Bright Hall http://brighthall.aol.com Bright Hall http://brighthall.aol.com/media/feedlogo.gif Bright Hall http://brighthall.aol.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Is Your Favorite Film Coming in 3-D?http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/04/02/3-d-is-the-new-black/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/04/02/3-d-is-the-new-black/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/04/02/3-d-is-the-new-black/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When Pixar came out with Toy Story, the first computer-generated full-length feature film, audiences were in awe of the what this meant for the future of animation. Now, animators are making another step with animated feature films into the world of 3-D.

Dreamwork's Monsters vs. Aliens, the first this year in what will be a slew of 3-D animated films, opened at number one in the weekend box office earning almost $60 million. This total was definitely bumped up as 3-D viewings cost more than regular theater viewings. However, this does show that audiences are ready for the next big thing.


Disney is never one to be left behind in animated films, they are set to have approximately 17 3-D releases in the works through 2012, including the upcoming Pixar film, Up. But the biggest news that Disney made at their ShoWest presentation in Las Vegas this week was about their classics. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be released as 3-D double features in October (with Toy Story 3 coming out in 3-D in 2010), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland will be available in IMAX 3-D as well as regular 3-D and the Academy Award nominee for Best Picture Beauty and the Beast will be re-released in 3-D in February 2010.

Of course, re-releasing films in a 3-D state might be harmful for Disney. How many people are going to be willing to shell out extra money just to see a film they've already seen (and possibly own) in 3-D? I do have to admit, though, that the idea of seeing the classic "Be Our Guest" and ballroom scenes from Beauty and the Beast in 3-D are enough to make me intrigued.

The other question is whether or not this will become the standard in films. In the same way that computer animation has seemed to do away with hand drawings (with the exception of the upcoming Disney flick The Princess and the Frog), are audiences going to expect 3-D effects?

The one thing that is for sure is that animators need to make sure that they don't rest on the "wow factor" of 3-D animation and just create good, quality films. A good story is a good story, no matter what medium is used to tell it.

 

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]]>alice in wonderlandalice in wonderland 3-dAliceInWonderlandAliceInWonderland3-danimationbeauty and the beastbeauty and the beast 3dBeautyAndTheBeastBeautyAndTheBeast3dcomputer animationComputerAnimationdisneydreamworksimax 3-dimax 3dImax3-dimax3dmonsters vs. aliensmonsters-vs-aliensMonstersVs.Aliensmoviespixarprincess and the frogPrincessAndTheFrogseth rogenSethRogentoy storytoy story 2toy story 3toy story 3dToyStoryToyStory2ToyStory3ToyStory3dupRincey Abraham2009-04-02T18:25:00+00:00Can a 'Three Stooges' Movie Live Up To the Hype?http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/27/can-a-three-stooges-movie-live-up-to-the-hype/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/27/can-a-three-stooges-movie-live-up-to-the-hype/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/27/can-a-three-stooges-movie-live-up-to-the-hype/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Variety has reported that the casting for the new Three Stooges film, which is to be directed by the Farrelly brothers, is finishing up casting. Sean Penn has been signed on to play Larry, Jim Carrey is in negotiations to play Curly and the brothers are looking to Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.

The movie got off to a rough start when Warner Bros. decided to drop the project, but it was later picked up by MGM. However, it's still unclear how the whole things is going to work.

The Farrelly brothers, known for such hits as There's Something About Mary, have already been quoted as saying that the film will not be a biopic, but will instead take place in the modern day with them still acting, dressing and looking like The Stooges.

"When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest," Peter Farrelly told Daily Variety. "Bobby and I haven't done a real physical comedy in a while, and it's the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick fun family humor."

I'm not going to pretend to be a Stooges aficionado, but now that there are actors attached to the film, it is much easier to see it all coming together. Carrey seems like the perfect fit for the movie since he is best known for his comedic roles (even though he proved his serious acting chops in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Penn, who just won an Academy Award for his role in Milk, and Del Toro seem to be odder fits, but you never know what range these guys will be able to show off if given the chance.

Because of the fact that the Stooges are beloved by so many around the world, this movie has quite the standard to live up to. Hopefully the Farrelly brothers will be able to create a movie that exceeds expectations.

