Fox Announces Two New Spin-Offs

February 29th, 2008 by david lay

The Fox Network and 20th Century Fox TV announced today that they will be developing a spin-off of the animated hit show Family Guy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will be based on Peter Griffin’s bathtub-accident-prone neighbor Cleveland Brown.

The project is tentatively being titled Cleveland and is being written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Mike Henry, who produces and writes for Family Guy, also voices Cleveland, the character who plays off black stereotypes and is the most levelheaded among Peter Griffin’s trio of friends.

In addition to Cleveland, The Fox Network and 20th Century TV are also developing a spin-off of the drama series Prison Break, which will be set at a female prison.

Hmm… I don’t know about this. I do like Family Guy, but American Dad isn’t very funny. Cleveland is a good character to base a spin-off on though. I think it’s funny that Fox has gained infamy for cancelling Family Guy and now they are so confident in its selling power, that they are willing to produce a spin-off… Très bizarre.

As for the Prison Break spin-off… I really like the original, but I just don’t think there is room for a spin-off. I doubt that this will be very good at all, unfortunately.

Posted in Television, Yada Yada | 2 Comments

Seinfeld Sued for Comments on Letterman

February 29th, 2008 by david lay

Did you hear about this one?

Comedian, television and film star, and inspirational speaker Jerry Seinfeld is being sued for libel and defamation of character after a recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman when he comically compared Missy Chase Lapine to James Earl Ray (the assassin who shot and killed Martin Luther King, Jr) and Mark David Chapman (the assassin of John Lennon). The joke was that they have all use three names and that they were all “Wackos and Assasins”.

Lapine, the author of “The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals,” accused Seinfeld’s wife of plagiarizing her cookbook when the celeb’s wife published “Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.”

Seinfeld made several jokes on Letterman’s program referring to the accusations by Lapine - apparently Lapine’s book has yet to be published, so it would be difficult for Jessica Seinfeld to get her hands on the book in order to plagerize it - Seinfeld called it a “Watergate-style break-in that would have been perpetrated on the Harper-Collins office.”

Lapine’s lawyers say that “Seinfeld made overstatements of opinion for comic effect” in the lawsuit filed the U.S. District court in Manhattan. Seinfeld’s lawyers say that the lawsuit is ridiculous and have asked that it be thrown out.

Seinfeld is one of America’s most recognizable and respected comedians and motivational speakers and on the surface this lawsuit seems to be pretty ridiculous. We’ll have to wait to see what becomes of it, but since when is a comedian not allowed to make jokes? I think I’m going to sue Dave Chappelle for all those jokes he’s made about white people.

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Step Brothers, Get Smart, and Iron Man Trailers

February 28th, 2008 by david lay

Three new trailers released today for Get Smart, Step Brothers, and Iron Man.

Get Smart stars Steve Carell, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Alan Arkin. It looks pretty funny, and if you were a fan of the old show, I think it might do it justice. It is set for a June release date.

The Step Brothers will be in theaters in June. It stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Sound familiar?

…and then there’s Iron Man, the Robert Downy, Jr, Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges Super-Heroes flick that is set for release on May 2nd. I am warming up to this one and I think its early summer release will help it gain some box office success.

Posted in Movies | 1 Comment

Star Wars Explained by a Three Year Old

February 26th, 2008 by david lay

I just thought this was really funny and probably one of the cutest things I’ve seen in a long time, so I thought I’d share.

“Tell us about Star Wars: A New Hope”

Posted in Yada Yada, Movies | 2 Comments

Lohan Snags Record Eight Golden Raspberries

February 26th, 2008 by david lay

Dual Worst “Actress” Winner Unable to Leave Drug Rehab Center to Accept Award

In the midst of this weekend’s Oscar hoopla, another film awards ceremony took place - one that is equally important, equally significant, and equally prestigious (lie, lie, and another lie). The 28th annual Golden Raspberry Awards were handed out on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles and the big winner was “Actress”, “Rock Sensation”, and perennial drug rehab center attendee, Lindsey Lohan and her pseudo-horror gore-porn stinker I Know Who Killed Me.

Lohan’s “movie” was nominated and won in a record eight categories, edging out previous box-office poison Showgirls, and John Travolta’s scientology-based flop, Battlefield Earth.

