The first "Hangover" was a surprise smash, an R-rated comedy that raked in more than $277 million at the domestic box office. So, a sequel was inevitable. And judging from the first day's box office, people are awaiting it with open arms.
But is it any good? That's another story.
Most are like Times critic Betsy Sharkey, accusing the film of existing purely as a crass cash-grab without any good comedy to justify itself. She writes, "Me, I'm left with morning-after regrets. Lost is the fresh, perverse, painfully politically incorrect R-rated pleasure that came when 'The Hangover' ate up the summer of 2009."
Leonard Maltin disliked the film as well, but he's been around too long to exert much effort bashing it. This is one of those critic-proof movies. "In a more perfect world, customers who feel burned by second- and third-rate sequels would be wary the next time a number 2, 3, or 4 came to their neighborhood multiplex. But you know what Barnum said...."
Manohla Dargis earns her New York Times paycheck by going a little "Da Vinci Code" on the film: "If you superimposed a diagram that mapped out all the narrative beats, characters and jokes in 'The Hangover Part II' over one for 'The Hangover,' the two would align almost perfectly."
Roger Ebert's two-star review gives the film credit for having a few laughs (mostly because of Zach Galifianakis), but Ebert takes offense at one photograph, seen during the film's closing credits. Like the first one, "The Hangover Part II" saves the final revelations of the boys' wild night out for a montage at the end. "It's not that I was shocked. This is a raunch fest, yes, but not an offense against humanity (except for that photo, which is a desecration of one of the two most famous photos to come out of the Vietnam War). The movie has its share of laughs."
"The Hangover Part II" does have its defenders, and not just in the quote machines and junketeers that you'd normally expect to like the film. Critic Christopher Orr, at that bastion of highbrow reportage and opinion the Atlantic, is a fan. He writes, "Despite its slavish fidelity to the structure of its predecessor, Phillips's sequel manages to take each plot twist and twist it further.... It's a testament to the strength of that model, though, that despite its derivative nature and other shortcomings, 'The Hangover Part II' is brutally funny. Again."
Critic Ben Mankiewicz, host from another bastion, this time of "good cinema," Turner Classic Movies, is also a fan. He defends the movie in his review on Huffington Post, acknowledging its critical drubbing while pointing out the bright spots that actually make the film work (in his opinion). "As for the rest of the movie, eh, not so much, but hardly a disaster. Think of it as a decent high school football player who suffers from having an older brother who was all-state two years earlier."
Did you see "The Hangover Part II"? Did you find it to be a wild night out or reason for next-day regrets?
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Spoken-word musician Gil Scott-Heron dies in NYC
NEW YORK — Musician Gil Scott-Heron, who helped lay the groundwork for rap by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry on songs such as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," died Friday at age 62.
A friend, Doris C. Nolan, who answered the telephone listed for his Manhattan recording company, said he died in the afternoon at St. Luke's Hospital after becoming sick upon returning from a European trip.
"We're all sort of shattered," she said.
Scott-Heron's influence on rap was such that he sometimes was referred to as the Godfather of Rap, a title he rejected.
"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks,' which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion," he wrote in the introduction to his 1990 collection of poems, "Now and Then."
He referred to his signature mix of percussion, politics and performed poetry as bluesology or Third World music. But then he said it was simply "black music or black American music."
"Because Black Americans are now a tremendously diverse essence of all the places we've come from and the music and rhythms we brought with us," he wrote.
Nevertheless, his influence on generations of rappers has been demonstrated through sampling of his recordings by artists, including Kanye West.
Scott-Heron recorded the song that would make him famous, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which critiqued mass media, for the album "125th and Lenox" in Harlem in the 1970s. He followed up that recording with more than a dozen albums, initially collaborating with musician Brian Jackson. His most recent album was "I'm New Here," which he began recording in 2007 and was released in 2010.
Throughout his musical career, he took on political issues of his time, including apartheid in South Africa and nuclear arms. He had been shaped by the politics of the 1960s and the black literature, especially of the Harlem Renaissance.
Scott-Heron was born in Chicago on April 1, 1949. He was raised in Jackson, Tenn., and in New York before attending college at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Before turning to music, he was a novelist, at age 19, with the publication of "The Vulture," a murder mystery.
He also was the author of "The Nigger Factory," a social satire.
A friend, Doris C. Nolan, who answered the telephone listed for his Manhattan recording company, said he died in the afternoon at St. Luke's Hospital after becoming sick upon returning from a European trip.
"We're all sort of shattered," she said.
Scott-Heron's influence on rap was such that he sometimes was referred to as the Godfather of Rap, a title he rejected.
"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks,' which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion," he wrote in the introduction to his 1990 collection of poems, "Now and Then."
He referred to his signature mix of percussion, politics and performed poetry as bluesology or Third World music. But then he said it was simply "black music or black American music."
"Because Black Americans are now a tremendously diverse essence of all the places we've come from and the music and rhythms we brought with us," he wrote.
Nevertheless, his influence on generations of rappers has been demonstrated through sampling of his recordings by artists, including Kanye West.
Scott-Heron recorded the song that would make him famous, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which critiqued mass media, for the album "125th and Lenox" in Harlem in the 1970s. He followed up that recording with more than a dozen albums, initially collaborating with musician Brian Jackson. His most recent album was "I'm New Here," which he began recording in 2007 and was released in 2010.
Throughout his musical career, he took on political issues of his time, including apartheid in South Africa and nuclear arms. He had been shaped by the politics of the 1960s and the black literature, especially of the Harlem Renaissance.
Scott-Heron was born in Chicago on April 1, 1949. He was raised in Jackson, Tenn., and in New York before attending college at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Before turning to music, he was a novelist, at age 19, with the publication of "The Vulture," a murder mystery.
He also was the author of "The Nigger Factory," a social satire.
Jeff Conaway
Jeff Conaway, who has died aged 60, was a Hollywood actor best known for his role as Kenickie, leader of the T-birds, in the film Grease (1978), starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
Something of heart-throb in the 1980s, Conaway regularly appeared on hit television shows, including four seasons playing the out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler in Taxi, alongside Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Judd Hirsch.
Both Grease and Taxi were hugely successful, and Conaway was seldom out of work, appearing in most of the popular television shows of his time, including Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat. A fan of science fiction, in the 1990s he visited the set of the television series Babylon 5, and while there was offered a bit part which grew into a regular role as the recurring character Zack Allen. He was eventually given a full-time role in the series.
Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway was born in New York on October 5 1950 . Having an uncle who worked for Nasa, as a boy Jeff read books on jet propulsion. His ambition was to be an astronaut, but then an optician told him that he required glasses. “My dream died before it started — acting hadn’t been an option, but I was desperate for adventure,” he said in 2002.
Conaway made his showbusiness debut on Broadway at the age of 10 in All the Way Home (1961), alongside Lillian Gish, Aline MacMahon and Colleen Dewhurst. After a year at North Carolina School of the Arts, he returned to New York to study film and theatre while also playing in a rock band. In his final year at college, 1972, he replaced Timothy Meyers in the lead role of Danny Zuko in the Broadway production of the musical Grease.
After some early television appearances in shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak and Happy Days, he appeared with Michael Caine in the Second World War thriller The Eagle Has Landed (1976). He was then offered the role of Kenickie in the film of Grease (1978), which became an international hit. Although he said he enjoyed working with John Travolta, Conaway thereafter felt typecast: “I couldn’t shake it off. I couldn’t go to the john without being sung a tune from Grease by fans.”
None the less, he joined the cast of Taxi, and in later years he appeared in films such as The Patriot (1986); Elvira: The Mistress of the Dark (1988); and in Ghost Writer (1989), as Tom Farrell. Two of his films — Sunset Strip (1993) and The Last Embrace (1997) — were widely regarded as flops, but he won praise for his performance in Shadow of Doubt (1998), alongside Melanie Griffith and Tom Berenger.
Conaway went on to direct music videos and plays in small theatres in Los Angeles. In 2006 he was in the reality television programme Celebrity Fit Club, but walked out after only three weeks. Two years later, on Celebrity Rehab with Dr David Drew Pinsky (better known as “Dr Drew”), he explored live on air his addiction to prescription opiates and his turbulent relationship with his on-off girlfriend, the singer Vikki Lizzi.
Despite his problems, Conaway continued to work, completing a series of low-budget films.
Jeff Conaway — who claimed to have attempted suicide on 21 occasions — was found unconscious on May 11, and is thought to have taken an overdose of prescription medication. He never regained consciousness and was taken off his life support machine on May 27.
After a brief first marriage, in 1980 he married the actress Rona Newton-John, sister of Olivia Newton-John. They divorced five years later, and in 1990 he married Keri Young; that union was also dissolved.
Something of heart-throb in the 1980s, Conaway regularly appeared on hit television shows, including four seasons playing the out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler in Taxi, alongside Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Judd Hirsch.
Both Grease and Taxi were hugely successful, and Conaway was seldom out of work, appearing in most of the popular television shows of his time, including Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat. A fan of science fiction, in the 1990s he visited the set of the television series Babylon 5, and while there was offered a bit part which grew into a regular role as the recurring character Zack Allen. He was eventually given a full-time role in the series.
Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway was born in New York on October 5 1950 . Having an uncle who worked for Nasa, as a boy Jeff read books on jet propulsion. His ambition was to be an astronaut, but then an optician told him that he required glasses. “My dream died before it started — acting hadn’t been an option, but I was desperate for adventure,” he said in 2002.
Conaway made his showbusiness debut on Broadway at the age of 10 in All the Way Home (1961), alongside Lillian Gish, Aline MacMahon and Colleen Dewhurst. After a year at North Carolina School of the Arts, he returned to New York to study film and theatre while also playing in a rock band. In his final year at college, 1972, he replaced Timothy Meyers in the lead role of Danny Zuko in the Broadway production of the musical Grease.
After some early television appearances in shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak and Happy Days, he appeared with Michael Caine in the Second World War thriller The Eagle Has Landed (1976). He was then offered the role of Kenickie in the film of Grease (1978), which became an international hit. Although he said he enjoyed working with John Travolta, Conaway thereafter felt typecast: “I couldn’t shake it off. I couldn’t go to the john without being sung a tune from Grease by fans.”
None the less, he joined the cast of Taxi, and in later years he appeared in films such as The Patriot (1986); Elvira: The Mistress of the Dark (1988); and in Ghost Writer (1989), as Tom Farrell. Two of his films — Sunset Strip (1993) and The Last Embrace (1997) — were widely regarded as flops, but he won praise for his performance in Shadow of Doubt (1998), alongside Melanie Griffith and Tom Berenger.
Conaway went on to direct music videos and plays in small theatres in Los Angeles. In 2006 he was in the reality television programme Celebrity Fit Club, but walked out after only three weeks. Two years later, on Celebrity Rehab with Dr David Drew Pinsky (better known as “Dr Drew”), he explored live on air his addiction to prescription opiates and his turbulent relationship with his on-off girlfriend, the singer Vikki Lizzi.
Despite his problems, Conaway continued to work, completing a series of low-budget films.
Jeff Conaway — who claimed to have attempted suicide on 21 occasions — was found unconscious on May 11, and is thought to have taken an overdose of prescription medication. He never regained consciousness and was taken off his life support machine on May 27.
After a brief first marriage, in 1980 he married the actress Rona Newton-John, sister of Olivia Newton-John. They divorced five years later, and in 1990 he married Keri Young; that union was also dissolved.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
'Real Housewives of New Jersey' recap: Are they still talking about the christening brawl?
When you start a season with a raging brawl in the middle of a baby christening, there’s nowhere to go but up. Or is that down?
The calm after the Jersey Housewife storm is filled with fall-out: As Teresa tells her friends, the fight between her husband (Joe Guidice) and her brother (Joe Gorga) at her nephew’s christening party was like "a bad bad dream." A bad bad dream in which her brother pounds his fists on the banquet table until a mob erupts into violence so chaotic and widespread that even Bravo’s multiple cameras can’t show us what exactly is going on.
Which is just as well — if we knew exactly what had happened, it wouldn’t be as much fun to hear the different parties trotting out their own versions of how things unraveled last week.
Joe Giudice — the instigator of the violence, according to some — says understatedly: "I got a little upset because [Joe Gorga] banged the table."
Caroline, seemingly playing the voice of reason this season, doesn't care who started it. She tells Teresa that she and her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, better make up fast: The two are scheduled to walk in the Posh Fashion Show together a few days later.
Teresa brushes her off. "I know how to handle my family. I'm the matriarch of my family," she announces.
Cut to the Gorga household members, who are seething over all the times that Teresa slighted them in the past and rehashing the christening throwdown.
"I looked at her with my eyes," says Joe Gorga. "[Teresa] knows me." Chimes in Melissa’s cousin Kathy (she of the enormous pop-eyes): "He gave her the warning. She should have known. He's a Gorga.”
At this point, Gorga starts banging the table again. Is table-banging going to be his version of a catchphrase?
Even though it's Halloween, there's little time spent on trick or treating. Instead, the episode careens toward the Posh Fashion Show, signaling that fur will fly there.
Caroline’s husband, owner of the club hosting the event, offers her a seat in the middle of the room. "That's not the best seat,” Caroline says with a laugh, showing the only shred of humor in the episode. “I want to be by the door for a quick escape."
At the event, dueling conversations ratchet up the tension. While getting her hair done, Melissa tells Kathy, “I want the acknowledgement of what happened and you [Teresa] caused it and Joe charging my husband caused a ruckus."
On the other side of the wall, Teresa tells Jacqueline, “The fashion show is not the place for a family thing to be spoken about.”
And then the two angry posses collide in makeup room. Fake air kiss ensues before they retreat to their corners.
"She acted exactly how I expected," Melissa simpers.
“Melissa doesn’t faze me,” Teresa snarls. “Do I look fazed? Nuh-unh.”
The fashion show itself barely registers — Melissa flounces down the runway wearing something that looks like an exploded pigeon, and Teresa follows suit in a black, wet-look minidress. (Caroline notes sadly that Teresa’s heart isn’t in it: "She's got a lot on her mind.... I felt bad for her.")
But how can we even mock the tacky couture when Teresa’s voiceover is promising some kind of vicious resolution?
"Tick tick tick," she mutters.
The suspense is suspended 30 seconds later as Kathy pulls Teresa aside and tries to defuse (or is it ignite?) the situation. "I see the lights on but — knock knock knock — is anyone home?" Kathy taunts.
It’s back to contrasting she said/she said accounts of the fight until Kathy makes the mistake of mentioning that Teresa wasn’t looking after her baby daughter during the christening melee.
“Do. Not. Go. There!” Teresa bellows. Caroline takes the ongoing bickering as a cue to send Teresa’s mother and mother-in-law out of the room for a drink. "As a mother, I don't want to see family made a mockery."
Until next week, that is.
The calm after the Jersey Housewife storm is filled with fall-out: As Teresa tells her friends, the fight between her husband (Joe Guidice) and her brother (Joe Gorga) at her nephew’s christening party was like "a bad bad dream." A bad bad dream in which her brother pounds his fists on the banquet table until a mob erupts into violence so chaotic and widespread that even Bravo’s multiple cameras can’t show us what exactly is going on.
Which is just as well — if we knew exactly what had happened, it wouldn’t be as much fun to hear the different parties trotting out their own versions of how things unraveled last week.
Joe Giudice — the instigator of the violence, according to some — says understatedly: "I got a little upset because [Joe Gorga] banged the table."
Caroline, seemingly playing the voice of reason this season, doesn't care who started it. She tells Teresa that she and her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, better make up fast: The two are scheduled to walk in the Posh Fashion Show together a few days later.
Teresa brushes her off. "I know how to handle my family. I'm the matriarch of my family," she announces.
Cut to the Gorga household members, who are seething over all the times that Teresa slighted them in the past and rehashing the christening throwdown.
"I looked at her with my eyes," says Joe Gorga. "[Teresa] knows me." Chimes in Melissa’s cousin Kathy (she of the enormous pop-eyes): "He gave her the warning. She should have known. He's a Gorga.”
At this point, Gorga starts banging the table again. Is table-banging going to be his version of a catchphrase?
Even though it's Halloween, there's little time spent on trick or treating. Instead, the episode careens toward the Posh Fashion Show, signaling that fur will fly there.
Caroline’s husband, owner of the club hosting the event, offers her a seat in the middle of the room. "That's not the best seat,” Caroline says with a laugh, showing the only shred of humor in the episode. “I want to be by the door for a quick escape."
At the event, dueling conversations ratchet up the tension. While getting her hair done, Melissa tells Kathy, “I want the acknowledgement of what happened and you [Teresa] caused it and Joe charging my husband caused a ruckus."
On the other side of the wall, Teresa tells Jacqueline, “The fashion show is not the place for a family thing to be spoken about.”
And then the two angry posses collide in makeup room. Fake air kiss ensues before they retreat to their corners.
"She acted exactly how I expected," Melissa simpers.
“Melissa doesn’t faze me,” Teresa snarls. “Do I look fazed? Nuh-unh.”
The fashion show itself barely registers — Melissa flounces down the runway wearing something that looks like an exploded pigeon, and Teresa follows suit in a black, wet-look minidress. (Caroline notes sadly that Teresa’s heart isn’t in it: "She's got a lot on her mind.... I felt bad for her.")
But how can we even mock the tacky couture when Teresa’s voiceover is promising some kind of vicious resolution?
"Tick tick tick," she mutters.
The suspense is suspended 30 seconds later as Kathy pulls Teresa aside and tries to defuse (or is it ignite?) the situation. "I see the lights on but — knock knock knock — is anyone home?" Kathy taunts.
It’s back to contrasting she said/she said accounts of the fight until Kathy makes the mistake of mentioning that Teresa wasn’t looking after her baby daughter during the christening melee.
“Do. Not. Go. There!” Teresa bellows. Caroline takes the ongoing bickering as a cue to send Teresa’s mother and mother-in-law out of the room for a drink. "As a mother, I don't want to see family made a mockery."
Until next week, that is.
DANCING WITH THE STARS Showdown: And the Winner Is...
And the winner is...football player Hines Ward, with runner up Kirstie Alley, and third place finisher Chelsea Kane. Keep reading for a recap!
Tonight's the DANCING WITH THE STARS season finale! Whether your favorite left early in the competition, or danced for the title last night, all three of the finalists have shown determination, energy, and poise to make it this far.
They're not done yet, though - even though all the votes have been counted, and yesterday's dances are long since over, there's still one more round of scored competition for the contestants to raise or lower their standings.