 

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]]>benecio del toroBenecioDelTorofarrelly brothersFarrellyBrothersjim carreyJimCarreysean pennSeanPennthree stoogesthree stooges movieThreeStoogesThreeStoogesMovieRincey Abraham2009-03-27T13:10:00+00:00Teens Think Rihanna To Blame For Beating?http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/14/teens-think-rihanna-to-blame-for-beating/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/14/teens-think-rihanna-to-blame-for-beating/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/03/14/teens-think-rihanna-to-blame-for-beating/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Here's something that might blow your mind: Nearly half of 200 Boston teenagers interviewed actually said that Rihanna was to blame for the alleged beating she took from boyfriend Chris Brown.

And if you think the amount of failed marriages has risen, wait until these kids get married. Of those participating, 71 percent said that arguing is a normal part of a relationship and 41 percent said fighting is routine.

The results were part of a survey conducted by the Boston Health Commission and were found to be equally among boys and girls. The startling results clearly demonstrate a generation of youths who have grown insensitive, to domestic violence.

"I think you'd have to be pretty jaded if you weren't startled by it," said Casey Corcoran, director of the health commission's new Start Strong program.


View Poll



Oprah Winfrey added her take on the couple's situation as well this week, warning women that "if a man hits you once he will hit you again."

Tyra Banks joined Oprah in the discussion and has interviewed both Rihanna and Brown separately on her own show. Both dealt with domestic violence in their homes when they were young, Banks said.

The latest rumors running around are that the two are not only back together again, but plan to cut a song together on love as well as co-author a book about domestic violence.

The couple was also seen recently spending time together at one of Sean "Diddy" Combs's homes, on Miami Beach's Star Island.

Brown faces two felony charges for his alleged beating of Rihanna and appeared, Thursday, in a Los Angeles court where his arraignment on charges of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats was postponed at his request.

Brown withdrew himself from the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award after the charges were filed.

The incident that produced the charges occurred early Feb 8. A police affidavit says the couple go into a fight after Rihanna found a text message from another female on Brown's phone.

Brown pulled his car over and tried to push his girlfriend out to no avail thanks to the seatbelt she was wearing, police said. Brown pushed Rihanna's head against the window, punched her with his right hand and then continued driving while hitting her repeatedly. The affidavit also states Brown bit Rihanna on the ear.

Brown remains free on $50,000 bail. If convicted he could get anywhere from probation to four years and eight months in state prison.

Rihanna's lawyer Donald Eltra told MTV that Rihanna will cooperate with the investigation.

"At this point, she is willing to do anything that the law requires her to do. ... If subpoenaed, she will testify," Etra said.

 

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]]>Boston Health CommissionBostonHealthCommissionChris BrownChrisBrownDomestic ViolenceDomesticViolenceFightRihannaJoshua Chaney2009-03-14T18:29:00+00:00Schwarzenegger's Anti-Video Game Law Nullifiedhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/21/schwarzeneggers-anti-video-game-law-nullified/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/21/schwarzeneggers-anti-video-game-law-nullified/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/21/schwarzeneggers-anti-video-game-law-nullified/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for the state of California ruled on Friday that legislation restricting the sale of violent video games violates the First and Fourteenth amendment rights of free speech and equal protection.

Three judges reviewed the case, Video Software Dealers Association v. Schwarzenegger, et al., and invalidated Civil Code 1746-1746.5, which California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had signed into law (formerly AB 1179) on October 7, 2005.

Code 1746 had prohibited the sale of a violent video game (refer to the code for the definition) to a minor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

The appeals court, however, upheld that video games "are a form of expression protected by the First Amendment" and that "minors are entitled to a significant measure of the First Amendment protection," referencing Interactive Digital Software Association v. St. Louis (2003) and Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville (1975).

The decision also found that "when the government seeks to restrict speech 'it must demonstrate that the recited harms are real, not merely conjectural, and that the regulation will in fact alleviate these harms in a direct and material way,'" citing Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission (1994).

One might remember Gov. Schwarzenegger's career, prior to his term in office, as a Hollywood movie star where he portrayed a sword-wielding "barbarian," a "commando," a mercenary fighting a headhunting alien, and a time-travelling cybernetic organism programmed with an expertise in "terminating" humans (in three films), among other roles.

Et tu, you big brute?