I Know Who Killed Me garnered awards for Worst Picture, Worst Remake or  Rip-Off (Rip off of Hostel, Saw, and The Patty Duke Show), Worst Director (Chris Siverston), Worst Screenplay (Jeffrey Hammond), Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie (New Category, created in honor of the “film”).

Lindsey Lohan also picked up three of the spray-painted statuettes for her “acting” performance(s) in I Know Who Killed Me. Worst On-Screen Couple was given to Lohan and Lohan for her portrayal of two sisters who are separated at birth and then tortured while wearing skimpy clothes.

Additionally, and for the first time in Razzies history, there was a tie for Worst Actress. Lindsey Lohan tied with Lindsey Lohan for her portrayal of two sisters who are separated at birth and then tortured while wearing skimpy clothes.

Unlike Halle Berry did a few years ago, Lindsey Lohan did not show up to accept her awards in person. Her whereabouts were unknown at the time of the ceremony, but in all likelihood, she was unable to check out of her drug rehab center in order to accept the award in person.

Other awards handed out at the 28th Annual Razzies were:

• Worst Actor - Eddie Murphy as Norbit in Norbit
• Worst Supporting Actress - Eddie Murphy as Rasputia in Norbit
• Worst Supporting Actor - Eddie Murphy as Mr. Wong in Norbit
• Worst Prequel or Sequel - Daddy Day Camp (Sequel to Daddy Day Care)

Eight Razzies will be hard to beat, but as long as Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton are still allowed to make “movies,” nothing is impossible.

Is it too early for me to suggest that The Hottie and the Nottie might already be the front-runner for the 2009 awards?

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Universal Wins Rights for Brüno

February 25th, 2008 by david lay

Sascha Baron Cohen to Bring a Second Alter-Ego to the Big Screen

Universal Studios announced this weekend that they are preparing for production on Sascha Baron Cohen’s follow-up to Borat: Cultural Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The subject of the film will be another of Cohen’s characters, Brüno, a flamboyant, Austrian fashion reporter who often lures his subjects into unwittingly making provocative statements and engaging in embarrassing behavior, as well as leading them to contradict themselves, often in the same interview.

The announcement of the film comes after an intense bidding war that including powerhouse motion picture studios such as DreamWorks, Sony, and 20th Century Fox. Universal won the rights for a whopping $42.5 Million.According to sources, Cohen was paid $13 Million up front with at guarantee of 15% of the box office take as well. If Brüno does as well as Borat, that’ll make for about a $30 Million take…

Not too shabby.

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80th Annual Oscar Winners

February 24th, 2008 by david lay

Last night’s Oscars were all about No Country for Old Men, which picked up wins for Javier Bardem as Best Supporting Actor, and The Coen Brothers for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Picture!

Best Actress went to Marion Cottillard in La Vie en Rose, while Daniel Day-Lewis picked up the Best Actor award for his incredible performance in There Will Be Blood. Additionally, Tilda Swinton took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Michael Clayton.

Other less prestigious awards that I was also very happy with were Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay for Juno, and Falling Slowly as Best Original Song from Once - a great song from a great and lovely film.

Here is the complete list of Oscar Winners from the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men

Lead Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood

Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

Lead Actress
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose

Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Art Direction
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Cinematography
There Will Be Blood

Costume Design
Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Directing
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men

Documentary Feature
Taxi to the Darkside

Documentary Short Subject
Freeheld

Film Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum

Foreign Language
The Counterfeiters

Makeup
La Vie en Rose

Original score
Atonement

Original song
Falling Slowly from Once

Animated Short
Peter & the Wolf

Live Action Short
Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)

Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum

Sound Mixing
The Bourne Ultimatum

Visual Effects
The Golden Compass

Adapted Screenplay
No Country for Old Men

Original Screenplay
Juno

Honorary Award
Robert Boyle - Production Designer

PS - I found this on YouTube - The Oscars in 60 Seconds… If you missed it, give it a look.

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Saturday Night Live Returns!

February 24th, 2008 by david lay

Saturday Night Live became one of the first shows to return with all-new episodes since the writer’s strike ended last week. I have been a big fan of SNL since I was eight (way too young to stay up that late and watch that sort of programming) and I was very happy to be able to see an all-new episode last night.

Thanks to the timing of the return of SNL (a night before the Oscars) there were some particularly funny film-related sketches that I enjoyed.

