DVD BeaverBright Star is on its way to you... and just as beautiful as ever <---Neil Gaiman's Journal at the Golden Globes with Amanda Palmer ... I love them both but it's so funny to me how people as famous as Neil Gaiman -- who's written how many bestsellers now? -- get labelled "and guest" when the paparazzi snap away ChexyDemical James Cameron... and Susan B Anthony? Towleroad RIP Kate McGarrigle, wonderful musician and mom to the brilliant Rufus Wainwright. So sad NY TimesAvatar as rorschach test for what people happen to be thinking about these days Stale Popcorn I absolutely love this ode to Mo'Nique in Precious. She really is an awesome terminator. Guardian a funny bit on Mariah Carey's post-drunken awards season business venture Against the Hype tweet-length reviews, a bunch of perceptive ones Justin Bond to host a rare screening of Ken Russell's blasphemous The Devils (1971) on Monday in NYC. Who is going? Send me a full report.
Cinema Blend Channing Tatum to become a stripper again? Oh, Katey, you delight me with news And the Winner Is... Scott Fienberg interviews the lovely Anne Hathaway about Valentino The Last Emperor! ---> Flick Filosopher's top ten list. MaryAnn always has a strong point of view. It occurs to me that i never did my top ten list. What is wrong with me this year season? Don't answer that!
I know what's wrong with me today: I've had packing anxiety (leaving for Utah tomorrow) and terribly slow and vexing computer issues today -- hence delays in posting and more awardage -- so I'll leave you with this video of a song I have loved for years "Hard Times" with Kate McGarrigle and family (including Rufus). I've loved this song ever since Mare Winningham and Jennifer Jason Leigh sang competing versions in Georgia (1995) so I've included that, too. God, Mare Winningham is so great in that movie. Have you seen it?
Links <-- Design Junkies LOL. Superheroes on album covers of the 80s. The Batgirl one is awesome too CHUD is excited for Scott Pilgrim vs The World Cinematical remembers sex, lies and videotape (1989) Love that movie. I totally would've nominated it for Best Picture of 1989... along with those Fab' Baker Boys and maybe Heathers and The Little Mermaid. That's one of those years where I don't like Oscar's list much. In Contention Guy's top 10 of the decade. Mighty God King on the best movies of 2009. I disagree with so much of this but I smiled at this bit on The Hurt Locker
Winning a shitload of critical acclaim, because Serious Movie Critics, deep down, love to see shit blow up like everybody else...
AfterElton Neil Patrick Harris wins 'Gay Man of the Decade' award, topping John Barrowman Cinema BlendThor takes Spider-Man 4's summer 2011 release date. Why do I keep caring about Thor when I've never liked the comic and the casting pissed me off?
Did you see Mariah Carey's drunken acceptance speech at Palm Springs for her "breakthrough" work in Precious. "Please forgive me. I'm... yeah."
Slow down Mariah. It's not even Golden Globe weekend.
On Avatar Matt Langer 'cultural sensitivity on the cheap' Sammy Ray struggles with not being transported by the movie. Has his inner child died? i09 "Only 'The Tree of Souls' could heal Tiger Woods now!" You know a movie is massive when its referenced everywhere in unexpected ways
parting shot IndieWire So many movies are inegible for the WGA this year. With all these movies out of the running, someone might get unexpected buzz. Not that next week's nominations will help anyone with most Oscar ballots presumably returned and the ineligible films being, well, eligible with Oscar.
Precious has arrived... at least in three four cities: NY, LA, Atlanta and Chicago. Next week it expands to Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, San Francisco, and Houston. I've reviewed it for Towleroad, so if you've had a chance to see it have your say in the comments.
You're barely a reel into Lee Daniel's Precious (based on the novel Push by Sapphire) before you begin to realize that maybe Job didn't have it so bad after all. Claireece "Precious" Jones is suffering. She's obese, she's a welfare mother of a disabled child, she's pregnant again, kicked out of high school, her parents abuse her, neighborhood kids taunt her. She's illiterate on top of that... as the twee incorrectly spelled opening credits foreshadow.
