 | 10,000 B.C. - Trailer 2A Epic Adventure. It was a time when man and beast were untamed and the mighty mammoth roamed the earth. A time when ideas and beliefs were born that forever shaped mankind. 10,000 B.C. follows a young hunter (Steven Strait) on his quest to lead an army across a vast desert, battling saber tooth tigers and prehistoric predators as he unearths a lost civilization and attempts to rescue the woman he loves (Camilla Belle) from an evil warlord determined to possess her. Directed by: Roland Emmerich Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle |
10,000 B.C. – Trailer 2A
January 7th, 2008Speed Racer – Trailer 1a
January 7th, 2008 | Speed Racer - Trailer 1a Action. Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)-to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Directed by: Larry and Andy Wachowski Starring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox |
Hellboy 2: the Golden Army – Trailer 1
January 7th, 2008 | Hellboy 2: the Golden Army - Trailer 1 With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world’s toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy II: The Golden Army.Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy). After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt.A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures.Now, it’s up to the planet’s toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders.He may be red.He may be horned.He may be misunderstood.But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense—pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann—the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal.And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him. Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss |
Retromercial: Yikes! Pencils
January 6th, 2008
These colorful and wacky pencils made my Trapper Keeper even more bodacious and should totally be brought back!
Runtime: 30 sec
Benazir Bhutto on Parade
January 6th, 2008I’ve pretty much given up on my campaign to mock and/or eliminate Parade Magazine. It’s an embarrassing publication that no self-respecting American newspaper should include, but it’s not worth the time to regularly dissect its inanity. Particularly when it can embarrass itself so well.
This morning’s Parade Magazine (January 6th, 2008) cover article is on Benazir Bhutto — a refreshingly newsworthy subject for the magazine. After all, Bhutto was assassinated on December 27th, and her death has brought new concerns about the future of Pakistan and the region.
However, the cover headline asks an unsettling question: “Is Benazir Bhutto America’s best hope against al-Qaeda?”
Gosh, I hope not. Considering she died ten days ago.
The article by Gail Sheehy was written before the assassination. That’s okay. But the printed version makes no clarification whatsoever about what’s happened in the meantime: in Parade-land, Bhutto is still alive, racing towards the election. She’s our best hope!
Obviously, Parade is printed in advance. From the website: “The assassination of Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto on Dec. 27 occurred after PARADE’s Jan. 6 issue went to press.”
But does Parade really need to be printed ten days in advance? Did the editors spend the last week and a half sitting on their hands, hoping their average reader would be so clueless to world events so as not to notice that the subject of their lead article was gunned down for the world to see? (Sadly, the editors’ gamble may be reasonable.)
The web enables print media to amend and expand their reporting, which Parade did to some degree. From the site: “After her assassination, PARADE immediately posted the entire interview online,” which is a great start, but then, “and Sheehy appeared on network and cable TV news shows to discuss her face-to-face conversations with Bhutto.”
So you put your journalist on television to talk about the interview, but then declined to frame the article in context for your publication?
I’ve worked in media enough to know that nothing is impossible. They could have fixed the cover. They could have added an introductory paragraph pointing readers to the web for more information. And failing that, they could have wrapped the issue with an explanatory note.
But they would have only done that if they were an actual news publication, rather than a crappy info-tainment tabloid pretending to be one.
My beef about their “long lead time” excuse is that the insert is included in daily newspapers across the country, which creates the expectation that it’s at least somewhat timely. Which it’s not.
And so the onus really falls on newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, which need to be proactive about how they’re going handle such errors. After all, the printed copy of Parade says “Los Angeles Times” at the top, in the newspaper’s logotype. In simple fact, the January 6th, 2008 edition of the Los Angeles Times says Benazir Bhutto is still alive. That’s embarrassing.
Update: I’m delighted to find I’m not the only one aggravated.
Britney’s Family and Friends: ‘Just Hoping and Praying’
January 6th, 2008
As news of Britney Spears’s latest problems became public, horrified family and friends watched the drama unfold along with the rest of the world. After a day of constant media attention, several of them spoke out, expressing concern for Britney, her family and her two sons.
