Movies/TV's 3R’s 02.09.10: Stern On Idol, Ghostbusters, The Super Bowl, The Oscars, Mel Gibson, More
Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 02.09.2010
From The Super Bowl breaking records, Captain America being Invaded, Percy Jackson spinning webs, and Mel Gibson spouting off to Oscar Rights and wRongs, Howard Stern being an Idol, Dolph Lundgren singing and dancing, and more, 411's Shawn S. Lealos breaks down the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the week in Movies/TV!
Welcome to Week 33 of The 3 R's for the Movie/TV world.
THEATRICAL
PICK OF THE WEEK
DVD
PICK OF THE WEEK
Without any further ado, here is...
The Right
An Oscar Right: Starting this year there are ten nominees for Best Picture instead of five. This is an old idea that reused which I think is a great plan for the Oscars. It helps get fan favorites in the race and allows movies that would otherwise be left out to get some notice. Examples in the last year that this would have helped include Wall-E and The Dark Knight. This year, two movies helped tremendously by this new format includes District 9 and Up, two movies that would have never stood a chance of making it into this category without the changes. I love the idea of smaller movies getting to stand on this stage of mainstream acceptance and feel it will do nothing but good. Movies like An Education, District 9 and A Serious Man will get more publicity and, hopefully, more fans thanks to their inclusions here. This is a good thing and I am excited to see the race for the winner.
Kick Ass Red band trailer: "With no power comes no responsibility."
Kevin Smith wants your money: I think this might be interesting, although I don't think in a million years it will work. Kevin Smith has a horror movie he wants to make based on the psychotic Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps. He says it will be nasty and feature no comedy, more in line with the seventies horror flicks. For those who don't know, Phelps and his church hate homosexuals and blame them for everything that has ever gone wrong in the world. They also picket military funerals, schools and anywhere else they can get to. Everyone is going to Hell except for them. They are lunatics. Well, Smith has been having trouble getting financing but in an interview with CINSSU, he said he is going to start up a website and ask for donations. He will personally match every donation made and that money will go towards making the movie. As I said, it is a cool idea but there is no way he will raise enough money this way to make this movie, unless he goes micro-Indie budgeting with no stars. It still is interesting to me and I will be watching the outcome closely.
Captain America is Invaded: Joe Johnston was being interviewed recently about his latest film, Wolfman, and answered some questions about his next project, The First Avenger: Captain America. Everything I heard made me happy. They are going with a lesser name actor, which is incredible smart since the Avengers movie is going to cost too much as it is with Robert Downey Jr., Sam Jackson and Ed Norton. This helps lessen the load and hopefully they can discover a new star. They are then going to surround him with name actors to help sell the Captain America movie to the masses. To do this they are introducing The Invaders, the superhero team that fought alongside Captain America in World War II. This is awesome because they are going to make this movie even more exciting. Finally, The Red Skull is going to be the bad guy and, to be honest, could it have been anyone else? Bring it on.
More interest in Tron: I wasn't sure about the new 3D sequel to Tron but now that I see Jeff Bridges will in fact be reprising his role as Flynn (as well as his younger alter ego Clu). I am now officially excited about the movie.
Ghostbusters 3: I listed some GB3 news a few weeks back and a commenter believed I was wasting my time with unsubstantiated rumors (despite it being from Sigourney Weaver's mouth). I also mentioned that Bill Murray might be a ghost this time around, which was also met with skeptical comments. Guess what? Bill Murray has confirmed it. Chew on that...
The wRong
A major Oscar Snub: There is no way in hell Sam Rockwell should not be one of the five nominees for Best Actor at this year's Oscars. Only George Clooney and Jeff Bridges deserve to be in there above Rockwell. I don't know what they were thinking. I guess there were some good performances this year but Morgan Freeman is only getting in because his movie was a prestige picture, Colin Firth because he is playing a suicidal gay man and Jeremy Renner was good in Hurt Locker but I don't think he was better than Rockwell. Sam Rockwell played as the only human character in almost the entire movie, talking only to a computer and another version of himself. The guy is amazing and this is a sorry exclusion.
Another Oscar wRong: This year's Oscar contenders are all pretty good. There are nitpicks here and there but nothing majorly wRong. For one thing, I think it is cool as hell District 9 got an Oscar nomination but feel Neill Blomkamp should have gotten a director's nomination over Jason Reitman. The things that were positive about Up in the Air had nothing to do with the direction. It was a solid script and great acting (three Oscar nominations for its stars) but the real directing star is Blomkamp taking a miniscule budget and making an amazing sci-fi feature.
