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Attention Rent-heads

You may or may not know that Rent: The Broadway Musical closed its curtains for the last time in November. In commemoration of the show’s 12-plus years on Broadway, the final show was recorded and available in theaters across America this past fall.

Many wondered if a Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway DVD would follow, and today I found out that it not only will, but that it will be released across the country on Tuesday, February 3rd. Grab your copy and hold on to the Rent legacy forever.

No day but today.

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New Fanboys Trailer

I have heard about Fanboys for a couple of years now through various blogs, etc. But I was wondering if it was ever going to happen.

Today I saw this new preview for the geekiest movie of the year. Definitely could be funny!

Fanboys hits the theaters this summer and stars Princes Leia, Lando Calrissian, Darth Maul, Shooter McGavin, Those warehouse guys from The Office, The Guy from Tropic Thunder, Jay, The Guy from Die Hard 4, The Hot Chick from Sin City, and Captain James T. Kirk.

Kristen Bell, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, and Will Forte also appear. Check it out:

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Rourke to Fight for Realsies?

I loved Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, and I was a big fan of the WWE and WCW when I was a kid, and the movie brought back a lot of memories. I particularly remember some of the novelty matches when non-wrestlers would have ‘arguments’ with some of the stars and become part of the action at the next pay-per-view event. Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone, Jay Leno and Lawrence Taylor were a few that I remember specifically.

Now it looks as if Randy ‘The Ram’ may be the next to enter the pay per view world as Mickey Rourke seems to be taking his personae into the WWE. Rumors have persisted for the last few weeks that the WWE may be looking to capitalize on Rourke’s success by bringing his character into the storylines leading up to WrestleMania - certainly The Wrestler would naturally share a huge fanbase with the WWE and vice versa.

On Larry King Live last night one of the WWE Superstars, Chris Jericho, “called out” Rourke, further implying that a match may be imminent.

I am all about viral advertising and I know how rabid WWE fans can be, so I think this could be a huge partnership for the WWE as well The Wrestler, which I consider to be solidly in the top three films of the year.

Posted in Television, Sports, Events, Movies | 1 Comment

Screen Actors Guild Award Winners - 2009

The SAG awards were held last night in Hollywood. I like the SAGs because they offer the actors to adjudicate their peers for their work in both film and television. No awards for writing or directing - only for acting performances.

Here are the nominees and winners (in bold) from last night:

Awards for Outstanding Performances in Primetime Television

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• LAURA DERN as Katherine Harris - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
• LAURA LINNEY as Abigail Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
• SHIRLEY MacLAINE as Coco Chanel - “COCO CHANEL” (Lifetime)
• PHYLICIA RASHAD as Lena Younger - “A RAISIN IN THE SUN” (ABC)
• SUSAN SARANDON as Doris Duke - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• RALPH FIENNES as Bernard Lafferty - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)
• PAUL GIAMATTI as John Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
• KEVIN SPACEY as Ron Klain - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
• KIEFER SUTHERLAND as Jack Bauer - “24: REDEMPTION” (FOX)
• TOM WILKINSON as Benjamin Franklin - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• SALLY FIELD as Nora Walker - “BROTHERS & SISTERS” (ABC)
• MARISKA HARGITAY as Det. Olivia Benson - “LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT” (NBC)
• HOLLY HUNTER as Grace Hanadarko - “SAVING GRACE” (TNT)
• ELISABETH MOSS as Peggy Olson - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• KYRA SEDGWICK as Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• MICHAEL C. HALL as Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)
• JON HAMM as Don Draper - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• HUGH LAURIE as Gregory House - “HOUSE” (FOX)
• WILLIAM SHATNER as Denny Crane - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)
• JAMES SPADER as Alan Shore - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• CHRISTINA APPLEGATE as Samantha Newly - “SAMANTHA WHO?” (ABC)
• AMERICA FERRERA as Betty Suarez - “UGLY BETTY” (ABC)
• TINA FEY as Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• MARY-LOUISE PARKER as Nancy Botwin - “WEEDS” (Showtime)
• TRACEY ULLMAN as Various Characters - “TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• STEVE CARELL as Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
• DAVID DUCHOVNY as Hank Moody - “CALIFORNICATION” (Showtime)
• JEREMY PIVEN as Ari Gold - “ENTOURAGE” (HBO)
• TONY SHALHOUB as Adrian Monk - “MONK” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
• THE CLOSER (TNT)
• DEXTER (Showtime)
• HOUSE (Fox)
• MAD MEN (AMC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• 30 ROCK (NBC)
• DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
• ENTOURAGE (HBO)
• THE OFFICE (NBC)
• WEEDS (Showtime)

Awards for Outstanding Performances in Film

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• AMY ADAMS as Sister James - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• PENÉLOPE CRUZ as Maria Elena - “VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA” (The Weinstein Company)
• VIOLA DAVIS as Mrs. Miller - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• TARAJI P. HENSON as Queenie - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
• KATE WINSLET as Hanna Schmitz - “THE READER” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• JOSH BROLIN as Dan White - “MILK” (Focus Features)
• ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. as Kirk Lazarus - “TROPIC THUNDER” (Paramount Pictures)
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN as Father Brendan Flynn - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• HEATH LEDGER as Joker - “THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• DEV PATEL as Older Jamal - “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• ANNE HATHAWAY as Kym - “RACHEL GETTING MARRIED” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• ANGELINA JOLIE as Christine Collins - “CHANGELING” (Universal Pictures)
• MELISSA LEO as Ray Eddy - “FROZEN RIVER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• MERYL STREEP as Sister Aloysius Beauvier - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• KATE WINSLET as April Wheeler - “REVOLUTIONARY ROAD” (Paramount Vantage)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• RICHARD JENKINS as Walter Vale - “THE VISITOR” (Overture Films)
• FRANK LANGELLA as Richard Nixon - “FROST/NIXON” (Universal Pictures)
• SEAN PENN as Harvey Milk - “MILK” (Focus Features)
• BRAD PITT as Benjamin Button - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
• MICKEY ROURKE as Randy - “THE WRESTLER” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)
• DOUBT (Miramax)
• FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
• MILK (Focus Features)
• SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

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Dr. Manhattan News Report from 1970

Watchmen fans are gonna love this.

