ADAM
CHECK OUT THIS MOVIE TRAILER FOR A MOVIE CALLED ADAM. I’M NOT GOING TO RUIN THE SURPRISE, SO CHECK IT OUT & LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU SAW:
Friday, May 8, 2009
MOVIE TRAILERS: ADAM
MOVIE NEWS: KEANU REEVES TO STAR IN DR. JECKYLL/MR. HYDE REMAKE
ANOTHER HORROR CLASSIC REMAKE? ARE WE GROWINGN WEARY OF THESE, MOSTLY BAD HORROR UPDATES? OR ARE WE READY FOR FRESH TAKES ON OLD HORROR GEMS? ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I’M ALWAYS READY FOR UPDATES, ESPECIALLY ON MOVIES THAT I FEEL WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING REMADE, & THEREFORE EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO AN ENTIRELY NEW AUDIENCE. I’M NOT QUITE CERTAIN WHAT TO MAKE OUT OF THE MOVIE’S STAR, MR. REEVES. NOT THAT I DON’T LIKE KEANU, BECAUSE IN ALL ACTUALITY I RESPECT HIS INTELLECT & LOVE OF LITERATURE. HE OFTEN PLAYS AGAINST HIS PERSONALITY, WHICH LEADS PEOPLE TO BELIEVE HE’S TED FROM BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES. IN ANY EVENT, I DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM TACKLING THIS ROLE. HE IS UNDOUBTEDLY AT THE TOP OF THE SCI-FI MOVIE STAR PLATEAU, WITH WILL SMITH, BUT HORROR IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL. I DON’T WANT TO GET TOO DEEP INTO CINEMA, I’LL SAVE THAT FOR MY FORTHCOMING ‘MOVIE GEEKZ’ BLOG, WHICH WILL BE UBER DOPE. I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED. ANYWAY, CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE, & LEAVE A COMMENT. ENJOY
Keanu Reeves to star in updated "Jekyll" (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Keanu Reeves is about to develop a split personality as the star of a modern retelling of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Universal Pictures is developing the feature, with Justin Haythe, writer of "Revolutionary Road," penning the script. Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, writer-director of the "Pusher" trilogy of gritty thrillers, is in negotiations to direct the project, titled "Jekyll."
Robert Louis Stevenson's novella about a doctor who scientifically develops an evil self has become so pervasive in popular culture that the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" conjures the idea of a split personality. The story has been translated to the screen and stage dozens of times. Among the adaptations are comedy versions, kids' stories ("Jekyll and Heidi") and gender-switch tales (1995's "Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde"). The story has undergone modern iterations as recently as 2007, when the BBC aired a miniseries that set the story in the present as Hyde ran amok in London.
Plot details for this "Jekyll" are being kept locked in the laboratory.
Universal clearly is enamored with the tale; it also has been developing a take on it with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, but the two adaptations couldn't be more different.
Del Toro, who has an affinity for Gothic horror as well as creature features, aims to stick more closely to the Stevenson tale. His project is on the back burner, though, as he works on "The Hobbit" for New Line and MGM, a project that's expected to take up the next five years.
Refn's indie crime biopic "Bronson," starring Tom Hardy, premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Haythe wrote the script for "The Clearing," the Robert Redford-starring kidnapping thriller. He is working on the remake of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."
Reeves most recently starred in the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
(please visit our entertainment blog via www.reuters.com or on http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)
Source: Reuters
TV REVIEW: MICHAEL J FOX 'INCURABLE OPTIMIST' SPECIAL
FAN FAVORITE MICHAEL J FOX PREMIERED HIS TOUCHING, ENLGIHTENING SPECIAL ON NBC. I HOPE YOU WATCHED IT. IF NOT, THEN CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE, THEN HEAD TO NBC.COM, WHERE I’M GOING TO ASSUME YOU CAN CATCH IT. IF NOT THERE, TRTY HULU.COM. I LOVE THAT SITE. I USE IT ALL THE TIME. ENJOY
Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist
(Special -- ABC, Thurs. May 7, 10 p.m.) Produced by Northern Fox Prods. and Lincoln Square Prods. Executive producers, Michael J. Fox, Nelle Fortenberry, Rudy Bednar.
By BRIAN LOWRY
First, the obvious: This one-hour ABC special featuring Michael J. Fox comes in conjunction with the actor's latest book, "Always Looking Up," from sister Disney unit Hyperion. Yet in keeping with the title, Fox largely erases any cynicism by virtue of the actor's innate likability and good cheer despite his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease. It's easy to second-guess the mix of interview subjects, but hard to find fault with the messenger or the message. And if this special doesn't cure the blues, at least it's a balm against them.