First, of course, we have to have our weekly dose of starry entertainment. Taking the stage this week are The Black Eyed Peas (who perform their recently released "Don't Stop the Party") and this season's first eliminee Psycho Mike Catherwood performing a skit with some of the troupe. The eliminated contestants also perform takes on their "greatest hits" so to speak, notably Petra and Dmitry performing to Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" - with a surprise appearance from Groban himself. Finishing out the entertainment set are the Go-Gos (with their 1980 hit "We Got the Beat") and Sara Evans (performing "A Little Bit Stronger" to a montage of the finalists' highlights from this season).
Read more: http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/DANCING-WITH-THE-STARS-Showdown-And-the-Winner-Is-20110524#ixzz1NKXIvS7J
Tonight's the DANCING WITH THE STARS season finale! Whether your favorite left early in the competition, or danced for the title last night, all three of the finalists have shown determination, energy, and poise to make it this far.
They're not done yet, though - even though all the votes have been counted, and yesterday's dances are long since over, there's still one more round of scored competition for the contestants to raise or lower their standings.
First, of course, we have to have our weekly dose of starry entertainment. Taking the stage this week are The Black Eyed Peas (who perform their recently released "Don't Stop the Party") and this season's first eliminee Psycho Mike Catherwood performing a skit with some of the troupe. The eliminated contestants also perform takes on their "greatest hits" so to speak, notably Petra and Dmitry performing to Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" - with a surprise appearance from Groban himself. Finishing out the entertainment set are the Go-Gos (with their 1980 hit "We Got the Beat") and Sara Evans (performing "A Little Bit Stronger" to a montage of the finalists' highlights from this season).
Read more: http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/DANCING-WITH-THE-STARS-Showdown-And-the-Winner-Is-20110524#ixzz1NKXIvS7J
Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Compete in American Idol Finale
At the start of the final showdown at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre, Ryan Seacrest described the faceoff between Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina as "the boy-next-door versus the Southern belle."
Lauren, unfortunately, had also been doing battle with her own voice – or, more accurately, her voice had been doing battle with her.
During rehearsal she'd blown out a vocal cord. A doctor in black scrubs – wouldn't that cheer you up in the ER? – came out and explained that she'd been treated and would do "great."
Said Lauren: "I'm here, I'm ready to sing, and I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
She said this with a brave smile that was actually not all that reassuring.
But this was live TV, and we were off. And Lauren was right.
The night was broken down into three rounds: 1) The contestants encored their favorite songs from the season; 2) They sang a number chosen by their personal idols – Carrie Underwood for Lauren, George Strait for Scotty; and 3) They performed what would become their first single, should they win.
Round One
Scotty McCreery: Montgomery Gentry's "Gone." Well, he was impeccably smooth. This was even smoother than I remember his original performance, and cool as a sheriff at high noon.
Lauren: Underwood's "Flat on the Floor." Her voice seemed to get lost in the tumbling lyrics, but then a fast tempo has never done her any favors. She's better when she can slowly pour syrup over everything. (I mean that in a good way.)
Jennifer Lopez gave her a standing ovation, but during the performance the camera kept cutting to her in close-up: She had the stern, concerned look of a tree surgeon wondering if branches would have to be cut.
Round Two
Scotty: Strait's "Check Yes or No." Even better, more confident than "Gone," with nice little hiccups in tone. You probably could have told him a country-seeking missile was heading straight for him, and he'd have given the same performance.
Lauren: Pam Tillis's "Maybe It Was Memphis," which she sang in a poufy gold party dress and boots. Much better, because it was more in her wheelhouse, as Randy Jackson might say – she connects better to an undercurrent of emotion.
At that point, Ryan asked the judges to assess the first two rounds.
Praising both singers as "incredible," Randy Jackson gave Round One to Scotty with a slight edge, and Round Two to Lauren, again with a slight edge. Jennifer described the opening round as "explosive," and agreed with Randy's verdicts.
Steven Tyler gave both rounds to Lauren, "but only because she's prettier."
Round Three
Scotty's single: "I Love You This Big." Producer Jimmy Iovine told Scotty it was "a big moment and a big song, and you've got a big voice." Beats me: It was a slow, sincere, porous marshmallow of a song that soaked up a lot of Scotty's ornery strength.
"The range was great," said Randy. Jennifer: "A really amazing job." Steven: "You nailed it again."
Lauren: "Like My Mother Does." Another marshmallow, but melodically richer, and Lauren's a natural for this kind of ballad. Most important, perhaps, she was allowed the supremely sentimental moment of being led by Ryan down into the audience and hugging her own mother, who mouthed "Thank you" to her.
Lauren cried, her mother cried, her dad cried. I mean, come on, didn't you cry? As Iovine put it: "Moms are the bedrock of American society, and they're all going to be moved by this song like crazy."
The judges all loved it, too. Randy gave the round to Lauren with a slight edge, Steven said she'd won it "hands down," and Jennifer concluded: "With that song, you may have just won."
Think Jennifer's right.
Lauren, unfortunately, had also been doing battle with her own voice – or, more accurately, her voice had been doing battle with her.
During rehearsal she'd blown out a vocal cord. A doctor in black scrubs – wouldn't that cheer you up in the ER? – came out and explained that she'd been treated and would do "great."
Said Lauren: "I'm here, I'm ready to sing, and I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
She said this with a brave smile that was actually not all that reassuring.
But this was live TV, and we were off. And Lauren was right.
The night was broken down into three rounds: 1) The contestants encored their favorite songs from the season; 2) They sang a number chosen by their personal idols – Carrie Underwood for Lauren, George Strait for Scotty; and 3) They performed what would become their first single, should they win.
Round One
Scotty McCreery: Montgomery Gentry's "Gone." Well, he was impeccably smooth. This was even smoother than I remember his original performance, and cool as a sheriff at high noon.
Lauren: Underwood's "Flat on the Floor." Her voice seemed to get lost in the tumbling lyrics, but then a fast tempo has never done her any favors. She's better when she can slowly pour syrup over everything. (I mean that in a good way.)
Jennifer Lopez gave her a standing ovation, but during the performance the camera kept cutting to her in close-up: She had the stern, concerned look of a tree surgeon wondering if branches would have to be cut.
Round Two
Scotty: Strait's "Check Yes or No." Even better, more confident than "Gone," with nice little hiccups in tone. You probably could have told him a country-seeking missile was heading straight for him, and he'd have given the same performance.
Lauren: Pam Tillis's "Maybe It Was Memphis," which she sang in a poufy gold party dress and boots. Much better, because it was more in her wheelhouse, as Randy Jackson might say – she connects better to an undercurrent of emotion.
At that point, Ryan asked the judges to assess the first two rounds.
Praising both singers as "incredible," Randy Jackson gave Round One to Scotty with a slight edge, and Round Two to Lauren, again with a slight edge. Jennifer described the opening round as "explosive," and agreed with Randy's verdicts.
Steven Tyler gave both rounds to Lauren, "but only because she's prettier."
Round Three
Scotty's single: "I Love You This Big." Producer Jimmy Iovine told Scotty it was "a big moment and a big song, and you've got a big voice." Beats me: It was a slow, sincere, porous marshmallow of a song that soaked up a lot of Scotty's ornery strength.
"The range was great," said Randy. Jennifer: "A really amazing job." Steven: "You nailed it again."
Lauren: "Like My Mother Does." Another marshmallow, but melodically richer, and Lauren's a natural for this kind of ballad. Most important, perhaps, she was allowed the supremely sentimental moment of being led by Ryan down into the audience and hugging her own mother, who mouthed "Thank you" to her.
Lauren cried, her mother cried, her dad cried. I mean, come on, didn't you cry? As Iovine put it: "Moms are the bedrock of American society, and they're all going to be moved by this song like crazy."
The judges all loved it, too. Randy gave the round to Lauren with a slight edge, Steven said she'd won it "hands down," and Jennifer concluded: "With that song, you may have just won."
Think Jennifer's right.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Taylor Swift Wins 2011 Billboard Music Awards Top Artist
Honored with the grand prize upon show's end, Taylor Swift was crowned as Top Artist at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday evening (May 22).
With the ceremony being held at the MGM Grand, the country darling took home the trophy after beating out fellow nominees Justin Bieber, Eminem, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
As for the show, the Ken Jeong hosted Billboard Music Awards featured performances by big names including Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, the Black Eyed Peas, Lil Wayne and numerous other top acts.
With presenters including Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas and Matthew Morrison, the Billboard Music Awards also featured a special tribute to Beyonce Knowles - as she was presented with the Billboard Millenium Award for her undeniably successful career achievements.
Hollywood Gossip
Enjoy the pictures of Taylor Swift at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards (May 22).
With the ceremony being held at the MGM Grand, the country darling took home the trophy after beating out fellow nominees Justin Bieber, Eminem, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
As for the show, the Ken Jeong hosted Billboard Music Awards featured performances by big names including Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, the Black Eyed Peas, Lil Wayne and numerous other top acts.
With presenters including Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas and Matthew Morrison, the Billboard Music Awards also featured a special tribute to Beyonce Knowles - as she was presented with the Billboard Millenium Award for her undeniably successful career achievements.
Hollywood Gossip
Enjoy the pictures of Taylor Swift at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards (May 22).
Cannes 2011: A spell of conflict, and then (some) resolution
With the major awards handed out and the last of the cinephiles, partiers, salespeople and hangers-on finally packing up for calmer climes, let's take a moment to look back at this year's Cannes Film Festival in all its intensity and strangeness.
The 2011 edition of the world's most prestigious film gathering was historic in several ways. Egyptian directors banded together to create and premiere shorts about their country's revolution just three months after it happened, while more female directors landed in the main competition than ever before (a sharp contrast to Hollywood's glass ceiling).
Less nobly, for the first time in the history of Cannes, a filmmaker was declared persona non grata at the festival. Leave it to Lars.
It was, as might be expected with any 64th installment, sometimes a festival of the familiar — Harvey Weinstein spending millions on high-profile films from the likes of Meryl Streep and Shia LaBeouf, and Woody Allen embraced again, thanks to his opening-night movie, "Midnight in Paris."
But it was also a festival filled with paradox. Cannes always contains multitudes, but the contradictions rarely have ever seemed this pungent, and they've seldom grabbed so many headlines. Cannes this year saw the European premiere of Mel Gibson's new film — and yet he had to settle for second place for the festival's biggest race-themed controversy. The Croisette also saw a silent film, Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist," making some of the loudest noise.
It was a festival where the darkest of subjects, a school shooting, was given the flashiest of treatments with Lynne Ramsay's well-received "We Need to Talk About Kevin."
Cannes is filled with old-timers and veterans, and yet one of the biggest splashes came from a young 'un first-timer, "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn.
And finally, there was the festival's biggest enigma, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," whose premiere ensured that the most scrutinized festival director was also the most invisible. Malick sat out the red carpet and the screening feting him and drove the point home when he also sat out the Palme d'Or ceremony Sunday, opting for his producers to accept on his behalf.
There was good and bad, strange and sane, in this year's Cannes. It's the favorable more than the dodgy one hopes will prevail, though in the end it will may well be that both co-exist. It was, after all, that kind of festival.
— Steven Zeitchik in Cannes, France
The 2011 edition of the world's most prestigious film gathering was historic in several ways. Egyptian directors banded together to create and premiere shorts about their country's revolution just three months after it happened, while more female directors landed in the main competition than ever before (a sharp contrast to Hollywood's glass ceiling).
Less nobly, for the first time in the history of Cannes, a filmmaker was declared persona non grata at the festival. Leave it to Lars.
It was, as might be expected with any 64th installment, sometimes a festival of the familiar — Harvey Weinstein spending millions on high-profile films from the likes of Meryl Streep and Shia LaBeouf, and Woody Allen embraced again, thanks to his opening-night movie, "Midnight in Paris."
But it was also a festival filled with paradox. Cannes always contains multitudes, but the contradictions rarely have ever seemed this pungent, and they've seldom grabbed so many headlines. Cannes this year saw the European premiere of Mel Gibson's new film — and yet he had to settle for second place for the festival's biggest race-themed controversy. The Croisette also saw a silent film, Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist," making some of the loudest noise.
It was a festival where the darkest of subjects, a school shooting, was given the flashiest of treatments with Lynne Ramsay's well-received "We Need to Talk About Kevin."
Cannes is filled with old-timers and veterans, and yet one of the biggest splashes came from a young 'un first-timer, "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn.
And finally, there was the festival's biggest enigma, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," whose premiere ensured that the most scrutinized festival director was also the most invisible. Malick sat out the red carpet and the screening feting him and drove the point home when he also sat out the Palme d'Or ceremony Sunday, opting for his producers to accept on his behalf.
There was good and bad, strange and sane, in this year's Cannes. It's the favorable more than the dodgy one hopes will prevail, though in the end it will may well be that both co-exist. It was, after all, that kind of festival.
— Steven Zeitchik in Cannes, France
'Pirates of the Caribbean' plunders foreign markets
LOS ANGELES -- Americans appear to be growing tired of riding the high seas with Capt. Jack Sparrow, but "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" found box office treasure anyway.
The fourth entry in the Johnny Depp-starring "Pirates" series raked in $256.3 million on its first weekend in more than 100 foreign countries, according to an estimate from Walt Disney Studios. That's the biggest international debut of all time for a film.
It more than made up for a softer-than-expected $90.1 million launch in the U.S. and Canada. The total worldwide tally was a huge $346.4 million; the film enjoyed the all-time biggest openings in Latin America, the Middle East and Russia, according to Disney.
The disparity in performance demonstrates that in the increasingly global film business, movies can still be blockbuster hits while disappointing at the domestic box office. "On Stranger Tides" could end up collecting a total of $1 billion, easily justifying the more than $400 million Disney spent on production and advertising.
"People have got to understand the size of the stage," said Disney distribution President Chuck Viane. "It doesn't matter where the money comes from anymore."
In fact, the best news at the domestic box office may have come not for "Pirates," but the modestly budgeted comedy "Bridesmaids." It dropped only 20 percent on its second weekend to $21.1 million, an indication of very strong word of mouth. The rare female-oriented R-rated comedy is now virtually certain to surpass $100 million, making it one of producer Judd Apatow's most successful pictures.
To bolster "On Stranger Tides" after 2007's three-quel grossed less than the 2006 second entry, Disney dropped Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and brought in Penelope Cruz to co-star with Depp. Rob Marshall also replaced director Gore Verbinski and worked with producer Jerry Bruckheimer to simplify the film's story line compared with its convoluted predecessor.
U.S. and Canadian audiences didn't seem to appreciate the effort. Though the movie enjoyed the biggest opening of the year in those countries, it came in well behind the last two "Pirates" pictures. They launched to $135.6 million and $114.7 million, respectively, in July 2006 and Memorial Day weekend 2007. The fourth installment is also short of the $100 million mark that Disney executives were hoping the new picture would hit.
"Did I want the number to start with a 1? Absolutely," said Viane. "But I could never be disappointed with a movie that opens over $90 million."
3-D appears not to have been a big draw for domestic audiences. Even including Imax digital screens, less than half of the ticket sales for the movie came from locations playing the picture in 3-D, according to three people with access to the data. Viane declined to provide the information.
Despite poor reviews, most people who saw "On Stranger Tides" seemed to like it. U.S. audiences scored the picture a B-plus, according to market research firm CinemaScore. Even with strong word of mouth, though, "On Stranger Tides" will struggle to avoid being the lowest-grossing "Pirates" movie domestically, a title currently held by the original "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which generated $305.4 million in 2003.
Much of the international receipts came from developing countries that are fast becoming important to Hollywood. Russia was the movie's biggest overseas market, generating $28.6 million, the biggest opening weekend ever for the country. China was second with $20 million, followed by more traditional box-office powerhouses Great Britain, Germany, Japan and France.
3-D may have helped more abroad, where audiences appear not to have grown as tired of the technology as Americans. But it's also clear that the "Pirates" franchise itself remains vibrant overseas, particularly in countries where many people may not have even seen the original because there were fewer theaters in 2003.
Since the movie's premiere at Disneyland on May 7, the cast has spent its time doing international publicity including premieres in London, Moscow and at the Cannes Film Festival - an effort that obviously paid off.
Also doing good business internationally this weekend was "Fast Five." The car-racing heist sequel picked up $25 million from foreign moviegoers, surpassing $300 million internationally and $500 million worldwide.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/22/2229562/pirates-of-the-caribbean-plunders.html#ixzz1N8unpbLG
The fourth entry in the Johnny Depp-starring "Pirates" series raked in $256.3 million on its first weekend in more than 100 foreign countries, according to an estimate from Walt Disney Studios. That's the biggest international debut of all time for a film.
It more than made up for a softer-than-expected $90.1 million launch in the U.S. and Canada. The total worldwide tally was a huge $346.4 million; the film enjoyed the all-time biggest openings in Latin America, the Middle East and Russia, according to Disney.
The disparity in performance demonstrates that in the increasingly global film business, movies can still be blockbuster hits while disappointing at the domestic box office. "On Stranger Tides" could end up collecting a total of $1 billion, easily justifying the more than $400 million Disney spent on production and advertising.
"People have got to understand the size of the stage," said Disney distribution President Chuck Viane. "It doesn't matter where the money comes from anymore."
In fact, the best news at the domestic box office may have come not for "Pirates," but the modestly budgeted comedy "Bridesmaids." It dropped only 20 percent on its second weekend to $21.1 million, an indication of very strong word of mouth. The rare female-oriented R-rated comedy is now virtually certain to surpass $100 million, making it one of producer Judd Apatow's most successful pictures.
To bolster "On Stranger Tides" after 2007's three-quel grossed less than the 2006 second entry, Disney dropped Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and brought in Penelope Cruz to co-star with Depp. Rob Marshall also replaced director Gore Verbinski and worked with producer Jerry Bruckheimer to simplify the film's story line compared with its convoluted predecessor.
U.S. and Canadian audiences didn't seem to appreciate the effort. Though the movie enjoyed the biggest opening of the year in those countries, it came in well behind the last two "Pirates" pictures. They launched to $135.6 million and $114.7 million, respectively, in July 2006 and Memorial Day weekend 2007. The fourth installment is also short of the $100 million mark that Disney executives were hoping the new picture would hit.
"Did I want the number to start with a 1? Absolutely," said Viane. "But I could never be disappointed with a movie that opens over $90 million."
3-D appears not to have been a big draw for domestic audiences. Even including Imax digital screens, less than half of the ticket sales for the movie came from locations playing the picture in 3-D, according to three people with access to the data. Viane declined to provide the information.