This first one won’t be funny at all, really, unless you’ve seen There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men as it plays mostly off of one line from the end of There Will Be Blood and Javier Bardim’s character from No Country for Old Men. It is great though.

Then this one is just funny… the Digital Short guys bring us “A Message for Old People” regarding recent Oscar nominated films.

Another exiting SNL development is that next week’s host/musical guest combination is Ellen Page and Wilco - WOO HOO!!

Posted in Television, Yada Yada, Movies | No Comments

Jason Bourne to Return to the Big Screen

February 24th, 2008 by david lay

Now that the writers’ strike has come to an end, Universal Studios is once again ramping up its feature film production slate. The biggest news is that Universal is moving ahead with a fourth installment of the The Bourne Identity franchise.

Though both Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass had previously been adamant that they were calling it quits after the third installment, The Bourne Ultimatum, they have both jumped back on the wagon for another film.

No further information has been released, but speculation is that we will see The Bourne Legacy sometime in 2010.

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Oscar Predictions, etc.

February 22nd, 2008 by david lay

The Oscars will be awarded Sunday night in what many people are saying is the most maligned Oscar lineup that we’ve seen in several years. I completely disagree. I think there a several movies that we can get behind this year, and the fact that there are not really any clear front-runners in most categories is proof positive.

Juno is the highest grossing indie film of all time, giving hope to the little guys, while the Coen Brothers have come through in 2007 with their best film so far in No Country For Old Men. Atonement has already won at the Golden Globes, while Michael Clayton is on the top of every critic’s list. There Will Be Blood has left audiences in a stupor due to an incredible acting job by Daniel Day-Lewis and a rather shocking ending.

For the first time in recent years, I was able to see all of the Oscar nominated films before the ceremonies, thanks in part to earlier release dates and few “limited releases”. This being the case, I have been able to form opinions more easily about who should and will win when The Academy’s decisions are announced.

So, here are my predictions and hopefuls for this weekend’s 80th Annual Academy Awards:

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Cate Blanchet - I’m Not There
• Ruby Dee - American Gangster
• Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
• Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
• Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Here’s the thing… The Academy loves really old people and really young people, and I think that could work in favor of Ruby Dee (83) and Saoirse Ronan (13), but I think that Cate Blanchet will win, because she played Bob Dylan… If I had a vote, it would be for Saoirse Ronan, who I loved in Atonement.

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardim - No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
• Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
• Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Javier Bardim is the talk of the town lately and I think he is about a 90% shoe-in. The only obstacle he faces is that he won at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, and for some reason, Oscar voters like to vote differently for no good reason. If I had a vote, it would go to Javier Bardim…

Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchet - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie - Away from Her
• Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
• Laura Linney - The Savages
• Ellen Page - Juno

Can Cate Blanchet win two awards in the same night? No. This is the hardest category for me to predict, but I think that Laura Linney has a good chance for her work in The Savages but none of these actresses would surprise me with a win… My Vote? Ellen Page x 1,000. I love, love, loved her in Juno!

Actor in a Leading Role

• George Clooney - Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
• Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
• Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

If ever the Oscars had a no-doubter, it would be Daniel Day-Lewis in what I honestly believe is the most supreme acting job I have ever seen. He should win, and will win for There Will Be Blood and anything else would be an absolute crock. The Academy loves George Clooney, and Johnny Depp sang, so anything could happen, but I don’t think so. Also, Tommy Lee Jones stands a chance because he was in an anti-war, anti-military movie and that could certainly help him.

Directing

• Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Jason Reitman - Juno
• Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
• Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

The Coen Brothers will win for No Country for Old Men, and they should. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all if Jason Reitman won for Juno (If you haven’t guessed, I LOVED that film), but I will be rather upset if Tony Gilroy wins for Michael Clayton.

Best Picture

• Atonement
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
• No Country For Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

Once again my favorite is… JUNO, JUNO, JUNO!! Does it have a chance? Yes, actually, but I think that No Country For Old Men will win, and that’s OK. Atonement was really good, but I don’t think its appeal will be as great in the Oscars as it was in the Golden Globes. There Will Be Blood was good as well, but honestly it wasn’t the film itself as much as it was the incredible acting and the score. As you can see, Michael Clayton could pretty much sweep through the Oscars with nominees in every major category except Supporting Actress. It wouldn’t surprise me if it did, but I firmly believe that it is not that deserving. It was good, but certainly not great, and it puzzles me that it has received so many nominations.