Having become an activist for Parkinson's research and funding, Fox goes about the unwieldy task of finding and speaking with other optimists, from cancer-surviving Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong to ordinary farmers to other celebrities, among them Chicago Cubs fan Bonnie Hunt and golf buddy Bill Murray. Fox takes his son to the Obama inauguration and chats with his wife, actress Tracy Pollan, who admits to being not quite as optimistic as he is.
The road also leads to Bhutan and a chat with that nation's prime minister about its civic commitment to "positive well-being," and separate powwows with film students in New York and New Delhi. (Fox theorizes that actors are inherently optimistic, a premise tested by their guild's year-long contract negotiations.)
Other interludes include meetings with researchers and Fox's doctor, with whom he discusses how the effects of the disease have "slowed me down a lot, but it hasn't stopped me." The tone is relentlessly inspirational, even if the hour would have benefited from additional focus -- and perhaps a little less optimism regarding how much to incorporate, in what at times becomes an elaborate homemovie.
Such complaints, however, feel like quibbles in the larger scheme of things. Because while Fox's good humor in the face of adversity isn't contagious, after spending this modest amount of time with him, you sort of wish it were.
RUNNING TIME: 60 MIN.
Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/story.asp?l=story&r=VE1117940192&c=32
FASHION: FAIL-SAFE FASHIONS A-Z (B)
If you want to be on trend but less obvious about it, we've put together this A to Z of the season. If we saw something twice or more, we called it a trend and recorded its sources here - this is the list to learn if you're going to drop the right fashion names next season:
B
Ballerinas (lace, ribbons and ruffled princess dresses) - Charles Anastase, Giambattista Valli, Nina Ricci, John Rocha, Jonathan Saunders, Pollini, Sonia Rykiel, Sue Stemp, Erdem, Bora Aksu.
Blazers (mannish, or with cropped sleeves) - a regular spot throughout all four cities, most notably at Paul Smith, Sinha-Stanic, Nathan Jenden, Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta.
Bows - Moschino, Marni, Dolce & Gabbana, Carolina Herrera, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Lanvin.
Broderie Anglais - Collette Dinnigan, Charles Anastase, Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli, La Perla, Prada... In fact, almost everybody put it somewhere.
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: JASON SEGEL
Jason Segel talks about his new film 'I Love You, Man'
Rafer Guzmán
Newsday
March 15, 2009
Bleary-eyed and bedraggled, Jason Segel entered a room in Manhattan's Parker Meridien hotel last Sunday for the final interview of a five-day, six-city media blitz in support of his new buddy comedy, "I Love You, Man," opening Friday. In the film, directed and co-written by John Hamburg, Segel plays a freewheeling layabout who teaches a wimpy metrosexual (Paul Rudd) how to become a bona fide dude.
Segel, like Rudd, Seth Rogen and, to some extent, James Franco, comes from what he calls the Judd Apatow "factory for comedy." In Apatow's 1999-2000 teen series, "Freaks and Geeks," Segel played Nick Andopolis, the wannabe rock drummer. Apatow produced " Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which Segal starred in and wrote. And it was while shooting Apatow's 2007 hit comedy, "Knocked Up," that Segel first acted with Rudd.
Though laid-back and affable in person (he uses "bro" as a greeting), Segel may be hiding a Type A personality. He worked 20-hour days to shoot "I Love You, Man" while also starring in the CBS sitcom " How I Met Your Mother." He's co-writing two more scripts, one for Apatow called "The Five Year Engagement," and another for the Muppets. And next month he leaves for London to shoot "Gulliver's Travels" with Jack Black. Keeping a much-needed mug of coffee close at hand, Segel spoke to Newsday's Rafer Guzmán.
You started out as a television actor. Was it always your goal to be a movie actor?
I don't really differentiate between TV and movie acting, except that the schedule and life of a movie actor is much nicer. The TV schedule is great, but it makes it impossible to do more than one movie a year. You should theoretically have a couple months off after you finish shooting a movie, but I usually finish a movie the day before I start doing "How I Met Your Mother."
During "Freaks and Geeks," did you ever think: This guy Apatow might be good to know in the future?
I thought he was a good guy to know because I like him a lot. I'm surprised and honored and thrilled that he turned out to be the most loyal man I've ever met. He's looked after us. I didn't go to college so I could do "Freaks and Geeks," and some people got plucked out of high school to do it. And I think when the show got canceled, he may have felt a sense of responsibility for these kids who didn't have college educations! But he should certainly be guilt-free - he's been so kind to all of us.