Despite poor reviews, most people who saw "On Stranger Tides" seemed to like it. U.S. audiences scored the picture a B-plus, according to market research firm CinemaScore. Even with strong word of mouth, though, "On Stranger Tides" will struggle to avoid being the lowest-grossing "Pirates" movie domestically, a title currently held by the original "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which generated $305.4 million in 2003.
Much of the international receipts came from developing countries that are fast becoming important to Hollywood. Russia was the movie's biggest overseas market, generating $28.6 million, the biggest opening weekend ever for the country. China was second with $20 million, followed by more traditional box-office powerhouses Great Britain, Germany, Japan and France.
3-D may have helped more abroad, where audiences appear not to have grown as tired of the technology as Americans. But it's also clear that the "Pirates" franchise itself remains vibrant overseas, particularly in countries where many people may not have even seen the original because there were fewer theaters in 2003.
Since the movie's premiere at Disneyland on May 7, the cast has spent its time doing international publicity including premieres in London, Moscow and at the Cannes Film Festival - an effort that obviously paid off.
Also doing good business internationally this weekend was "Fast Five." The car-racing heist sequel picked up $25 million from foreign moviegoers, surpassing $300 million internationally and $500 million worldwide.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/22/2229562/pirates-of-the-caribbean-plunders.html#ixzz1N8unpbLG
Explosions, sword fights and mermaid tears
With great fanfare (and a surprisingly full theater for a Thursday midnight showing), Pendleton greeted the latest release of the popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” series with roars that would have the fiercest pirate shouting “Parlay!” But despite some clever quips, humorous situations and Johnny Depp being ... well, Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” continues the series’ perceptible decline in quality and ingenuity. And no amount of exploding whale oil or shimmering mermaid tears are going to remedy the situation.
“On Stranger Tides,” directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”), takes the counterintuitive title of being the least strange movie in the series. Whatever the reason, predictability is the name of the game while the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) hunts down the Fountain of Youth. While in London, Jack runs into a bevy of main characters, including frienemy Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”) and former flame Angelica (Penélope Cruz, “Blow”). After trading blows and escaping his shackles, Jack ends up in an even worse predicament: a prisoner abroad the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship captained by the fearsome Blackbeard (Ian McShane, “Deadwood”). This works for Jack, though, as he happens to be shipless at the moment, after the Black Pearl was taken from him. And how else would you find Ponce de Leon’s ship and the Fountain of Youth if you don’t have a ship of your own?
The crux of the plot — not that it matters much — centers around a three-party race to reach the Fountain: the Spanish (who have the lead thanks to Leon’s Spanish roots), the English (simply to beat the Spanish) and Blackbeard (who received a prophecy that he’s going to die within a fortnight). So, of course, the entire situation becomes a game of finder’s keepers, with magical chalices and mermaid tears changing hands faster than you can “What?”
And as with any Jerry Bruckheimer movie (he produced “On Stranger Tides”), fights and explosions were bountiful. In fact, you don’t go five minutes without swords or pistols or vampire-like teeth getting drawn. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, and then it just becomes tedious. Watching Jack continually beat the odds against what must be the back-up reserves of the King’s army is entertaining for only so long.
And let’s not forget about the love story between a missionary (Sam Clafin) and a mermaid (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey). Because, without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s ridiculous tale of love and misery taking center stage, we needed a new couple to swoon over.
But then again, who needs love when you have zombie pirates? Oh, yes: zombie pirates. Apparently, though for no reason explained, Blackbeard can zombify his crew. What purpose this serves is a mystery, and not even a good one.
And that’s a running theme in “On Stranger Tides”: You’re given a new story arc, and either no background or an abrupt end to go with it. For example, while you know from the third “Pirates” movie both Barbossa and Jack are searching for the Fountain, you’re not told how the man who informed the Spanish came to be (something about being on Leon’s ship 200 years after the fact, but it’s a sketchy connection at best). And while the previous installments haven’t really adhered to the rules of continuity (Gore Verbinski, the director for the first three films, has that tendency), it proved more a hinderance than a cinematic technique. (Speaking of cinematography, “Pirates” also is showing in 3-D, although neither the Pendleton nor Hermiston theater is showing that version.)
However, there’s one bright spot: “On Stranger Tides” was quite humorous. The countless barbs hurled between the main characters at least distract from the endless fights and mutinies.
Yet with all this against it, there’s no doubt it will succeed at the box office, which is a shame. Mediocrity should not be rewarded. So no matter how you feel about the first three films, “On Stranger Tides” arrives dead in the water. Now here’s the good news: “Bridesmaids” and “Thor” still are playing this weekend.
“On Stranger Tides,” directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”), takes the counterintuitive title of being the least strange movie in the series. Whatever the reason, predictability is the name of the game while the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) hunts down the Fountain of Youth. While in London, Jack runs into a bevy of main characters, including frienemy Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”) and former flame Angelica (Penélope Cruz, “Blow”). After trading blows and escaping his shackles, Jack ends up in an even worse predicament: a prisoner abroad the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship captained by the fearsome Blackbeard (Ian McShane, “Deadwood”). This works for Jack, though, as he happens to be shipless at the moment, after the Black Pearl was taken from him. And how else would you find Ponce de Leon’s ship and the Fountain of Youth if you don’t have a ship of your own?
The crux of the plot — not that it matters much — centers around a three-party race to reach the Fountain: the Spanish (who have the lead thanks to Leon’s Spanish roots), the English (simply to beat the Spanish) and Blackbeard (who received a prophecy that he’s going to die within a fortnight). So, of course, the entire situation becomes a game of finder’s keepers, with magical chalices and mermaid tears changing hands faster than you can “What?”
And as with any Jerry Bruckheimer movie (he produced “On Stranger Tides”), fights and explosions were bountiful. In fact, you don’t go five minutes without swords or pistols or vampire-like teeth getting drawn. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, and then it just becomes tedious. Watching Jack continually beat the odds against what must be the back-up reserves of the King’s army is entertaining for only so long.
And let’s not forget about the love story between a missionary (Sam Clafin) and a mermaid (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey). Because, without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s ridiculous tale of love and misery taking center stage, we needed a new couple to swoon over.
But then again, who needs love when you have zombie pirates? Oh, yes: zombie pirates. Apparently, though for no reason explained, Blackbeard can zombify his crew. What purpose this serves is a mystery, and not even a good one.
And that’s a running theme in “On Stranger Tides”: You’re given a new story arc, and either no background or an abrupt end to go with it. For example, while you know from the third “Pirates” movie both Barbossa and Jack are searching for the Fountain, you’re not told how the man who informed the Spanish came to be (something about being on Leon’s ship 200 years after the fact, but it’s a sketchy connection at best). And while the previous installments haven’t really adhered to the rules of continuity (Gore Verbinski, the director for the first three films, has that tendency), it proved more a hinderance than a cinematic technique. (Speaking of cinematography, “Pirates” also is showing in 3-D, although neither the Pendleton nor Hermiston theater is showing that version.)
However, there’s one bright spot: “On Stranger Tides” was quite humorous. The countless barbs hurled between the main characters at least distract from the endless fights and mutinies.
Yet with all this against it, there’s no doubt it will succeed at the box office, which is a shame. Mediocrity should not be rewarded. So no matter how you feel about the first three films, “On Stranger Tides” arrives dead in the water. Now here’s the good news: “Bridesmaids” and “Thor” still are playing this weekend.
Fox in Cannes: Bar Refaeli Trying to Make Leo DiCaprio Jealous?
Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex, Israeli model Bar Refaeli, has been making a concerted effort to make the actor jealous this week at the Cannes Film Festival.
The pair were reported to have split last week, yet they are both in France this week— DiCaprio spending time with director Steven Spielberg and attending charity dinners with Sean Penn, while Refaeli has been hitting red carpets and fashion events with George Clooney’s girlfriend.
Earlier this week DiCaprio, who has a history with sexy young blondes, was snapped getting close with “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively, 23, on a private yacht. The pair were spending some down time in between films with Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw.
But either the rumblings are untrue or the pair aren’t ready to go public just yet. DiCaprio, 36, told reporters and photographers at the Cinema for Peace dinner honoring Sean Penn at the Carlton Hotel on Wednesday night that he and the much younger actress were only friends.
Elsewhere in town Wednesday evening, at the Roberto Cavalli party celebrating the opening of the designer’s new boutique in Cannes, Refaeli, 25, hammed it up for the cameras in a nude beaded mini dress by the designer, partying with George Clooney’s Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis. The ladies sipped champagne and got down on the dance floor with a gaggle of Refaeli’s model girlfriends. One model pal tells Fox411 that Refaeli kept an eye for Leo all night and made sure she was photographed having a good time in the hopes of making her ex beau jealous.
“It is a little desperate,” she told us.
DiCaprio and Refaeli have been dating on and off for about six years following the actor’s split from his other longtime girlfriend, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
There were whisperings that the two had reconciled here in Cannes, but those have been put to a rest as they hit the town with their respective entourages rather than one another. The model also pranced the red carpet solo for the Cannes premiere of the Mel Gibson flick “The Beaver” earlier this week.
The pair were reported to have split last week, yet they are both in France this week— DiCaprio spending time with director Steven Spielberg and attending charity dinners with Sean Penn, while Refaeli has been hitting red carpets and fashion events with George Clooney’s girlfriend.
Earlier this week DiCaprio, who has a history with sexy young blondes, was snapped getting close with “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively, 23, on a private yacht. The pair were spending some down time in between films with Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw.
But either the rumblings are untrue or the pair aren’t ready to go public just yet. DiCaprio, 36, told reporters and photographers at the Cinema for Peace dinner honoring Sean Penn at the Carlton Hotel on Wednesday night that he and the much younger actress were only friends.
Elsewhere in town Wednesday evening, at the Roberto Cavalli party celebrating the opening of the designer’s new boutique in Cannes, Refaeli, 25, hammed it up for the cameras in a nude beaded mini dress by the designer, partying with George Clooney’s Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis. The ladies sipped champagne and got down on the dance floor with a gaggle of Refaeli’s model girlfriends. One model pal tells Fox411 that Refaeli kept an eye for Leo all night and made sure she was photographed having a good time in the hopes of making her ex beau jealous.
“It is a little desperate,” she told us.
DiCaprio and Refaeli have been dating on and off for about six years following the actor’s split from his other longtime girlfriend, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
There were whisperings that the two had reconciled here in Cannes, but those have been put to a rest as they hit the town with their respective entourages rather than one another. The model also pranced the red carpet solo for the Cannes premiere of the Mel Gibson flick “The Beaver” earlier this week.
'American Idol' finale 2011: Grading 'American Idol' season 10
Simon Cowell, long regarded as the face of “Idol,” was no longer on the show’s judges’ panel. Headlines pointed to a recent lack of a marketable winner.
Somehow, “Idol” bounced back.
The series has sustained strong ratings this year, despite initial uncertainty. The talent quality easily beats many previous seasons. But there’s still room for improvement.
Let’s look at this season’s “American Idol” report card.
THE JUDGES
Viewers breathed a collective sigh of relief when this season’s first “Idol” audition episode wasn’t a total train wreck. New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler offered a kinder, gentler alternative to Cowell, who was often too abrasive.
Unfortunately, things were a little less pleasant once we got to the live shows. The biggest problem? The judges were too nice.
Instead of constructive criticism, they overdosed on “beautiful.” It made some contestants develop inflated egos, a natural result of being showered in praise every week.
Read more: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/05/22/1587843/name-american-idol-year-season.html#ixzz1N47UEnwD
Somehow, “Idol” bounced back.
The series has sustained strong ratings this year, despite initial uncertainty. The talent quality easily beats many previous seasons. But there’s still room for improvement.
Let’s look at this season’s “American Idol” report card.
THE JUDGES
Viewers breathed a collective sigh of relief when this season’s first “Idol” audition episode wasn’t a total train wreck. New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler offered a kinder, gentler alternative to Cowell, who was often too abrasive.
Unfortunately, things were a little less pleasant once we got to the live shows. The biggest problem? The judges were too nice.
Instead of constructive criticism, they overdosed on “beautiful.” It made some contestants develop inflated egos, a natural result of being showered in praise every week.
Read more: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/05/22/1587843/name-american-idol-year-season.html#ixzz1N47UEnwD
On Movies: Cooper drinks in life after 'Hangover'
Barring the end of the world (it didn't happen yesterday, did it?), or the even less likely scenario in which no one bothers to go out next weekend to see three guys wake up completely blotto, there will be a Hangover: Part III.
"Obviously, it will depend on the success of the second one," says Bradley Cooper, whose participation in the inaugural Hangover had more than a little to do with his rocket launch to stardom.
"You never know," Cooper adds, trying to sound cautious about the box-office prospects of the much-anticipated follow-up. "But if there's a sure thing. . . ."
The first Hangover, released in 2009 and likewise costarring Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, went on to earn $469.5 million worldwide. It was, in case you missed it, set in Las Vegas, where a bachelor party headed into a Bermuda triangle of amnesia, anarchy, and absurdist raunch. In director Todd Phillips' The Hangover: Part II, the setting is more exotic - Bangkok. And the straits the trio find themselves in, believe it or not, are even crazier.
It's "Defcon 5 in Bangkok," Cooper says.
The actor, who dropped back in on his hometown recently (he grew up in Rydal, across the street from the Baederwood Shopping Center), promises, however, that when the third Hangover comes around, it will break from the now-established formula. Like the first, Part II finds its protagonists unable to piece together the evidently tumultuous events of the preceding evening. The fact that Helms' character, mild-mannered dentist Stu Price, wakes up with a tattoo across half his face is only the beginning of the mystery.
"I'll do a third no matter what," says Cooper. "We've all talked about it, Ed, Zach and I, and Todd, and it really is about us coming together and agreeing on a concept. And we've all agreed to the tone of the third one, and what it has to be - which is completely not adhering to the formula of the second.
"That said, I do think that this one had to adhere to the structure, so you can get to know the characters more - they're much more fully developed. Now we can depart from that. . . . So, for the third one, there will be no missing night. It will be an interesting thing."
Cooper has already had a good year, box office-wise. Limitless, the deft, dark thriller about a slacker scribe who takes a drug that makes him preternaturally smart and successful, was number one its opening weekend, and has now grossed close to $80 million domestically and $60 million overseas. It won terrific reviews, too.
Limitless' director, Neil Burger, originally had Shia LaBeouf in mind for the lead, but (happily) that didn't happen, and Cooper came along instead. About his leading man, Burger said: "Bradley's worked hard and he's struggled, and I'm sure in his life he's had times where he felt like, 'Well, is this ever going to work out for me?' "
We read that quote back to Cooper, who's hanging out at Daniel Stern's Liberty Place restaurant, R2L.
"Oh absolutely, there were low points," he responds. "I remember being on Alias, a TV show that was sort of my 'break,' it gave me a way to make a living as an actor, a real living. . . . So, I'm out in Los Angeles, I'm doing this TV show, and then I was relegated to three scenes an episode, and I was just completely depressed. I felt like I was on location in a place I hated, doing a job that I wasn't able to do, really."
Cooper was also auditioning for parts in films and not getting them - "putting my soul into trying to get these roles, and being rejected." Frustrated, he decided to call it quits.
"That was a real low point," he recalls. "Then I severed my Achilles tendon and I asked to be written off the show, and I called my business manager and told him to stop representing me."
Cooper's retirement didn't last long, however. He went to see Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love in a theater and couldn't imagine not being in a business where work like that was getting made.
"I thought, wow, I have to do this. I don't want to be doing something else - I'd be sitting watching this movie and wanting to kill myself.
"So, I kept acting and I was lucky enough to get work. But there was still rejection, and disappointment. And there still is. Last week is a great example: There was this movie I really wanted to get, I did everything I could, but when I found out I didn't get it, it didn't kill me, I didn't feel that low. And then when I found out that I got this other movie that I was dying to do for three years, I also didn't feel that tremendous high.
"So maybe I'm growing up," he reflects. "But this [business] means everything. I love what I do. It's part of my life. But it's a marathon. I understand that more now."
And then he laughs.
"Of course, it's very easy to say all that when we're sitting here talking on the 37th floor of this restaurant and I'm working."
And working, and working.
This is how Cooper's next year is likely to go, at least as things stand right now: After stops in Toronto, Cannes, New York, Los Angeles, New York again, and Berlin, mostly to promote The Hangover: Part II, Cooper goes to Montreal to start work on The Words.
"That's my buddy Brian Klugman, who I grew up with. I've known him since I was about 10 years old. We went to high school together," says Cooper, whose alma mater is Germantown Academy. "And he wrote this little movie about a writer. Jeremy Irons is doing it, Dennis Quaid, Amanda Seyfried, Zoe Saldana . . . it's great. I looked at [the screenplay] the other day and I realized I have a huge role."
He laughs.
"I thought it was much smaller. Oh shoot. You know that feeling you get before an exam? That's me right now."
And after The Words?
"Five days on a new movie by another buddy of mine, Dax Shepard." And then The Place Beyond the Pines, from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance, with Blue Valentine's Ryan Gosling opposite Cooper. And then Paradise Lost in October - yes, the Milton poem about the devil and the fall of man - and then a reboot of the dark comic-book saga The Crow, to be directed by 28 Weeks Later's Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Phew.
"Well, you know how it is," Cooper says with a grin, after running down his schedule. "None of that could happen - and then you'll see me walking down the street in a total daze."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/122313358.html#ixzz1N42lMCO6
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"Obviously, it will depend on the success of the second one," says Bradley Cooper, whose participation in the inaugural Hangover had more than a little to do with his rocket launch to stardom.
"You never know," Cooper adds, trying to sound cautious about the box-office prospects of the much-anticipated follow-up. "But if there's a sure thing. . . ."
The first Hangover, released in 2009 and likewise costarring Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, went on to earn $469.5 million worldwide. It was, in case you missed it, set in Las Vegas, where a bachelor party headed into a Bermuda triangle of amnesia, anarchy, and absurdist raunch. In director Todd Phillips' The Hangover: Part II, the setting is more exotic - Bangkok. And the straits the trio find themselves in, believe it or not, are even crazier.
It's "Defcon 5 in Bangkok," Cooper says.
The actor, who dropped back in on his hometown recently (he grew up in Rydal, across the street from the Baederwood Shopping Center), promises, however, that when the third Hangover comes around, it will break from the now-established formula. Like the first, Part II finds its protagonists unable to piece together the evidently tumultuous events of the preceding evening. The fact that Helms' character, mild-mannered dentist Stu Price, wakes up with a tattoo across half his face is only the beginning of the mystery.
"I'll do a third no matter what," says Cooper. "We've all talked about it, Ed, Zach and I, and Todd, and it really is about us coming together and agreeing on a concept. And we've all agreed to the tone of the third one, and what it has to be - which is completely not adhering to the formula of the second.