Before too long, though, "Precious"(Gabourey Sidibe) has enrolled in an alternate school for girls who are slipping through the cracks. She blossoms, as much as a continually trampled living thing can, under the guidance of a new teacher (Paula Patton). The further she steps away from her nightmare home life, the more she begins to see new possible futures. It's already hell at home but her abusive mentally ill mother Mary (Mo'Nique) is ready to drag her to the next circle when she realizes her meal ticket is transforming into a girl that might actually fly away.
What kind of a blog host would I be if I didn't share my unusually star-packed weekend story with you? I'd already tweeted about it but there's only so much detail one can pack into 140 character clips with service interruptions.
Friday Morning I was up at the crack of dawn for Oprah Fridays Live two days back as they were broadcasting from Central Park. One of my closest friend's best friend works on the show, thus the invite. It's not like Oprah Winfrey knows who I am. I knew Mariah Carey would appear as guest but otherwise I went in to the event blind. I feared leaving deaf, memories of Mariah's ear-shattering top notes vaguely worrying me. I've never understood the appeal of that girlwoman and her butterfly / charm bracelet /sweet sweet fantasy / glitter world (is she 12? seriously) but the excitement about attending a live televised event was plenty to get me going and mimicking fandom during the "applaud now" moments. I ended up four rows back on the left side of the stage, with a great view of the Great Machine-like proceedings. Let's just say that Oprah's show is exceedingly well oiled.
Turns out going to a live taping is a long process: arrived at 6:45 AM, queued up, waited, ushered into holding area at 7:45, waited, seated by 8:30, waited, waited, at 9:30 came the crowd warm-up which largely consisted of a very chipper woman barking jovial orders at us. The live broadcast began at 10 AM. The highlight of the pre-show was a song and dance performance from a pack of four guys ("Mariah's BIGGEST fans") from Missouri who had been flown in by fairy godmother Oprah to see their idol. If you saw Oprah on Friday, two of the boys were invited up on the stage during the actual show when Oprah dropped yet more fairy dust on them: they would be appearing in Mariah's next video (understandably, they went berserk) and Oprah would also be flying them to Vegas for a concert. The Big O doesn't fool around with the gift-giving once she's become aware of your existence.
The highlight for me?
The show had just begun and Oprah was relaying the wonders of New York City: Central Park, shopping, Broadway. Suddenly there's orgiastic crowd squeals to my left and my head spins to see DANIEL CRAIG and HUGH JACKMAN --or as Oprah would say "Huu-ooOOO-oo JahckmnN'!" Yes, her voice is just as affected in real life -- who are mere yards away from me. They were walking swiftly together towards the stage. It was a total mindfuck blur of starpower. I'm sure I swallowed flies my jaw was so loose. Only four or five women blocked my ability to leap at the dream duo. For that I thank and curse them.
Other guests on the show were Mayor Bloomberg, Nick Cannon (who seemed more like Mariah's hyper fan than her husband although that's kind of cool. Maybe he's as trapped in his tween years as Mariah herself?) and Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. In the audience, receiving much love from the stage, were Lee Daniels (the writer/director of Precious), the author of Oprah's new book club selection "Say You're One Of Them" and Oprah's gal Gayle King.
Oscar watchers should note that during the show I experienced a film-experience-familiar horror as Oprah raved about Mariah's "glammed down performance" in Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire. Mariah, already campaigning for a supporting actress nomination, delusionally suggested that the makeup people were adding bags and dark circles under her eyes and even gave her a moustache. In no way shape or form does she look like that (!) was the gist of her self promotion. Methinks the woman has been famous too long.
Which is the realest Mariah?
I ask you with all sincerity, which is more real:
a 40 year old woman without glamour makeup under flourescent lighting or...
a woman surrounded 24/7 by a team of makeup artists, wardrobe personnel, key lights and photoshop airbrush expert whose job it is to make her look 18?
Though we were close to the stage we could barely see Mariah during commercial breaks as the makeup artists surrounded her completely for touchups each time. Despite my cynicism regarding the praise that's inevitably heaped upon every 'deglam' performance, I do think Mariah appears to be doing good work in Precious and she was surprisingly funny/charming on the show. That said, I needn't have worried about my ears. She was so heavily corseted that she was definitely having problems breathing and her voice came out a whispery falsetto. I'm sure it sounded better on television.
Mariah doing the foreigner hit "I Wanna Know What Love Is"
There's more to say but I could ramble for hours...
