Did Claire Danes and Damian Lewis already solidify their chances for another Emmy win based on their performances in Homeland season two episode 5? Fans of the series (including my family) all seem to believe season two has surpassed expectations and delivered a stunning second season that absolutely lives up to the work done in season one.
The second season continues with ‘A Gettysburg Address’ premiering at 10pm ET/PT on November 4, 2012.
The Plot:
Dana’s visit to the hospital proves shocking; Faber’s interest in Tom Walker piques the CIA’s interest; Brody agrees to team with Carrie and Quinn to prevent an attack on the U.S., but his loyalty is called to the fore when Gettysburg once again becomes a focal point of a pivotal engagement.
Jimmy Kimmel welcomed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to his late night show by calling them two of the “funniest and finest men” he knows. Stewart and Colbert showed up to be interviewed by Kimmel and were greeted by confetti and fanfare, with the crowd going wild in response to their taking the stage with Kimmel.
Stewart and Colbert talked about the effects of Hurricane Sandy, promises of electricity by Christmas, and how they initially met. Kimmel also questioned them on their geekiness, their friendship, Colbert’s visit to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit set, and politics.
Update August 2022 – Unfortunately, the video clips from this episode are no longer available.
“I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore,” says Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) to the shock and dismay of his video game villains support group in the animated family film Wreck-It Ralph.
After 30 years of being the “Bad Guy,” constantly wrecking things in the arcade video game and always losing to Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) – the good guy and hero of the game, Ralph decides to go rogue and sets off to go game-hopping. First, Ralph tries out a brand new first-person shooter game with a no-nonsense, tough sergeant named Calhoun (Jane Lynch) as the lead character. But, Ralph’s quickly overwhelmed and horrified by the giant attacking bugs and the non-stop violent action.
Next, Ralph accidentally ends up in a colorful, sweet, candy-filled arcade game where he meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a young, irritating, and mischief-making “glitch” who desperately wants to make a candy car, learn how to drive, and enter the game’s big race.
What Ralph doesn’t realize is since he left his own game, the arcade owner believes it to be “out of order” and plans on shutting it down for good. This causes Fix-It Felix to go searching for Ralph in an attempt to convince him to return to the game before it’s too late.
Loud and goofy, Wreck-It Ralph is at first a funny and creative adventure but soon gets bogged down in silly antics and unfunny juvenile humor while trying to force a heartfelt story. John C. Reilly is perfect at bringing Wreck-It Ralph to life, a big, not too bright, misunderstood klutz who only wants to be appreciated and liked for what he brings to the game by the other characters in his video game. He’s the giant with a heart of gold.
Sarah Silverman is a bit over the top as Vanellope, the bratty, annoying little girl glitch who torments and teases but also looks up to Ralph as a little sister would. It’s unfortunate, however, that when she and Ralph team up in the movie about halfway through, that’s when all the originality and funny humor disappear to make way for silly kid jokes and uninspired action.
The only people in the audience at any of the screenings of Wreck-It Ralph who will find it entertaining are children from the ages of 5 to 11. Everyone else will be looking at their watch, rolling their eyes and groaning. Or, in the case of a young couple at the screening I attended, fall off to sleep, perhaps to dream of a better movie.
GRADE C-
Wreck-It Ralph is rated PG for some rude humor and mild action/violence.
Green Day and Twilight = two names in entertainment that most people would have never said in the same breath. But Green Day said yes to providing a song for the final film of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn Part 2, and now they’ve released this music video for “The Forgotten.” Shots of the band performing mix with scenes from Breaking Dawn Part 2 (even a few with a smiling Kristen Stewart!) in this official music video.
I’m not sure how the song ties into the story, but the video does provide Twihards with a few new scenes from the last film of the series.
The soundtrack will hit stores on November 13, 2012 followed by the film’s release on November 16th.
The British boy band gets serious with “Little Things” off of their Take Me Home album. All of the One Direction band members have solos on this new single off their second album, set for release in the US on November 13, 2012. Their first effort, Up All Night, set a Billboard record when it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the group became the first UK artists to have their debut album hit #1.
Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble and Jasika Nicole in 'Fringe' - Photo Credit: Kharen Hill/FOX
Fox has announced the sci-fi series Fringe will finish up its fifth – and final – season with a special two-hour finale consisting of two one hour episodes on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 8pm ET/PT. That date will also mark the series’ 100th episode.
Looking back on the show’s run, series Co-Creator and Executive Producer J.J. Abrams stated: “It has been an absolute honor to have been a part of the weird and wonderful world of Fringe. I will always owe the cast and crew for pouring their hearts and souls into every dimension of this series. Creating the show with Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman was a joy, but watching it evolve over the years into such an imaginative, insane and heartbreaking ride is nothing less than a thrill. I am grateful to our blessed fans, and to Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice and everyone at the glorious Fox network for allowing Fringe to reach its bittersweet conclusion.”
Added executive producer and showrunner J. H. Wyman: “Above all else, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to personally thank everyone involved with Fringe. From the most amazing fans, to our incredible cast, writers and crew, and our wonderful partners at FOX and Warner Bros. – we would not be here without you. It simply cannot be overstated how grateful I am for the ongoing and unconditional support we have received over the past five seasons. It has been both mind-blowing and humbling. I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, and to be able to tell this story about a family – a family that, through everything, fought together for survival – has been a highlight of my career. As we approach the final chapter, I can hardly believe it, and I’m just truly thankful for this unparalleled experience.”
More on Fringe:
The fifth and final flash-forward season of Fringe is set in 2036, when the “Observers” have become ruthless rulers of a dystopian society. As the battle for the world’s future continues to unfold, the Fringe team is in the midst of making its final stand to save humanity. In the aftermath of the devastating loss of Peter and Olivia’s daughter, ETTA (guest star Georgina Haig), the intensity escalates as the combat continues and Peter makes a pivotal and game-changing move in the all-new “An Origin Story” episode airing November 2, 2012 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Fox is bringing the animated holiday special to the small screen with DreamWorks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury based on the How to Train Your Dragon animated movie. The broadcast premiere of the half-hour Dragon holiday special will take place on Monday, December 17, 2012 at 8pm ET/PT.
Familiar voices from the film reprise their roles in the Dragons special including Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller, and Kristen Wiig.
And for those anxiously awaiting more big-screen animated dragons, DreamWorks Animation will be delivering How to Train Your Dragon #2 in theaters on June 20, 2014 followed by #3 on June 18, 2016.
The Plot:
Gift of the Night Fury is a story of faith, love and friendship that takes viewers on an adventure of dragon-sized proportions as the villagers of Berk prepare for the winter holidays. As the festivities approach, the dragons make a sudden mass exodus, leaving HICCUP (Jay Baruchel), ASTRID (America Ferrera), STOICK (Gerard Butler) and the rest of the gang saddened by the loss of their winged friends. A wild turn of events leads Hiccup to discover a mysterious, never-before-seen island and learn the true reason why the dragons left the village. Friendship and loyalty abound in this touching holiday tale of spreading one’s wings, but always staying close to home. As Hiccup says, “The only real comfort against the cold are those you keep close to your heart.”
Brad Paisley surprised Willie Nelson with the first-ever Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at “The 46th Annual CMA Awards.” Photo credit: John Russell/CMA.
Willie Nelson’s earned just about every Country music honor there is – and is even a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame – but he’s just added one more trophy to his crowded shelves. Nelson picked up the very first CMA Lifetime Achievement Award during the 46th Annual CMA Awards broadcast on November 1, 2012 from Nashville, Tennessee.
Show host Brad Paisley had the honor of presenting Nelson with the two-foot-tall trophy. “Wow,” said Nelson, smiling. “You could do push-ups with this. This is a great honor. Thank you to the CMA.”
“Willie is an iconic musical legend and innovator,” stated Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Even as he approaches his 80th birthday, Willie continues to be a lasting and meaningful influence on our music and artists. There is no one more deserving of this honor than Mr. Willie Nelson.”
According to the Country Music Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award “was created and meant to be presented to an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in Country Music. The award recognizes an artist who has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales, and public representation at the highest level.”
Going forward, the award will be known as the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
John Mayer's "Born and Raised" was released on May 22, 2012. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)
John Mayer and Roger Waters are joining Bruce Springsteen as musical performers at the 6th Annual Stand Up for Heroes event on November 8, 2012. The Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival also announced that Waters will be performing at the fundraising event with a band made up of military veterans.