Your "Freaks and Geeks" character, Nick, was a Rush fan. And this new character is also a Rush fan. Coincidence?
As a matter of fact, in John's original script, he had me drum " The Spirit of Radio." And Paul and I both looked at him, like: You know I did this in "Freaks and Geeks"? This exact scene? He claims it was a total coincidence, but I think it was one of those memories that was in his subconscious.
How much of this movie is improvised?
There are some scenes that are entirely improvised. For example, our first man date - there was no scripted dialogue. We went to the restaurant, and John set up something called simultaneous overs, so you don't have to re-create things later. He set up these shots and said, "All right, for the next few hours your job is to just act like you are enjoying each other's company and getting to know each other." And they just kept bringing us out fish tacos and fake beer.
Actors like you and Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen - is there some particular quality you guys share that creates a camaraderie on screen?
What it might be is a pridelessness about working with each other. It's sort of like a great basketball team: You have to be willing to be the guy that throws the pass. Paul Rudd was excited to come do a part in "Sarah Marshall," and in the next movie he's the lead. I played a small part in "Knocked Up," then was the lead in "Sarah Marshall," and now I'm a supporting actor in this. If any one of us became too egotistical, they'd be knocked down so quickly - they'd be thrown off the Apatow Wheel of Talent.
Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.
TV REVIEW: MYTHBUSTERS
CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW ON THE POPULAR CULT SHOW ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL, MYTHBUSTERS
Discovery Channel's "MythBusters" uses science to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends.
So. You're minding your own business, filling up your gas tank, when your cell phone rings. Hmmm. Should you answer it? Because you've heard you shouldn't use cell phones near gas stations since they can produce small sparks that can ignite big fires. But wait. Could that actually be true? Sounds like a job for "MythBusters"!
This season, the "MythBusters" experiments range from the huge (sonic booms, anyone?) to the household (to double dip, or not to double dip?). Hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, and build team members Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara, the "MythBusters" mix scientific method with gleeful curiosity and plain old-fashioned ingenuity to create their own signature style of explosive experimentation. Each week they take on three myths and use modern-day science to show you what's real and what's fiction. That's right, they do more than explain how something may or may not be scientifically possible. Through trial and error they actually demonstrate it.
Called the best science show on television, "MythBusters" has aired on Discovery Channel since October 2003. To date, "MythBusters" has tested nearly 600 myths with more than 1,900 experiments that included more than 650 explosions and the destruction of 77 vehicles!
In the season premiere for Season 7, "MythBusters" tackle four fables of automotive mayhem in a Demolition Derby Special. Adam and Jamie test whether a key scene from an iconic motoring movie is fact or fake film physics could moving the passengers to one side of a bus stop it from rolling in a sharp, fast right hand turn? Then, they revisit an early "MythBusters" fan favorite involving two trucks and a compact car and of course, rockets and high explosives. Meanwhile, Kari, Tory and Grant take on Hollywood as they look at four familiar chase scene clichs to find out if they match up to reality, and then test a gravity race seen in a popular car commercial.
Additional season 7 episodes of "MythBusters" will see the gang travel once again to Alaska to test local myths and anecdotes; testing whether a banana peel is really an accident waiting to happen and whether a double-dipped chip is actually germ warfare; testing experiments send in from fans via YouTube—including whether you can actually build a giant 7-foot diameter ball of Lego and roll it down a hill Indiana Jones-style, and more.
After six seasons, "MythBusters" remains as popular as ever. In 2008, while in premieres, "MythBusters" was the #1 program for Men 18-34 delivery in its timeslot (excluding sports and election coverage), and the series ranked as one of Discoverys three highest-rated regular series in primetime for persons 18-49, persons 2+, and households.*
"MythBusters" is produced for Discovery Channel by Beyond Productions. Dan Tapster is executive producer for Beyond Productions; Tracy Rudolph is supervising producer for Discovery Channel.
MUSIC PROFILE: TORI AMOS
TORI AMOS FANS EVERYWHERE,CHECK OUT THIS FEATURE ON MS. AMOS. WHO KNOWS, YOU MAY LEARN SOMETHING NEW. ENJOY
Tori Amos: She's Got the Power
Christa Titus
Tori Amos always puts the ladies first. During the course of her career, she's created a concept album about female archetypes ("American Doll Posse"), rewritten men's songs from a female perspective ("Strange Little Girls") and connected to fans with haunting, brutal personal portraits--;"Me and a Gun" is a spare tale of her own sexual assault. With the release of her first album for Universal Republic, "Abnormally Attracted to Sin," out May 19, Amos tackles yet another thorny subject: women and power.
