14 articles from 2009
12/15/09: How I Met Your Mother – “Last Cigarette Ever”
15 December 2009 4:26 AM, PST
| Atomic Popcorn
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Back in the nineties, there was a big controversy over advertising cigarettes. Apparently, certain tactics were dubbed as “effective.” Almost as if cigarette companies wanted consumers to buy and use their products. The most grievous of these tactics included casting the product in a positive light, showing people enjoying the product, associating it with fun times. But young, impressionable children would see these advertisements and be equally influenced, almost as if fun was a universal concept. So, Granddaddy Government stepped in and put a big fat ban on a large number of advertising methods.
If that wasn’t enough, focus groups went out and tried to change major perception of cancer sticks. No longer could anybody smoke on TV unless they were learning a major lesson on why it’s bad. Pretty soon, movies fell under similar scrutiny. Disclaimers had to be added during the credits scroll, indicating all tobacco consumption was staged,
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- Jaspers
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Stephen’s Survivor Strategy Blog: Russell Rockets the Vote
4 December 2009 5:42 AM, PST
| People.com - TV Watch
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"[The wise general] must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances and thus keep them in total ignorance." --Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Russell Hantz is a lot like the Saints -- comes from Louisiana, unstoppable on the playing field. Now that he's got a majority in Aiga, his only decision is which Galu to sack first. No surprise that he decides on John; the rocket scientist knows too much, and traitors are not to be trusted. But what earns Russell his umpteenth Fishy is the way he builds consensus -- by insinuation and manipulation.
Survivor
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- StyleWatch
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Tonight's 'V' fall finale: Will you watch?
24 November 2009 2:37 PM, PST
| EW.com - PopWatch
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Like my colleague Michael Ausiello, I am a big fan of the USC Trojans football team. Not that I attended the University of Southern California, but being both a football fan and a resident of NFL-absent Los Angeles, I’ve adopted Pete Carroll’s high flying team as my own. If you follow the college game, you know that USC has had an extremely disappointing season. There's lots of promise and lots of talent there, both on the field and on the sidelines, but they’ve not only been unable to play up to their potential, but on occasion, they’ve played like total crap.
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- Jeff Jensen
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11/23/09: How I Met Your Mother – “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap”
24 November 2009 3:35 AM, PST
| Atomic Popcorn
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In the world of How I Met Your Mother, running gags are not just common, they’re an essential element of the show’s humor. So much so, jumping into the show cold during its fifth season guarantees a minimum of three jokes per episode will go unnoticed, or at least underutilized. These jokes include catchphrases (“Legen – Wait for it – Dary”), character traits (“*salute*Colonel Stuck in my teeth”), and even subtly revisited jokes (“Salmon. I’m going to say that again: Salmon.”)
Quite possibly the grandest among all the running jokes is The Slap Bet. First appearing in season two, the slap bet has popped in and out of various episodes, including this week’s, where it took center stage. For those not in the know, the slap bet was a wager between Marshall and Barney about Robin’s closeted past. In lieu of money, the winner got to slap the loser.
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- Jaspers
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The Vatican Would Prefer Twilight Choose "Team Jesus"
20 November 2009 3:12 PM, PST
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Twilight fans, if you thought the critics have condemned New Moon in their reviews ... The Roman Catholic Church has a message for all of you rushing out to see the latest exploits of a droopy teenage girl trying to decide whether or not her existence is validated by a depressed sparkling vampire or an underwear model werewolf: You're going to Hell!
Monsignor Franco Perazzolo, of the Pontifical Council of Culture, has gone on the record saying the following about the obsession of every teenage girl and desperate housewife:
"The theme of vampires in 'Twilight' combines a mixture of excesses that as ever is aimed at young people and gives a heavy esoteric element. It is once again that age-old trick or ideal formula of using extremes to make an impact at the box office. This film is nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message, and as such should be of concern.
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- Foywonder
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How Thriller Novelist J.C. Hutchins Turned a Passionate Fan Base Into Successful Book Sales
12 November 2009 10:30 AM, PST
| Fast Company
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With the rise of Kindles, iPhones, and the smorgasbord of content we can get from every corner of the Web, the publishing industry must evolve or become extinct. The written word, bound in book form, is in danger of becoming an anachronism.
I firmly believe that people will always crave literature. We all need great stories to entertain us and non-fiction to expand our minds. But the publishing industry is bleeding faster then the music industry, and if it doesn't do something about it then publishers are in for dire consequences.
One author is doing everything in his power to help push that evolution forward. Florida-based J.C. Hutchins has a new book on store shelves called 7th Son: Descent, published by St. Martin's Press. I'm a self-confessed Beta Clone (what his fans are known as) and pre-ordered a copy of the book as soon as it became available even
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- C.C. Chapman
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To Save NBC, Rethink Leno Strategy
9 November 2009 11:30 AM, PST
| newser.com
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Cable giant Comcast wants to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal. Sure, the company's movie business and cable channels are appealing, but what about the broadcast network? NBC is floundering, and CEO Jeff Zucker is to blame, Mark Harris writes in New York . One big problem is The Jay Leno Show : "Remaking an entire prime-time lineup in his familiarly peevish image was a Hail Mary pass, not a long-term business strategy." The pass didn't connect. Leno, which airs five nights a week, gets terrible ratings and takes up time slots that could have held scripted shows, even if they
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9 College Courses Based On Popular TV Shows
3 November 2009 12:20 PM, PST
| Movieline
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One of the most important college goals is to craft the perfect schedule -- a delicate balance between ballbusting Organic Chemistry labs and the 90-minute nap found in any course containing "Postmodern," "Literary" or "Criticism" in its title. From the lowliest junior college to the corridors of the Ivy League, course selection can make or break a semester. With its endowment in a freefall, Harvard has decided to throw a Hail Mary in that direction by offering a new Sociology course with HBO's The Wire as its central text. For all the students wait-listed by the big H or without the proper familial connections to get over the Longfellow Bridge, you can feel content knowing that students in Cambridge are doing exactly what you do every Saturday: Rolling up a gram of mid-grade, watching David Simon's magnum opus and eventually making a Taco Bell run. Only those Crimson losers have to take notes.