"That said, I do think that this one had to adhere to the structure, so you can get to know the characters more - they're much more fully developed. Now we can depart from that. . . . So, for the third one, there will be no missing night. It will be an interesting thing."
Cooper has already had a good year, box office-wise. Limitless, the deft, dark thriller about a slacker scribe who takes a drug that makes him preternaturally smart and successful, was number one its opening weekend, and has now grossed close to $80 million domestically and $60 million overseas. It won terrific reviews, too.
Limitless' director, Neil Burger, originally had Shia LaBeouf in mind for the lead, but (happily) that didn't happen, and Cooper came along instead. About his leading man, Burger said: "Bradley's worked hard and he's struggled, and I'm sure in his life he's had times where he felt like, 'Well, is this ever going to work out for me?' "
We read that quote back to Cooper, who's hanging out at Daniel Stern's Liberty Place restaurant, R2L.
"Oh absolutely, there were low points," he responds. "I remember being on Alias, a TV show that was sort of my 'break,' it gave me a way to make a living as an actor, a real living. . . . So, I'm out in Los Angeles, I'm doing this TV show, and then I was relegated to three scenes an episode, and I was just completely depressed. I felt like I was on location in a place I hated, doing a job that I wasn't able to do, really."
Cooper was also auditioning for parts in films and not getting them - "putting my soul into trying to get these roles, and being rejected." Frustrated, he decided to call it quits.
"That was a real low point," he recalls. "Then I severed my Achilles tendon and I asked to be written off the show, and I called my business manager and told him to stop representing me."
Cooper's retirement didn't last long, however. He went to see Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love in a theater and couldn't imagine not being in a business where work like that was getting made.
"I thought, wow, I have to do this. I don't want to be doing something else - I'd be sitting watching this movie and wanting to kill myself.
"So, I kept acting and I was lucky enough to get work. But there was still rejection, and disappointment. And there still is. Last week is a great example: There was this movie I really wanted to get, I did everything I could, but when I found out I didn't get it, it didn't kill me, I didn't feel that low. And then when I found out that I got this other movie that I was dying to do for three years, I also didn't feel that tremendous high.
"So maybe I'm growing up," he reflects. "But this [business] means everything. I love what I do. It's part of my life. But it's a marathon. I understand that more now."
And then he laughs.
"Of course, it's very easy to say all that when we're sitting here talking on the 37th floor of this restaurant and I'm working."
And working, and working.
This is how Cooper's next year is likely to go, at least as things stand right now: After stops in Toronto, Cannes, New York, Los Angeles, New York again, and Berlin, mostly to promote The Hangover: Part II, Cooper goes to Montreal to start work on The Words.
"That's my buddy Brian Klugman, who I grew up with. I've known him since I was about 10 years old. We went to high school together," says Cooper, whose alma mater is Germantown Academy. "And he wrote this little movie about a writer. Jeremy Irons is doing it, Dennis Quaid, Amanda Seyfried, Zoe Saldana . . . it's great. I looked at [the screenplay] the other day and I realized I have a huge role."
He laughs.
"I thought it was much smaller. Oh shoot. You know that feeling you get before an exam? That's me right now."
And after The Words?
"Five days on a new movie by another buddy of mine, Dax Shepard." And then The Place Beyond the Pines, from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance, with Blue Valentine's Ryan Gosling opposite Cooper. And then Paradise Lost in October - yes, the Milton poem about the devil and the fall of man - and then a reboot of the dark comic-book saga The Crow, to be directed by 28 Weeks Later's Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Phew.
"Well, you know how it is," Cooper says with a grin, after running down his schedule. "None of that could happen - and then you'll see me walking down the street in a total daze."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/122313358.html#ixzz1N42lMCO6
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Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans terminated? Not likely
May 18, 2011|By Maeve Reston and Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times
Over tea this spring in Redondo Beach, Arnold Schwarzenegger met with Tony Blair to seek the former British prime minister's advice for his new role on the world stage, now that his seven-year stint as California's governor had ended.
Schwarzenegger was launching an ambitious new phase: accepting lucrative offers for a Hollywood comeback, carving out a new role as an ambassador for green technology companies, reengaging his charity work and flying around the world delivering speeches at rates commanded by former presidents.
Over tea this spring in Redondo Beach, Arnold Schwarzenegger met with Tony Blair to seek the former British prime minister's advice for his new role on the world stage, now that his seven-year stint as California's governor had ended.
Schwarzenegger was launching an ambitious new phase: accepting lucrative offers for a Hollywood comeback, carving out a new role as an ambassador for green technology companies, reengaging his charity work and flying around the world delivering speeches at rates commanded by former presidents.
Justin Timberlake: 'Liquorville' SNL Sketch with Lady Gaga!
Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga harass Kristen Wiig in the Saturday Night Live sketch titled, Liquorville.
The 30-year-old entertainer reprised his famous “Bring it on Down” sketch, where he dressed as a beer bottle, Lady Gaga as a wine bottle, and Kristin Wiig as a tea bag!
The three end up singing parodies of other songs, which included, “Rude Boy” by Rihanna, “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khalid, “Tipsy” by J-Kwon, “Airplanes” by B.O.B, and “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross.
The 30-year-old entertainer reprised his famous “Bring it on Down” sketch, where he dressed as a beer bottle, Lady Gaga as a wine bottle, and Kristin Wiig as a tea bag!
The three end up singing parodies of other songs, which included, “Rude Boy” by Rihanna, “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khalid, “Tipsy” by J-Kwon, “Airplanes” by B.O.B, and “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross.
Box office update: 'Pirates of the Caribbean' captures $35 mil on Friday
Jack Sparrow may be losing a bit of steam, but he’s still got it. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth movie in Disney’s hugely successful franchise, opened to $35 million on Friday according to early estimates. If the estimate holds, it will just barely beat Fast Five‘s $34.4 million gross to score the year’s biggest opening day. Compared to prior Pirates films, there’s a definite downward trend, at least domestically. The second film, Dead Man’s Chest, plundered $55.8 million its first day, while the third movie, At World’s End, took in $42.9 million. Still, On Stranger Tides‘ smaller debut is no cause for mutiny, as the 3-D adventure film is headed for an opening weekend of around $88 million, which would be the year’s best so far. And Johnny Depp and company are doing gangbusters overseas, where the movie has already earned $92.1 million in three days.
In second, the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids slipped a mere 19 percent from last Friday and is on pace for a $22 million weekend. Clearly strong word-of-mouth is propelling the film, as are its positive reviews. The god of thunder was hit hard by Pirates, as Thor tumbled 52 percent for $4.4 million. The PG-13 superhero movie will finish the weekend with about $16 million, pushing its three-week cumulative total past $145 million. The street-racing flick Fast Five landed in fourth, grossing $3.2 million and headed for an $11 million weekend. And Priest lost moviegoers’ faith, as the horror action film dropped 74 percent for $1.5 million.
In limited release, Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, collected an astounding $171,000 from just six locations. Its per-theater tally of $28,500 is the year’s largest opening-day average by far. Check back here on Sunday for the complete box office report.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — $35.0 mil
2. Bridesmaids — $6.4 mil
3. Thor — $4.4 mil
4. Fast Five — $3.2 mil
5. Priest — $1.5 mil
In second, the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids slipped a mere 19 percent from last Friday and is on pace for a $22 million weekend. Clearly strong word-of-mouth is propelling the film, as are its positive reviews. The god of thunder was hit hard by Pirates, as Thor tumbled 52 percent for $4.4 million. The PG-13 superhero movie will finish the weekend with about $16 million, pushing its three-week cumulative total past $145 million. The street-racing flick Fast Five landed in fourth, grossing $3.2 million and headed for an $11 million weekend. And Priest lost moviegoers’ faith, as the horror action film dropped 74 percent for $1.5 million.
In limited release, Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, collected an astounding $171,000 from just six locations. Its per-theater tally of $28,500 is the year’s largest opening-day average by far. Check back here on Sunday for the complete box office report.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — $35.0 mil
2. Bridesmaids — $6.4 mil
3. Thor — $4.4 mil
4. Fast Five — $3.2 mil
5. Priest — $1.5 mil
Friday, May 20, 2011
Katie Couric ends her run at CBS News
NEW YORK (AP) - Katie Couric signed off as "CBS Evening News" anchor for the last time on Thursday, thanking viewers for "coming along with me on this incredible journey."
The first woman chosen to solely anchor a network evening newscast left on a high note, interviewing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leading the broadcast with an exclusive "60 Minutes" investigation on new doping accusations against cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Her next destination is likely to be ABC, where she has talked with executives about doing a daytime talk show and some work at the news division. But she has made no announcement about her future plans.
After several years at No. 3 in the evening ratings behind NBC and ABC, the Tiffany network had high hopes in 2006 when it convinced Couric to leave NBC's "Today" show and take over the anchor role. There was an initial burst of interest, but viewers rejected efforts at changing a news format that has lasted decades, and the broadcast slid back to third.
Couric's newscast won awards, and she drew attention with newsmaker interviews like a 2008 conversation with Sarah Palin, but it could never escape the cellar. The format also proved restrictive to Couric, who told former "Today" colleague Matt Lauer in an interview last month that "it might be nice to have a little more wiggle room for me to show a little more personality."
For her final newscast, she presented "five years in five minutes," with images flashing by of major stories she had covered and people she had interviewed — Presidents Bush and Obama, hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger, actor Clint Eastwood and baseball steroids user Alex Rodriguez and Palin.
"It's been an extraordinary privilege to sit in this chair and a real honor to work with so many talented people at CBS News," Couric said.
Scott Pelley will replace her as the regular anchor, starting June 6.
While the broadcast offered a look back at Couric's tenure, it also gave a look ahead to some changes CBS News management has been seeking. New CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, executive producer of "60 Minutes," has talked about better showcasing the news division's work, and Couric's last newscast led by previewing a report on Armstrong that Pelley will air on Sunday.
Couric noted that the broadcast's second story, about a paralyzed man who stood after his spinal cord was stimulated by an electric battery, will be talked about in more depth on "The Early Show" on Friday.
The first woman chosen to solely anchor a network evening newscast left on a high note, interviewing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and leading the broadcast with an exclusive "60 Minutes" investigation on new doping accusations against cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Her next destination is likely to be ABC, where she has talked with executives about doing a daytime talk show and some work at the news division. But she has made no announcement about her future plans.
After several years at No. 3 in the evening ratings behind NBC and ABC, the Tiffany network had high hopes in 2006 when it convinced Couric to leave NBC's "Today" show and take over the anchor role. There was an initial burst of interest, but viewers rejected efforts at changing a news format that has lasted decades, and the broadcast slid back to third.
Couric's newscast won awards, and she drew attention with newsmaker interviews like a 2008 conversation with Sarah Palin, but it could never escape the cellar. The format also proved restrictive to Couric, who told former "Today" colleague Matt Lauer in an interview last month that "it might be nice to have a little more wiggle room for me to show a little more personality."
For her final newscast, she presented "five years in five minutes," with images flashing by of major stories she had covered and people she had interviewed — Presidents Bush and Obama, hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger, actor Clint Eastwood and baseball steroids user Alex Rodriguez and Palin.
"It's been an extraordinary privilege to sit in this chair and a real honor to work with so many talented people at CBS News," Couric said.
Scott Pelley will replace her as the regular anchor, starting June 6.
While the broadcast offered a look back at Couric's tenure, it also gave a look ahead to some changes CBS News management has been seeking. New CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, executive producer of "60 Minutes," has talked about better showcasing the news division's work, and Couric's last newscast led by previewing a report on Armstrong that Pelley will air on Sunday.
Couric noted that the broadcast's second story, about a paralyzed man who stood after his spinal cord was stimulated by an electric battery, will be talked about in more depth on "The Early Show" on Friday.
Maria's lawyer to 'Ahnnul' marriage
Maria Shriver hired a renowned LA divorce lawyer whose list of high-powered clients reads like the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The former California first lady tapped Laura Wasser to go to legal war against philandering love rat Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The well-regarded Wasser, a single mom of two kids she had with separate boyfriends, takes a uniquely dispassionate view of marriage.
"It's not that I have anything against marriage," she told Vogue magazine last year, explaining her unwillingness to get hitched herself.
"I was married when I was 25. Everybody should do it. We had a great party at the Bel-Air with 10 bridesmaids, and I'll never look that good again [the marriage lasted 15 months and ended in annulment]. For me, it just comes down to an unwillingness to let the state of California decide how I handle my affairs."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/maria_lawyer_to_ahnnul_marriage_UAnt541vphogRRo9IwHMvO#ixzz1MtTIQRn3
The former California first lady tapped Laura Wasser to go to legal war against philandering love rat Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The well-regarded Wasser, a single mom of two kids she had with separate boyfriends, takes a uniquely dispassionate view of marriage.
"It's not that I have anything against marriage," she told Vogue magazine last year, explaining her unwillingness to get hitched herself.
"I was married when I was 25. Everybody should do it. We had a great party at the Bel-Air with 10 bridesmaids, and I'll never look that good again [the marriage lasted 15 months and ended in annulment]. For me, it just comes down to an unwillingness to let the state of California decide how I handle my affairs."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/maria_lawyer_to_ahnnul_marriage_UAnt541vphogRRo9IwHMvO#ixzz1MtTIQRn3
'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides': Everything You Need To Know
Taking a bit of an exception with the adage about not fixing something that ain't broke, Disney shipped off from 2007's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" — a film that grossed over $960 million worldwide — and decided to change things up. Out went director Gore Verbinski and stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, and in came new helmer Rob Marshall and stars Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane for "On Stranger Tides," which hit theaters Friday (May 20).
But maybe all was not well in "Pirates" land. Though "World's End," the third film in the franchise, made boatloads of cash, it was an overly long affair with a confusing plot that lost sight of the popcorn pleasures that made the series such a hit when it launched in 2003. A reworking, it seemed, was just what Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and his pirate pals needed.
Headed into opening weekend, the changes appear to have worked. Box-office prognosticators are eyeing a debut in the $100 million range, and possibly higher, as 3-D ticket prices and, Disney hopes, positive word of mouth drive ticket sales. Before you stand in line to purchase your own, check out everything there is to know about "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
Readying the Ship
In September 2008, well over a year after "World's End" opened, Depp officially signed on to what was then simply called the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean." By that point, Knightley had long been signaling she wouldn't return for the next adventure. But it wasn't until the following April that Verbinski declared his intention to depart the franchise.
Taking his place, it turned out, was Marshall, who'd previously helmed the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago," among other projects. And then, just like that, the flick got its official "On Stranger Tides" title.
"I think [Disney is] probably looking for a fresh approach," Marshall told us in the fall of '09. "I think it's good when you're doing these series' of films, like 'Harry Potter.' It's nice to bring in a fresh approach."
Speaking of freshness, Cruz entered talks the next February to join up as Sparrow's love interest, and McShane soon followed as the villain Blackbeard.
"We have a new villain, Blackbeard, who's the nastiest pirate ever. That's Ian McShane," producer Jerry Bruckheimer told us. "And a little romance between Captain Jack and the character Penelope plays. There's a lot of humor; she brings a lot of humor to it. And the fact that she's so feisty. She plays the daughter of Blackbeard."
Setting Sail
With the cast and the decision to shoot in 3-D in place, filming kicked off early in summer 2010. Shortly thereafter, we got our first, teasing peek at Depp in character. And just after production wrapped up in the fall, the first poster popped up online.
The first trailer arrived in December, showing us the new characters, a welcome look at Keith Richards reprising his role as Jack's dad, and a whole lot of fiery action. The more things changed, thankfully, the more they stayed the same. A second trailer dove more into the film's plot, with glimpses of mermaids, zombies and the epic quest for the fountain of youth that forms the main storyline.
Coming into Port
Yes, the search for the life-bestowing fountain is the driving force in "On Stranger Tides," but the film also makes room for some romance with Cruz's Angelica — albeit romance that is never consummated.
"I think, if we did a scenario where it was Captain Jack really falling in love, it would most likely be a silent film. I think he would go completely catatonic and be unable to speak," Depp told us. "He would probably sit there and quiver for an hour and a half."
While they never get a chance to act on their long-simmering feelings for each other, they do get to spar, verbally and with swords — and always with their clothes on. "You need someone like Penélope, who's an Academy Award winner, to go up against Johnny Depp, because if they're not as good as she is, you can see it right away," Bruckheimer said. "You can't spar with Johnny unless you're brilliant."
Check out everything we've got on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
But maybe all was not well in "Pirates" land. Though "World's End," the third film in the franchise, made boatloads of cash, it was an overly long affair with a confusing plot that lost sight of the popcorn pleasures that made the series such a hit when it launched in 2003. A reworking, it seemed, was just what Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and his pirate pals needed.
Headed into opening weekend, the changes appear to have worked. Box-office prognosticators are eyeing a debut in the $100 million range, and possibly higher, as 3-D ticket prices and, Disney hopes, positive word of mouth drive ticket sales. Before you stand in line to purchase your own, check out everything there is to know about "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
Readying the Ship
In September 2008, well over a year after "World's End" opened, Depp officially signed on to what was then simply called the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean." By that point, Knightley had long been signaling she wouldn't return for the next adventure. But it wasn't until the following April that Verbinski declared his intention to depart the franchise.
Taking his place, it turned out, was Marshall, who'd previously helmed the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago," among other projects. And then, just like that, the flick got its official "On Stranger Tides" title.
"I think [Disney is] probably looking for a fresh approach," Marshall told us in the fall of '09. "I think it's good when you're doing these series' of films, like 'Harry Potter.' It's nice to bring in a fresh approach."
Speaking of freshness, Cruz entered talks the next February to join up as Sparrow's love interest, and McShane soon followed as the villain Blackbeard.
"We have a new villain, Blackbeard, who's the nastiest pirate ever. That's Ian McShane," producer Jerry Bruckheimer told us. "And a little romance between Captain Jack and the character Penelope plays. There's a lot of humor; she brings a lot of humor to it. And the fact that she's so feisty. She plays the daughter of Blackbeard."
Setting Sail
With the cast and the decision to shoot in 3-D in place, filming kicked off early in summer 2010. Shortly thereafter, we got our first, teasing peek at Depp in character. And just after production wrapped up in the fall, the first poster popped up online.
The first trailer arrived in December, showing us the new characters, a welcome look at Keith Richards reprising his role as Jack's dad, and a whole lot of fiery action. The more things changed, thankfully, the more they stayed the same. A second trailer dove more into the film's plot, with glimpses of mermaids, zombies and the epic quest for the fountain of youth that forms the main storyline.