 

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]]>Adam Kirchner2009-02-21T17:14:00+00:00How to Legally Destroy Bernie Madoffhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/18/new-toy-craze-bernard-madoff-smash-doll/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/18/new-toy-craze-bernard-madoff-smash-doll/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/18/new-toy-craze-bernard-madoff-smash-doll/#commentsFiled under: , ,

For just $99.95 plus $15 for shipping you can have your very own smashable Bernard Madoff doll! For a limited time that fee also includes a matching "Hit Bernie" hammer.

The doll, which stands roughly seven inches tall and features Madoff wearing a red suit and yielding a pitchfork, is made in the Philippines but sold to the financially ruined, worldwide.

Modelworks, the Phoenix-based company that sells the doll along with other customizable models, claims that 1,000 orders for the Mini-Me Madoff have already been placed.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's $99,950 in revenue, already, for an effigy of the man who orchestrated what has been called "the largest fraud in the history of Wall Street."

And in other financial news, the times are so dire that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has declared that the recession, which has persisted since the fourth quarter of 2007, will "surely be the longest and deepest" since the Great Depression.

So maybe on second thought, paying three figures for a useless, inanimate object is a horrible idea.

 

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]]>Adam Kirchner2009-02-18T16:57:00+00:00To Catch a... War Criminal?http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/17/to-catch-a-war-criminal/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/17/to-catch-a-war-criminal/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/17/to-catch-a-war-criminal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Not to be outdone by CBS and its show Arranged Marriage, the potential ratings smash (or sign of the cultural end times, depending on your viewpoint), NBC just baked up its own batch of crazy: a show about catching war criminals.

The show would be a spin-off of To Catch a Predator. Predator used online traps to bring potential pedophiles and sex offenders to the houses of decoys pretending to be underage boys and girls. Instead, waiting inside the houses would be host Chris Hanson, a camera crew, and a lot of questions (see below; the interview begins at 5:17).


This new version would feature foreign-born war criminals. The first episode will be focused on Leopold Munyakazi, who is wanted for perpetrating a genocide against Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994. He is currently a French professor at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.

The government is a wee bit displeased with NBC's plans to chase around war criminals with cameras. The Department of Homeland Security believes such a show would interfere with the government's ability to capture these predators and use legal force against them.

Due to the government's negative reaction and the overal logistics, it's hard to imagine this show actually coming to fruition in the To Catch a Predator mold. A more reasonable version would be a documentary series shedding light on awful war criminals. But that probably wouldn't get high ratings.

So cue Chris Hanson, waiting for war criminals in a house NBC has rented and outfitted as a fake embassy.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2009-02-17T08:00:00+00:00CBS Arranges Marriages for Lonely Hearts, Ratingshttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/03/cbs-arranges-marriages-for-lonely-hearts-ratings/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/03/cbs-arranges-marriages-for-lonely-hearts-ratings/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/03/cbs-arranges-marriages-for-lonely-hearts-ratings/#commentsFiled under: ,

Till cancellation do us part!

From CBS and the producers of quality reality shows (ignore the oxymoron) Top Chef and Project Runway comes the first sign of the Apocalypse: a show about arranged marriage.

The series, currently called Arranged Marriage to make sure America gets the point, will feature four single adults between the ages of 25-45 who agree to be set up by friends and family. Unlike on Fox's 2003 matchmaking scheme, Married By America, on CBS's show, the two couples will actually get married. The series will then follow their lives as newlyweds/strangers.

Dating shows are almost as old as the concept of dating itself and reality TV is known for its incendiary subject matter (see: CBS's Kid Nation, anything that's aired on Fox that isn't American Idol), so it's not that surprising that we've reached this point. Plus, the show could try to use the angle that arranged marriage is an ancient tradition in some Eastern cultures that could work here, with the right producing team. And, in a society with a 50% divorce rate, seeing an unlikely marriage succeed (if one of them in fact lasts) could be a huge pick-me-up.

But this feels like television has become a satire of itself. This joke of a show got picked up because the envelope has been pushed so far that network execs no longer know what to do to manipulate peoples' lives for entertainment. As usual on reality shows, love has nothing to do with marriage, but this goes to the extreme. CBS is putting the carriage well before the horse, giving the whole concept a more unseemly feel than one usually experiences, even when thinking of reality TV.