Sgt. Rock goes back to the future: In DC Comics, Sgt. Rock is a non-commissioned officer during World War II. Sgt. Rock has been optioned by Joel Silver to be made into a feature presentation. Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) is set to direct and, in a recent interview, Silver said something surprising to me about the project. He said the movie will not be set during World War II, or even the current war in Iraq, but instead in a futuristic war. As a war movie, it's not going to be 'where it's been,' it's going to be 'where it's going.' We didn't want to do Iraq, we didn't want to do a contemporary war. We wanted to do a sort of futuristic war. It's pretty strong. This is just another case of using a pre-existing project to sell a movie with little to do with the original idea.
Rebootmania: Let's start with the Spider-Man reboot. The latest rumors has Marc Webb's superhero being played by Percy Jackson himself, Logan Lerman. While he is on the list, he is not a frontrunner. However, the young actor has mentioned he has been in talks, although Columbia Pictures denies this. Jackson said "conversations are starting" and he is interested in exploring the human elements a bit more. I want Spider-Man to be a superhero movie, not another Twilight styled movie so none of this news makes me happy. Also on the reboot front is Daredevil. I am a fan of the original Ben Affleck movie, but 20th Century Fox can lose the franchise back to Marvel if they don't do something with it. As a result, they are starting work on a reboot with David Scarpa (The Day the Earth Stood Still) writing the script.
The Ridiculous
A Bourne Prequel in the works?: The work on the fourth Bourne sequel has stalled. Director Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon have said they are about five years from another sequel. In an interview with Empire, Damon said there will probably be a prequel made with a younger actor and a new director before he and Greengrass get back to the franchise. This is a horrible idea. Jason Bourne is not like James Bond, a role played by various actors. Matt Damon is Jason Bourne and a movie with someone different in the role comes across to me as Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. And how will that work if they do a prequel and then jump back to the original team at a later time? I don't see how this can work.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is being rebooted: They are rebooting Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie starrer. They are going with young actors to play the pair as young agents, but it is not necessarily a prequel to the original. The only reason this movie was any good was because of the leads. Without them, it is a waste of time.
Ferris Bueller's New Deal: NBC has picked up a comedy pilot called Beach Lane, starring Matthew Broderick and produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels. Broderick will play a celebrity author hired by a millionaire heir to take over a small newspaper in the Hamptons. This is exciting news because, when given the right material, Broderick is a very funny actor.
I'm still against Jay Leno but: this is funny...
Move Over M*A*S*H: When my wife told me to turn on the game, I knew something strange was brewing in the air. Yes, she graduated from high school in south Louisiana so she had a bit more invested in this year's Super Bowl than I did, but for her to be excited about watching a football game was strange. Well, she wasn't alone. 106.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the New Orleans Saints improbable victory over Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, the most to ever watch a single television episode in the history of television. M*A*S*H was the former record holder for that series' finale. A lot of people who read this site see ratings numbers and know what is considered good. Take this number into mind. This Super Bowl pulled a 45.0 rating. These people watched one of the most exciting Super Bowl's of all time. Manning and Drew Brees broke the record for most completions in a game, with Brees tying Tom Brady's record. Then the game was better than any scripted television show when Manning, the all-star NFL MVP, who threw an interception returned for a touchdown to put the Saints over the top. My wife had tears in her eyes as they handed Brees the MVP trophy and this was a football game that sucked her in and let us share my first passion together. From the ratings, we weren't alone.
Michael Chiklis is more than just a Thing: I am finally finishing watching the final season of The Shield on DVD and that makes this news even more exciting. Michael Chiklis has signed on to star in a new ABC drama No Ordinary Family, a show about a family who suddenly develops super powers. This is not the first time Chiklis has played a superhero, as he was The Thing in the Fantastic Four movies. Anything that brings this actor back to TV makes me happy.
Undercover Boss: This new CBS series follows an executive as he goes undercover working for the company he runs. In this first episode, it is the CEO of Waste Management Incorporated. He goes undercover in the guise of working for a television show, but never reveals he is the boss. While undercover, he discovers things shocking him that needs changed and the show ends with him making the changes needed to help his employees and make their lives easier. The ending was a little too contrived and it was all tied up too nicely, but damn it if it wasn't compelling TV. Next week, we get Hooters Girls.
Not sure what this is from: but I want to thank CHUD.COM for allowing me to discover this...