Coming into Port
Yes, the search for the life-bestowing fountain is the driving force in "On Stranger Tides," but the film also makes room for some romance with Cruz's Angelica — albeit romance that is never consummated.
"I think, if we did a scenario where it was Captain Jack really falling in love, it would most likely be a silent film. I think he would go completely catatonic and be unable to speak," Depp told us. "He would probably sit there and quiver for an hour and a half."
While they never get a chance to act on their long-simmering feelings for each other, they do get to spar, verbally and with swords — and always with their clothes on. "You need someone like Penélope, who's an Academy Award winner, to go up against Johnny Depp, because if they're not as good as she is, you can see it right away," Bruckheimer said. "You can't spar with Johnny unless you're brilliant."
Check out everything we've got on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Haley Reinhart's "American Idol" Tumble
Her vocals sounded just about perfect, but Haley Reinhart's footing was in need of a little work.
On last night’s episode of “American Idol,” the 20-year-old contestant took a nasty spill during her rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is And What Should Never Be.”
The slip-up didn’t faze Reinhart, however, as she got right back up and continued with her song - impressing the judges even more than they were already.
With her father, Harry, on stage playing the guitar, the “Idol” frontrunner told Ryan Seacrest, “No matter if I fell, my daddy was there to pick me up.”
On last night’s episode of “American Idol,” the 20-year-old contestant took a nasty spill during her rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is And What Should Never Be.”
The slip-up didn’t faze Reinhart, however, as she got right back up and continued with her song - impressing the judges even more than they were already.
With her father, Harry, on stage playing the guitar, the “Idol” frontrunner told Ryan Seacrest, “No matter if I fell, my daddy was there to pick me up.”
Maria Shriver hires top divorce lawyer: report
(CBS News)
Maria Shriver has hired a top divorce lawyer, but hasn't decided yet whether she wants to divorce Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to People magazine.
It quotes sources close to Shriver as saying Laura Wasser, described as a "prominent Los Angeles family law attorney," is representing Shriver.
"Maria hasn't decided yet if she wants to end her marriage," People quotes one source as saying. Wasser was hired before word of Schwarzenegger's affair became public, People adds.
Pictures: Mother of Schwarzenegger's other child
Meanwhile, the name of the mother of the former California governor's teenaged love child is now known -- and new details have emerged about Schwarzenegger's financial support for his 13-year-old son.
Pictures: Celebs who cheat
Pictures: Maria Shriver
Pictures: Arnold Schwarzenegger
On "The Early Show," CBS News National Correspondent Ben Tracy reported a picture, believed to be taken in 1994, shows Schwarzenegger dancing at his home with Mildred Patricia Baena. She was his longtime housekeeper and the woman with whom he later fathered a child -- a secret they both kept for nearly 14 years.
Tracy says Schwarzenegger himself is now being hounded, as a birth certificate has surfaced showing the child, a boy, was born in October 1997 -- just a week after Shriver gave birth to their youngest son, Christopher. Baena got divorced less than a month later. Settlement papers reveal she claimed she and her husband had no children. Schwarzenegger has been supporting the teenager. He lives with his mother in a four bedroom home in Bakersfield, Calif.
Marty Steelman, a Bakersfield neighbor, told CBS News Schwarzenegger's son is "just a really, really nice kid ... the kid you want to have."
Schwarzenegger, Shriver's kids speak out
Pictures: Children of Camelot
On Tuesday night, Maria Shriver appeared onstage in Chicago with longtime friend Oprah Winfrey at a taping of one of Winfrey's final shows. Shriver didn't mention her husband directly, but thanked Winfrey or having always "given me love, support, wisdom and, most of all, the truth."
So far, Tracy pointed out, this scandal doesn't seem to be affecting Schwarzenegger's Hollywood comeback. He is set to star in three upcoming films, including two new installments of the "Terminator" franchise.
Mike Fleeman, West Coast editor of People magazine said, "The biggest stumbling block will be the promotion of the movie. This will be the elephant in the room. Will he talk about it, not talk about it? It's going to be very difficult."
Many observers are amazed the former governor risked his political and film careers, and ultimately, his family, Tracy notes.
Maria Shriver has hired a top divorce lawyer, but hasn't decided yet whether she wants to divorce Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to People magazine.
It quotes sources close to Shriver as saying Laura Wasser, described as a "prominent Los Angeles family law attorney," is representing Shriver.
"Maria hasn't decided yet if she wants to end her marriage," People quotes one source as saying. Wasser was hired before word of Schwarzenegger's affair became public, People adds.
Pictures: Mother of Schwarzenegger's other child
Meanwhile, the name of the mother of the former California governor's teenaged love child is now known -- and new details have emerged about Schwarzenegger's financial support for his 13-year-old son.
Pictures: Celebs who cheat
Pictures: Maria Shriver
Pictures: Arnold Schwarzenegger
On "The Early Show," CBS News National Correspondent Ben Tracy reported a picture, believed to be taken in 1994, shows Schwarzenegger dancing at his home with Mildred Patricia Baena. She was his longtime housekeeper and the woman with whom he later fathered a child -- a secret they both kept for nearly 14 years.
Tracy says Schwarzenegger himself is now being hounded, as a birth certificate has surfaced showing the child, a boy, was born in October 1997 -- just a week after Shriver gave birth to their youngest son, Christopher. Baena got divorced less than a month later. Settlement papers reveal she claimed she and her husband had no children. Schwarzenegger has been supporting the teenager. He lives with his mother in a four bedroom home in Bakersfield, Calif.
Marty Steelman, a Bakersfield neighbor, told CBS News Schwarzenegger's son is "just a really, really nice kid ... the kid you want to have."
Schwarzenegger, Shriver's kids speak out
Pictures: Children of Camelot
On Tuesday night, Maria Shriver appeared onstage in Chicago with longtime friend Oprah Winfrey at a taping of one of Winfrey's final shows. Shriver didn't mention her husband directly, but thanked Winfrey or having always "given me love, support, wisdom and, most of all, the truth."
So far, Tracy pointed out, this scandal doesn't seem to be affecting Schwarzenegger's Hollywood comeback. He is set to star in three upcoming films, including two new installments of the "Terminator" franchise.
Mike Fleeman, West Coast editor of People magazine said, "The biggest stumbling block will be the promotion of the movie. This will be the elephant in the room. Will he talk about it, not talk about it? It's going to be very difficult."
Many observers are amazed the former governor risked his political and film careers, and ultimately, his family, Tracy notes.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Oprah's 'Farewell Spectacular': A night to celebrate, and bid adieu
It’s called the house that Michael Jordan built, but Tuesday night, it was the Queen of TV, Daytime, or All of Media (depending on who you talk to) who held court in Chicago’s United Center — even forcing the Bulls, who are in the midst of an NBA Eastern Conference Finals series with the Miami Heat, to cede the stadium for a night to her royal highness, Oprah Winfrey.
Before taping of the two penultimate shows got underway (they will air on May 23 and 24), loyal fans and adorers speculated about which celebrities would show up. For a city not known as a hot bed of celebrity sightings (the paparazzi certainly couldn’t make a living here), it was abuzz with gossip about who was likely in town for the Oprah show. Beyoncé was sighted at Hubbard Street Dance fairly early in the day. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were glimpsed having lunch, and Maria Shriver was said to be having dinner Monday night with Oprah.
With all those sightings, the “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” shows didn’t have too many truly unexpected appearances. It was rather impressive that Hanks served as a kind of master of ceremonies for the first show, while Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith emceed the second episode. But Oprah only seemed genuinely surprised a handful of times, like when Stedman Graham, her longtime companion, showed up on stage to offer his personal thanks to her, and when Aretha Franklin made her way down the stage steps to perform “Amazing Grace.” Beyoncé performed “Run the World (Girls)” and Maya Angelou read a piece she’d written about Oprah’s life while Alicia Keys accompanied, playing an instrumental “Superwoman.” Stevie Wonder sang a song he said he had originally composed for his mother but never finished. The performances were certainly spectacular (save for the cheesy Rascal Flats set that closed out the first taping, but maybe that’s just personal taste), but not an altogether unpredictable adieu-bidding for the woman who shut down Michigan Ave. for a taping last season.
The shows were less about the performances, though, and really about celebrating Oprah. Her fans and supporters bid her farewell by thanking her for everything she’s done for them over 25 years, inspiring them to lose weight, go to college, and, for Madonna, open a school in Malawi. Dakota Fanning, for whom, at 17, there has always been an Oprah Winfrey Show, actually had the best summary of just what Oprah’s done for people: She said that Oprah taught them that “we are enough… that our lives have value.” Other guests and performers included Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Foxx, Simon Cowell, Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Rosie O’Donnell, Diane Sawyer, Patti LaBelle, Josh Groban, Tyler Perry, Usher, and, yes, Michael Jordan. Their gratitude was so genuine, and the effect the media mogul and philanthropist has had on her adorers was so obvious, that it was hard to be cynical.
With some 20,000 people packed into the United Center, many of them locals, it was also night for Chicago to say goodbye to The Oprah Winfrey Show. For Chicagoans, though, perhaps the biggest change will be no longer having to explain to out-of-town friends and relatives that just because you have a Chicago address does not mean you can get tickets to Oprah. But, of course, you’d be happy to take their picture in front of the Harpo Studios sign.
Before taping of the two penultimate shows got underway (they will air on May 23 and 24), loyal fans and adorers speculated about which celebrities would show up. For a city not known as a hot bed of celebrity sightings (the paparazzi certainly couldn’t make a living here), it was abuzz with gossip about who was likely in town for the Oprah show. Beyoncé was sighted at Hubbard Street Dance fairly early in the day. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were glimpsed having lunch, and Maria Shriver was said to be having dinner Monday night with Oprah.
With all those sightings, the “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” shows didn’t have too many truly unexpected appearances. It was rather impressive that Hanks served as a kind of master of ceremonies for the first show, while Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith emceed the second episode. But Oprah only seemed genuinely surprised a handful of times, like when Stedman Graham, her longtime companion, showed up on stage to offer his personal thanks to her, and when Aretha Franklin made her way down the stage steps to perform “Amazing Grace.” Beyoncé performed “Run the World (Girls)” and Maya Angelou read a piece she’d written about Oprah’s life while Alicia Keys accompanied, playing an instrumental “Superwoman.” Stevie Wonder sang a song he said he had originally composed for his mother but never finished. The performances were certainly spectacular (save for the cheesy Rascal Flats set that closed out the first taping, but maybe that’s just personal taste), but not an altogether unpredictable adieu-bidding for the woman who shut down Michigan Ave. for a taping last season.
The shows were less about the performances, though, and really about celebrating Oprah. Her fans and supporters bid her farewell by thanking her for everything she’s done for them over 25 years, inspiring them to lose weight, go to college, and, for Madonna, open a school in Malawi. Dakota Fanning, for whom, at 17, there has always been an Oprah Winfrey Show, actually had the best summary of just what Oprah’s done for people: She said that Oprah taught them that “we are enough… that our lives have value.” Other guests and performers included Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Foxx, Simon Cowell, Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Rosie O’Donnell, Diane Sawyer, Patti LaBelle, Josh Groban, Tyler Perry, Usher, and, yes, Michael Jordan. Their gratitude was so genuine, and the effect the media mogul and philanthropist has had on her adorers was so obvious, that it was hard to be cynical.
With some 20,000 people packed into the United Center, many of them locals, it was also night for Chicago to say goodbye to The Oprah Winfrey Show. For Chicagoans, though, perhaps the biggest change will be no longer having to explain to out-of-town friends and relatives that just because you have a Chicago address does not mean you can get tickets to Oprah. But, of course, you’d be happy to take their picture in front of the Harpo Studios sign.
For Maria Shriver, deceit of husband Arnold Schwarzenegger must be doubly infuriating
Maria Shriver must feel so used and betrayed.
Picture it: Her employee of 10 years gets pregnant and has a baby and she's happy for her.
Hell, she probably gave her a baby shower, loading up her trusted staffer with luxe onesies from the fancy L.A. baby shop Petit Tresor. And all the while neither the employee, nor Shriver's husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fessed up that he's the daddy.
He only admitted it Monday after the L.A. Times found out.
It gets worse.
Baby Mama stayed in Maria's house for 10 more years - finally leaving in January.
No doubt she brought the baby around or flashed pictures.
Schwarzenegger, who made $30 million for his last "Terminator" movie alone, was apparently so cheap he wouldn't pay the woman a lump sum to spare Shriver at least that indignity?
This after she gave up a career as a news anchor to help him campaign for California governor - as a Republican, no less.
And after she learned he was going to run while watching Jay Leno.
And after she defended him against accusations from a dozen women who said Schwarzenegger had groped them over the years, saying, "Are you going to believe me, or someone who met him for 30 seconds?"
In California, there long has been a legend that Schwarzenegger bought her other multimillion-dollar homes every time she caught him in an affair. Whatever the causes, she had her own Kennedy compound worth $18 million by 2003.
Despite his wandering paws over the years and his new role as Inseminator, it's really not sex for which Schwarzenegger was most horny. It was power. Or "POWAH."
Specifically, the kind of dynastic political power the Kennedys had. He had an absolute jones to get into their inner circle.
A source told me yesterday: "Arnold and I were in Maxwell's Plum at a party for Andy Warhol long ago. He was just getting to be known then, for 'Pumping Iron.' He said to me if I would introduce him to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, he would do anything."
By chance, a rep for Ethel Kennedy called the following week, says the source, asking if he could arrange for actor James Caan to play in the annual Kennedy family charity tennis match.
Caan couldn't. Schwarzenegger, whom the Kennedys had never heard of, was sent. It was at the match that Tom Brokaw introduced Shriver to him, and Schwarzenegger got what he wanted.
"The secret to success," he once said, "is come to America, work your ass off and marry a Kennedy."
And then betray her, I guess.
Now, people in the know say Shriver has been unhappy for years. His ego "is out of control," a source claimed.
I've seen Schwarzenegger at Hollywood events, with his huge entourages, his cigar and his sense of entitlement.
The still-beautiful Shriver, 55, stuck it out until the end of his term. She stuck it out until her mother, Eunice Kennedy, and her father, Sargent Shriver, died.
She stuck it out for her kids, but the baby with a trusted staffer was finally too much, and she moved out.
The lonely video that Shriver posted on YouTube in March, in which she asks perfect strangers for advice on how to transition, ends with, "You might be able to help me."
He's a blow-hard; she's the tough one who spared her family heartbreak, but knew it was finally time to say, "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Don't look back.
jmolloy@nydailynews.com
Picture it: Her employee of 10 years gets pregnant and has a baby and she's happy for her.
Hell, she probably gave her a baby shower, loading up her trusted staffer with luxe onesies from the fancy L.A. baby shop Petit Tresor. And all the while neither the employee, nor Shriver's husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fessed up that he's the daddy.
He only admitted it Monday after the L.A. Times found out.
It gets worse.
Baby Mama stayed in Maria's house for 10 more years - finally leaving in January.
No doubt she brought the baby around or flashed pictures.
Schwarzenegger, who made $30 million for his last "Terminator" movie alone, was apparently so cheap he wouldn't pay the woman a lump sum to spare Shriver at least that indignity?
This after she gave up a career as a news anchor to help him campaign for California governor - as a Republican, no less.
And after she learned he was going to run while watching Jay Leno.
And after she defended him against accusations from a dozen women who said Schwarzenegger had groped them over the years, saying, "Are you going to believe me, or someone who met him for 30 seconds?"
In California, there long has been a legend that Schwarzenegger bought her other multimillion-dollar homes every time she caught him in an affair. Whatever the causes, she had her own Kennedy compound worth $18 million by 2003.
Despite his wandering paws over the years and his new role as Inseminator, it's really not sex for which Schwarzenegger was most horny. It was power. Or "POWAH."
Specifically, the kind of dynastic political power the Kennedys had. He had an absolute jones to get into their inner circle.
A source told me yesterday: "Arnold and I were in Maxwell's Plum at a party for Andy Warhol long ago. He was just getting to be known then, for 'Pumping Iron.' He said to me if I would introduce him to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, he would do anything."
By chance, a rep for Ethel Kennedy called the following week, says the source, asking if he could arrange for actor James Caan to play in the annual Kennedy family charity tennis match.
Caan couldn't. Schwarzenegger, whom the Kennedys had never heard of, was sent. It was at the match that Tom Brokaw introduced Shriver to him, and Schwarzenegger got what he wanted.
"The secret to success," he once said, "is come to America, work your ass off and marry a Kennedy."
And then betray her, I guess.
Now, people in the know say Shriver has been unhappy for years. His ego "is out of control," a source claimed.
I've seen Schwarzenegger at Hollywood events, with his huge entourages, his cigar and his sense of entitlement.
The still-beautiful Shriver, 55, stuck it out until the end of his term. She stuck it out until her mother, Eunice Kennedy, and her father, Sargent Shriver, died.
She stuck it out for her kids, but the baby with a trusted staffer was finally too much, and she moved out.
The lonely video that Shriver posted on YouTube in March, in which she asks perfect strangers for advice on how to transition, ends with, "You might be able to help me."
He's a blow-hard; she's the tough one who spared her family heartbreak, but knew it was finally time to say, "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Don't look back.
jmolloy@nydailynews.com
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hines Ward on Kym Johnson's injury: 'I was sick'
Fans of Dancing with the Stars saw first-hand on Monday how Kym Johnson injured herself while rehearsing with partner Hines Ward last week. Cameras caught Johnson as she fell to the floor during a complicated lift – which prompted a well-publicized trip to the hospital. The pro was in fine form Monday — indeed, the couple’s first dance earned a perfect score of 30 — but video of the rehearsal was excruciating to watch.
“I was sick,” Hines told reporters afterwards. “You never wanna see your partner…we’ve been together for 10 weeks and that Friday was the worst Friday ever, to see your partner carted off and just being in the hospital with her and going over the MRIs. You start contemplating, what could I have done? Could I have prevented the fall? You start second guessing yourself and then you put things in perspective. It was a trying week. To be honest with you, I didn’t even think about dancing. I was more concerned with her safety than anything.”
“I’m lucky,” Johnson added. “The doctors cleared me this morning to dance. It was a bit touch and go. I just felt so bad for Hines, you know, because we’ve come so far. It was my stupid fault. It was the semis, I was trying to put this move in. Now I learned a bit of a lesson. And Hines has just been incredible and carried me through that dance. I’m just really lucky and all our fans and Steelers Nation have been so supportive.”
Johnson was diagnosed with a sprain and left the hospital in a neck brace. “I can’t even remember what the doctor said,” she said.
