DISH Network Reports Fourth Quarter 2007 Financial Results

February 26th, 2008
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 26, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq:DISH), formerly EchoStar Communications Corporation, reported total revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007, a 12 percent increase compared with $2.58 billion for the corresponding period in 2006.

Colin Farrell Says His Son Is Exactly the Way He Should Be

February 26th, 2008

Colin Farrell and sonColin Farrell says he’s thankful for the early diagnosis of his 4-year-old son’s neuro-genetic disorder and for the vast joy his “little fella” experiences.

“He’s nothing but a gift,” Farrell, 31, said about son James on the Irish interview show Tubridy Tonight. With paternal pride he said: “As far as I’m concerned he’s exactly the way he should be.”

Though he was on TV to promote his latest movie, In Bruges, Farrell addressed the topic of James, whose Angelman Syndrome was revealed publicly last year.

“Angelman’s is a neuro-genetic disorder,” he explained. “The 15th chromosome is dormant. It affects their fine motor skills. They say that one in 30,000 children is affected by it.”

According to his father, before James had celebrated his first birthday, he was showing signs of illness, which led to an early diagnosis for the boy.

Early Intervention
“I’ve been very lucky that it was early because he started having seizures at about eight or nine months,” said Farrell. Initially doctors thought James had cerebral palsy but soon he was diagnosed correctly and “we got early intervention,” said the Irish actor.

The genetic disorder, which can impair speech, movement and balance meant that James walked his first few steps last fall, when he was 4. “It’s just different,” said the actor. “It’s not different to me. He has his own path. He’s just brilliant.”

Farrell shares custody of his son with the boy’s mother, model Kim Bordenave. He said he decided to go public about his son’s health after people started asking questions about his involvement with the Special Olympics.

“I didn’t talk about my son [but] I felt like I was betraying him, like it could be misconstrued as shame, which would be terrible, because he’s such a celebration,” says Farrell.

Questioning the concept of “normal,” Farrell says his son is happier than so many people in the world. “I look around and I see people who move perfectly, who walk with grace, who speak with great diction and clarity and a great use of the English language and we’re all miserable f—ers – including me, at times.

“And then I see this fella who doesn’t move the way what’s perceived to be ‘normal’ is, and he’s as happy as can be.”


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Blu-ray Review: Mr. Woodcock

February 26th, 2008

A dull, misguided comedy with a few light laughs.
Mr. Woodcock commits the cardinal sin for comedies. It’s just not funny. While it offers laughs, they’re spaced erratically and not worth the payoff. The goofy slapstick and Billy Bob Thornton’s character are mildly amusing, but the rest of this film from director Craig Gillespie falls flat.Thornton plays the abusive gym teacher…

TV Review: Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles

February 26th, 2008

Rowdy robots and time-travel shenanigans. Paradox anyone? Or maybe some aspirin?
I love time travel stories, even though they generally drive me nuts. The first Terminator movie made fictional sense: something bad came out of the future and this future could not be avoided because – in a sense – it had already happened. When they apparently DID avoid this future at the end of the second movie, the logical thing to happen would…

1. Vantage Point – $22.9M

February 26th, 2008
Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton at a landmark summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Spain, chaos ensues and disparate lives collide in the hunt for the assassin. In the crowd is Howard Lewis, an American tourist who thinks he's captured the shooter on his camcorder while videotaping the event for his kids back home. Also there is American TV news producer Rex Brooks, relaying the historic event to millions of TV viewers across the globe. As they and others reveal their stories, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place - and it will become apparent that shocking motivations lurk just beneath the surface.

