As if Battleship weren’t enough, now network television is taking a cue from Hollywood’s ridiculous trend of making games into storylines. CBS has commissioned a pilot for Zynga’s Draw Something, the popular Pictionary-esque game app.
You’ve just won $10,000!
It will be a reality show, where game users and celebrities compete for a chance to win cash prizes. This will all be done in front of a studio audience, no less. Continue reading
I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. Dan Harmon, the show-runner behind Community, has been fired. Is this really that shocking? No. The show has been seconds from being cancelled almost the entire time it’s been on the air. If this had happened two weeks ago, or if the show had just been cancelled it might be easier to handle, but here’s what makes this so hard. Community is an underdog, and its’ fans have expelled a tremendous amount of energy trying to save the show. Just one week ago we believed we accomplished the impossible. The show was miraculously renewed for a 4th season, something no one expected a few months ago. And then the 3-episode finale aired, and it was amazing- emotional and funny. It was obvious Dan Harmon and company wrote a series finale because they didn’t they think they were going to be renewed, but they still left really interesting story lines just in case. I was so excited to see what they would do with this final season. For the first time when it came to Community I was full of hope. That’s what makes this so hard. We had come so far, and finally things were looking up… and then the mastermind behind this amazing show was fired and replaced by two men who’ve never had any involvement with the show. So once we get past the frustration, what does this all mean?
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So, what really happened with Osama Bin Laden’s capture last year? Republican Congressman Peter King seems to think that Kathryn Bigelow has the answers.
Bigelow is currently directing Zero Dark Thirty, a film describing the raid that took down Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year. The movie, penned by The Hurt Locker’s Mark Boal, received a lot of backlash from the political world back in January—when it was still only under pre-production. King, who also serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, publicly announced his suspicions on Boal’s journalistic approach for writing the script. He asked the CIA to open up an investigation into Boal’s communication with the Obama administration, claiming that the current government leaked confidential information to Mark Boal in hopes to sway the public vote in favor of President Obama. When King made the accusations, the film was slated for an October release. But since then, the film has been pushed back to December 19, well after the elections—and pre-Oscars, of course.
Sacha Baron Cohen in "The Dictator"
Earlier today, word broke out from The Academy and the camp surrounding Sacha Baron Cohen about Mr. Cohen wanting to dress as his character from the upcoming film “The Dictator.” Apparently Cohen was outraged when the Academy said “No, you can’t come dressed that way” and in response released an obviously satirical video (linked below) of him saying things like “I am outraged at being banned from the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Zionists,” and “while I applaud the Academy for taking away my free speech.”
Just a couple hours later in the day the Academy confirmed that Mr. Cohen would be able to put on the stunt as he wishes on the red carpet, but will wear a tuxedo for the actual ceremony.
Some have said that Mr. Cohen being banned by the Academy in the first place is in and of itself a publicity stunt put on by both parties in order to boost the ratings for the upcoming award show. I don’t know if fully believe it or not, but if it’s true it would make a whoooole lot of sense. I mean the Academy responded to his demands in mere hours (granted they only have like 48 hours left before the show airs) and to be honest they really don’t have to let Mr. Cohen do a damn thing if they don’t want to. The Oscars may have had low ratings in the past couple of years, but they’re still the f***ing Oscars. Let’s just be clear about that. And I love Sacha Baron Cohen, but who gives a flying f*** about seeing him dressed as a dictator for 20 minutes on the red carpet? I certainly don’t.
To be honest I barely even watch the red carpet. I’m not into fashion enough to care about who any of the ladies are wearing, all of the men are dressed in the same penguin tuxedo and all of the interviewers ask the same BORING and MUNDANE questions. So bump that noise and just bring on the ceremony.
Tell me your thoughts about the situation.
Hispanics as leads. You’d think this would be a good thing, right?
Oh yes, an actual meme going around Tumblr.