I have no idea if I'll be watching, but one thing's for sure: now that Arranged Marriage has been announced, we are clearly days away from Tiny House:

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2009-02-03T16:58:00+00:00Phelps Apologizes For Marijuana Photohttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/01/phelps-apologizes-for-marijuana-photo/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/01/phelps-apologizes-for-marijuana-photo/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/02/01/phelps-apologizes-for-marijuana-photo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

U.S. Olympic hero Michael Phelps apologized today saying he exhibited "bad judgment" after a photo surfaced of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Phelps, winner of eight gold medals at the Bejing Olympics, did not dispute the authenticity of the photo, published in News of the World. The British tabloid said the photo was taken at November house party on the campus of the University of South Carolina.



"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in a statement released by one of his agents to the Associated Press. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."

Information with the photo did not actually claim that Phelps was smoking pot (but I doubt he thought that was a fashionable pose) but a partygoer was quoted as saying Phelps was "out of control from the moment he got there."

The U.S. Olympic Committee also responded to the photo saying in a statement Phelps "is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people. In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities."

No action can be taken according to David Howman, executive director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.

This wasn't the first time Phelps had to apologize for disappointing behavior, however.

In 2004, not long after winning gold in Athens at age 19, Phelps was arrested on a drunken driving charge. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.

 

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]]>michael phelpsMichaelPhelpsolympicsphelpsJoshua Chaney2009-02-01T18:46:00+00:00Congress Unanimously Saves American Televisionhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/27/congress-unanimously-saves-cable-television-for-america/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/27/congress-unanimously-saves-cable-television-for-america/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/27/congress-unanimously-saves-cable-television-for-america/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In the midst of the worst recession in decades, the U.S. Senate passed a crucial bill on Tuesday that saved 20 million Americans from losing... drum roll, please... television.

Three weeks from now, analog over-the-air broadcasts would have become obsolete, and all analog television sets will require a digital-to-analog converter in order to display digital transmissions, but the crisis has been averted. Well, at least it's been delayed.

Out of the 304 million Americans, 20 million wouldn't be able to watch endless commercials, so Congress saw fit to step in and delay the transition from February 17 to June 12.

As of December 2008's national unemployment data, 7.2% of the workforce haven't had a job to go to in the morning for a month, but 6.5% of U.S. citizens wouldn't be able to watch TV at night, three weeks from now. Luckily, a bipartisan, unanimous support of Senate Bill 328 pulled that bacon out of the fire! That's taxpayer dollars at work!

Although America is losing jobs left and right, at least there's still reality TV. For now.

With so many viewers - strike that, consumers - strike that, jobless workers - strike that, citizens - without the necessary $40 converter box, the federal government has run out of assistance coupons, and 2.5 million viewers - strike that, citizens - are on a mailing waiting list.

Will the American public still be able to watch television in June? Can 20 million Americans even afford a $40 converter box anymore? Will the federal government provide the necessary converter box coupon aid in time? Stay tuned to What Has The World Come To, to find out!

Edit: Thanks to commenters for clarifying that cable TV was not the issue; the converter box is for television sets that have been receiving over-the-air transmissions.

 

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]]>Adam Kirchner2009-01-27T18:42:00+00:00The First Limo's Slick, But It's Still No KITThttp://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/19/the-first-limo/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/19/the-first-limo/http://brighthall.aol.com/2009/01/19/the-first-limo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Part of the grandeur and spectacle of Tuesday's inauguration for Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, will be the official debut of the new presidential limousine. The commander-in-chief's official ground transport is traditionally rotated out and upgraded at the beginning of each four-year term.

The 2009 First Limo, code-named "Stagecoach", is built around a modified GM truck chassis, encased in inches of military-grade composite capable of stopping armor-piercing rounds and grenades, as well as ballistic-proof tinted windows, drives on run-flat tires, carries a wireless data uplink, and houses a sealed A/C impervious to chemical weapons assault. And what would the Executive whip be without footing for Secret Service agents to hop on for the ride?

Despite being the slickest anti-assault vehicle on the planet, though, there's plenty of room for improvement when the 2013 model comes out. Mr. President, I submit for your consideration some of the specifications of KITT from Knight Rider:

Voice Stress Analyzer: say you're driving with Medvedev and Sarkozy and you aren't sure if they're lying. KITT's got you covered.

A snarky, egotistical artificial intelligence: not only can it take over at the wheel when the driver is otherwise occupied (or absent at the helm, altogether), trading words with KITT will help you warm up for the "gotcha" media's press conference questions.