Once we were off air, Oprah thanked the crowd quite graciously before we filed out. Her final exit, waving to the crowd with her arm literally and awkwardly raised up behind her, never turning back around to look at us, made me laugh. It totally reminded of that choice revealing bit in Madonna's Truth or Dare where her childhood friend says "I love you Madonna" as they part. Madonna, slipping around the corner and out of the camera shot, never looks back. Her offscreen voice dismisses the woman with a rote "I love you, too."
The rich and famous have no time for you!
Friday Night Attended the Lance Horne show at Joe's Pub. The singer/songwriter is well loved by the Broadway crowd and Cheyenne Jackson, comedienne Lea Delaria (beautiful jazz voice. Get her CDs) and Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), among several others, were on hand to sing his songs. Alan Cumming (left, with Lance) was on stage the most singing about his recent marriage to his boyfriend as well as doing a funny duet with Cheyenne about condoms. The singer/actor/writer/cologne salesman / Nightcrawler will add recording artist to his resume next week when his CD is released.
The semi-famous were all on stage, except for N'Syncer Lance Bass, who was just a member of the audience. He walked right by us, some new arm candy hanging about him, to take a seat at a reserved table.
Jonny Lee Miller and Sienna Miller (no relation) and their ex-lovers
Saturday Watched Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe) and Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting's "Sick Boy" and television's Eli Stone) perform After Miss Julie on Broadway. For what it's worth Sienna plays sexually charged unravelling sanity woman fairly well. Who knew?
But their celebrity kept getting in the way for me. During every slow moment in the Strindbergh inspired production (and there were a few... it's curiously paced) I kept thinking that Jude Law, Sienna's on again/off again ex, was performing Hamlet in a nearby theater and I wanted to be there. At one point in the climax of the production, Jonny's face was smeared with blood. I could only think of Angelina Jolie and how she used to write his name on her shirt in blood back in the mid-90s. Don't you miss crazy goth Angie?
<--- Finally, all I could think of was Jonny and Jude snogging and I began wondering if they're still close? Sometimes it seems like the famous are so inbred, everyone dating, befriending and otherwise smearing their DNA on everyone else who happens to be famous.
Sunday I'm paying for all of this excitement. Totally sick... again (I hate you, flu!) so I guess I'm staying in to watch the EMMYS.
How was your weekend? Which celebs were involved in your activities be it on tv, screen or live? *
No, that's not what Mariah Carey wore to the red carpet. That's her travel outfit on her flight over to attend the very successful Precious screening. This might be the first time I've ever understood one of Mariah's fashion choices. Comfort first when you're high in the sky... even if you're a diva. I included her in this red carpet lineup merely to get my bearings that somehow -- due to Precious-- I'll have to start talking about her now. There are so many singers I'd rather talk about if they'd only make movies (Gwen Stefani, Annie Lennox, Sufjan Stevens, P¡nk, Rufus Wainwright) or learn to act (Madonna).
Remember Bae Doona (waving to the camera) from that Korean monster movie The Host? -- or as the IMDB likes to call her Du-na Bae. Asian names are so confusing on that site -- she's now starring in Hirokazu Koreeda's latest called Air Doll, which is about a blow up doll who develops a soul. Great concept. How many hours until we hear about some American studio snatching up remake rights?
Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish got dolled up for the star-studded premiere of Jane Campion's Bright Star which seems to be divisive already. More on that when you scroll down. And finally American funny lady Elizabeth Banks & internationally renowned beauty Aishwarya Rai were photographed together at the Up premiere in different gowns a couple days ago. I guess they're not about to put the brakes on their red carpet chumminess. Here they in different gowns... and this event wasn't long after the other. Imagine how much luggage you'd have to bring to Cannes if you were a celebrity. Three outfits for each day... minimum.
More Cannes chatter Manohla Dargis @ NY Times on the previously glutted art house market. Is there a silver indie lining in the economic downturn? IFC DailyBright Star reactions at Cannes. Is Jane Campion (The Piano) finally making a real comeback? The movie is now scheduled to open stateside on September 18th. Mike D'Angelo lots of tweeting from Cannes. Hates everything. Or merely tolerates. Only a 50/100 for Jane Campion's Bright Star? Boo. Or "assumed 'Boo' " rather since I haven't seen it. Still, the tweet is funny.