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Michael Jackson's: This Is It Reviews
28 October 2009 4:19 AM, PDT
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Hastily put together after The King of Pop's death on June 25, this rehearsal concert movie is earning nearly universal praise.
"Looks like the world has missed one helluva concert. Whatever cynicism one might harbor about this Hail Mary piece of cinema — which can be called the first concert rehearsal movie ever — what this strange yet strangely beguiling film does is capture one of pop culture's great entertainers in the feverish grips of pure creativity."
— Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
"...an extraordinary documentary, nothing at all like what I was expecting to see. Here is not a sick and drugged man forcing himself through grueling rehearsals, but a spirit embodied by music."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...a useful document, as well as a beautiful one."
— Ann Powers, Los Angeles Times
"...may be a court documentary, but as a heavily lawyered portrait of an artist, it's still pretty compelling."
— Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
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- reelz reelz
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Rapid Fire: The Haunted Airman, Infestation
14 October 2009 12:12 PM, PDT
| Fangoria
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While out of town on personal business I had a little difficulty tracking down this weeks DVD releases. Unable to fall back on my trusty local shops, I was forced to rely on outside sources to lead me to decent outlets. And though I was lead to a few fair retailers, I was still unable to snag a few of the flicks I was seeking; Gnaw, The Objective, and Imurders are three particular releases I was anticipating that sadly, evaded my grasp. Perhaps once back home I'll be able to provide a little coverage on the aforementioned films; for now, we'll discuss the two discs I did manage to obtain.
After a U.K. television release The Haunted Airman sat in DVD limbo for three plus years. After picking up this 2006 ghost tale it's not hard understand why. Injured pilot Toby (The Twilight Saga's Robert Pattinson) Jugg returns home after being paralyzed in action.
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- no-reply@fangoria.com (Matt Molgaard)
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Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman Couples Retreat Interview
4 October 2009 8:00 PM, PDT
| MoviesOnline.ca
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MoviesOnline sat down recently with Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell to talk about their new comedy, “Couples Retreat,” directed by Peter Billingsley based on an original idea of Vince Vaughn’s. Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Malin Ackerman, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love and Kali Hawk also star.
After eight seemingly blissful years together, Jason (Bateman) and Cynthia (Bell) are at the crossroads. The once happy pair shocks their close friends when they announce that they are considering a divorce. In order to save their marriage, they’re making one last Hail Mary.
Jason and Cynthi
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Boiling Point: Tasteful Nudity
14 September 2009 9:54 AM, PDT
| FilmSchoolRejects.com
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The subject of nudity is still taboo to this day. Why? Not sure. We're born naked, we enjoy being naked, and if you've planned it right, you die naked. Naked naked naked. It's a good thing, but if you have too much of it the MPAA will slap you with a Restricted rating or worse. Toss in a few boob shots in an otherwise tame movie and you get yourself the harsher rating. To try to combat this, or at least soften the criticisms, the "tasteful nudity" phrase was invented. So yeah, there is a tit over there but it's totally ok to look at without saying 12 Hail Mary's because the lighting was soft and no one was stabbing it with a 13inch kitchen knife. And that's bullshit.
Tasteful nudity is crap. Sure, I appreciate it, but in the same way I appreciate a Renaissance painting compared to an awesome comic book page. The
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- Robert Fure
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The Message Gets Preachy with New Trailer
7 September 2009 1:25 PM, PDT
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Only the power of Christ should compel you to watch the latest trailer for Erica Leerhsen's new Christian horror flick, The Message. Personally, I'll pass. I have enough people telling me what to do without Jesus jumping on the bandwagon.
Not much is known about the movie at this time other than it's a Christian psycho thriller and that it's coming sometime in 2009. Break out the Ju Ju Fruits and hot buttered Eucharists, kids! Enjoy and then say seven Hail Mary's and two Our Father's for laughing at the cheesy music at the end of it!
Thanks to DC reader Alan Hughes.
- Uncle Creepy
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- Uncle Creepy
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'Inglourious Basterds' Bests 'Halloween II' In A Surprising Sunday Box Office Report!
30 August 2009 11:28 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
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1. "The Final Destination" ($28.3 million)
2. "Inglourious Basterds" ($19.5 million)
3. "Halloween II" ($17 million)
4. "District 9" ($10.7 million)
5. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" ($8 million)
Based on the results of the Saturday Box Office Report, it was already clear that the slow-moving, knife-wielding terror of Michael Myers was no match for the elaborate deaths of "The Final Destination." What wasn't clear at the time was that Myers had another enemy to worry about -- and that enemy wants his scalp.
With "The Final Destination" already securing first place with a $28.3 million weekend intake, the road was clear for "Halloween II," the weekend's other big debut, to take the silver medal. But the Quentin Tarantino-directed "Inglourious Basterds" snuck past it and took its place with all the ruthless stealth you'd expect from the Brad Pitt-led soldiers. Tarantino's World War II epic earned $19.5 million this weekend for a cumulative total of $73.2 million. "Halloween II" earned
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- Josh Wigler
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14 articles from 2009
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