"I am kind of fascinated with the idea of erotic spirituality," she says. "But first, I wanted to investigate what people are attracted to. Some of the songs are about situations where people are struggling with their power, and find themselves attracted to people that have power over them. Dominance has become an aphrodisiac for some women. But there are also songs about women finding their inner strength."
Amos is fully aware of her own strength as an artist. When she sat down with Universal Music Group chairman Doug Morris to discuss her Universal Republic deal, her longevity and devoted fan base gave her considerable clout. Amos, who has her own publishing and merchandising companies, was firm about not wanting a 360 agreement. "Tell me the upside of a 360 deal unless it's about $100 million?" she asks rhetorically. "I have to give half of it in tax, and a huge percent to my attorney, and then that's all I've got? And someone else owns songs I haven't even written yet?"
Amos defines the contract as a joint-venture agreement. Universal Republic president/CEO Monte Lipman adds, "There is just a tremendous amount of respect we have for Tori, and when it comes down to her vision and the way she wants up to operate, she has a lot of say in that."
The artist herself is a force to be reckoned with on the new album, which blends rock beats with flashes of the avant-garde. Her sense of humor is evident in the lighthearted "Not Dying Today" and the slightly camp "Mary Jane," but songs like the jaded "Curtain Call" and the electronic chirping of "Starling" reveal a pensive side.
"Sin" is being sold in two versions. The standard album includes the bonus track "Oscar's Theme," while the deluxe one (which is available for presale at iTunes for $13.99) contains a 16-page digital booklet and a movie clip, or "visuallette," as Amos calls them, for each track. Fans who buy the presale copy immediately receive the first single, "Welcome to England," and a code that grants access to a May 28-May 29 Ticketmaster presale for tickets to Amos' upcoming summer tour.
The label is also giving away the song "Maybe California," which deals with a mother feeling like an inadequate parent, as part of a viral Mother's Day promotion through an album widget, streams and downloads, and a free ringtone. Amos observes that women often quietly shoulder the burden of keeping a family intact, especially in these times when the economy creates emotional and financial strain. "We define powerful men with being providers. We're back to that idea of power again, how to define what is power," she says. "When you have a relationship where both are not feeling powerful, because we've equated success with having a job and the breadwinner is laid off, the effect that that can have on the family is beyond description."
Designing the marketing plan presents a number of challenges for the label; Amos's fan base ranges dramatically in age and technological savvy. The label is planning a number of TV appearances, outdoor sniping, retail visibility and other online initiatives. For example, on March 10 AOL's Spinner.com premiered the album's cover art and track listing along with an Amos interview. On March 19, she previewed some new songs with a headlining showcase at South by Southwest last month. "Welcome to England" is being added at Triple A and will approach hot AC April 28.
Universal Republic sees Amos' diverse fan base as a chance to present "Sin" to various audiences instead of a challenge. "We just actually had that conversation a few weeks ago about, 'Is this alternative? Should she be categorized under alternative? Should she be categorized under pop?' " Universal Republic senior VP of marketing and artist development Kim Garner says. "And some accounts, they're going to categorize it in the appropriate place they think is best for exposure."
Whatever the category, Amos loves the album's look. "I love the way [photographer Karen Collins] shoots women. It's not vulgar or demeaning, but I find it just sexy. They look empowered to me and I like her style. I felt that if we were gonna walk this line of erotic spirituality, which is quite a line to walk, I realized the two words don't necessarily usually end up on the same table together in the same sentence. But it was a delicate line to walk."
Find this article at:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/tori-amos-she-s-got-the-power-1003969473.story
MUSIC REVIEW: DREAM-LOVE VS. MONEY
SINCE I FOUND OUT THAT THE DREAM WAS DROPPING ANOTHER ALBUM IN 2009 I DECIDED TO POST A REVIEW OF HIS SECOND ALBUM. PERSONALLY, I LIKED IT OVERALL. HE DEFINITELY HAS BOTH BANGERS & BALLADS THAT I CAN ROCK TO. IF YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN IT A LISTEN TO, DO SO, CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE, & LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS. ENJOY
Over the past couple of years, The–Dream has become, as he repeatedly boasts on Love vs. Money, a "radio killa . . . R&B gorilla." The Atlanta recording studio that the singer — songwriter shares with beat magician Tricky Stewart became a virtual hit factory, churning out tuneful and inventive smashes for the likes of Rihanna ("Umbrella") and Beyoncé ("Single Ladies").
