HBO) - BBC And HBO Entertainment
"Pushing Daisies" (ABC) - Living Dead Guy Productions, The Jinks/Cohen Company in association with Warner Bros. Television

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christina Applegate - "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Anna Friel - "Pushing Daisies"
Mary-Louise Parker - "Weeds"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
David Duchovny - "Californication"
Ricky Gervais - "Extras"
Lee Pace - "Pushing Daisies"

Quick Hits – The Someone Call Andrew McCarthy Edition

(Enter Weekend at Bernie’s joke here)
Two roommates wheeled a third, recently deceased, roommate in an old office chair down to the local check cashing place to try and cash the dead roommate’s social security check. The plan went awry when the dead body, WHICH THEY LEFT UNATTENDED ON THE STREET, started to draw a crowd and a police officer having coffee next door noticed. The pair were arrested and charged with Check Fraud. I expect them to option their story to a studio for mid six figures any day now

White Trash Battle Royal (with cheese!)
Britney Spears’ parents are shocked and appalled about the public statements made by Dr. Phil about their daughter and that he was planning on talking about it ON TV, so in beautifully ironic move they went ON TV to complain about it.
“Hi, we are the Pot family. We have only one thing to say to you Dr. Kettle…you are black!”
What did they expect when they brought the TV doctor in to see their famous train wreck daughter?

American Idle
Katharine McPhee has become the latest in a string of former American Idol contestants to be dropped by their record label, Sony-BMG. Just last week karaoke kingpin and season 5 winner, Taylor Hicks, was dropped from the Sony cavalcade of stars.
McPhee is the third Idol star to bite the dust. 2003 winner Reuben Studdard left recently and is currently recording an album that no one will ever hear.

Worse Idea Than “Legally Blonde: The Musical”
Jean Valjean, The Phantom, Munkustrap, and now Tyler Durden??!?!?! David Fincher wants to bring Fight Club to Broadway in 2009 for the ten year anniversary of the film. Chuck Palahniuk has apparently signed off. David Fincher must have lost his fucking mind.

What About Haim?
For a while now there has been talk of a straight to DVD Lost Boys sequel. Corey Feldman, who somehow weaseled his way into the movie, is convinced there is a chance this thing will have a theatrical release. He wants people to write the studio and tell them to put the movie in theaters. Let’s face it; this thing is going to DVD faster than Major Movie Star.

Isn’t It a Little Early For the Douchebag of the Year Award?
NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman is very upset about the effect the WGA strike had on the NBC broadcast of this year's Golden Globes. He is so upset in fact that he went on Ryan Seacrest’s show, the one true place to be heard, and said the following:

“It feels like the nerdiest, ugliest, meanest kids in the high school are trying to cancel the prom."

God forbid prom gets canceled. Without the prom where would he date rape his young impressionable female prey? Shit, if you and your rich jock buddies weren’t hoarding the prom funds there would be no issues with the prom. Maybe if you kicked just a little over to the nerds you wouldn’t be having these problems. You get what I’m saying Stan Gable? Why the fuck am I still using this retarded metaphor? In response to Silverman’s statements, the WGA plans on picketing outside the NBC lot in full formal attire next Thursday. You can get your “Ben Silverman High School” t-shirts here.

New Movies Opening This Week
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
First Sunday

Have a great weekend!

Trailer Watch: Leatherheads

Leatherheads is a romantic comedy about football set in the 1920’s directed and starring George Clooney and The Office’s John Krasinki. It’s basically the Bull Durham of football.

I have always been very impressed with Clooney as an actor. He has been great in everything from “The Facts of Life” to the Ocean movies (I haven’t seen Michael Clayton, but have heard great things). He, like Krasinki, has a tremendous sense of comedic timing. A skill that has become less valued in Hollywood these days (which explains why Larry the fucking Cable Guy keeps getting work). I have been equally as impressed with his work behind the camera. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was more than enjoyable and Clooney did a tremendous job as director staying true to the Charlie Kaufman script, which is no small task. Good Night, and Good Luck was good enough to earn nominations for every major motion picture award in 2006, including 6 Academy Awards.

Leatherheads was co-written by Rick Rielly, one of the greatest sportswriters of all-time. Rielly spent 23 writing for Sports Illustrated and recently left the magazine to join ESPN. He has won Sportswriter of the Year 11 different times. You know at the very least that the football scenes are going to be good.

Funny story about Rielly; In 2002, during the height of the Sammy Sosa performance enhancing drug rumors, Sosa made a claim that he would “take a drug test if someone offered it to him”. Rielly showed up after a game and offered Sammy a drug test. Sosa responded by yelling and threatening him. Rielly has got a brass set on him, that’s for sure.

Bonus Clip:
Cloverfield…viral marketing…enough said.