50/50 was written by Will Reiser and is inspired by his own diagnosis with a spinal tumor. The film stars Seth Rogen, one of Reiser’s friends who supported Reiser through his battle with cancer.
The cast also includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam, Anna Kendrick as Katherine, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Rachael. Angelica Huston stars as Diane, Serge Houde is Richard, Philip Baker Hall is Alan, and Matt Frewer plays Mitch.
Jonathan Levine directed the comedy/drama which is heading to theaters on September 30, 2011. The MPAA has rated 50/50 R for language throughout, sexual content, and some drug use.
Official Synopsis: Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis.
The Snow White race is on! Relativity Media announced they’ll begin shooting their untitled Snow White film on June 20, 2011 in Montreal, Canada. The comedy action-adventure film has Tarsem Singh (Immortals) at the helm. Relativity needs to get busy on their entry in the Snow White derby as they’ve set a March 16, 2012 release date in order to beat Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman (currently scheduled for a June 1, 2012 release) to the punch.
In Relativity’s untitled Snow White starring Oscar-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over.
The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Rounding out the cast are Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret and Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron. Mark Povinelli (Water for Elephants), Jordan Prentice (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle), Danny Woodburn (Watchmen), Sebastian Saraceno (Bedtime Stories), Ronald Lee Clark (Epic Movie), Martin Klebba (Pirates of The Caribbean), and Joey Gnoffo (The Benchwarmers) play the Seven Dwarfs.
Singh’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes Director of Photography Brendan Galvin (Behind Enemy Lines), Production Designer Tom Foden (The Cell) and the Oscar-winning Costume Designer Eiko Ishioka (Dracula).
Filming will take place in Montreal, Canada.
The film’s producers include Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter), Bernie Goldmann (300), and Brett Ratner (Rush Hour franchise). The script was written by Melisa Wallack (Meet Bill) and Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher).
Looking ahead, Relativity will release David Ellis’ Shark Night 3D on September 2, 2011, and then the highly-anticipated Immortals on November 11th, 2011, starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, John Hurt, and Mickey Rourke.
Relativity’s 2012 slate also includes House at End of the Street (in theatres February 3, 2012), Untitled Raven Project (in theatres March 9, 2012), Untitled Farrelly/Wessler Project (in theatres April 13, 2012), Safe Haven (in theatres June 1, 2012), and Hunter Killer (in theatres December 21, 2012).
The studio recently announced the groundbreaking action-thriller Act of Valor will join its 2012 slate, with an exact date to be announced.
Where to start? The weak acting or the CGI wolf or Red Riding Hood‘s simple dialogue? There’s a lot wrong with this version of the classic fairy tale, and not much to point to in support of the film. It’s a Twilight-wannabe, which makes sense as it’s directed by Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke and is targeting that same audience. Obviously, this film’s attempting to capitalize on the success of the blockbuster vampire franchise.
This re-imagined fairy tale was not worth the price of a ticket at theaters as confirmed by its abysmal take. Not even the handsomeness of the two leading male love interests, Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, could overcome shortfalls in the script and the stilted acting.
This version of the story follows a beautiful young woman (played with wide-eyed flair by Amanda Seyfried), two hunks vying for her love, and a big, bad werewolf. Seyfried’s actually fine in her role, but she had very little to work with here. The same can be said of Gary Oldman whose scenery-chewing take on an expert werewolf killer can’t save the film.
The Pros:
– Alternate cut if you didn’t like the theatrical version
– Plenty of extra features
The Cons:
– It’s a disappointing version of the beloved fairy tale
– Most of the DVD/Blu-ray extras were not all that entertaining
Description:
– Featuring Amanda Seyfried, Max Irons, Shiloh Fernandez, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie
– Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
– Rated PG-13
– Genres: Horror, Romance
Taglines:
– “Who’s afraid?”
– “Believe the legend. Beware the wolf.”
DVD Release Date:
– June 14, 2011
The Official Synopsis:
Valerie (Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie’s older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village.
For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood-red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon’s arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them.
As the death toll rises with each moon, Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. As panic grips the town, Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast–one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect…and bait.