“It was very upsetting yesterday, just worrying about it all day,” says Britney’s aunt, Linda Brandon-Kjos. “We’re all just hoping and praying she’s fine. She’s a sweet, sweet girl and people aren’t seeing that side of her.”
“She’s got to be reaching out for something and no one knows what it is,” adds former dance teacher Renee Donewar. “It is so sad that the people that are close to her can’t reach through to her.”
Doreen Seal, the mother of Jason Alexander, the man Britney married for 55 hours in 2004, expressed some reservations that the latest event was a turning point. “She has not hit rock bottom,” Seal says. “She needs help. If she doesn’t get help, I don’t think anybody wants to see the way this will end.
“When she was younger, she had her friends, her cousin and for the longest time, she had [ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake],” continues Seal. “Now, she has nobody.”
“All I can say is that Britney is a very sick girl,” says another family source. “The tragic thing is that Britney genuinely loves her children and would never knowingly put them in harm’s way. Her mental instability is getting in the way of her making proper judgment and it’s extremely unfortunate. Her family’s taking this situation very seriously though. I just hope people can respect the fact that she needs help and keep the harsh criticisms to themselves.”
Other friends offered support, but no advice. Britney’s former assistant, Felicia Culotta, simply says, “My heart and prayers are with her and her family.”
Many members of her family are handling the latest news stoically. Spears’s grandfather, June Austin Spears, says, “We’re doing all right,” before adding, “I’m going fishing tomorrow morning.”
Residents of Spears’s hometown of Kentwood, La., had differing reactions to Britney’s erratic behavior.
“I think she’s just a normal person,” says Kentwood Realtor Tissie Gorman. “I can’t see nothing bad about her.”
Another Kentwood resident disagrees. “[Britney] is going backward instead of forward. She’ll never get her children now. I wonder if she really wants her children.”
Many residents want Britney to know that she still has hometown support. “Everyone in Kentwood is praying for Britney,” says a friend of Jamie Spears’s. “We just want her to get better and come home.”
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Kristin Cavallari Turns 21 with Vegas Bash
January 6th, 2008
Kristin Cavallari won’t divulge whether she will be joining MTV’s The Hills, only saying that “it’s a great show.” But she’s already partying like the cast – celebrating her 21st birthday in Las Vegas.
The former Laguna Beach star marked the rite of passage at Luxor’s LAX nightclub, where she danced to Soulja Boy and hung with friends.
“My first official drink was Grey Goose and soda,” she said. “It’s really exciting. I can go to the clubs and not worry about anything.”
She was joined by fellow Laguna Beach alum Alex Murrel, and spent the night chatting up former flame Matt Leinart, who coincidentally was seated at an adjacent table in the VIP section.
Following her dinner at Company American Bistro, Cavallari’s highlight was easily the sparkling birthday cake that was brought out for her.
Saturday night capped the weekend-long celebration for the onetime Lauren Conrad rival. As soon as the clock struck midnight Saturday, the newly single Cavallari (she recently broke up with Nick Zano) headed to Pure Nightclub to take in the sights.
And what about the guys? Cavallari wouldn’t reveal details on her love life, only saying that she is dating “and having fun.”
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Variety’s Peter Bart Asks Diablo Cody When She’ll “Be A Normal Woman and Have Children”
January 6th, 2008Filed under: Critical Thought, Celebrities and Controversy, Fox Searchlight, Oscar Watch
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What is the proper etiquette one must employ when interviewing Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody? Are you allowed to ask her about her time as a stripper and a phone-sex operator? Is that crude or off-topic? There's no question how she (and Fox Searchlight) feel about the issue -- sitting down with Cody for a one-on-one interview last month (for another outlet) was one of the oddest experiences of my life, since Fox insisted on having a senior publicist actually be in the room and stand near me during the interview and occasionally even interrupt my questioning -- a first. I later found out the same treatment was given to others, and this thinly-disguised attempt to intimidate the journalist out of asking any potentially non-PG questions was really out of line and unnecessary. However, Cody can't control television interviews as successfully, as evidenced by her upcoming appearance on Peter Bart's AMC show, which apparently turned into a cringe-fest.