But with his second CD, the man born Terius Nash leaps into another league. These 14 songs draw on pro forma R&B subject matter: sex, sex in VIP rooms, breakup sex, makeup sex. But the combination of classicist songcraft, wild sound collage and a muse that partakes equally of the sensual and the silly makes Love vs. Money far more than just an accomplished genre piece. The most obvious model is R. Kelly, whom Dream name–checks in the swirling slow-jam "Kelly's 12 Play," a tale of a musically enhanced sexcapade. "Sweat It Out" is a hilarious conceit about sex and grooming that begins with Dream cautioning, "Girl, call up Tisha, your beautician/'Cause your hair is gon' need fixin'."
Tricky's beats call to mind both Timbaland and Trent Reznor, filled with blasts of dissonance, jazzlike chord changes, and background shouts and hisses that ricochet across the stereo spectrum, and in the six–and–a–half–minute mini–epic "Fancy," a symphonic multitracked chorale. The end result is genuinely odd: at once avant-garde dance music and radio-friendly pop, sex farce that is genuinely sexy. There isn't a weak song on Money; most of them are unforgettable. "Cupid ain't got shit on me," Dream sings. In 2009, Cupid's not alone.
MUSIC NEWS: THE DREAM TO DROP ANOTHER ALBUM IN 2009
HE’S NOT DONE YET, AT LEAST NOT THIS YEAR. THE AMERICAN DREAM, THE SINGER, NOT THE PRESUMED HOPES OF ALL U.S CITIZENS, IS SET TO DROP ANOTHER 2009 ALBUM. I LIKE HIS LATEST LP. IT DEFINITELY HAS SOME BANGERS, AS WELL AS SOME BALLADS THAT I CAN ROCK TO. IT’LL BE INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT THIS NEW ONE SOUNDS LIKE. DUDE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A WRITING TALENT, MAYBE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, & HE KNOWS HOW TO CRAFT A POP HIT. CHEERS TO THE HOMEY. ENJOY THE ARTICLE.
The-Dream Recording New Album For DecembeR
Gary Graff, Detroit
A second album from The-Dream this year is apparently a reality.
The "Umbrella" songwriter and solo artist tells Billboard.com he's "seven records in on a new album," tentatively titled "Love King" and targeted for a December release. "I have to pace myself 'cause there's so much time between here and then," The-Dream says, "but the seven records I do have are timeless records. Whether they come out now or later it's not really going to matter what kind of records they are."
And while his latest release, the gold-certified "Love vs. Money" -- which came out in March and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 -- featured guest appearances by Mariah Carey, Lil Jon and Kanye West (on the current hit, "Walkin' on the Moon"), The-Dream says no features are set yet for the next album. "Usually it's one of those things where I kinda wait," he explains. "I wait 'til the end, and then who's ever doing their thing at that particular time, that's who I get."
The-Dream is balancing recording sessions with preparations in Los Angeles for his tour with Keyshia Coles, which starts Wednesday in Cincinnati. Unlike his "special guest" stint on last year's Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige trek, this tour will allow him to present "a bigger Dream," complete with four dancers and a five-piece band.
"I'm coming pretty stocked-up this time," he says with a laugh. "I'm like a kid in a toy store, like, 'Oh, this is gonna be fun!" I'm coming DVD-ready." And, in fact, he plans to film a DVD at some point during the tour, which wraps June 21 in Oakland, Calif.
The-Dream says fans can expect songs from his two albums but plans to offer only "hints" of the hits he's written for Rihanna, Usher, Carey, Blige, Jamie Foxx and others. "I don't have enough time," he explains, though there will be a cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana." "I've been trying to sing that song forever," The-Dream notes.
He's also planning his own headlining run for the fall, when his repertoire will be expanded not just by the "Love King" material but also by forthcoming work with Carey, Brandy, Christina Milian and Puff Daddy, the latter with a song called "Change" that The-Dream calls "probably one of the best male records I've ever written...the best record I've written besides 'Umbrella.'"