I do support such legislation. Or, rather, a 5 year ban. Needless to say, this ban would not go into affect until after Jane Campion is done returning to us. The cinema needs her. *
Sundance sensation 'That Movie Based on the Novel by Sapphire' has a poster just in times for Cannes (pictured left) and a trailer, too. So, I'm guessing it sticks with its new title Precious. As you may recall, this film about an obese illiterate teen mom dumped its former title Push due to that 'Chris Evans has super powers' vehicle calledPush (the confusion previously joked about here). I don't think they should have worried about that comparison. Who will even remember that Push existed by the time Precious arrives? Even the Push DVD might be in bargain bins by then.
The Precious movie trailer suggests lots of physical and emotional battering for pregnant teenager "Precious" but the poster brings sexual abuse immediately to mind. It's that menacingly large spidery hand shattering the body from the crotch. Yikes.
The title also conjures up icky feelings. "Precious" comes with its own movie connotations: slimy Gollum and Buffalo Bill, too, even slimier...
It puts the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told
I wish that the Precious title didn't make me think about Gollum and his ring or Buffalo Bill and his doggie because doesn't this new movie look fantastic?
<--- Even Mariah Carey appears to have stumbled accidentally and headfirst into a thick patch of acting skill. Watch your step Mariah or we'll forget about Glitter.
For more on any of these topics, click the labels below... or return to the main page for fresh posts.
As you may have heard there are 49 eligible songs in play for Oscar nominations in the Academy's most dubious award: Best Original Song. You may have heard that... but have you heard them? Now in theory the Best Original Song category can give the audience really wonderful entertainment breaks from all of the canned banter, orchestra drowned speeches and annual "we have no time management skills!" confessionals (some people refer to those as 'film montages'). But it's only a theory as sometimes we have to worry about the Academy's taste level in this category.
I thought I'd share some audio with y'all re: this category. If you're not interested and you'd rather just sleep, here's a minute of Clint Eastwood singing "Gran Torino" to use as lullaby.
If all it takes to win an Oscar is some raspy whispering @ the piano, can I have one? I can play.
If Clint makes the cut you might hear his songsmithing onstage before he picks up his fifth Oscar.
Someone you won't be hearing is Jennifer Hudson. Her Sex & The City number "All Dressed In Love" didn't make the eligibility cut, despite already being on those pricey For Your Consideration ads. But then, JHud probably didn't need that extra pressure of performing at the Oscars anyway. Our heart still goes out to her. In much happier news, we all dodged a bullet: the absolutely horrific Elton John "Drover's Theme" from Australia isn't eligible. Whew. That doesn't mean you won't see über famous rock stars on the stage. It could get very star studded with Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen and other household names within the range of possibility.
Here's a musical sample I prepared for you of eligible songs that might get nominated (you can purchase them all on iTunes). If you'd like to follow along as you listen you're hearing promotional bits from:
Mariah Carey "Right to Dream"
Regina Spektor's "The Call" from the second Narnia movie
Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler"
Deanne Storey singing Jon Brion's "Little Person" from Synecdoche New York
will.i.am doing "The Travelling Song" from Madagascar 2
Beyoncé "Once in a Lifetime"
"Rock Me Sexy Jesus" from Hamlet 2 (hee)
"Dracula's Lament" from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (hee hee)
Miley Cyrus and John Travolta singing "I Thought I Lost You" from Bolt
Peter Gabriel's WALL•E contribution "Down to Earth"
Robyn Hitchcock "Up To Our Nex" from Rachel Getting Married
Norah Jones "The Story" from her film debut My Blueberry Nights
Danny Elfman "Little Things" from Wanted
Chaka Khan "Too Much Juice"
Emmylou Harris spends Nights "In Rodanthe"
Etta James "It Ain't Right" from Dark Streets (that's also where the Chaka Khan song is from).
Yes that's right. There's a thin possibility that both Etta James and the woman playing her in Cadillac Records (that'd be Beyoncé if you're just waking up from the Clint nap) will be taking the stage at the Kodak to perform.
Before I let you go I want to subject you to little snippets from the High School Musical 3 numbers they're pushing. 11 "songs" are eligible but they're only pushing 4 and due to Academy rules only 2 can be nominated. Let's pray it's 0. I mean, wouldn't nominating those tinny ditties be rather like having nominated the Thundercats or Jem theme songs for EMMY's? 'Jem, Jem, truly outrageous. Truly truly outrageous.'That's what the songs sound like: Saturday morning jingles.