The wRong
Mel Gibson gets annoyed on live TV: Mel Gibson was recently interviewed by entertainment reporter Dean Richards on Chicago's WGN-TV, while promoting his new movie Edge of Darkness. The reporter asked if Gibson thought the public would look at him differently because of his bad publicity over the last few years. Gibson said it was more than four years ago and he had moved on. The reporter persisted, asking if Gibson felt people looked at him differently. Gibson said it was time to move on in the interview, so the reporter signed off the interview and thanked Gibson for his time. Gibson said bye but before the satellite feed was cut off, Gibson muttered "asshole." It was an honest question but, at the same time, Gibson's final thought makes me laugh.
Warren Sapp arrested: NFL Network analyst and former Oakland Raider Warren Sapp was arrested the morning of the Super Bowl for allegedly choking his girlfriend of three years. As a result he was benched by the network and remained unseen the entire day of Super Bowl coverage. I don't know if he did it or not, but this is not the way the analyst was wanting to spend the biggest day of the football season.
FlashForward takes a step back: FlashForward is a great new show but it has struggled to stay alive, even getting its return date pushed back to March. Now, it has received even worse news as co-creator David Goyer (The Dark Knight) has stepped down as the series' show runner. A show like The Shield remained strong thanks to its creator Shawn Ryan remaining aboard the entire run. With a new show runner being brought on at this time, the show might face an even harder uphill battle with its network.
The Ridiculous
Another one bites the dust: Leif Garrett was arrested last Monday morning in L.A. when police found he was carrying black tar heroin in his shoes. Garrett is a former Hollywood heart throb now more known for his personal demons than his former star looks. His first brush with the law came in 1979 when he wrecked his car while drunk and under the influence of Quaaludes, leaving his best friend a paraplegic. He claimed on a 1999 episode of Behind the Music that he had been clean since an intervention in 1996 but was arrested for possession months after the episode aired. In 2005, he was arrested again for possession of cocaine. In 2006, he was arrested again for possession of Heroin and Quaaludes and was sentenced to a live-in drug rehabilitation program. He left the program because it was too strict and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation. His three year probation is now ended, just in time for the latest arrest. Interested in seeing what drugs will do to you?
Howard Stern wants to be an Idol: Howard Stern said he would love to take Simon Cowells' place on American Idol as long as they paid him about $100 million. He said it is a possibility and would be the best thing that ever happened to him. This would be the worst thing that could happen to the
Thats sad about Zelda Rubinstein. I actually watched Poltergeist again the night before I even I learnt about her passing. Thats still a spectacular, scary, funny movie, and Rubinstein is terrific in it. She has a great warmth and humor in that role, and her line "To us, it is the beast", is one of the classic moments of the genre. She was also great on Picket Fences (with her Poltergeist III co-star Tom Skerritt). That show had a huge assortment of recurring players, and many of the older ones have since died. - Posted By: Earl (Guest) - She was great. Hell, my wife loves her in Sixteen Candles too.
Im a huge huge HUGE fan of what Whedon has done with the show, love Buffy of course, admire Firefly, think his comic work is awsome, and Angel is my favorite show. But to be honest... im not playing any violin for "Dollhouse" To be honest, this was far from Whedon's best work... and regardless of the support or lack there of from FOX for the show, I doubt this show would have made it even if it was on Mondays prime time slot with supporters galore. This show (with its bright spots) were to far in between and while it had good thought behind it was just badly executed on screen. I tried and tried to give it more and more chances, but eventually gave up on the last 3 episodes of the show and didnt even bother trying to catch the finale. I hope you're honest with yourself Mr. Lealos, and admit this wasnt FOX's fault. Im actually glad to see this show go, that way Whedon doesnt waste his time on this anymore and we can see him move on to something (hopefully) better!!! I know its a long shot, but hey maybe we can get the "Faith" show rolling now... I know, I know, dont keep my fingers crossed. But yea... just wanted to throw my two cents in there and even though I'm not defending FOX, I want to give them a small pass on this one. - Posted By: Whedon supporter (Guest) - There are just so many shows that have failed in this spot. I thought the finale stretch was great. I think Whedon is better off going to a cable network and ditching network TV for good.