You’d think audiences can finally revel again in a new television series with a large Hispanic cast. Not since George Lopez have I been able to see a television show that represents a culture similar to mine. Picture it: Beverly Hills, early to mid 2010s, four Latina maids working hard picking up after their employers. Suspense ensues as the residents—and their servants—of the affluent community learn about the disappearance of one of their own. Tensions escalate when someone is murdered, and somehow the four Latin ladies are caught in the middle of it all. Intrigued yet?
Marc Cherry (yes, the creator of Desperate Housewives) is the man behind the adaptation of the hit Mexican telenovela “Ellas Son…La Alegría Del Hogar.” “Devious Maids,” is its American name, and I know what you’re thinking. It’s a direct translation, right?
ABC debuted a new television show titled The River last Tuesday (February 7th). The show is co-created/co-produced by none other than one of our favorite lucky S.O.B.’s of the past 3 years, Oren Peli, who wrote/produced/directed the first Paranormal Activity film and has had a hand in all of the subsequent sequels. The show is also co-produced by Steven Spielberg, who is also co-producing NBC’s new show Smash which is about a group of characters coming together to create a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe…Okaaaaaaaaaaaay Mr. Spielberg. Terra Nova I understand, but Smash is a little out of left field if you ask me.
"The River" Promo Logo
The River is about a group of adventure /exploration T.V. show makers who go on a (you guessed it) river journey to find the host and crew of the show who went missing on an uncharted Amazon river six months at of the start pilot episode. The group runs into all sorts of mysterious spirits, magical tribes and supernatural beings along their journey and so you know it’s gonna get ghost-a-licious.
Did you catch the Golden Globes last night? I play my suspension of disbelief card and figure that it’s not bought out or that they play absolutely fair for each and every category. There really were many great moments last night. Did you catch Meryl Streep’s acceptance speech? I don’t know if people understand the significance of this, but the fact that the one and only Mrs. Meryl Streep mentioned “Pariah” speaks volumes. She shouted out an independent film, a minority protagonist, a woman protagonist, a minority filmmaker, a woman filmmaker. And while we’re making strides in the independent film world, Hollywood is running at a turtle’s pace to catch up. It’s taken George Lucas 23 years to get Hollywood exec’s attention—two decades too long—on his film Red Tails. Mark this on your calendars—2012 will see the first all-black action film. Wait, what? Yes. Continue reading
Ladies, we’ve all done it at least once. The last movie I went to see with my dad was the Star Trek reboot. While he sat lost in nostalgia in the J.J. Abrams cinematic experience, I was overdosing on popcorn and checking the time on my phone. Why did I do it, you ask? Well other than for my father, probably for the same reason all females have. It’s only a movie. It’s bright, shiny, stuff blows up, bam…2 1/2 hours later, you’re back home safe with your Liz Lemon and Awkward Black Girl streaming. However, here’s a little didyaknow? of the day:
Movie studio execs use “demographic quadrants” when marketing the next box office hit. In the hilariously revealing “The Day The Movies Died” by Mark Harris of GQ.com, he explains this magical quadrant is divided first by gender (male and female) and by age group (over 25 and under 25). Harris is kind enough to let us in on the biggest (yet obvious) secret of them all:
That leaves one quadrant—men under 25—at whom the majority of studio movies are aimed…That’s why, when you look at the genres that currently dominate Hollywood—action, raunchy comedy, game/toy/ride/comic-book adaptations, horror…they’re all aimed at the same ADD-addled, short-term-memory-lacking, easily excitable testosterone junkie.
Like everyone (trying to make it) in this industry I was ecstatic for the release of the 69th annual Golden Globe nominations a few weeks ago…until I saw it. Like every year there were television shows, films and names on the list that I thought the Hollywood Foreign Press clearly forgot to add and other shows, films and names on the list that I thought were a part of some Hollywood stunt put on by the producers of the new reboot of everyone’s favorite celebrity prank show “Punk’d.” It wasn’t until weeks later did I realize that this was in fact the real list. Oh, Lord. Continue reading
Indies Unchained! 