“Sprained vertebrae,” Hines said. “It’s like the muscle between the vertebrae, C7.”
“C7, yeah,” Johnson continued. “I’m just lucky I took more of it on my shoulders as opposed to my neck. I was very lucky. went to the doctor this morning for the all clear. I just got out of my neck brace because he wanted me to keep it all good. But now I’ve got a bit more movement. And I’ve obviously modified the routines. There was a lot more tricks in it, but Hines is such a good dancer so we just relied on that. And I should have done it all along because it got us 10s.”
Thanks to a little help from Cheryl Burke, Ward was able to prepare for Monday’s performance show while his partner was recovering. He and Johnson still managed to rehearse over the weekend — with a few restrictions. “[I had the] neck brace on,” Johnson said. “I was just taking him through the moves,” she said. “I wasn’t really dancing properly. Today was the first day without the neck brace. All the doctors at Cedar Sinai were fantastic and they helped me get through today.
“I’ve never been so scared, I have to say.” — With reporting from Carrie Borzillo
“I was sick,” Hines told reporters afterwards. “You never wanna see your partner…we’ve been together for 10 weeks and that Friday was the worst Friday ever, to see your partner carted off and just being in the hospital with her and going over the MRIs. You start contemplating, what could I have done? Could I have prevented the fall? You start second guessing yourself and then you put things in perspective. It was a trying week. To be honest with you, I didn’t even think about dancing. I was more concerned with her safety than anything.”
“I’m lucky,” Johnson added. “The doctors cleared me this morning to dance. It was a bit touch and go. I just felt so bad for Hines, you know, because we’ve come so far. It was my stupid fault. It was the semis, I was trying to put this move in. Now I learned a bit of a lesson. And Hines has just been incredible and carried me through that dance. I’m just really lucky and all our fans and Steelers Nation have been so supportive.”
Johnson was diagnosed with a sprain and left the hospital in a neck brace. “I can’t even remember what the doctor said,” she said.
“Sprained vertebrae,” Hines said. “It’s like the muscle between the vertebrae, C7.”
“C7, yeah,” Johnson continued. “I’m just lucky I took more of it on my shoulders as opposed to my neck. I was very lucky. went to the doctor this morning for the all clear. I just got out of my neck brace because he wanted me to keep it all good. But now I’ve got a bit more movement. And I’ve obviously modified the routines. There was a lot more tricks in it, but Hines is such a good dancer so we just relied on that. And I should have done it all along because it got us 10s.”
Thanks to a little help from Cheryl Burke, Ward was able to prepare for Monday’s performance show while his partner was recovering. He and Johnson still managed to rehearse over the weekend — with a few restrictions. “[I had the] neck brace on,” Johnson said. “I was just taking him through the moves,” she said. “I wasn’t really dancing properly. Today was the first day without the neck brace. All the doctors at Cedar Sinai were fantastic and they helped me get through today.
“I’ve never been so scared, I have to say.” — With reporting from Carrie Borzillo
Kirsten Dunst's rowdy all-night lock-in disturbs Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Kanye wasn't the only star causing a commotion in Cannes. Kirsten Dunst did her bit by interrupting the A-listers' beauty sleep.
The tipsy Spiderman star, 28, enjoyed a rowdy all-night lock-in at the swanky Eden Roc hotel.
As guests Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tried to get some shut-eye, Kirsten howled along to the Rolling Stones' Sympathy For The Devil.
Staff requested the 15-strong party, which included boyfriend Jason Boesel, to keep the noise down but my source at the glaceau vitaminwater bash said: "The group, which included Mad Men star Jon Ham and HSM's Vanessa Hudgens, was stomping their feet and jumping on tables. All the while, bar staff patiently waited for them to quit.
"Eventually, security asked the group to pipe down as they were disturbing Brangelina, who are staying in the villa in the grounds."
After a breakfast of mangoes, strawberries, chocolate croissants, brioche and brownies the revellers reluctantly moved on to Baoli beach, where they carried on well into the morning.
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/05/17/kirsten-dunst-s-rowdy-all-night-lock-in-disturbs-brad-pitt-and-angelina-jolie-115875-23136301/#ixzz1MbdCXFBw
The tipsy Spiderman star, 28, enjoyed a rowdy all-night lock-in at the swanky Eden Roc hotel.
As guests Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tried to get some shut-eye, Kirsten howled along to the Rolling Stones' Sympathy For The Devil.
Staff requested the 15-strong party, which included boyfriend Jason Boesel, to keep the noise down but my source at the glaceau vitaminwater bash said: "The group, which included Mad Men star Jon Ham and HSM's Vanessa Hudgens, was stomping their feet and jumping on tables. All the while, bar staff patiently waited for them to quit.
"Eventually, security asked the group to pipe down as they were disturbing Brangelina, who are staying in the villa in the grounds."
After a breakfast of mangoes, strawberries, chocolate croissants, brioche and brownies the revellers reluctantly moved on to Baoli beach, where they carried on well into the morning.
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/05/17/kirsten-dunst-s-rowdy-all-night-lock-in-disturbs-brad-pitt-and-angelina-jolie-115875-23136301/#ixzz1MbdCXFBw
Fox focuses on key players Simon Cowell, Kiefer Sutherland, and Steven Spielberg for fall season
Fox is banking on Simon Cowell, Kiefer Sutherland, Zooey Deschanel and dinosaurs to drive its Nielsen numbers up next season.
The network will launch four new comedies, three dramas and a new unscripted series during the 2011-12 television season, network officials said Monday.
Among the new shows are the long-awaited "Terra Nova" from Steven Spielberg and the highly anticipated arrival of Cowell's talent series "The X Factor," which officials believe is going to be huge.
Also on the way is a new drama, "Alcatraz," from J.J. Abrams and an animated comedy based on the film "Napoleon Dynamite."
"American Idol" will return in January, and officials hope Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge alongside Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson next season.
Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment at Fox Networks Group, said they "loved" having her on the show and are now talking about her future schedule.
Gone from the lineup are "Chicago Code," "Human Target" and "Lie to Me," and "America's Most Wanted" has been trimmed back to just quarterly specials.
While saying "AMW" host John Walsh has been important to the network, Reilly said Fox hasn't made money on "AMW" in years and it wasn't economically feasible to keep it. Reilly said the show could end up elsewhere.
Reilly also told attendees at the network's presentation to advertisers that "Family Guy" creator Seth McFarlane was working on a new version of "The Flintstones" for 2013.
"Terra Nova," about an ordinary family with an extraordinary journey back to prehistoric Earth, will air Mondays at 8.
Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly called "Terra Nova" an "epic family adventure" and one of the "most ambitious undertakings" ever at the network.
Also coming in fall are "New Girl," a comedy starring Deschanel as an offbeat woman moving in with three single guys.
"I Hate My Teenage Daughter" stars Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran as single moms who fear their daughters are turning into the same kind of mean girls who picked on them in high school.
"Allen Gregory," an animated comedy featuring the voice of Jonah Hill, revolves around an extremely pretentious 7-year-old heading off to college.
Fox's midseason push gets underway behind "Idol," set to launch Jan. 22.
Coming at midseason are Abrams' "Alcatraz," a show involving crimes committed today by criminals who lived in the prison years ago, and "The Finder," a new series from Hart Hanson, creator of "Bones," about an Iraq War vet with an ability to help people find the unfindable.
The network has two other comedies in development, one of which may hit in midseason. Mike O'Malley and Rachael Harris star in "Family Album"; "Little in Common" stars Rob Corddry and Kevin Hart.
Further down the road, Fox has order a pilot for "Touch," a new series starring Kiefer Sutherland as a single father of an 11-year-old son with special needs - who is also a genius.
rhuff@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2011/05/17/2011-05-17_fox_focuses_on_key_players_simon_cowell_kiefer_sutherland_and_steven_spielberg_f.html#ixzz1MbcgnKR5
The network will launch four new comedies, three dramas and a new unscripted series during the 2011-12 television season, network officials said Monday.
Among the new shows are the long-awaited "Terra Nova" from Steven Spielberg and the highly anticipated arrival of Cowell's talent series "The X Factor," which officials believe is going to be huge.
Also on the way is a new drama, "Alcatraz," from J.J. Abrams and an animated comedy based on the film "Napoleon Dynamite."
"American Idol" will return in January, and officials hope Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge alongside Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson next season.
Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment at Fox Networks Group, said they "loved" having her on the show and are now talking about her future schedule.
Gone from the lineup are "Chicago Code," "Human Target" and "Lie to Me," and "America's Most Wanted" has been trimmed back to just quarterly specials.
While saying "AMW" host John Walsh has been important to the network, Reilly said Fox hasn't made money on "AMW" in years and it wasn't economically feasible to keep it. Reilly said the show could end up elsewhere.
Reilly also told attendees at the network's presentation to advertisers that "Family Guy" creator Seth McFarlane was working on a new version of "The Flintstones" for 2013.
"Terra Nova," about an ordinary family with an extraordinary journey back to prehistoric Earth, will air Mondays at 8.
Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly called "Terra Nova" an "epic family adventure" and one of the "most ambitious undertakings" ever at the network.
Also coming in fall are "New Girl," a comedy starring Deschanel as an offbeat woman moving in with three single guys.
"I Hate My Teenage Daughter" stars Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran as single moms who fear their daughters are turning into the same kind of mean girls who picked on them in high school.
"Allen Gregory," an animated comedy featuring the voice of Jonah Hill, revolves around an extremely pretentious 7-year-old heading off to college.
Fox's midseason push gets underway behind "Idol," set to launch Jan. 22.
Coming at midseason are Abrams' "Alcatraz," a show involving crimes committed today by criminals who lived in the prison years ago, and "The Finder," a new series from Hart Hanson, creator of "Bones," about an Iraq War vet with an ability to help people find the unfindable.
The network has two other comedies in development, one of which may hit in midseason. Mike O'Malley and Rachael Harris star in "Family Album"; "Little in Common" stars Rob Corddry and Kevin Hart.
Further down the road, Fox has order a pilot for "Touch," a new series starring Kiefer Sutherland as a single father of an 11-year-old son with special needs - who is also a genius.
rhuff@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2011/05/17/2011-05-17_fox_focuses_on_key_players_simon_cowell_kiefer_sutherland_and_steven_spielberg_f.html#ixzz1MbcgnKR5
Monday, May 16, 2011
James Durbin Was Robbed - 'American Idol' 2011 Voting Controversy
Last week, James Durbin was an American Idol front runner when he was voted off the show in a shocker on Tuesday.
In some circles, fans of the resident AI rocker are not only surprised at his exit, but some also believe James Durbin was robbed of the chance to move on to the AI semi-finals.
One source even goes so far as to say that James Durbin's inability to win American Idol is quite possibly a major mistake. It seems that this site thinks votes meant to go to the Santa Cruz, California crooner may have gone to the young country singer, Lauren Alaina.
Autism Key says, "...[there is a] possibility that some votes intended for Durbin were accidentally funneled to [Alaina] instead."
Apparently, since the numbers doled out to viewers for voting purposes were not sequential, when certain people called to pull for one contestant, they could have inadvertently been voting for another.
This potentially unfair situation regarding James Durbin on American Idol has been compared to what happened to Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election. The vote in America for the TV talent show has been likened to the vote in Florida when, in the end of the campaign and after a lot of deliberation, the vital number needed to deem Gore as President went to Bush instead. In this comparison case, the count for the top spot to govern our nation could possibly have gone to the wrong candidate due to voting confusion.
And now there is voting controversy for James Durbin who some say was robbed of the chance to become the American Idol for 2011. An update to the original story about a possible faulty voting system being the case came in today, May 15, stating that "many people (on this site and others) have indicated that they either had difficulty voting for James and/or experienced abnormal activity when attempting to cast their votes."
So, if this is true, perhaps James Durbin fans will push Fox as well as American Idol powers-that-be to reevaluate the elimination of this popular contender--and in the end, let him keep on going to try to win the title. Or, at least James will get the chance to decide whether or not this is something he would opt to do if he so desires.
What do you think? Do you believe James Durbin was robbed? Do you think there is some truth in this American Idol controversy? Were you one of those people who was misled when voting last week for your favorite on the TV talent show? Thoughts? Thanks.
In some circles, fans of the resident AI rocker are not only surprised at his exit, but some also believe James Durbin was robbed of the chance to move on to the AI semi-finals.
One source even goes so far as to say that James Durbin's inability to win American Idol is quite possibly a major mistake. It seems that this site thinks votes meant to go to the Santa Cruz, California crooner may have gone to the young country singer, Lauren Alaina.
Autism Key says, "...[there is a] possibility that some votes intended for Durbin were accidentally funneled to [Alaina] instead."
Apparently, since the numbers doled out to viewers for voting purposes were not sequential, when certain people called to pull for one contestant, they could have inadvertently been voting for another.
This potentially unfair situation regarding James Durbin on American Idol has been compared to what happened to Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election. The vote in America for the TV talent show has been likened to the vote in Florida when, in the end of the campaign and after a lot of deliberation, the vital number needed to deem Gore as President went to Bush instead. In this comparison case, the count for the top spot to govern our nation could possibly have gone to the wrong candidate due to voting confusion.
And now there is voting controversy for James Durbin who some say was robbed of the chance to become the American Idol for 2011. An update to the original story about a possible faulty voting system being the case came in today, May 15, stating that "many people (on this site and others) have indicated that they either had difficulty voting for James and/or experienced abnormal activity when attempting to cast their votes."
So, if this is true, perhaps James Durbin fans will push Fox as well as American Idol powers-that-be to reevaluate the elimination of this popular contender--and in the end, let him keep on going to try to win the title. Or, at least James will get the chance to decide whether or not this is something he would opt to do if he so desires.
What do you think? Do you believe James Durbin was robbed? Do you think there is some truth in this American Idol controversy? Were you one of those people who was misled when voting last week for your favorite on the TV talent show? Thoughts? Thanks.
Pitt hot on the heels of Jolie
Brad Pitt is following in his partner Angelina Jolie's footsteps by coming to Cannes to publicise his new film.
He is expected to appear alongside his co-star in Tree of Life, Sean Penn, and its director Terrence Malick at a press conference at the film festival.
The film, set in 1950s America, is described as "the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family" and revolves around the relationship between a father and son.
It is one of 20 films in the running to pick up the festival's coveted Palme d'Or prize.
Jolie, the other half of the celebrity power couple dubbed Brangelina by the press, faced the cameras on Thursday when she attended a press conference in support of her new animated film Kung Fu Panda 2, which is not in competition.
The star who has six children with Pitt, including three who are adopted, said her film had some "pretty heavy lessons" for its young audience including her own children.
She told reporters the fact the storyline deals with issues around adoption was not a problem.
She said: "I brought the children to see the movie and they loved it and laughed the whole time and I wondered whether they would ask me questions about it... birth mothers and orphanage and all that, these are happy words - they are very, very used to these discussions."
Jolie, who described herself as "a mom who is changing beds and colouring all night long", said the whole family were in Cannes for the annual festival.
She said: "It can be overwhelming but you also meet a lot of friendly faces and have a good laugh and you also get a chance to see some great films."
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/pitt-hot-on-the-heels-of-jolie-16000410.html#ixzz1MVDLzBuf
He is expected to appear alongside his co-star in Tree of Life, Sean Penn, and its director Terrence Malick at a press conference at the film festival.
The film, set in 1950s America, is described as "the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family" and revolves around the relationship between a father and son.
It is one of 20 films in the running to pick up the festival's coveted Palme d'Or prize.
Jolie, the other half of the celebrity power couple dubbed Brangelina by the press, faced the cameras on Thursday when she attended a press conference in support of her new animated film Kung Fu Panda 2, which is not in competition.
The star who has six children with Pitt, including three who are adopted, said her film had some "pretty heavy lessons" for its young audience including her own children.
She told reporters the fact the storyline deals with issues around adoption was not a problem.
She said: "I brought the children to see the movie and they loved it and laughed the whole time and I wondered whether they would ask me questions about it... birth mothers and orphanage and all that, these are happy words - they are very, very used to these discussions."
Jolie, who described herself as "a mom who is changing beds and colouring all night long", said the whole family were in Cannes for the annual festival.
She said: "It can be overwhelming but you also meet a lot of friendly faces and have a good laugh and you also get a chance to see some great films."
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/pitt-hot-on-the-heels-of-jolie-16000410.html#ixzz1MVDLzBuf
Why Angelina Jolie Agonized Over the Title of Her Directorial Debut
Angelina Jolie says she struggled with the title of her directorial debut, which landed a U.S. distributor at Cannes on Sunday.
The movie will be called In the Land of Blood and Honey, a title that she settled on just ahead of Sunday's announcement that FilmDistrict will release the movie Dec. 23 in the U.S.
She told Entertainment Weekly that coming up with the title was "driving me crazy. I have lists and lists of titles all over."
She cited the subject matter of the film, which is set against the backdrop of the Bonsian Civil War in the 1990s, as the primary reason she was having such a hard time.
"It's a heavy film," she added. "You want to find that title that really helps the audience know what they're walking into."
The movie stars Zana Marjanovic (Snow), Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija (In the Rain). Jolie worked with a completely local cast, filming the project in both Serbo-Croation, the language spoken at the time of the war, and English. FilmDistrict will be releasing the English-language version.
In making the announcement, Jolie said: "The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it's also universal. I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war."
The movie will be called In the Land of Blood and Honey, a title that she settled on just ahead of Sunday's announcement that FilmDistrict will release the movie Dec. 23 in the U.S.
She told Entertainment Weekly that coming up with the title was "driving me crazy. I have lists and lists of titles all over."
She cited the subject matter of the film, which is set against the backdrop of the Bonsian Civil War in the 1990s, as the primary reason she was having such a hard time.
"It's a heavy film," she added. "You want to find that title that really helps the audience know what they're walking into."
The movie stars Zana Marjanovic (Snow), Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija (In the Rain). Jolie worked with a completely local cast, filming the project in both Serbo-Croation, the language spoken at the time of the war, and English. FilmDistrict will be releasing the English-language version.
In making the announcement, Jolie said: "The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it's also universal. I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war."
Move over, Tina Fey! 'Bridesmaids' catapults Kristen Wiig from 'SNL' star to Hollywood triple threat
Talk about getting the story wrong! I’m always gratified when a movie that I love kills at the box office, and I can even deal with a little endzone-dancing studio spin, but really — the notion that Bridesmaids, the terrific new matrimonial comedy of cracked sisterhood, somehow “exceeded expectations” by taking in $24.5 million at the box office this weekend (representative headline on TheWrap: “‘Bridesmaids Over-Performs”) is actually a little insulting. Sure, it sounds like a compliment (people dug the movie so much they went even more than the marketers were predicting!). But why would a major comedy produced by Judd Apatow, heralded by enthusiastic reviews, featuring a breakout performance by a venerable Saturday Night Live star, the whole thing pitched as a funny, soulful date movie to an audience that regularly turns the worst sort of pandering chick-flick crapola into major hits…why would that movie surprise anyone by making as much on its opening weekend as The Bounty Hunter or Failure to Launch?
