Author Archive
A New HBO Sitcom Takes On The White House With ‘Veep’
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Premiering tonight on HBO, VEEP stars JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS as Selina Meyer, vice president of the United States. Created by ARMANDO IANNUCCI, the series is an American companion piece to his highly successful BBC series THE THICK OF IT and its 2009 spin-off film IN THE LOOP. Ultimately a work-place comedy, the show’s fatal flaw is that it’s just not very funny. Populated with unlikable characters that are, for the most part, soulless and supremely cynical, the show manages to pull off a few laughs but it’s a slog to get to them. At the Television Critics Association press conference to promote the series, LOUIS-DREYFUS admitted she’s a long-time fan of IANNUCCI and sought him out when she heard he was working on the project. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)Things Are Going To Get Hot For ‘The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
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Returning tonight for its fourth season on Bravo, THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY promises to heat up the feud only hinted at in the season three reunion show. As the season opens, all seems to be well but as the series progresses fans will see what led up to the major meltdown between CAROLINE MENZO, TERESA GIUDICE and JACQUELINE LAURITA. Being followed by cameras for the past few years has led to some pretty embarrassing situations for the women but, during an interview we conducted in happier times, MANZO and LAURITA confided that they have no regrets about anything caught on tape. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)‘THINK LIKE A MAN’ TOPS ‘HUNGER’ & ‘LUCKY ONE’ WITH $33 MILLION
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Think Like A Man, starring Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, and Michael Ealy, debuted at the #1 spot at the box office, besting The Hunger Games and fellow newcomer The Lucky One, which also had a strong showing with a solid second place finish ($22.8 million). Here’s the top 10:
1. Think Like A Man - $33 million
2. The Lucky One - $22.8 million
3. The Hunger Games - $14.5 million
4. Chimpanzee - $10.2 million
5. The Three Stooges - $9.2 million
6. The Cabin in the Woods - $7.75 million
7. American Reunion - $5.2 million
8. Titanic 3D - $5 million
9. 21 Jump Street - $4.6 million
10. Mirror Mirror - $4.1 million
* Actress Gabrielle Union talks about her impressions of Steve Harvey’s book Think Like A Man:
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posted by Greg Srisavasdi
Pop Culture Gets Its ‘Finest Hour’ In Patton Oswalt Comedy Central Special
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Airing tonight on Comedy Central (just three days prior to its official DVD release), PATTON OSWALT: FINEST HOUR actually lives up to its title by presenting some of the funniest and most thoughtful material the titular comic/actor has come up with. A self-proclaimed nerd with an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, OSWALT has been in the stand-up business for twenty years and mercilessly skewers everything from being a new dad to gay stereotypes and the random superpowers of Jesus Christ, all the while making it look effortless.Ziggy Marley Admits New Doc Is The ‘Definitive’ Piece On Dad
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Available via VOD and in select theaters today, MARLEY is director KEVIN MACDONALD’S fascinating look at the life and times of notable Rastafarian and the king of the reggae revolution, BOB MARLEY. Based primarily on anecdotal material and concert footage, the film manages to be a thoughtful and informative history of a man not a lot of people are aware of. We recently sat down with ZIGGY MARLEY (BOB’S musician son) and he admitted that, of anything that’s been done on his dad, this film is the most definitive of the lot. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)Reuniting With Tim Burton Was ‘Like A Dream’ For Johnny Depp
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Arriving in theaters next month, DARK SHADOWS is director TIM BURTON’S spoofy big screen adaptation of the ’60s daytime TV soap opera that took the country by storm. A cult favorite, the gothic drama centers on vampire Barnabas Collins and his family as they deal with various creatures of the night. Under BURTON’S direction, the new cast features JOHNNY DEPP, MICHELLE PFIEFFER, CHLOE GRACE MORETZ, EVA GREEN, JONNY LEE MILLER, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and JACKIE EARLE HALEY. We spoke with DEPP recently and he talked about reuniting with long-time collaborator TIM BURTON. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
Yvette Nicole Brown Not Worried That ‘Community’ Hasn’t Made The Cut Yet
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One of NBC’s funniest (if not most popular) sitcoms, COMMUNITY has a loyal and vocal fanbase. When the network pulled the series for a short term, it was the fans who made their displeasure known via emails and tweets. A delightfully quirky and pop-centric comedy, the show stars an ensemble cast that includes JOEL McHALE, CHEVY CHASE, GILLIAN JACOBS, DANNY PUDI, YVETTE NICOLE BROWN, ALISON BRIE, DONALD GLOVER, KEN JEONG and JIM RASH.Dwayne Johnson Promises ‘G.I. Joe’ Reboot Will Be Something Special
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Opening in theaters next month, G.I. JOE: RETALIATION is the sequel to 2009’s G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA and features some personnel additions in the form of DWAYNE JOHNSON and BRUCE WILLIS. Directed by JON M. CHU from a screenplay by RHETT REESE and PAUL WERNICK, the cast also includes CHANNING TATUM, ADRIANNE PALICKI, RAY STEVENSON, WALTON GOGGINS, JOSEPH MAZZELLO and RZA.‘DARLING COMPANION’ A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE FOR DIRECTOR LAWRENCE KASDAN
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Although Lawrence Kasdan has directed two first rate Westerns (Silverado, Wyatt Earp), a highly revered film noir (Body Heat), and several evocative dramas (The Accidental Tourist and the thematically ambitious Grand Canyon), getting a movie made in Hollywood, even for him, has been an uphill climb.
Mr. Kasdan’s last feature was 2003’s Dreamcatcher, a project based on the Stephen King novel. A studio green light for Darling Companion, his eleventh film, was simply not in the cards, even though it’s headlined by Diane Keaton and frequent Kasdan collaborator Kevin Kline.
“I made ten movies in the studio system and they were not all slam dunks,” says Kasdan. “But the studios were much more open to what they were willing to do. And obviously the situation has changed completely. They don’t want to make movies like this. They’re not interested in people so much. Their comedies are very extreme and mostly they’re not even comedies. They’re giant, spectacular, effects movies. And that’s a reasonable business for a multinational corporation. Luckily that was not the situation when I started making movies. Studios were still making movies that were dramas and human sized stories. That’s changed.”
Co-written by Kasdan’s wife Meg Kasdan (she also co-wrote Grand Canyon), Darling Companion centers on Joseph and Beth (Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton), a married couple barely speak to one another. When Joseph loses their dog, they spend several days in the Rockies, along with Joseph’s sister Penny (Dianne Wiest), their nephew (writer/director Mark Duplass), and Penny’s boyfriend (Richard Jenkins) searching for their beloved mutt.
Sans a sizable budget, the actors worked on the project for scale and Kasdan, with the aid of cinematographer Michael McDonough (he DP’d Winter’s Bone and Albert Nobbs), shot Darling Companion on digital, using the Red One camera.
During this week’s Darling Companion press junket, Kasdan talked about the advantages of shooting on digital:
Darling Companion, released by Sony Pictures Classics, is now playing in New York and Los Angeles.
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posted by Greg Srisavasdi (Twitter: @gsrisavasdi )
R.I.P. ‘Dark Shadows’ Star Jonathan Frid
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It’s been reported that actor JONATHAN FRID has died at the age of 87. Apparently, the Canadian actor passed away last Friday in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Probably best known for his role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the hugely popular 60’s daytime soap DARK SHADOWS, FRID will soon be seen reprising the role in TIM BURTON’S highly anticipated big-screen reboot. During the television heyday of DARK SHADOWS, FRID was one of the most recognizable stars on the air. Here’s a great interview clip from THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW.
