Celebs, Movies and TV
Trailer: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
10/27/2008 10:37 AM
In Memorandum: Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter
09/04/2006 09:22 AM
Steve Irwin was killed in his native Australia off the coast in the Great Barrier Reef. He was killed by a stingray's barb which jabbed straight into his heart and was pronounced dead on his research vessel "Croc 1." Only one other person in Australia's history is known to have died from a stingray attack way back in 1945. Steve was only 44.
Irwin was filming a documentary and diving in Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef when he swam over the stingray. Usually stingrays are very docile but this one considered Irwin a threat and defended itself out of fear.
Known for both his wacky stunts and exuberant TV personality as The Crocodile Hunter, he brought the world's attention to animal conservation issues especially in his native Australia. Ricky our Chihuahua often watched him on Animal Planet TV.
Steve leaves behind his American wife Terri (who co-hosted most of his shows and has been called the "Crocodile Huntress") and two young children.
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Long delayed movie news...
08/01/2006 11:21 PM
Ok, so I've been a little lax lately
in my updates. Sorry about that, but real life does tend to intrude
on my virtual pursuits.
Here are a few of the things I've missed:
Peter Cullen is reprising his role as Optimus Prime in the new live action Transformers Movie. As you can imagine, there was much rejoicing in geeky 80's nostalgia land. If the Michael Bay involvement, weak teaser trailer, or the leaked horrid transformers photos haven't scared you away yet, at least this bit of news gives you something to look forward to in this movie. I for one can't wait for the original Optimus voice to say, "Transform and Roll Out!" next summer.
Yes, Heath Ledger has accepted the role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. Oscar award winner for Brokeback Mountain, Ledger has also starred in films like A Knight's Tale and The Brothers Grimm. Is this a good thing or bad thing... we'll find out when The Dark Knight hits theaters. Production starts early 2007. UPDATE: so he didn't get an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. He was an Oscar nominee though. As you can tell, I didn't quite catch the Academy Awards this year.... if I wanted a sleep aid I woulda taken an Ambien.
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Here are a few of the things I've missed:
Peter Cullen is reprising his role as Optimus Prime in the new live action Transformers Movie. As you can imagine, there was much rejoicing in geeky 80's nostalgia land. If the Michael Bay involvement, weak teaser trailer, or the leaked horrid transformers photos haven't scared you away yet, at least this bit of news gives you something to look forward to in this movie. I for one can't wait for the original Optimus voice to say, "Transform and Roll Out!" next summer.
Yes, Heath Ledger has accepted the role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. Oscar award winner for Brokeback Mountain, Ledger has also starred in films like A Knight's Tale and The Brothers Grimm. Is this a good thing or bad thing... we'll find out when The Dark Knight hits theaters. Production starts early 2007. UPDATE: so he didn't get an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. He was an Oscar nominee though. As you can tell, I didn't quite catch the Academy Awards this year.... if I wanted a sleep aid I woulda taken an Ambien.
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South Park anti-Scientology Episode up for Emmy!
07/06/2006 03:50 PM
The South Park episode titled "Trapped in the Closet" which depicts Tom Cruise as being gay and generally lampooning the "religion" of Scientology throughout the show, is up for an Emmy this year! This episode is also the reason that Isaac Hayes (Chef), also a devout Scientologist, quit the show. "Trapped in the Closet" was one of my FAVORITE episodes of South Park, with the Mormon episode running a close second. Tom Cruise is said to have blocked a repeat of this episode by having his "people" call Comedy Central. More info here.
Praise Xenu!
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The New "Who" Companion
07/05/2006 01:52 PM
The new Doctor Who companion was revealed today on the BBC. As Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) leaves the cast during the 28th Season Finale (2nd Series per BBC new nomenclature), the Doctor will have a new companion Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) for the 29th Season (3rd Series). She won't be introduced during this season's Christmas episode, but will instead jump into the companion-seat at the start of the next season (filming begins in Cardiff this summer). Freema also played a bit part in the 28th Season (2nd Series) as Adeola who was struck down by the Cybermen. It's unknown if the two characters played by Freema are at all related.
Billie Piper's character Rose, who has built up quite a following in the "Who" community is rumored to die in the current season Finale. The 28th Season (2nd Series) is currently airing in the UK and will most likely air in the US on the SciFi channel later this year.