No, what the “exceeded expectations” line is really about is the movie industry, and the media, paying homage to the collective “wisdom” that occurs whenever Hollywood, doing that thing it does, remembers all over again, every couple of years, that there’s this weirdly esoteric, fringe-group demographic — I believe the term for it is “women” — who actually enjoy seeing their lives portrayed on screen every bit as much as men do.
Speaking of men and women, let me dispose of that other canard — this one made, quite often, in the reviews themselves — that seemed to stick to Bridesmaids like some discarded wad of PR-concept chewing gum. That’s the notion that the film is somehow the female equivalent of The Hangover: a naughty fun bash of a movie, this one for girls instead of guys. Now Bridesmaids, don’t get me wrong, is a naughty fun bash of a movie. But even if you happened to like The Hangover better than I did, that movie is never really more than a riotously over-the-top situational nightmare comedy. It is not, let’s be honest, a movie that attempts to tweak your funny bone, your heartstrings, and your brain-strings at the same time. It’s not a movie that pretends to emerge from, you know (how can I put this unpretentiously?)…actual human experience. Bridesmaids does, and that’s its glory.
Of course, the movie’s real glory is Kristen Wiig. A quick word about the script for it that she co-wrote with Annie Mumolo, her longtime buddy from the Groundlings comedy troupe. There are moments in Bridesmaids that are zany and shocking and flat-out hilarious — the food poisoning scene set in just the kind of billowy snob-chic bridal boutique that deserves what it gets; Wiig’s plane-ride tantrum under the influence of whiskey and tranquilizers. But I’d argue that for all that, there isn’t a moment in the movie that stoops to caricature. Even the most outsize characters (like, spectacularly, Melissa McCarthy’s blunt and hulky sister warrior Megan) have details, dimensions; every scene, no matter how funny, feels life-size. In today’s Hollywood, that’s a major achievement, and it marks Wiig and Mumolo as exciting new screenwriting voices. With Bridesmaids, they’ve crafted an even more witty and signature piece of work than Tiny Fey did back in 2004 when she wrote Mean Girls.
But, of course, Wiig isn’t just the co-screenwriter; she’s the movie’s star as well. And even if, like me, you’ve always found her to be inspired farceur-flake on Saturday Night Live, you may not be prepared for what an outrageously good actress she is. The comment boards on ew.com make it clear that a lot of folks have a weekly hate-on for Wiig on SNL. They find her penchant for wispy-headed rapid-fire neurotic lunacy too broad, and too repetitive. All I generally want to say to those people is: Find someone else to hate! To me, Wiig is a sneaky creator of verbally intense, solipsistic fruitcakes who gives every sketch she touches a charge. Sure, at times she’s more inspired than others, but who isn’t on SNL? She’s a spark plug, a utility maniac.
In Bridesmaids, however, she scales herself back, creating a fully rounded character who lashes out, more and more hilariously, because of the desperation that Wiig portrays without flinching. The one movie that Bridesmaids reminded me of, just a little bit (at least, emotionally), is My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), which I wrote a mixed review of at the time but now think is Julia Roberts’ best film. In fact, I think it’s just about the richest and most heartfelt chick flick of the last 20 years. My Best Friend’s Wedding gets deep inside squirmy emotions of jealousy and revenge — and heartache — that most of these movies stylize into trivia, and that’s what Bridesmaids does as well. When Wiig’s Annie, trying to keep her game face on, feels the childhood friend (Maya Rudolph) for whom she’s going to be maid of honor sliding toward another, “better” friendship (with the impeccably, almost subliminally superior Helen, played by Rose Byrne), all the forces of loserdom seem to fuse in her at once. She has no real guy, no career, no money, and now, not even a best friend. And so she starts to wallow. Yet she also gets rip-roaringly angry, and Wiig is brilliant at portraying Annie’s blowout tantrums as high comedy that also express something real — the disgust we can all feel at being outclassed, and maybe at a culture that puts too much of a premium on class. Wiig, as Annie, is the best kind of movie rebel, the kind who’s never more heroic than when she’s making a staggering fool of herself.
To have given this performance, in a movie that she co-wrote; to make audiences laugh the way they did at Bridesmaids this past weekend, yet also to dig this deep into feminine craziness and self-pity — that’s not just expanding your image. That’s aiming high and winning, taking Hollywood to a place that it needs to go, but too often — sometimes for years — forgets to. In Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig brings the funny, brings the humane, and proves, on top of all that, that she may just have what it takes to become a major screen star. That’s what I call exceeding expectations.
So did you see Bridesmaids this weekend? If so, what did you think of Wiig’s performance, and of the movie itself? If you were already a fan, did she surprise you? And if you’re one of the people who’s never liked her on SNL, did she win you over anyway?
Follow Owen on Twitter: @OwenGleiberman
No, what the “exceeded expectations” line is really about is the movie industry, and the media, paying homage to the collective “wisdom” that occurs whenever Hollywood, doing that thing it does, remembers all over again, every couple of years, that there’s this weirdly esoteric, fringe-group demographic — I believe the term for it is “women” — who actually enjoy seeing their lives portrayed on screen every bit as much as men do.
Speaking of men and women, let me dispose of that other canard — this one made, quite often, in the reviews themselves — that seemed to stick to Bridesmaids like some discarded wad of PR-concept chewing gum. That’s the notion that the film is somehow the female equivalent of The Hangover: a naughty fun bash of a movie, this one for girls instead of guys. Now Bridesmaids, don’t get me wrong, is a naughty fun bash of a movie. But even if you happened to like The Hangover better than I did, that movie is never really more than a riotously over-the-top situational nightmare comedy. It is not, let’s be honest, a movie that attempts to tweak your funny bone, your heartstrings, and your brain-strings at the same time. It’s not a movie that pretends to emerge from, you know (how can I put this unpretentiously?)…actual human experience. Bridesmaids does, and that’s its glory.
Of course, the movie’s real glory is Kristen Wiig. A quick word about the script for it that she co-wrote with Annie Mumolo, her longtime buddy from the Groundlings comedy troupe. There are moments in Bridesmaids that are zany and shocking and flat-out hilarious — the food poisoning scene set in just the kind of billowy snob-chic bridal boutique that deserves what it gets; Wiig’s plane-ride tantrum under the influence of whiskey and tranquilizers. But I’d argue that for all that, there isn’t a moment in the movie that stoops to caricature. Even the most outsize characters (like, spectacularly, Melissa McCarthy’s blunt and hulky sister warrior Megan) have details, dimensions; every scene, no matter how funny, feels life-size. In today’s Hollywood, that’s a major achievement, and it marks Wiig and Mumolo as exciting new screenwriting voices. With Bridesmaids, they’ve crafted an even more witty and signature piece of work than Tiny Fey did back in 2004 when she wrote Mean Girls.
But, of course, Wiig isn’t just the co-screenwriter; she’s the movie’s star as well. And even if, like me, you’ve always found her to be inspired farceur-flake on Saturday Night Live, you may not be prepared for what an outrageously good actress she is. The comment boards on ew.com make it clear that a lot of folks have a weekly hate-on for Wiig on SNL. They find her penchant for wispy-headed rapid-fire neurotic lunacy too broad, and too repetitive. All I generally want to say to those people is: Find someone else to hate! To me, Wiig is a sneaky creator of verbally intense, solipsistic fruitcakes who gives every sketch she touches a charge. Sure, at times she’s more inspired than others, but who isn’t on SNL? She’s a spark plug, a utility maniac.
In Bridesmaids, however, she scales herself back, creating a fully rounded character who lashes out, more and more hilariously, because of the desperation that Wiig portrays without flinching. The one movie that Bridesmaids reminded me of, just a little bit (at least, emotionally), is My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), which I wrote a mixed review of at the time but now think is Julia Roberts’ best film. In fact, I think it’s just about the richest and most heartfelt chick flick of the last 20 years. My Best Friend’s Wedding gets deep inside squirmy emotions of jealousy and revenge — and heartache — that most of these movies stylize into trivia, and that’s what Bridesmaids does as well. When Wiig’s Annie, trying to keep her game face on, feels the childhood friend (Maya Rudolph) for whom she’s going to be maid of honor sliding toward another, “better” friendship (with the impeccably, almost subliminally superior Helen, played by Rose Byrne), all the forces of loserdom seem to fuse in her at once. She has no real guy, no career, no money, and now, not even a best friend. And so she starts to wallow. Yet she also gets rip-roaringly angry, and Wiig is brilliant at portraying Annie’s blowout tantrums as high comedy that also express something real — the disgust we can all feel at being outclassed, and maybe at a culture that puts too much of a premium on class. Wiig, as Annie, is the best kind of movie rebel, the kind who’s never more heroic than when she’s making a staggering fool of herself.
To have given this performance, in a movie that she co-wrote; to make audiences laugh the way they did at Bridesmaids this past weekend, yet also to dig this deep into feminine craziness and self-pity — that’s not just expanding your image. That’s aiming high and winning, taking Hollywood to a place that it needs to go, but too often — sometimes for years — forgets to. In Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig brings the funny, brings the humane, and proves, on top of all that, that she may just have what it takes to become a major screen star. That’s what I call exceeding expectations.
So did you see Bridesmaids this weekend? If so, what did you think of Wiig’s performance, and of the movie itself? If you were already a fan, did she surprise you? And if you’re one of the people who’s never liked her on SNL, did she win you over anyway?
Follow Owen on Twitter: @OwenGleiberman
Sunday, May 15, 2011
NBC announces a fall return of Apprentice, so what now for Donald Trump?
The mystery of whether Donald Trump will run for President took an intriguing turn on Sunday when NBC announced its autumn schedule ... and included his Celebrity Apprentice reality show in it.
The network's president Robert Greenblatt further stoked the fire by refusing to reveal whether he had any inside info.
Asked if this meant NBC had a commitment from Mr Trump that he wouldn't run for president, he said: 'We're putting a pin in that for the next 24 hours or so. Things will become clearer soon.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387476/NBC-announces-fall-return-Apprentice-Donald-Trump.html#ixzz1MTxrrpka
The network's president Robert Greenblatt further stoked the fire by refusing to reveal whether he had any inside info.
Asked if this meant NBC had a commitment from Mr Trump that he wouldn't run for president, he said: 'We're putting a pin in that for the next 24 hours or so. Things will become clearer soon.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387476/NBC-announces-fall-return-Apprentice-Donald-Trump.html#ixzz1MTxrrpka
'Thor' rules at the box office
Big-budget studio tent poles continue to reign at the box office this summer, as "Thor" outmuscled the competition for the second consecutive weekend.
After its thunderous opening last weekend, the 3-D film about a Norse god again proved to be most popular with moviegoers, collecting an additional $34.5 million and bringing its North American tally to $119.3 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures.
That was enough to strike down the Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Bridesmaids," which stars "Saturday Night Live" cast member Kristen Wiig and opened to a better-than-expected $24.4 million. The weekend's other new film in wide release, the 3-D "Priest," had a disappointing opening domestically. The movie, which cost about $60 million to make, is the most expensive production to date from Sony Pictures' Screen Gems label — but it only collected a weak $14.5 million in ticket sales.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-0516-box-office-20110516,0,1553242.story
After its thunderous opening last weekend, the 3-D film about a Norse god again proved to be most popular with moviegoers, collecting an additional $34.5 million and bringing its North American tally to $119.3 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures.
That was enough to strike down the Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Bridesmaids," which stars "Saturday Night Live" cast member Kristen Wiig and opened to a better-than-expected $24.4 million. The weekend's other new film in wide release, the 3-D "Priest," had a disappointing opening domestically. The movie, which cost about $60 million to make, is the most expensive production to date from Sony Pictures' Screen Gems label — but it only collected a weak $14.5 million in ticket sales.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-0516-box-office-20110516,0,1553242.story
New prime-time NBC lineup includes several female-led series
Just three months after its new programming chief officially took over, mired-in-fourth-place NBC unveiled a new prime-time slate on Sunday that’s been festooned with female-led series.
Among the network’s six new comedies and six new dramas are shows that feature Whitney Cummings as half of a committed couple; Debra Messing as the writer of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe; Christina Applegate as an acerbic new mom; Maria Bello as the new Helen Mirren in a “Prime Suspect” remake; and a comedy based on late-night star Chelsea Handler’s book, “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.”
On the other hand, NBC is relying on the behind-the-scenes production chops of Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg.
“We all know that it’s a little easier to get women to come to television than men,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt told The TV Column of his new lineup, adding, “That’s not a bad thing.”
Except, of course, advertisers pay a premium to reach young guys, because they’re the hardest to reach. But aiming for a female audience is not a bad direction to go when you’re the mired-in-fourth-place network.
NBC will start just six of the new shows in the fall because it’s hard to be heard in the din of the fall broadcast TV new-season launch, particularly when you’re the fourth-placed network.
So big-ticket newcomer “Smash” — the so-called “ ‘Glee’ for adults” Broadway-musical drama from Steven Spielberg and starring Debra Messing — won’t be launched until midseason. That way it can be packaged with NBC’s singing competition series “The Voice” — this season’s No. 1 rated new series among young adults — when it returns in the first quarter of 2012.
Likewise, NBC’s TV adaptation of John Grisham’s book “The Firm” won’t be trotted out until it can follow the return of reality series “Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday nights, post-football (with or without Donald Trump, depending on his presidential plans).
“We’ll be placing a great deal of emphasis on how we launch each one of our programs and on maximizing the network’s strengths throughout the fall and well into midseason,” Greenblatt said.
“Considering it’s only been three months since new management took over, I’m very pleased with what has resulted from a very strong pilot season,” he added.
In truth, some of his new series, such as a drama called “The Playboy Club,” and the “Prime Suspect” redo, were in development last year; Greenblatt just took a new whack at them, with different writers, etc. And Greenblatt had that Marilyn Monroe Broadway-musical drama in his pocket when he was still running programming at Showtime, his most recent gig before being named to the NBC job three months ago.
Meanwhile, we won’t keep the 12 of you still watching NBC in suspense any longer: The network’s returning series include “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck” (for its fifth and final season of 13 episodes), “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Dateline NBC.”
Among the network’s six new comedies and six new dramas are shows that feature Whitney Cummings as half of a committed couple; Debra Messing as the writer of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe; Christina Applegate as an acerbic new mom; Maria Bello as the new Helen Mirren in a “Prime Suspect” remake; and a comedy based on late-night star Chelsea Handler’s book, “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.”
On the other hand, NBC is relying on the behind-the-scenes production chops of Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg.
“We all know that it’s a little easier to get women to come to television than men,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt told The TV Column of his new lineup, adding, “That’s not a bad thing.”
Except, of course, advertisers pay a premium to reach young guys, because they’re the hardest to reach. But aiming for a female audience is not a bad direction to go when you’re the mired-in-fourth-place network.
NBC will start just six of the new shows in the fall because it’s hard to be heard in the din of the fall broadcast TV new-season launch, particularly when you’re the fourth-placed network.
So big-ticket newcomer “Smash” — the so-called “ ‘Glee’ for adults” Broadway-musical drama from Steven Spielberg and starring Debra Messing — won’t be launched until midseason. That way it can be packaged with NBC’s singing competition series “The Voice” — this season’s No. 1 rated new series among young adults — when it returns in the first quarter of 2012.
Likewise, NBC’s TV adaptation of John Grisham’s book “The Firm” won’t be trotted out until it can follow the return of reality series “Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday nights, post-football (with or without Donald Trump, depending on his presidential plans).
“We’ll be placing a great deal of emphasis on how we launch each one of our programs and on maximizing the network’s strengths throughout the fall and well into midseason,” Greenblatt said.
“Considering it’s only been three months since new management took over, I’m very pleased with what has resulted from a very strong pilot season,” he added.
In truth, some of his new series, such as a drama called “The Playboy Club,” and the “Prime Suspect” redo, were in development last year; Greenblatt just took a new whack at them, with different writers, etc. And Greenblatt had that Marilyn Monroe Broadway-musical drama in his pocket when he was still running programming at Showtime, his most recent gig before being named to the NBC job three months ago.
Meanwhile, we won’t keep the 12 of you still watching NBC in suspense any longer: The network’s returning series include “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck” (for its fifth and final season of 13 episodes), “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Dateline NBC.”
'Survivor: Redemption Island': And the winner is...
After 39 days, challenges, duels, and arguments over both rice and race, Survivor: Redemption Island finally has its winner. My full recap will be up later, but if you can’t wait to sound off on what happened and who won, then read on after the jump for more [SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched the finale of Survivor: Redemption Island.]
The fourth time was the charm for Boston Rob Mariano, as he finally won a season of Survivor, beating Natalie and Phillip in the final three of Survivor: Redemption Island. The episode began with Andrea reentering the game after beating Matt, Mike, and Grant in the final duel at Redemption Island. And then she was promptly voted out again as the women once again refused to make a move against Boston Rob (although it would have been futile since he played his Hidden Immunity Idol). Rob then won the final immunity challenge, guaranteeing his victory since he was the only person in his alliance that did one lick of strategizing. Ashley was sent home next, setting up Rob’s inevitable march to the title and the money. In fact, the most shocking thing about the finale was the absence of the Fallen Comrades montage.
My full recap will be up soon. In the meantime, tell us what you think about the finale. Did the right person win? And did Natalie and Ashley’s refusal to make a move frustrate the heck out of you? Hit the message boards and let us know. And for more Survivor news and views all year round, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
The fourth time was the charm for Boston Rob Mariano, as he finally won a season of Survivor, beating Natalie and Phillip in the final three of Survivor: Redemption Island. The episode began with Andrea reentering the game after beating Matt, Mike, and Grant in the final duel at Redemption Island. And then she was promptly voted out again as the women once again refused to make a move against Boston Rob (although it would have been futile since he played his Hidden Immunity Idol). Rob then won the final immunity challenge, guaranteeing his victory since he was the only person in his alliance that did one lick of strategizing. Ashley was sent home next, setting up Rob’s inevitable march to the title and the money. In fact, the most shocking thing about the finale was the absence of the Fallen Comrades montage.