2. The Spiderwick Chronicles – $13.1M

February 26th, 2008
Based on the bestselling series of children's fantasy novels of the same name by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES follows the adventures of the Grace family, newly transplanted from New York City to an inherited home in the remote New England woods. Angry with his mother (Mary-Louise Parker) about the move, the sulky Jared (Freddie Highmore) begin to explore the strange old house, and discovers a magical tome written by his great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Soon Jared and his twin brother, Simon (also played by Highmore with the aid of seamless special effects), are drawn into a realm of goblins, boggarts, and ogres--a reality that coexists with the human world. By the time the boys' older sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), is in on their secret, the siblings are steeped in a conflict with the evil shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who will stop at nothing to get Spiderwick's book. Directed by Mark Waters (THE HOUSE OF YES, MEAN GIRLS) and scripted in part by lauded filmmaker John Sayles (THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH), SPIDERWICK succeeds as an engaging kid-oriented movie that also offers up genuine thrills and chills for adults. Highmore and Bolger impressively mask their British and Irish accents, respectively, and display a convincing brother/sister bond, while Martin Short and Seth Rogen provide comic relief as the voices of unlikely CGI allies. Intentionally smaller in scope than other like-minded literary adaptations such as THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and THE GOLDEN COMPASS, SPIDERWICK is rooted in a beautifully earthy, antique aesthetic that provides the perfect setting for its likable protagonists and bizarre-yet-naturalistic creatures.

3. Jumper – $12.7M

February 26th, 2008
A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them.

4. Step Up 2 the Streets – $9.6M

February 26th, 2008
Andie is a newcomer at the Maryland School of the Arts, and her bad girl streak and street style threaten to keep her from finding her place. But she pairs up with the popular Chase, and they find a group of students to dance in a secret competition that suits Andie's talents.

5. Fool’s Gold – $6.6M

February 26th, 2008
Having proven themselves a magnetic pair in 2003?s HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey team up once again as two fun-loving, bickering exes in this action-packed, violent, and sexy treasure hunt. Part romantic comedy, part deep-sea diving adventure, FOOL?S GOLD is set in the beautiful seas and sunny shores of Key West, where Tess (Hudson) and Finn (McConaughey) are set to meet for divorce proceedings. Fed up with Finn?s money-squandering lifestyle, Tess can't wait to be rid of him so she can return to the academic pursuits she abandoned seven years earlier, when the two lovebirds embarked on a romantic globe-spanning hunt for rumored treasure. But as fate would have it, Tess just happens to work aboard a yacht owned by Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), the same rich man Finn has his sights on as a prospective benefactor for his latest diving debacle. Suspecting this, Tess encourages Nigel to sail off as soon as the divorce papers are in her hands, but their departure is delayed when Nigel's spoiled heiress daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), arrives. Using his sex appeal and daredevil charm, Finn maneuvers his way aboard the ship and into Gemma's heart, not even knowing that Tess, whom he hopes to win back, is also on deck. Once the secret is out, the two must decide whether to part ways or to use a fresh clue to find the treasure they've been seeking for a decade. With Gemma's youthful naiveté, Nigel's aging wisdom, death threats from some villain gangster rappers, treasure hunting competition, and lots of sexual chemistry driving them, the two succumb to the spontaneity that runs through their blood and go for the gold in more ways than one. FOOL'S GOLD boasts lively performances from a solid cast that brings the film's clever, quick humor to life.

6. Definitely, Maybe – $5.2M

February 26th, 2008
Ryan Reynolds and a bevy of excellent actresses star in this smart and touching romantic comedy about a little girl trying to understand her father's complicated history with women. Will Hayes (Reynolds) is in the midst of a divorce, and his 11-year-old daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) wants to understand what went wrong with her parents' relationship. She begs her father to tell her the entire story of how he met her mother. Will begrudgingly agrees, but changes the names of everyone involved, leaving it up to Maya to decipher who in the story is her mother. Thus Will begins his tale, weaving a romantic and amusing maze of missed connections and bad timing with the likes of three beautiful women: Summer (Rachel Weisz), April (Isla Fisher), and Emily (Elizabeth Banks). Will bounces from relationship to relationship, misunderstandings and confusion thwarting him every step of the way. Who will he end up with? Which woman is ultimately right for him? The film keeps Maya and the viewer guessing right until the very end, with a bittersweet but ultimately triumphant surprise twist tying it all together. Reynolds has long outgrown his VAN WILDER days, and does an excellent job of holding his own with the talented Fisher, Weisz, and Banks. The film is certainly a stand-out from the current crop of romantic comedies, in that the women are intelligent, well-drawn characters, and the relationships are painted with a funny, but realistic eye. And blessedly, it doesn't end with the standard blowout wedding that has become the hallmark of such films. DEFINITELY, MAYBE is a smart and sexy take on the complexities of love, and still manages to be kid friendly, while sending a very positive, honest message to children of divorce.