The Bonus Features: Red Riding Hood comes with an alternate cut along with the theatrical release, regular DVD and digital copy in the combo pack. Also, the combo pack contains a picture-in-picture commentary, “Secrets Behind the Red Cloak,” on the theatrical version only, with comments by the stars and director, plus storyboards and artwork.
There are a number of other extras including a five-minute featurette, “The Reinvention of Red Riding Hood,” on the origins of the classic fairy tale and Hardwicke’s take on it. Included is “Red Riding Hood: Red’s Men,” which is a short feature on the movie’s two male co-stars; “Red Riding Hood: Making of the Score,” comments by director Hardwicke and composer Brian Reitzell; “Before the Fur: Making of the CG Wolf,”; “Casting Tapes,” about seven minutes on the casting of the two male co-stars; “Rehearsals,” three scenes totaling six minutes; and “Red Riding Hood in 73 seconds” – which is my recommended way of viewing this film.
The extras also include four deleted scenes totaling about four minutes; a gag reel that lasts about two minutes and isn’t very funny; a couple of music videos (“The Wolf” and “Just a Fragment of You”); a thirty-second filler called “Play Sec,” and the usual BD-Live access.
All Time Low’s Dirty Work hit #6 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and “I Feel Like Dancin'” is finding play time on Top 40 stations. And after its June 7, 2011 release, Dirty Work remained on the #1 iTunes album chart for three days in a row.
All Time Low’s been performing since 2003 when they got together in high school, with Entertainment Weekly calling their latest – and fourth – album “refreshingly poignant and head rushingly catchy.” Rushingly catchy? I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds pretty positive.
The pop-punk band will hit the road this summer, kicking off their “Gimme Summer Ya Love” on July 28th in Richmond, VA and wrapping up the tour on August 27th in Niagara Falls, NY.
All Time Low 2011 Summer Tour Dates
7/28/11 Richmond, VA, The National
7/29/11 Philadelphia PA, Liacouras Center
7/30/11 West Long Branch, NJ, MAC Center at Monmouth University
7/31/11 Boston, MA, Bank of America Pavilion
8/01/11 Hampton Beach, NH, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
8/03/11 Wallingford, CT, The Dome at Oakdale
8/04/11 Montreal, QE, Metropolis
8/05/11 Windsor, ON, The Blind Dog
8/06/11 London, ON, The London Music Hall
8/07/11 Kitchener, ON, Elements Nite Club
8/10/11 Winnipeg, AB, Garrick Centre
8/11/11 Saskatoon, SK, Louis’ Pub
8/12/11 Edmonton, AB, Edmonton Events Centre
8/13/11 Calgary, AB, MacEwan Hal- University of Calgary
8/15/11 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre
8/16/11 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
8/17/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
8/20/11 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
8/21/11 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium
8/22/11 Des Moines, IA, Val Air Ballroom
8/23/11 Grand Rapids, MI, Orbit Room
8/2511 Indianapolis, IN, Egyptian Room
8/26/11 Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE
8/27/11 Niagra Falls, NY, Rapid Theater
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed up the Best Picture race once again. After two years of having a Best Picture category with 10 contenders, the Academy governors voted on a new rule which will allow for an element of surprise every January when the Oscars are announced.
Here’s the scoop from the Academy’s June 15, 2011 press release:
The Board voted to institute a system that will now produce anywhere between five and 10 nominees in the category. That number won’t be announced until the Best Picture nominees themselves are revealed at the January nominations announcement.
“With the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers, we’ve been looking not just at what happened over the past two years, but at what would have happened if we had been selecting 10 nominees for the past 10 years,” explained Academy President Tom Sherak, who noted that it was retiring Academy executive director Bruce Davis who recommended the change first to Sherak and incoming CEO Dawn Hudson and then to the governors.
During the period studied, the average percentage of first-place votes received by the top vote-getting movie was 20.5. After much analysis by Academy officials, it was determined that 5% of first-place votes should be the minimum in order to receive a nomination, resulting in a slate of anywhere from five to 10 movies.
“In studying the data, what stood out was that Academy members had regularly shown a strong admiration for more than five movies,” said Davis. “A Best Picture nomination should be an indication of extraordinary merit. If there are only eight pictures that truly earn that honor in a given year, we shouldn’t feel an obligation to round out the number.”