Links referenced within this article
Find this article at:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/the-dream-recording-new-album-for-december-1003970940.story
POP CULTURE: GUITAR HERO TO UNLEASH REALITY SHOW & CONCERT SOON
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE INSANELY POPULAR VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE ‘GUITAR HERO’ COULDN’T POSSIBLY ROCK OUT ANY MORE, THEY GO & DEVELOP A REALITY SHOW & A CONCERT. LOL. I MUST SAY THAT THIS IS A SAAVY MOVE, & I’M SURE IT WILL PROVE LUCRATIVE FOR EVERY ONE INVOLVED. I WISH I WERE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. LOL. I’LL GET MINE THOUGH. NO WORRIES. IN THE MEANTIME, IN BETWEEEN TIME, CHECK OUT THE DETAILS & LEAVE A COMMENT. ENJOY
'Guitar Hero' Reality Show, Concert Tour In The Works
Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter
The worldwide hit video game "Guitar Hero" could become a reality TV show and/or a real-life concert tour, people familiar with the discussions said Thursday.
"Hero" is from Activision Blizzard, a leading video game publisher that is looking to turn some of its games into TV and film properties.
Activision's cross-platform interests don't end at "Hero" either; discussions are under way to turn the "World of Warcraft" and "Call of Duty" video games into movies.
"They are being talked about for the big screen," said one person with knowledge of the details.
Legendary Pictures actually picked up the film rights to "Warcraft" about three years ago but hasn't moved much on the project since then. It's Web site still calls it a "future production."
Legendary has co-produced with Warner Bros. a string of hits that include "The Dark Knight" and "300."
In an interview prior to Thursday's quarterly earnings conference call, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wouldn't comment on the status of a "Warcraft" movie or speculation that "Duty" would also become a film. But asked about the "Hero" franchise he did say, "It might make for a good TV show or a good concert tour."
"Hero" and "Duty" in the first quarter were two of the Top 5 best-selling franchises across all video game platforms in Europe and the U.S. "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King" was the top PC game, in terms of revenue, in the U.S.
Kotick added that video games, especially family-friendly "Hero," are "capturing leisure time away from TV and film. Not that readers of The Hollywood Reporter want to hear that."
Evidence that Kotick might be correct was in the company's financial report on Thursday. Activision Blizzard said first-quarter revenue more than tripled to $981 million as net income swelled to $189 million from $43 million in the year-ago quarter.
Comparisons with last year are an inaccurate measure of success because Activision hadn't yet been merged with Vivendi Games and renamed Activision Blizzard a year ago. More reflective of the company's momentum is that it beat expectations in the first quarter and it raised its full-year revenue guidance by $100 million to $4.3 billion.
"We have growth and we're making money. That's better than others can say," Kotick said.
Activision Blizzard this year will release several new "Guitar Hero" games including "DJ Hero," which includes a turntable controller along with hip-hop, Motown and other dance music, and "Band Hero," which caters to younger players and features top-40 hits. There's also a "Guitar Hero: Van Halen" and a "Guitar Hero: Smash Hits" coming soon.
Find this article at:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/guitar-hero-reality-show-concert-tour-in-1003971140.story
MUSIC NEWS: VIRGIN FEST TO EXPAND INTO 5 CANADIAN CITIES
THE UBER POPULAR & FUN VIRGIN FEST IS ABOUT TO MAKE FIVE CANADIAN CITIES VERY HAPPY WITH NEWS OF ADDING THOSE CITIES TO THEIR N. AMERICAN TOUR. CONGRATS TO THE CITIES CHOSEN, & MAKE SURE YOU BEGIN SAVING NOW SO THAT YOU CAN ENJOY IT WHEN IT MAKES ITS WAY TO YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS.
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TV NEWS: TNT'S SUMMER LINEUP
NOT MUCH COMMENTARY NEEDED HERE. CHECK OUT TNT’S SUMMER ROSTER OF SHOWS. I’M SURE YOU’LL ENJOY WHAT THEY HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU. CHEERS.
New seasons of "The Closer", "Raising the Bar," "Saving Grace" and "Leverage" to be joined by three new series: "Dark Blue," "Hawthorne" and "Wedding Day."
TNT is going to be television's hottest destination for outstanding drama this summer. As part of the network's ambitious strategy to expand its production slate, TNT will populates three nights each week with original series.
The groundbreaking schedule will start Monday, June 8, with ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time, "The Closer", starring Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Kyra Sedgwick. It will be followed by the second season of Steven Bochco's legal drama, "Raising the Bar," starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek.
Beginning June 16, "Wedding Day," TNT's first foray into unscripted programming, will kick off a Tuesday night lineup that continues with the character-driven medical drama, "Hawthorne," starring Jada Pinkett Smith. The night wraps up with the third season of the provocative drama "Saving Grace", starring Oscar winner Holly Hunter.