I agree with the theory that the Friday night Fox slot is a death sentence. Firefly is one of the best shows I have ever seen, and Millenium, Brimstone, and Terminator were also excellent shows. Dark Angel wasn't great, but it was certainly better than plenty of the garbage that other networks air (however, I must admit that I thought Sliders sucked). Joss Whedon's abilities are beyond question. If anyone has proven their brilliance, it is him. Dollhouse wasn't great, and it definitely had it's rough spots. Then again so did Buffy and Angel in their first seasons. If given time, Dollhouse would surely have blossomed into something great. - Posted By: Groosalugg (Guest)
I admit that I haven't seen all of Dollhouse and in fact haven't bothered to get caught up since the break this season. Given that I'm a big Joss fan, that shows how interesting the show has not really been. However, Fox definitely could have put more support behind it. I think it's time for Joss to realize that traditional network TV is not going to work for his quirky type of shows. Fox is usually too quick on the trigger (Drive getting cancelled after 2 weeks, Firefly not lasting a season), for those kinds of shows. If Joss wants to get an established series, he's going to have to go to cable, where I'm sure there are plenty of stations who would kill to have programming like his. While he wouldn't be able to do a full 22 episode run per season, 13-15 episodes of quality TV would be something in and of itself. - Posted By: Michael L (Guest)
Nice of you to mention Millenium getting screwed over by Fox. I own seasons 1 and 2, it was a great show. Some episodes are just straight up ex-FBI profiler trying to figure out who the killer/wacko is and others have the supernatural element to them. Quite a few episodes are actually very funny, especially the one with the demons in the diner talking about how they all encountered Frank Black(the GREAT Lance Henrickson) before. Maybe Frank should come back on Jersey Shore and try to figure out what the hell is wrong with those douche bags!! Keep the columns coming, always a good read. - Posted By: paco smith (Guest) - I loved Millennium and Lance Henriksen is great.
So what? Saw VI is good enough to get his name out there as a director, but immediately after it becomes torture porn? The folks at Paranormal Activity fired the first shot, I don't blame Lionsgate or Twisted Pictures one bit for exercising the option. - Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) - Nor do I. I think Twisted Pictures is in the right here, it just all seems so juvenile.
All this talk about Frozen! I might have to see what all this is about! Haha Another great read! - Posted By: stevethegoose (Registered) - I can't wait till it shows here.
Sam Rockwell wasn't included because of his studio, not the Oscars. Ask your co-workers for more details.
Posted By: Pepper Paw (Guest) on February 08, 2010 at 11:06 PM
Just when it seemed I was losing interest in Kevin Smith (did like Zack & Miri though)...wow! I have no idea if he can pull this Westboro project, but big fucking bravo to him for calling attention to these scumbags. I'd heard about there activities some years back and went to see what their website said, and I got very angry and sickened. This people are pathetic, and how their stuff is even legal is beyond me. Lets hope someone burns down the church once and for all. Go Kevin!!
Posted By: Earl (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Um, thanks Dolph for..whatever that was supposed to be.
Posted By: the dude (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 01:14 AM
Just when it seemed I was losing interest in Kevin Smith (did like Zack & Miri though)...wow! I have no idea if he can pull this Westboro project, but big fucking bravo to him for calling attention to these scumbags. I'd heard about there activities some years back and went to see what their website said, and I got very angry and sickened. This people are pathetic, and how their stuff is even legal is beyond me. Lets hope someone burns down the church once and for all. Go Kevin!!
Posted By: Earl (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Try living in the same state as them and seeing them downtown all the way out to the KU campus every other week....trust me, I wish they weren't what people think of when they hear Kansas. They suck hard.
Posted By: Erik... (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 01:32 AM
"Nor do I. I think Twisted Pictures is in the right here, it just all seems so juvenile."
That would be the case if Kevin Gruetert had been set to be involved with Saw VII. He wasn't though; David Hackl was set to direct, and Greutert had no planned involvement with the movie despite the studio's option on him to direct. So in theory, he was able to move onto whatever film he wanted to. Twisted and Lionsgate had every legal right to do what they did, and I'm definitely going to see Saw VII before I see Paranormal Activity 2, but Paramount and Greutert didn't do anything wrong either.
Look at it this way. If (theoretically, of course) the Weinstein Company decided to make a Clerks 3 without Kevin Smith despite having an option on him to direct, and then Smith signed on to do a Harold and Kumar movie for New Line prompting the Weinsteins to force Smith to come back just so he couldn't compete, we wouldn't be giving Smith and New Line crap for it, we'd be giving it right where it belonged: to the Weinsteins.
Just saying.
Posted By: Jeremy Thomas (Registered) on February 09, 2010 at 01:34 AM
I'm actually against making a movie about the westboro baptist church. Those pieces of shit are just seeking attention. Why would anybody give them what they want. These disgusting bigots are barely a blip on most people's radar and I for one think it should stay that way.