With musical-theater loving Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) directing and Hugh Jackman hosting this year's Academy Awards the show might get really musical. We can at least assume that the nominated songs will be showcased. I never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever want to see another Oscar night where they hire a celebrity to do a medley of virtually all of the numbers (that Beyoncé year *shudder*) It's so disrespectful to the original performers plus: it's monotonous! But then again...I suppose if they nominate songs that aren't performed by the actual musicians they could always have Hugh Jackman high-kicking whilst belting out the songs.
Can you imagine him shimmying and shaking to "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire? I know I can...
If you're still reading I'm your biggest fan. For a full list of the 49 songs the Oscar's music branch can vote on and many other bits of awards info, you can head over to my impossibly busy Oscar prediction pages. Five songs or less (you never know) will be announced as actual nominees on January 22nd, 2009. *
Nick Davis of Nicks Flick Picks turns 29 today. Since many of you readers are familiar with his work and some of you are true blue fans (as you should be), I figure that gives me an excuse to wax rhapsodic about my friend.
29 Reasons I Love Nick
He's a helluva writer.
He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
I love all peoples who treat Oscar Night like an actual holiday.
If I pause a DVD to stare at Daniel Craig naked, he doesn't mind.
When he writes beautifully about Pfeiffer I feel less insane.
Nick on Nashville (and I quote) "I want to rub that movie all over me"
He lets me play Walden pond at his apartment when I need to get away.
He strokes my ego when needed--free and easy w/ compliments.
For a skinny white boy he sure can get down w/ Missy.
When the boyfriend complains about the piles of movies cluttering up our apartment I can selfishly use Nick's place as a comparative scapegoat to show how few movies I actually have.
He's an excellent professor. Northwestern is lucky.
Movies aside, he's also well versed in literature, politics, and theater.
His politics are true Blue.
We both love movies about women who lie to themselves.
...including the hilarious In Search of Debra Winger (which is like porn for actressexuals).
Nick has a thing for Mariah Carey. I don't get this. at. all. But life would be boring if loved ones didn't seem like space aliens on occassion, wouldn't it?
Whenever I see a movie that is particularly challenging or bizarre like, say, The Black Dahlia. I know immediately that Nick's review will clear up my own feelings.
He can relate to my obsessive need to be at the movie theater.
He's just a great guy.
When you're reading his reviews and you think "wow, this guy sure pays close attention." He listens to his friends that carefully, too.
Nick Davis of Nicks Flick Picks turns 29 today. Since many of you readers are familiar with his work and some of you are true blue fans (as you should be), I figure that gives me an excuse to wax rhapsodic about my friend.
29 Reasons I Love Nick
He's a helluva writer.
He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
I love all peoples who treat Oscar Night like an actual holiday.
If I pause a DVD to stare at Daniel Craig naked, he doesn't mind.
When he writes beautifully about Pfeiffer I feel less insane.
Nick on Nashville (and I quote) "I want to rub that movie all over me"
He lets me play Walden pond at his apartment when I need to get away.
He strokes my ego when needed--free and easy w/ compliments.
For a skinny white boy he sure can get down w/ Missy.
When the boyfriend complains about the piles of movies cluttering up our apartment I can selfishly use Nick's place as a comparative scapegoat to show how few movies I actually have.
He's an excellent professor. Northwestern is lucky.
Movies aside, he's also well versed in literature, politics, and theater.
His politics are true Blue.
We both love movies about women who lie to themselves.
...including the hilarious In Search of Debra Winger (which is like porn for actressexuals).
Nick has a thing for Mariah Carey. I don't get this. at. all. But life would be boring if loved ones didn't seem like space aliens on occassion, wouldn't it?
Whenever I see a movie that is particularly challenging or bizarre like, say, The Black Dahlia. I know immediately that Nick's review will clear up my own feelings.
He can relate to my obsessive need to be at the movie theater.
He's just a great guy.
When you're reading his reviews and you think "wow, this guy sure pays close attention." He listens to his friends that carefully, too.
DVD Beaver Bright Star is on its way to you... and just as beautiful as ever
Cinema Blend Channing Tatum to become a stripper again? Oh, Katey, you delight me with news