Mike Birbiglia, Ricky Gervais, Patton Oswalt, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams are also scheduled to perform.
The Stand Up for Heroes helps support injured service men and women, and the musical performances will be available for viewing live on Remind.org. $10 million has already been raised through the first five Stand Up for Heroes benefits.
“We look forward to this event all year, because we are always honored when we get to meet the inspirational men and women who have served our country so heroically,” stated Bob Woodruff, co-founder, the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “In addition, we are amazed at the caliber of talent we are able to pull in for the benefit. These performers simply want to help give back to the men and women who have sacrificed so much. We hope that the social media component, new this year, will enable more people to enjoy the show—and will raise even more awareness for the cause that lies behind it.”
“We’re always profoundly appreciative of these incredible artists who donate their time and considerable talents to this cause every year,” added Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of Carolines on Broadway and the New York Comedy Festival. “To add John Mayer and Roger Waters to a line-up already bursting with star power and talent is a testament to the amazing work that the Bob Woodruff Foundation is doing on behalf of those injured soldiers who have so bravely served our country.”
With the release of Flight starring Denzel Washington, it marks perhaps the first true Oscar-bait film of 2012. To make sure people understand the term, here’s the Ian Forbes’ Dictionary definition of the word:
Oscar-bait (äs-kər-bāt). Noun. Definition: A movie whose sole purpose is to garner awards nominations/wins; often characterized by over-the-top performances, star-studded casting, a script built to please mass audiences, and a multitude of unnecessary close-ups of the actors either welling up with tears or in full emotional breakdown.
Flight checks off each element described above and is sure to satiate audiences who are transfixed by anything Denzel does, but I’m not one who thinks that’s enough. Here he plays an alcoholic who also dabbles in cocaine and happens to fly commercial jets for a living. As you can see from the trailer, he is involved in a plane crash, and the movie then shifts into the story of a man who refuses to accept he has a problem and doesn’t want to end up in prison for the rest of his life for piloting a plane while loaded.
Let’s start with the positive side of things. The first half of the movie is pretty good. Director Robert Zemeckis did an excellent job of presenting the plane crash, and I highly doubt this one will make it into the rotation for in-flight movies. Denzel’s early coping mechanisms following the accident work well and bringing in John Goodman as his coke dealer is good for laughs (we’ll get to why this is a problem shortly).
Onto the negatives. The resolution of Denzel’s fate and acceptance of his addiction plays out like a Lifetime movie of the week. While the beginning of the film had some nuance and the possibility of presenting a gritty look at this broken man scrambling to stay afloat amidst the notoriety he assumes following the crash, the back half of the story is painted with the broadest of brushes. It’s so bad that Zemeckis had the screening audience I was seated with cheering for him to escape prosecution via a relapse. How badly do you have to mishandle a movie about addiction and its negative effects in order to get a room full of people to hoot and holler when the protagonist gets loaded to even himself out from a night of drinking so he can cover up the shame and tragedy of his life? Answer: This badly.
Goodman’s comic relief is fun but becomes completely farcical towards the end and is so obviously placed to keep audiences from getting to any emotional low that a story like this should demand but Zemeckis is afraid/unwilling to allow. Perhaps the best way to describe this is to say it’s a tough look at addiction shrouded in mainstream appeal and lacking the courage to present itself as something sincere, almost glamorizing and romanticizing addiction. It certainly had me wanting to imbibe a few adult beverages and rolling my eyes every few minutes as the story began to wrap itself up and feels like the filmmakers wanted nothing more than to please test audiences, story be damned.
As with all Oscar-bait films, this is sure to make certain audiences feel like they just watched something special. For more discerning filmgoers, and I’d like to think the majority of critics, but I know some care more about getting quoted on a poster than presenting a thorough critique, Flight is a waste of acting talent and an obvious ploy to get Denzel another acting award nomination. He’s a great actor, but the script and direction let him down. This is a one cinematic plane-ride that should have been grounded and left on the runway.
GRADE: C-
Flight hits theaters on November 2, 2012 and is rated R for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and an intense action sequence.