Well only a couple of more days and we’ll find out. Happy Oscar Weekend to you all.

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The Cure Returns to Utah

February 15th, 2008 by david lay

The Cure left many people disappointed last year when they announced that their tour would be postponed in lieu of their album being completed. I know there were definitely a few fans in Utah that were upset that they wouldn’t be able to see The Cure in concert in 2007.

But alas, the album is finished and The Cure was able to reschedule all but one of their 30+ concert dates from their previous tour schedule. Their concert in Utah was one of the ones that was able to be rescheduled - and they will play in the E Center on May 23rd!

This will be one of the most popular concerts in Utah this summer as Robert Smith and the gang will bring their unique brand of rock to the beehive state.

Tickets are on sale now at the E Center box office and all SmithsTix locations. Go get em!

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Indiana Jones Trailer

February 14th, 2008 by david lay

Its Here! The first official trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Check it out:

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Knight Rider Clips

February 13th, 2008 by david lay

As I posted a couple of months ago, Knight Rider is coming back to the small screen this Sunday, February 17th. NBC has released a few clips from the upcoming two-hour Movie event. NBC has said that, depending on the ratings and responses to this movie, they would consider picking up Knight Rider for their weekly lineup.

Check these clips out and see what you think.

Trivia: Do you recognize who is supplying the voice of K.I.T.T.?

NBC has also released this synopsis of the new movie:

24 year-old Stanford University Ph.D. candidate Sarah Graiman is set to follow in her genius father Charles’ footsteps. Her life takes a dramatic turn when men try to abduct her. She receives a mysterious phone call from K.I.T.T., a car her father created, letting her know that her father is in danger. Sarah and K.I.T.T. set off to recruit her childhood friend Mike Tracer into helping them figure out who has her father and is trying to steal K.I.T.T. Mike, having just returned from serving in Iraq is jaded and reluctant to help, but eventually agrees.

I’m going to watch it, or at least TiVo it… I have fond memories of the original Knight Rider, so I can’t help but be a little excited about this new incarnation.

Posted in Television, Yada Yada, Events, Movies | 2 Comments

“The Hottie…” is NOTTIE

February 12th, 2008 by david lay

What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? I can think of several that I would never, EVER watch again voluntarily, but something happened this weekend that could be a landmark. A movie that all other terrible, horrible movies will be measured against.

First a little perspective - Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space, widely regarded as “THE WORST FILM EVER MADE” has been re-released several times, and has done well each time (due in large part to the novelty of seeing it on the big screen, of course… but still).

But remember Paris Hilton? The “famous-for-being-famous” celebutant and heiress who for some ungodly reason thinks its OK to star in television and movies…Well Paris’ new movie, The Hottie and the Nottie was released this weekend and somehow they forgot that it was supposed to go straight to DVD. Instead the “film” was released in 111 theaters across the nation and became the biggest box office flop (perhaps) of all time.

When you break it down (The number of screens it played on, how many shows each screen played over the weekend and how much money the film made over that period), if you bought a ticket to see The Hottie and the Nottie, in the theater would be you, and 3 other people. That’s right! On average there were FOUR people per screening all weekend long!

Now, I can’t find a lot of conclusive data, but I’m pretty sure few, if any, films have ever opened this poorly.

Maybe, if we are lucky, this will be a message to producers (and theaters alike) that Paris doesn’t belong in the spotlight. I’ll keep my finger’s crossed.

Update: I think I found four of those people… Rotten Tomatoes gives The Hottie and the Nottie a 7% FRESH rating, and exactly 4 of the reviewers are responsible for the positive reviews…My guess? They all saw the film together and Hotboxed their way through it.

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Kanye West - Utah Concert

February 12th, 2008 by david lay

For all you hip hop lovers… this one’s for you!

Kanye West has just announced his summer concert dates, and Utah is on the list. Kanye will be bringing his act to the E Center on June 9th as part of his Glow in the Dark Tour.

Kanye has compiled three phenomenal opening acts to add to his concert events, including Rhianna, N.e.r.d. and Lupe Fiasco.

This is bound to be one of the most popular concert events of the summer, so get your tickets fast from all SmithsTix locations or the E Center box office!

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