Wednesday nights will take ramp up the action with the thrilling, fast-paced drama, "Leverage," starring Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, followed by executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer's gritty undercover police drama, "Dark Blue," starring Golden Globe winner Dylan McDermott. The Wednesday original programming lineup will begin July 15.
The following is the complete rundown for TNT's summer lineup of original series:
"The Closer"
5th season to launch Monday, June 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
It's going to be a year of change for Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and her Major Crimes unit as TNT's "The Closer" returns for its fifth season. The record-breaking crime drama, which stars Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick, continues to dominate the industry as ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time. Sedgwick gives an unforgettable performance as Deputy Chief Johnson, a former Atlanta detective brought to Los Angeles to head a special LAPD homicide unit. She is a top-notch investigator with unparalleled interrogation skills and a track record for closing nearly every case with a suspect's confession. On the home front, she's not quite as adept at handling her personal relationships. Instead, work tends to take first priority in her life and even threatened to derail her wedding in the season-four finale.
This acclaimed series also features a stellar ensemble cast that has garnered three Screen Actors Guild Award ensemble nominations. Playing Brenda's highly capable squad are Corey Reynolds ("The Terminal"), G.W. Bailey ("M*A*S*H"), Tony Denison ("Melrose Place"), Raymond Cruz ("Collateral Damage"), Michael Paul Chan ("Arrested Development") and Phillip P. Keene ("The D.A."). The series also stars Jon Tenney ("The Division") as Brenda's husband, FBI Agent Fritz Howard; J.K. Simmons ("Juno," "Burn After Reading") as her demanding boss, Will Pope; and Robert Gossett ("Arlington Road") as the head of Robbery-Homicide, Commander Taylor.
Since its premiere in 2005, "The Closer" has earned numerous ad-supported cable viewership records, ranking as the #1 series of all time and scoring the #1 series telecast of all time. Each year, the show's audience grows larger, with its 2008 episodes averaging more than 7.3 million viewers. It is produced by the team behind Nip/Tuck.
"Raising the Bar"
2nd season to launch Monday, June 8, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
This summer, court will be back in session with the return of this emotionally powerful legal drama from Emmy-winning producer Steven Bochco. The series follows the cases and lives of young lawyers who work on opposite sides the public defender's office and the district attorney's office as well as those who sit in judgment on their cases. Mark-Paul Gosselaar ("NYPD Blue") stars as idealistic defender Jerry Kellerman, while Gloria Reuben ("ER") plays his passionate and protective boss, Rosalind Whitman. And Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle") plays imperious Judge Trudy Kessler, who has dreams of becoming the next district attorney. Co-starring in the series are Teddy Sears ("Ugly Betty"), Natalia Cigliuti ("All My Children"), Melissa Sagemiller ("Sleeper Cell"), Currie Graham ("Boston Legal"), J. August Richards ("Conviction") and Jonathan Scarfe ("Into the West").
"Raising the Bar" not only looks at courtroom battles but also the relationships among people on different sides, from the public defender trying to deal with her abusive, drug-addicted husband to the African-American assistant district attorney determined not to let himself be viewed as a racial token, from the judge who pushes the legal envelope in order to secure her political future to the legal aide who does everything he can to hide his homosexuality.
When it premiered last September, "Raising the Bar" was watched by 8.6 million viewers, ad-supported cable's largest audience ever for a new series launch.
"Wedding Day"
New series to launch Tuesday, June 16, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)
Every couple dreams of having the perfect wedding. For many, it's the most important and emotional day of their lives. But for some, insurmountable obstacles create barriers to making their dream day a reality. This new TNT series, the network's first-ever unscripted drama, comes from producing giants Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks Television. The show gives deserving couples a helping hand to ensure the most important day of their lives is also the most magical. Each week, celebrity event planner and food expert Alan Dunn ("For Better or Worse") and celebrity wedding producer and designer Diann Valentine (author of "Weddings Valentine Style") host as family, friends and community come together to create a dream wedding. Along the way, viewers will learn each couple's compelling story, from their first date to their wedding day.
"Hawthorne"
New series to launch Tuesday, June 16, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
Jada Pinkett Smith ("The Women," "The Matrix" trilogy) is the latest talented actress to join TNT's line-up of strong, complex female characters, following in the footsteps of Kyra Sedgwick on "The Closer" and Holly Hunter of "Saving Grace." In this character-driven medical drama, Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a compassionate and headstrong Chief Nursing Officer heading up a group of dedicated nurses at Richmond Trinity Hospital who spend long days and nights on the hospital's front lines. Hawthorne is the kind of nurse you want on your side when you or someone you love is in the hospital. She is the kind of nurse who fights for her patients and doesn't let them slip through the cracks. When necessary, she takes on doctors and administrators who are overworked, distracted or just unable to see the human being behind the hospital chart.