Posted By: Guest#3838 (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 01:36 AM
Dolph video is cooooool
Posted By: Guest (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 05:06 AM
so if the super bowl gets a 45.0 rating, I think next year TNA should totally try to go head-to-head with the Super Bowl! I mean if they can take on Raw and only lose by 3 pts. They can lose by 30-40 plus to the bowl. Just sayin...........
Posted By: Evan (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 05:39 AM
drugs are a terrible thing... except weed
Posted By: Guest#7788 (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 06:38 AM
Fucking with Phelps people was one of my favorite pasttimes when I went to Washburn U in Topeka in the late 90s. Nothing better than beeping the horn at the picketers (which had such witty signs as "Fag U" and "When Fags Die, God Smiles" to name a few), and pretending to give each other blow jobs in the car. Good times, good times.
Posted By: Big Fat Fag (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 07:42 AM
Sam Rockwell and Moon weren't submitted by Sony Pictures Classics to the Academy Members. That's why there were no nominations for it. It's completle bullshit. Rockwell could have given Bridges serious competition for Best Actor (sorry, I really disagree about Clooney being in there). Sony said it would have cost too much to get the movie out to voters. It doesn't make any sense to me and is a completely shitty move by Sony.
Posted By: Matt (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 08:20 AM
I have no problem with Sgt Rock getting set in the future. With Capt America in the works, why have another comic movie based in WW2?
Posted By: Angry Bear (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 09:41 AM
For some reason this site keep saying the Superbowl was the most watched event in TV history but everything else keeps saying in the US
Posted By: Guest#1218 (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 09:56 AM
"Look at it this way. If (theoretically, of course) the Weinstein Company decided to make a Clerks 3 without Kevin Smith despite having an option on him to direct, and then Smith signed on to do a Harold and Kumar movie for New Line prompting the Weinsteins to force Smith to come back just so he couldn't compete, we wouldn't be giving Smith and New Line crap for it, we'd be giving it right where it belonged: to the Weinsteins.
Just saying.
Posted By: Jeremy Thomas (Registered) on February 09, 2010 at 01:34 AM"
Yeah, and I'd be willing to bet that Smith wouldn't go on to talk about how bad the Clerks movies are either, or just completely bury what got his name out there. I don't blame Gruetert for wanting to move on one bit. But I do think it is bad form to trash a film series that just made you a name the year before. Smith would not bash Clerks if this happened. Gruetert is acting as if going back to the Saw franchise is ruining his entire life, dreams and all. Thats bullshit.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on February 09, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Stern coming on American Idol would actually get me to watch the show again, something I haven't done for years. I just don't think it will work, because while the middle American housewives may love to pretend that they hate Simon, they really do hate Stern and would probably boycott the show.
Posted By: Mr. C. (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 11:53 AM
Hasn't Smith been wanting to do that movie for ever? It'll be funny to see Fred Phelps denoucne this and his moronic minions picket theaters.
Who dat? God I'm still riding igh after our victory Sunday. Knowing that that many people watched us win is amazing.
How lulzy would it be if they got Leif Garrett to mock his own arrest video on those TruTV idiotic criminal shows they do?
Posted By: lilwayne1 (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 02:49 PM
Todd:
To be fair, he didn't start trashing it (to my knowledge) until Lionsgate & Twisted started strong-arming. Then, he found himself in a bad situation and got understandably frustrated. He very well may have said some things that overstated how he felt about it and were overly negative because the franchise's owners basically had a legal gun to his head. Probably not the best move but then who hasn't said things in anger before?
Posted By: Jeremy Thomas (Registered) on February 09, 2010 at 04:26 PM
I'm pretty sure the Dolph-clip is from the Swedish qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Posted By: Kjeldbjerg (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 07:08 PM
So what did you think of the Shield Finale? As a fan from episode one, I enjoyed every moment.
Posted By: Educated Savage (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 08:02 PM
"But to be honest... im not playing any violin for "Dollhouse" To be honest, this was far from Whedon's best work..."
Your right we shouldn't play ant violin for dollhouse, we should have a whole orchestra, and yes it's wasn't anywhere near his best work, it was above and beyond, it was real and serious, and made me think, and no we shouldn't hate fox... WE SHOULD CURSE'EM STRAIGHT TO... you know where I'm going with that...Dollhouse was easily Whedon's best show, tied with Angel because it's just so hard to pick which one I like better
P.S. I still worship Buffy
P.S.S. Firefly although fantabulous wasn't as good as I'd expected
P.S.S.S. Dollhouse was leagues better than either of the previously metioned shows
P.S.S.S.S ... YES I"M SERIOUS
Posted By: Aquerus (Guest) on February 09, 2010 at 10:56 PM