If this system had been in effect from 2001 to 2008 (before the expansion to a slate of 10), there would have been years that yielded 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 nominees.
The final round of voting for Best Picture will continue to employ the preferential system, regardless of the number of nominees, to ensure that the winning picture has the endorsement of more than half of the voters.
Other rule changes approved by the Board include:
In the animated feature film category, the need for the Board to vote to “activate” the category each year was eliminated, though a minimum number of eligible releases – eight – is still required for a competitive category. Additionally, the short films and feature animation branch recommended, and the Board approved, refinements to the number of possible nominees in the Animated Feature category. In any year in which eight to 12 animated features are released, either two or three of them may be nominated. When 13 to 15 films are released, a maximum of four may be nominated, and when 16 or more animated features are released, a maximum of five may be nominated.
In the visual effects category, the “bakeoff” at which the nominees are determined will expand from seven to 10 contenders. The increase in the number of participants is related to a change made last year in which the number of films nominated in the visual effects category was increased from three to five.
Previously, the Board approved changes to the documentary feature and documentary short category rules that now put those categories’ eligibility periods in line with the calendar year and thus with most other awards categories. The change means that for the 84th Awards cycle only, the eligibility period is more than 12 months; it is from September 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011.
Ocean Grove, an alternative rock band that got together after being a part of backing bands for some big acts, is releasing their new EP – Another Place to Stay – on June 21, 2011. In support of the release, the band will go on tour with He Is We.
In the press release announcing the release of the EP and their 2011 tour, the group offered this explanation as to the band’s origins:
“After touring the globe and enjoying some of the greatest times of their lives, John Taylor (vocals/guitar), Ryan Liestman (keys/backing vocals), Greg Garbowsky (bass/backing vocals), Jack Lawless (drums) decided it was time to start their own project, one that would see them develop a truly unique rock n’ roll sound – Ocean Grove.
There, the band shacked up in a beautiful Victorian home near the ocean to focus on a real and more rock n’ roll sound. After recording 14 songs in two weeks, Ocean Grove finally felt they had come into their own. The EP, Another Place to Stay, mixed by Paul Hager (Van Halen, Goo Goo Dolls, American Hi-Fi) and mastered by renowned recording studio Sterling Sound (Adele, Green Day) is an EP filled with feel-good songs pulling from their greatest influences such as The Beach Boys, Tom Petty, and Weezer. The inspiration for the EP came from years of experiences and all the little things life throws our way.”
The band is proud of all their past accomplishments like having played with acts such as Stevie Wonder, Brad Paisley, and Vince Gill, and performing on over 50 television shows, but Ocean Grove is ready to continue something truly special and all their own, just like their bond as a band. With their new EP and positive outlook on all that’s to come, they are ready for just about anything.”
Another Place to Stay Tracklist:
1. Away
2. The Best
3. Take It Easy
4. Say Goodbye
Ocean Grove 2011 Tour Dates
06/21 – El Corazon, Seattle, WA
06/22 – A Club, Spokane, WA
06/24 – The Complex Grand Room, Salt Lake City, UT
06/25 – Marquis Theatre, Denver, CO
06/27 – Triple Rock, Minneapolis, MN
06/28 – Firebird, St. Louis, MO
06/29 – Summerfest 2011 – Rock Stage, Milwaukee, WI
06/30 – Subterranean, Chicago, IL
07/01 – Emerson Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
07/02 – The Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI
07/03 – The Basement, Columbus, OH
07/06 – The Studio at Webster Hall, New York, NY
07/07 – The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
07/08 – Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
07/09 – The Note, West Chester, PA
07/10 – Jamming’ Java, Vienna, VA
07/12 – 12th & Porter, Nashville, TN
07/13 – George’s Majestic Lounge, Fayetteville, AR
7/28 – House of Blues, Dallas, TX
7/29 – Stubbs’ Jr. Bar-B-Q, Austin, TX
7/30 – Warehouse Live Studio, Houston, TX
8/1 – Nile, Mesa, AZ
8/2 – Epicentre, San Diego, CA
8/3 – Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA
Dana Delany, Geoffrey Arend, and Jeri Ryan star in ABC’s primetime drama Body of Proof. The new series premieres on March 29, 2011 and follows Delany as a medical examiner with a tragic past.
Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, Arend is Dr. Ethan Gross, and Ryan is Dr. Kate Murphey. The cast also includes Nicholas Bishop as Peter Dunlap, John Carroll Lynch as Bud Morris, Windell D. Middlebrooks as Curtis Brumfield, and Sonja Sohn as Samatha Baker.
The Synopsis: Brilliant and driven neurosurgeon Dr. Megan Hunt had it all, or so she thought. As the first female Head of Neurosurgery at a prominent Philadelphia university hospital, she never appreciated how the demands of her profession were taking a toll on her personal life until her husband divorced her and she lost custody of their then seven-year-old daughter.
Still reeling from this emotional trauma, Megan soon suffered a physical one, a car accident that left her with a condition called paresthesia — random attacks of numbness and cramping of her hands. Tragically, this condition failed to manifest itself until Megan’s first trip back to the operating room. She lost control of her instruments and her patient died on the table. Megan’s life as a neurosurgeon was over.
Five years later Megan has found a new life as a Medical Examiner. Although she’s no longer in the business of fixing what’s wrong with living patients, she’s still instinctively drawn to finding out what killed her dead patients and uncovering who was responsible and why. As she pursues the answers, the bodies of the dead provide the clues. The body is, in effect, the proof. And with her unique blend of smarts, instinct and a warehouse of medical knowledge, she can read a body like nobody else.
Megan can also ruffle feathers like nobody else. In her new career she has already developed a reputation for flouting convention and blurring the lines between the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Police Department. Dr. Kate Murphey, Megan’s boss, sympathizes to a degree. As Philadelphia’s first female Chief Medical Examiner, Kate didn’t get where she is without ruffling a few feathers herself. She hired Megan for her expertise and the results she could bring to the job. But Megan’s unconventional way of doing things presents Kate with an ongoing dilemma. Megan is brilliant but also polarizing. How much should Kate rein her in?
Courteney Cox and Busy Phillips lead the cast of the ABC half-hour comedy Cougar Town which premiered on September 23, 2009. The comedy follows a group of friends and focuses on their complex dating lives.
Courteney Cox stars as Jules, Busy Philipps is Laurie, Dan Byrd plays Travis, and Christa Miller is Ellie. Josh Hopkins plays Grayson, Ian Gomez is Andy, and Brian Van Holt stars as Bobby.
The Plot: Courteney Cox stars as Jules Cobb, a recently divorced mom in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life’s next chapter. Along for the journey is her son – a college freshman, ex-husband, and friends who together make up her dysfunctional, but supportive and caring extended family… even if they have a funny way of showing it sometimes.
Jules’ circle of friends, a.k.a. “the cul de sac crew,” includes next-door neighbor Ellie (Miller), her sarcastic, unapologetic confidante; Ellie’s average, but loveable husband Andy (Gomez); Grayson, the overly flirty neighbor from across the street who’s also her “someday guy;” Laurie (Philipps), her younger, feisty protege; ex-husband Bobby (Van Holt), a classic under-achiever who tests her patience; and Travis (Dan Byrd), her dry and witty son who more often than not is the adult observer amongst the group.
CBS’s reimaginging of the classic dramatic series Hawaii Five-O will kick off season one September 20, 2010. Alex O’Loughlin takes on the starring role as Detective Steve McGarrett in the one-hour series airing on CBS.
The season one cast also includes Scott Caan as Danny “Danno” Williams, Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kell, Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua, and Taryn Manning as Mary Ann McGarrett.
The Synopsis:Hawaii Five-O is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett, a decorated Naval officer-turned-cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father’s murder and stays after Hawaii’s Governor persuades him to head up the new team: his rules, her backing, no red tape and full blanket authority to hunt down the biggest “game” in town.
Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, a newly relocated ex-New Jersey cop – a working man in paradise who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline – but who’s committed to keeping the Islands safe for his 8-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly, an ex-Honolulu Police Detective, and former protégé of McGarrett’s father, wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol.
Chin’s cousin, Kono Kalakaua, is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department’s elite. McGarrett, repairing his relationship with his estranged sister Mary Ann, vows to bring closure to their father’s case, while the state’s brash new FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.