Joining Pinkett Smith in "Hawthorne" is Michael Vartan ("Alias") as Dr. Tom Wakefield, the oncologist who treated Christina's husband and who serves as director of medicine for the hospital. The cast also includes Suleka Mathew ("Men in Trees") as Bobbie Jackson, a fellow nurse and one of Hawthorne's best friends; David Julian Hirsh ("Lovebites") as Ray Stein, a nurse struggling with being accepted in a female-dominated profession; Christina Moore ("90210") as Candy Sullivan, a nurse with a unique sense of duty; and Hannah Hodson (TNT's "The Ron Clark Story") as Camille, Hawthorne's daughter. In addition, special guest star Joanna Cassidy ("Six Feet Under") portrays Amanda, Hawthorne's mother-in-law, who also happens to be a member of the hospital board.
"Saving Grace"
3rd season to launch Tuesday, June 16, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Academy Award winner Holly Hunter returns in this bold series as a gutsy Oklahoma City Police detective who holds nothing back, whether on the job or in her personal life. The series follows as she investigates brutal crimes while also trying to balance her relationship with her partner, Ham (Kenneth Johnson, "The Shield"), and figure out cryptic messages from her last-chance angel, Earl (Leon Rippy, "Deadwood"). Hunter's acclaimed, tantalizing performance recently earned her a second consecutive Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She is joined in the series by an ensemble cast that includes Bailey Chase ("Las Vegas"), Gregory Cruz ("Criminal Minds"), Yaani King ("The Prince & Me") and Dylan Minnette ("Prison Break"), with Lorraine Toussaint ("Any Day Now") and Laura San Giacomo ("Just Shoot Me").
The first season of "Saving Grace" on TNT, ranked as one of ad-supported cable's top new series of 2007, averaging 4.7 million viewers. The show's second season averaged 4 million viewers and ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 entertainment program in its timeslot among adults 25-54, viewers and households. "Saving Grace" was created by Nancy Miller ("Any Day Now").
"Leverage"
2nd season to launch Wednesday, July 15, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
TNT set Tuesday nights on fire this winter with the first season of this thrilling, fast-paced drama series starring Oscar winner Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People"). This summer, the gang is back with more elaborate scams designed to exact revenge against those who use power and wealth to victimize people. Hutton stars as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator determined to bring down the kind of corrupt bigwigs whose neglect led to the death of his son. His highly skilled team includes Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman, "Coupling"), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane, TNT's "Into the West"), a retrieval specialist with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge, "Friday Night Lights"), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team connected and informed; and Parker (Beth Riesgraf, "Alvin and the Chipmunks"), a slightly off-center thief adept at repelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places. Together, the team puts their energy, quick minds and keen intellects toward securing justice for society's underdogs.
"Leverage" which is executive-produced by Dean Devlin ("Independence Day," TNT's "The Librarian" movies), scored big in its first season, ranking as ad-supported cable's #1 show in its timeslot with an average of 3.7 million viewers.
"Dark Blue"
New series to launch Wednesday, July 15, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
This fast-paced, undercover police drama from prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Without a Trace") stars Golden Globe winner Dylan McDermott ("The Practice," TNT's "The Grid"), Logan Marshall-Green ("The O.C."), Omari Hardwick (TNT's "Saved") and Nicki Aycox ("Supernatural"). The series follows the exploits of a crack undercover team of police officers so covert, many of their own colleagues don't even know they are involved. Leading the group is Carter Shaw (McDermott), a deeply wounded character who has lost his wife and much of his former life as he struggles to bring down bad guys through complex undercover assignments. His team includes Ty Curtis (Hardwick), a recently married cop who struggles with personal relationships he has developed while undercover; Dean Bendis (Marshall-Green), a shoot-from-the-hip officer whose activities make fellow team members wonder if he has gone over to the bad side; and Jaimie Allen (Aycox), a green patrol cop brought in because of her excellent skill in lying and a shady past.
SOURCE: POP TOWER
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TACO BELL 09 SMOOTH MOVES COMMERCIAL
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvAJ2Dvyr6w
POP CULTURE: VIDEO IN REVIEW
KID CUDI
DAY & NITE
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LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tln5gGCs1cU
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