My full recap will be up soon. In the meantime, tell us what you think about the finale. Did the right person win? And did Natalie and Ashley’s refusal to make a move frustrate the heck out of you? Hit the message boards and let us know. And for more Survivor news and views all year round, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Thor Gives Box Office Hammer to Bridesmaids
Although Thor made a mighty splash last week at the box office, Thor and Chris Hemsworth ruled over the girl heavy ensemble comedy Bridesmaids this weekend to remain on top of box office ticket sales for a second weekend.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Thor hammered the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids on Friday to head into the weekend on top after taking in $9.2 million to the $7.8 million of Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. The Friday box office of Thor brings the total to $94 million since the domestic release of Thor last week.
Although Bridesmaids is expected to earn in the neighborhood of $21 million over the weekend, well above predictions, Thor will continue to hammer the box office. Thor has a worldwide box office total of close to $300 million to date.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Thor hammered the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids on Friday to head into the weekend on top after taking in $9.2 million to the $7.8 million of Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. The Friday box office of Thor brings the total to $94 million since the domestic release of Thor last week.
Although Bridesmaids is expected to earn in the neighborhood of $21 million over the weekend, well above predictions, Thor will continue to hammer the box office. Thor has a worldwide box office total of close to $300 million to date.
Depp rides ‘Pirates’ wave
For two decades, Johnny Depp was happily cursed. Most of his movies barely made any money at all.
As he puts it, he was "enjoying a career based on failures."
That all changed, of course, in 2003 with his transformative performance as renegade Capt. Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean.
The action-adventure, improbably inspired by a Disneyland theme ride, launched a trilogy that ultimately grossed $2.6 billion worldwide.
Moreover it propelled Depp -- known for such eclectic choices as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands -- from the fringes of fame to global superstardom.
Eight years later, the 47-year-old remains one of the industry's most sought-after, highly paid actors.
And Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides should only add to the franchise's box-office booty when it opens Thursday at midnight.
"It's not my fault," he tells journalists in a Beverly Hills hotel.
"I did my best -- even to a point of trying to get fired on the first one, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it."
Indeed, the story of how Disney executives initially responded to Depp's Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl is nearly as legendary as any tale of pirate lore.
They were aghast at the sashaying, mascara-sporting buccaneer who Depp envisioned as a cross between Pepe Le Pew and Keith Richards.
They needn't have worried.
Audiences and critics alike enthusiastically embraced Depp's anti-blockbuster originality; he even earned an Oscar nomination for what's become his signature character.
"The fact people decided to see a movie I was in was probably the most shocking thing I've been through," he admits. "The weird thing is I never changed a thing. The process is still the process."
And while some actors -- specifically those inclined to take themselves too seriously -- might begrudge the success generated by a Disney franchise, Depp sounds content to continue making Pirates movies for years.
He even jokes about being wheeled around in his Sparrow dreads decades from now.
"The possibilities are endless, limitless," he says.
Which is probably just what the studio would want to hear since On Stranger Tides -- the presence of Depp's Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush's Capt. Hector Barbossa aside -- represents a course change for the series. Gone, for example, are Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
In their place, the sequel introduces various new characters, including Sparrow's former flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and the merciless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).
For Depp and Cruz, the film may mark the first time they've crossed swords, but not paths. In 2001, they co-starred in the cocaine-fuelled opus Blow.
"The weird thing was that it felt like we'd wrapped Blow the week before or a few days before," Depp says.
"We just clicked instantly. Whatever exists, in terms of chemistry, was just instantly firing on all cylinders. It felt completely right "¦ I was very, very excited to have Penelope come into this film. I knew she would be -- not only a worthy opponent -- but someone who would just kill the scenes. And she did. She was incredible."
And, it turns out, informative. "She taught me the raunchiest Spanish," he adds. "It's so foul I couldn't bring myself to repeat it here."
Depp credits her involvement to director Rob Marshall (Chicago) who took the reins from Gore Verbinski.
Marshall and Cruz last collaborated on the musical Nine.
"It was a real coup to get (Rob)," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "We're so fortunate he agreed to do this -- and shocking that he did."
Bruckheimer is well aware of the criticism the previous Pirate outings were unwieldy, even convoluted. "I think (Dead Man's Chest) and (At World's End) get bashed a little bit, but you have to understand, (Dead Man's Chest) was the biggest of the bunch -- it was an enormous success -- and (At World's End) reached almost a billion dollars. They were very successful movies even though the media didn't understand them as much as the audience did."
That said, he acknowledges, On Stranger Tides, is more streamlined than its predecessors.
"We finished our trilogy and paid off all our characters "¦ (There were) less characters and less plotlines to deal with."
Maybe so. But the new movie nevertheless offers all of what audiences would expect: Hidden treasure; mysterious jungles; double-and-triple-crosses; treacherous rivals; and a mystical quest -- this time for the Fountain of Youth.
And all of it anchored by Sparrow, a character now as mainstream as Mickey Mouse or Buzz Lightyear.
Not surprisingly, Depp reveals the lines between his alter-ego and his own personality have blurred after four films.
"Any character you play, a part of you goes into that "¦ And now, fortunately or unfortunately, there's a great part of Capt. Jack in me as well. Basically, I can't shake him. He won't leave me alone. He starts showing up at odd times."
But when he might re-appear in theatres after this summer?
It's already been reported a fifth Pirates has been penned. Depp, however, has said he doesn't want to rush further chapters.
And Bruckheimer is equally hesitant to commit to a timeframe.
"It took awhile to get (the On Stranger Tides) script to a place where we're comfortable with it," he says. "We just got a rough first draft in (for Pirates 5). It will take some time."
Adds Depp, "There's a very clever idea that's being hatched in terms of Pirates 5 and 6. We're actually going to shoot it on the (Disneyland) ride. (It will be) just us going around in a circle."
In the meantime, Depp says all he hopes for is "smooth sailing" off-screen.
The reformed Hollywood rebel -- who made headlines for dating Kate Moss and trashing a hotel room -- has two children, Lily-Rose, 11, and nine-year-old Jack with French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis.
"I'm OK with no big ups, no big downs. Just full steam ahead "¦ As a family man all you as a dad want is pure happiness for your kids. That's a universal parent thing. That's it, that's my dream -- happy kids."
‘Pirates’ reunion in ‘Tonto’?
It's a new frontier for the posse behind Pirates of the Caribbean.
Three years ago, Disney announced Johnny Depp, who is part Native American, would play Tonto in a big-screen remake of The Lone Ranger, based on the TV western about a masked Texas ranger and his stoic sidekick Tonto.
Now, after much development, it appears production could begin later this year.
Gore Verbinski -- who helmed the first three Pirates movies as well as the Depp-led animated duster Rango -- will direct. And early reports suggest Armie Hammer, who portrayed the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, could be in line to star as the titular lawman.
(That said, producer Jerry Bruckheimer cautions that no casting beyond Depp has been finalized. "We're in the process of meeting people right now.")
Given the talent involved, one might assume what they're aiming for is essentially Pirates of the Wild West. "I think it will have its own tone," Bruckheimer says. "(Depp's) got a real interesting bead on the character of Tonto."
Says Depp, "I feel what we're creating, in terms of story and character, I couldn't say you could compare it to Pirates. I suppose tonally there's a relationship because there's a kind of fascination with the absurd that's involved with The Lone Ranger as well. Some semblance of irreverence," Depp says. "But you need that right? You've got to have that."
What you've also got to have is a release date. The Lone Ranger doesn't have one yet, but it could gallop into theatres by the end of 2012.
As he puts it, he was "enjoying a career based on failures."
That all changed, of course, in 2003 with his transformative performance as renegade Capt. Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean.
The action-adventure, improbably inspired by a Disneyland theme ride, launched a trilogy that ultimately grossed $2.6 billion worldwide.
Moreover it propelled Depp -- known for such eclectic choices as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands -- from the fringes of fame to global superstardom.
Eight years later, the 47-year-old remains one of the industry's most sought-after, highly paid actors.
And Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides should only add to the franchise's box-office booty when it opens Thursday at midnight.
"It's not my fault," he tells journalists in a Beverly Hills hotel.
"I did my best -- even to a point of trying to get fired on the first one, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it."
Indeed, the story of how Disney executives initially responded to Depp's Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl is nearly as legendary as any tale of pirate lore.
They were aghast at the sashaying, mascara-sporting buccaneer who Depp envisioned as a cross between Pepe Le Pew and Keith Richards.
They needn't have worried.
Audiences and critics alike enthusiastically embraced Depp's anti-blockbuster originality; he even earned an Oscar nomination for what's become his signature character.
"The fact people decided to see a movie I was in was probably the most shocking thing I've been through," he admits. "The weird thing is I never changed a thing. The process is still the process."
And while some actors -- specifically those inclined to take themselves too seriously -- might begrudge the success generated by a Disney franchise, Depp sounds content to continue making Pirates movies for years.
He even jokes about being wheeled around in his Sparrow dreads decades from now.
"The possibilities are endless, limitless," he says.
Which is probably just what the studio would want to hear since On Stranger Tides -- the presence of Depp's Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush's Capt. Hector Barbossa aside -- represents a course change for the series. Gone, for example, are Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
In their place, the sequel introduces various new characters, including Sparrow's former flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and the merciless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).
For Depp and Cruz, the film may mark the first time they've crossed swords, but not paths. In 2001, they co-starred in the cocaine-fuelled opus Blow.
"The weird thing was that it felt like we'd wrapped Blow the week before or a few days before," Depp says.
"We just clicked instantly. Whatever exists, in terms of chemistry, was just instantly firing on all cylinders. It felt completely right "¦ I was very, very excited to have Penelope come into this film. I knew she would be -- not only a worthy opponent -- but someone who would just kill the scenes. And she did. She was incredible."
And, it turns out, informative. "She taught me the raunchiest Spanish," he adds. "It's so foul I couldn't bring myself to repeat it here."
Depp credits her involvement to director Rob Marshall (Chicago) who took the reins from Gore Verbinski.
Marshall and Cruz last collaborated on the musical Nine.
"It was a real coup to get (Rob)," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "We're so fortunate he agreed to do this -- and shocking that he did."
Bruckheimer is well aware of the criticism the previous Pirate outings were unwieldy, even convoluted. "I think (Dead Man's Chest) and (At World's End) get bashed a little bit, but you have to understand, (Dead Man's Chest) was the biggest of the bunch -- it was an enormous success -- and (At World's End) reached almost a billion dollars. They were very successful movies even though the media didn't understand them as much as the audience did."
That said, he acknowledges, On Stranger Tides, is more streamlined than its predecessors.
"We finished our trilogy and paid off all our characters "¦ (There were) less characters and less plotlines to deal with."
Maybe so. But the new movie nevertheless offers all of what audiences would expect: Hidden treasure; mysterious jungles; double-and-triple-crosses; treacherous rivals; and a mystical quest -- this time for the Fountain of Youth.
And all of it anchored by Sparrow, a character now as mainstream as Mickey Mouse or Buzz Lightyear.
Not surprisingly, Depp reveals the lines between his alter-ego and his own personality have blurred after four films.
"Any character you play, a part of you goes into that "¦ And now, fortunately or unfortunately, there's a great part of Capt. Jack in me as well. Basically, I can't shake him. He won't leave me alone. He starts showing up at odd times."
But when he might re-appear in theatres after this summer?
It's already been reported a fifth Pirates has been penned. Depp, however, has said he doesn't want to rush further chapters.
And Bruckheimer is equally hesitant to commit to a timeframe.
"It took awhile to get (the On Stranger Tides) script to a place where we're comfortable with it," he says. "We just got a rough first draft in (for Pirates 5). It will take some time."
Adds Depp, "There's a very clever idea that's being hatched in terms of Pirates 5 and 6. We're actually going to shoot it on the (Disneyland) ride. (It will be) just us going around in a circle."
In the meantime, Depp says all he hopes for is "smooth sailing" off-screen.
The reformed Hollywood rebel -- who made headlines for dating Kate Moss and trashing a hotel room -- has two children, Lily-Rose, 11, and nine-year-old Jack with French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis.
"I'm OK with no big ups, no big downs. Just full steam ahead "¦ As a family man all you as a dad want is pure happiness for your kids. That's a universal parent thing. That's it, that's my dream -- happy kids."
‘Pirates’ reunion in ‘Tonto’?
It's a new frontier for the posse behind Pirates of the Caribbean.
Three years ago, Disney announced Johnny Depp, who is part Native American, would play Tonto in a big-screen remake of The Lone Ranger, based on the TV western about a masked Texas ranger and his stoic sidekick Tonto.
Now, after much development, it appears production could begin later this year.
Gore Verbinski -- who helmed the first three Pirates movies as well as the Depp-led animated duster Rango -- will direct. And early reports suggest Armie Hammer, who portrayed the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, could be in line to star as the titular lawman.
(That said, producer Jerry Bruckheimer cautions that no casting beyond Depp has been finalized. "We're in the process of meeting people right now.")
Given the talent involved, one might assume what they're aiming for is essentially Pirates of the Wild West. "I think it will have its own tone," Bruckheimer says. "(Depp's) got a real interesting bead on the character of Tonto."
Says Depp, "I feel what we're creating, in terms of story and character, I couldn't say you could compare it to Pirates. I suppose tonally there's a relationship because there's a kind of fascination with the absurd that's involved with The Lone Ranger as well. Some semblance of irreverence," Depp says. "But you need that right? You've got to have that."
What you've also got to have is a release date. The Lone Ranger doesn't have one yet, but it could gallop into theatres by the end of 2012.
Female Friend of Tom Sizemore Goes Missing
A woman who police say was living off and on with actor Tom Sizemore in a luxury high-rise Los Angeles apartment has been missing for the past month and a half.
Sizemore, 49, who's been interviewed by detectives and has been cooperative, is not a suspect in the missing-person case, LAPD Det. Carmine Sasso tells PEOPLE.
Actress Megan Lacy Wren, 25, was last seen in the downtown L.A. area on March 31. Although some have described her as his girlfriend, Sizemore told Det. Sasso that she was just a friend, while the actor's manager outright dismisses any claims of a romantic involvement between the two.
The woman's father, Bill Wren, told CBS News that his daughter had been working for the actor as his assistant. Sizemore "indicated that he didn’t know where she was," Bill Wren said.
The Wren family "is very concerned about Megan's unexplained disappearance, especially given the fact that she has a serious medical condition and is in need of medical care," according to a police statement.
Bill Wren added that his daughter has struggled with substance abuse and was recently hospitalized for a serious staph infection. A police handout with various photos of Megan included several of her mugshots from prior arrests.
Sizemore, who's battled drug addiction for years, was convicted of assaulting girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 and has since been in and out of jail on various drug-related offenses. Last year, the actor was a cast member on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
Megan Wren is described as a Caucasian female with brown hair, brown eyes, 5'1" tall, weighing 110 lbs., with a slim build and light complexion.
Sizemore, 49, who's been interviewed by detectives and has been cooperative, is not a suspect in the missing-person case, LAPD Det. Carmine Sasso tells PEOPLE.
Actress Megan Lacy Wren, 25, was last seen in the downtown L.A. area on March 31. Although some have described her as his girlfriend, Sizemore told Det. Sasso that she was just a friend, while the actor's manager outright dismisses any claims of a romantic involvement between the two.
The woman's father, Bill Wren, told CBS News that his daughter had been working for the actor as his assistant. Sizemore "indicated that he didn’t know where she was," Bill Wren said.
The Wren family "is very concerned about Megan's unexplained disappearance, especially given the fact that she has a serious medical condition and is in need of medical care," according to a police statement.
Bill Wren added that his daughter has struggled with substance abuse and was recently hospitalized for a serious staph infection. A police handout with various photos of Megan included several of her mugshots from prior arrests.
Sizemore, who's battled drug addiction for years, was convicted of assaulting girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 and has since been in and out of jail on various drug-related offenses. Last year, the actor was a cast member on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
Megan Wren is described as a Caucasian female with brown hair, brown eyes, 5'1" tall, weighing 110 lbs., with a slim build and light complexion.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Jon Cryer 'Jazzed' About Ashton Kutcher Joining ‘Men’
Speaking out for the first time about the drama surrounding CBS’ Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer thanks Charlie Sheen for his hard work but also expresses excitement about returning to the show with new star Ashton Kutcher.
"I want to express my enormous gratitude to Charlie Sheen for eight great seasons,” he says in a statement to People. “I'm extremely proud of the work we've done together, and I will miss him. But I'm also looking forward to this new beginning."
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Thursday that Kutcher has been tapped to replace Sheen; CBS, Warner Bros and Kutcher confirmed the news Friday.
"Ashton is an extraordinarily talented guy, and his presence will be an asset to our show," Cryer tells People. "We are old friends from our male modeling days, and we're both looking forward to being judged for our comedic artistry, as opposed to our exceptional physical beauty. I'm jazzed about the news this morning that Two and a Half Men is coming back! For all the rest of the cast and crew I'm sure they are equally excited.”
Kutcher also is excited to begin working.
In a Tweet Friday, he wrote: “Thank you for all the Congrats on 2.5. Met with the team this morning.... We are already working on earning your Laughter.”
Sheen, who was fired in March after a weeks-long media circus that had the actor attacking everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to his boss Chuck Lorre, remains bitter about the Kutcher news.
Taking a shot at the show, he told TMZ Friday, "Enjoy the show America. Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB."
Then, in a comment Kutcher slamming Lorre, Sheen added, "Enjoy planet Chuck, Ashton. There is no air, laughter, loyalty, or love there."
"I want to express my enormous gratitude to Charlie Sheen for eight great seasons,” he says in a statement to People. “I'm extremely proud of the work we've done together, and I will miss him. But I'm also looking forward to this new beginning."
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Thursday that Kutcher has been tapped to replace Sheen; CBS, Warner Bros and Kutcher confirmed the news Friday.
"Ashton is an extraordinarily talented guy, and his presence will be an asset to our show," Cryer tells People. "We are old friends from our male modeling days, and we're both looking forward to being judged for our comedic artistry, as opposed to our exceptional physical beauty. I'm jazzed about the news this morning that Two and a Half Men is coming back! For all the rest of the cast and crew I'm sure they are equally excited.”
Kutcher also is excited to begin working.
In a Tweet Friday, he wrote: “Thank you for all the Congrats on 2.5. Met with the team this morning.... We are already working on earning your Laughter.”
Sheen, who was fired in March after a weeks-long media circus that had the actor attacking everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to his boss Chuck Lorre, remains bitter about the Kutcher news.
Taking a shot at the show, he told TMZ Friday, "Enjoy the show America. Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB."
Then, in a comment Kutcher slamming Lorre, Sheen added, "Enjoy planet Chuck, Ashton. There is no air, laughter, loyalty, or love there."
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