Check out this new viral marketing campaign for Watchmen in the form of a news reel from March 11, 1970.

I don’t know very much about Watchmen yet, but this is pretty clever and definitely piqued my interest in the movie and the Dr. Manhattan character.

Posted in Tribute, Movies, Politics | 1 Comment

The Dark Knight: Overlooked or Overrated?

With the Oscar nominees being announced yesterday, we seem to have ushered in one of the most controversial Oscar seasons in recent history. The internet has been bombarded with “Are you *bleeping kidding me’s” and “Those guys are gonna pay’s” from well-meaning Batman fans who feel that their FAVORITE movie of the year should be considered by the Academy as the BEST movie of the year.

I absolutely loved The Dark Knight, and I am extremely impressed that it is now the second highest-grossing film of all time. However I still think that it is overrated. Keep in mind that something can be overrated and still be extremely good. But based on the incredible, ridiculous amount of hype that The Dark Knight garnered, I don’t think there is any way it could have possibly lived up. I can’t help but wonder how the film would have made out if Heath Ledger had not died.

Additionally, only one of this year’s nominated films has had a wide release prior to the Oscar deadline and that one (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has only been released for a month. I think if more people had a chance to see the other nominated films they wouldn’t be as quick to chastise the Academy for leaving out their favorite. There really are some great films out there this year (I personally would have loved to see Gran Torino and The Wrestler get more love) and The Dark Knight is certainly one of them - but certainly not the only one.
By the way: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, and Frost/Nixon all open nation-wide today.

History will be - as it always is - the judge of where The Dark Knight fits into the 2008 film hierarchy, and even more so, where it fits into the annals of film history. The good news is: the film will live on as an Oscar winner as Heath Ledger is a sure thing to win Best Supporting Actor - it won’t even be close!

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Thundercats Fan-made Trailer

You may have heard by now that a live-action Thundercats movie is in the works. It currently is set to be released in the summer of 2010.

While no trailers have been released yet, someone did send me a fan made trailer that might give us an idea of what we might be in for. Check it out and see if you can figure out who all of the actors are and which movies they used to create the trailer.

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Golden Raspberry Nominees

With the announcement of the Oscar Nominations at the crack of dawn this morning, it was only a matter of time (2 hours or so) before The Razzies were announced.

I can proudly say that this year, I have only seen one of nominated films. Check ‘em out:

Worst Supporting Actress

• Carmen Electra (Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans)
• Paris Hilton (Repo! The Genetic Opera)
• Kim Kardashian (Disaster Movie)
• Jenny McCarthy (Witless Protection)
• Leelee Sobieski (88 Minutes, In The Name of the King)

Worst Supporting Actor

• Uwe Boll (Postal)
• Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia!)
• Ben Kingsley (The Love Guru, War, Inc, The Wackness)
• Burt Reynolds (Deal, In The Name of the King)
• Verne Troyer (The Love Guru, Postal)

Worst Actress

• Jessica Alba (The Eye, The Love Guru)
• The Cast of The Women (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith
  and Meg Ryan)
• Cameron Diaz (What Happens in Vegas)
• Paris Hilton (The Hottie and The Nottie)
• Kate Hudson (Fools Gold, My Best Friend’s Girl)

Worst Actor

• Larry the Cable Guy (Witless Protection)
• Eddie Murphy (Meet Dave)
• Mike Myers (The Love Guru)
• Al Pacino (88 Minutes, Righteous Kill)
• Mark Wahlberg (The Happening, Max Payne)

Worst Director

• Uwe Boll (1968: Tunnel Rats, In The Name Of The King, Postal)
• Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer (Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans)
• Tom Putnam (The Hottie and the Nottie)
• Marco Schnabel (The Love Guru)
• M. Night Shyamalan (The Happening)

Worst Screenplay

• Disaster Movie and Meet The Spartans
• The Happening
• The Hottie And The Nottie
• In The Name Of The King:A Dungeon Siege Tale
• The Love Guru

Worst Picture

• Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
• The Happening
• The Hottie and The Nottie
• In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
• The Love Guru

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2009 Oscar Nominees

The Oscar Nominees were announced this morning at their always way-to-early press conferences. Pretty strong lists this year in my opinion.
Here are the major category nominees:

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams - Doubt
• Penelope Cruz - Vickie Christina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marissa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor

• Josh Brolin- Milk
• Robert Downey, Jr.- Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
• Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
• Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Actor

• Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
• Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn - Milk
• Brat Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler

Best Actress

• Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Melissa Leo - Frozen River
• Meryl Streep - Doubt
• Kate Winslet - The Reader

Original Screenplay

• Frozen River
• Happy Go Lucky
  
• In Bruges
  
• Milk
• Wall -E
  

Direction

• David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
• Gus Van Sant - Milk
• Stephen Daldry - The Reader
• Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

What’ya think? The Oscars Ceremony will be held one month from today on February 22nd.

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