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Superman Returns in 3D
07/02/2006 09:01 AM
We saw Superman Returns in its six story tall 3D version yesterday at the IMAX theater in Palisades Center Mall, West Nyack, NY. It was definitely worth it to see the movie in full IMAX 3D glory. The lines actually started up an hour before the mall even fully opened and long before IMAX personnel showed up. I bet that was one of only a handful of times that IMAX in Palisades had such a deluge of customers. Of course only 20 minutes of the movie was actually in 3D so we had numerous instances of putting on and removing the glasses whenever the appropriate icon appeared on screen. Whether this is a limitation of the current technology, lack of time to convert the entire movie to 3D format, or just a way to give the viewers eyes/brains a rest (the 3D action got dizzying at times) is anyone's guess. I do suggest that if you have a 3D capable IMAX theater near you that is showing Superman Returns and you planned to see the movie anyway, you should definitely make it a point to go catch it in this format.
As for the movie itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a big fan of the first 2 Donner films and was among those that bemoaned what became of the series with Superman III and IV. I don't know what it is about superhero films and their propensity to "jump the shark" after the first sequel. Batman, Superman, Blade, and X-men have all fallen trap to this curse. Spider-Man's 3rd incarnation is coming soon and from what the trailer shows, it may or may not join the others. But recently superhero movie series have been saved by talented "reboots." Batman Begins and Superman Returns both successfully resurrect the carcasses left by previous campy scripts. Unlike Batman Begins which is a true "reboot" in every sense of the word, Superman Returns actually is a sequel to Superman I and Superman II retaining the good movies in the series while relegating Superman III with Richard Pryor and Superman IV: The Search for Peace (gag) to the dustbin (where many would agree, they really belong). The latest movie in the series includes dozens of references to the first two films, some rehashes of the old in-movie jokes, and many hints at events that occurred previously. It does all this without losing itself in an endless repetitive loop by adding fresh plot-lines and exciting action sequences that add to the story rather than exist for action sake. The visuals during these action sequences are so well done with the mix of CGI and Real now that you can't tell which is which anymore. Many bemoan the fact that Bryan Singer left the X-men series to do this film, and X-men 3: The Last Stand was the unfortunate result of that; but, I for one am glad he decided to do Superman Returns. He definitely went above and beyond to make this one of the best Superhero movies of all time while retaining the essence of Donner's Superman I and II.
Brandon Routh is a capable, though a bit more broodish, successor to the big red and yellow S. He not only apes Christopher Reeve's incarnation of Superman to a T, but adds a bit more gravitas to the role with a deeper sense of loss and emotive vulnerability than Reeve. Though he doesn't look like Reeve IMHO, his every intonation and movement, every nuance and vocal utterance is uncannily like Christopher Reeve in both the Superman and Clark Kent guise, almost as if donning the cape made Routh posessed by the spirit of Reeve. The rest of the cast excels as well. Kate Bosworth is a passable Lois Lane, though I always thought anyone would be better in the role than friggin Margot "Wacko" Kidder. James Marsden continues his modus operandi for playing a second fiddle love interest he established in X-men as Cyclops, here as Lois' new beau Richard White. But the best actor in the movie is definitely Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Not only does he capably fill Gene Hackman's shoes as Luthor, he convincingly ups the ante by showing Luthor's more callous and ruthless traits.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, go see it. Better yet, see it at an IMAX 3D theater. Even if you hate the other Superman films or other superhero films, it's probably going to still be a fun ride.
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Goodbye Rose
06/16/2006 12:33 AM
Rose Tyler is set to have her last adventure with the Doctor during the Second Season finale of the new Doctor Who series. Billie Piper (Rose Tyler in the show) will end her current tenure as the latest companion to the Doctor when the Second Season (28th Season if you include the original series ends --currently airing in the UK on the BBC, and will air probably later this year or early next on SciFi in the US). Doctor Who will tape Season Three (29th Season) starting this summer with plans for a Christmas Special and then 13 more episodes to tape next year for Season Four (30th Season). No telling who the next companion(s) for the Doctor will be, but he was rarely without at least one going back to the original long running series and specials (which this latest series is a direct continuation of).
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Project Runway Poll
03/08/2006 08:24 AM
One of the sites I run, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch show website, has a poll I setup to see who the audience thinks should win Project Runway on Bravo (finale is tonight). On monday, Donny had Heidi Klum and the three finalists here for his show (The Big Idea airs on CNBC weekdays at 10pm and 1am ET). Currently it looks like Santino Rice is in the lead with Daniel Vosovic running a very close second. Chloe Dao is far behind on the poll so far.
From site traffic I can see that Santino's fans (directed from his personal blog/website) are definitely making a presence.
Please head over to the poll and vote if you have an opinion either way. The poll will end in a few hours (before the end of the day).
Also, if you have the means and are a fan of Project Runway, we're selling an Autographed Portfolio on eBay for charity (proceeds go to AutismSpeaks). The link to the auction is also on The Big Idea website.
UPDATE: I'm taking the poll down in a few minutes, so it looks like Santino ended up at the top of the heap.
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