On Cody's MySpace page, she says Bart "was full of condescending questions. Wait until Sunday -- you'll see him asking when I plan to be a normal woman and have children!" I can't wait to see that, since it would seem to be a new contender for the stupidest thing he's ever said, and that's saying a lot. In the meantime, AMC is hosting some teaser clips from the interview, and you can see Cody's face drop into a pained grimace when Bart asks "Were you ever a stripper?" and moves on to other questions like "Were you writing at the time that you were stripping?" and "Where did you strip?" Some bloggers have taken the position that it's invariably creepy and unnecessary to ask Cody these kinds of questions, but I still say when someone writes a whole book about something, it's sort of fair game.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsLynne Spears Visits Sister’s Grave Amid Crisis
January 6th, 2008
As Britney Spears’s hospital drama came to an end Saturday morning, Lynne Spears was back home in Kentwood, La., mourning another family member.
Nearly a year after her sister’s death, Lynne stood before the grave of Sandra Bridges Covington, who had died of ovarian cancer Jan. 21.
“It’s been a hard year,” Covington’s former sister-in-law, Libby Covington, said from Amite, La., noting that the grieving process has been difficult amid the constant media attention the family receives. “There’s something new every day.”
At the Tangipahoa (La.) Cemetery on Saturday, silk hydrangeas, white daisies and pink roses adorned the gravestone, along with a Christmas arrangement.
Sandra Covington was a beloved member of the Spears’s extended family, and had been crucial in Britney’s young life.
“Sandra’s like a second mother to Britney,” Lynne said in 2002, as her sister first began battling cancer and undergoing treatment, including a bone marrow transplant. “This kind of thing makes you grow up.”
At the time, as Lynne was caring for her sister, Britney helped look after Jamie Lynn and said in the same interview, “I pray every night about it.”
After Covington passed away last year, Spears attended her funeral at the First United Methodist Church in Amite but quickly left town. A month later, she landed in rehab, prompting family friends to wonder if her aunt’s death was at the root of some of her problems.
“She was very close to her aunt,” Britney’s former dance teacher Renee Donewar said. “I know her death was real rough on her.”
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National Society of Film Critics anoints “There Will Be Blood”
January 5th, 2008
The National Society of Film Critics, of which Wesley and I are members, met today in New York and voted on the films of 2007. "There Will Be Blood" came away the big winner, taking best picture, actor, director, and cinematography. Other categories held some surprises. The full list of winners, with runners-up, is as follows:
BEST PICTURE
1. There Will Be Blood
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3. No Country for Old Men
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3. Persepolis
BEST DIRECTOR
1, Paul Thomas Anderson ? There Will Be Blood
2. Joel and Ethan Coen ? No Country for Old Men
2. Julian Schnabel ? The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
BEST NONFICTION FILM
1. No End in Sight
2. Sicko
3. Terror?s Advocate
BEST ACTOR
1. Daniel Day-Lewis ? There Will Be Blood
2. Frank Langella - Starting Out in the Evening
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages, Before the Devil Knows
You?re Dead
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford
2. Javier Bardem ? No Country for Old Men
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman ? Charlie Wilson?s War
BEST ACTRESS
1. Julie Christie ? Away from Her
2. Marion Cotillard ? La Vie en Rose
3. Anamaria Marinca ? 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Cate Blanchett ? I?m Not There
2. Amy Ryan ? Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You?re Dead
3. Tilda Swinton ? Michael Clayton
BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Tamara Jenkins ? The Savages
2. Paul Thomas Anderson ? There Will Be Blood
3. Ronald Harwood ? The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. There Will Be Blood ? Robert Elswit
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ? Janusz Kaminski
3. No Country for Old Men ? Roger Deakins
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM to ?Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind? by
John Gianvito
FILM HERITAGE AWARD to "Ford at Fox," a 21-disc box set from Fox Home
Video.?
FILM HERITAGE AWARD to Ross Lipman of the UCLA Film and Television
Archive for the restoration of Charles Burnett?s "Killer of Sheep" and
other independent films.