Auto-deflatable and reinflatable tires: run-flat has nothing on these.

Flame thrower and tear gas launcher: because you never know when you might need them if a rally gets out of hand.

Two words: Turbo Boost!

Surveillance Mode: see who's hiding in buildings along the parade route. Watching you, watching me, watching you 'cause you're watching me...

Microwave Jammer: on second thought, the C.I.A. probably has this covered.

 

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]]>Adam Kirchner2009-01-19T22:08:00+00:00McCain and Palin Living It Up in Late Nighthttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/19/mccain-and-palin-living-it-up-in-late-night/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/19/mccain-and-palin-living-it-up-in-late-night/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/19/mccain-and-palin-living-it-up-in-late-night/#commentsFiled under: , ,

With nothing left for the Republicans to do but wait and hope, the GOP nominees have apparently decided that the way to turn things around is to appear on late night television. First, John McCain visited Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday because when Letterman says, "Jump," world leaders say, "How high?"

Then Sarah Palin and her doppleganger Tina Fey stopped by the show the pair accidentally revived from its Saturday Night Dead status. Thankfully, putting Palin and Fey in the same place at the same time did not create a rip in the time-space continuum in which the entire universe would have been swallowed, as pundits had predicted.

Unlike Hillary Clinton, who appeared on SNL with her impersonator standing right next to her, Palin watched Tina Fey reenact a press conference while talking with Lorne Michaels and Alec Baldwin, the latter of whom mistook Palin for Fey. Then Palin took Fey's place onstage to call out the show's starting gun catchphrase. Watching Palin and Fey pass each other was kind of like that scene in The Matrix when Neo has to fight a hundred Agent Smiths, only this wasn't special effects, it was just two eerily similar-looking women.

SNL wasn't too hard on Palin (in fact, it wasn't hard on her at all), but that's got to be like looking a gift horse in the mouth and then beating it senseless. Plus, Palin's appearance allowed the world to see a very pregnant Amy Poehler perform a rap about Palin while the governor bounced to the rhythm of the boogedy beat, so it all worked out in the end:



*Speaking of world leaders, Letterman followed up his interview with McCain with a chat with Tina Fey the next night, and of course, the conversation quickly turned to the Palin impression and Fey's friend's grandmother.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-10-19T16:55:00+00:00Marcia Brady Not So Brady-Likehttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/15/marcia-brady-not-so-brady-like/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/15/marcia-brady-not-so-brady-like/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/15/marcia-brady-not-so-brady-like/#commentsFiled under: ,

With the third debate just hours away, let's talk family values, Brady family values, as Maureen McCormick, aka The Brady Bunch's Marcia Brady, goes on a rampaging media tour to talk about her memoir, Here's the Story. Apparently child stars don't deal with fame well; everybody's favorite eldest daughter spent her post-Brady years freebasing cocaine and trading sex for drugs. Oh my nose, indeed.

Other than the ca-razy revelations about her lifestyle and syphilis-prone family, McCormick spends the rest of the memoir dishing the stuff fans have known about for years, like her relationship with Barry Williams and her feud with Eve Plumb. Still, to watch McCormick's interview is to wonder the same thing one always wonders about random celebrity memoirs: is she brave to be writing about the pain in her life or cheap to be throwing every tawdry memory out there to see what the public might try to catch?


And as for Bobby and Cindy, you don't want to know what those two did to Tiger the family dog.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-10-15T14:14:00+00:00SNL Finds Humor in People Not Named Palinhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/06/snl-finds-humor-in-people-not-named-palin/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/06/snl-finds-humor-in-people-not-named-palin/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/10/06/snl-finds-humor-in-people-not-named-palin/#commentsFiled under: ,

Thanks to Sarah Palin, 70 million people watched the vice presidential debate (18 million more than the viewership for the first presidential debate) and SNL is scoring its biggest rates in forever. In fact, the Palin vs. Fey battle has gotten so big, there's a good chance the governor of Alaska will be stopping by SNL's Weekend Update primetime show this Thursday or the next new SNL broadcast on October 18.

But SNL's latest opening sketch managed to highlight, in addition to the so-obvious-it's-amazing-no one's-said-anything-so-far idea of a "maverick" drinking game, something about somebody who isn't Sarah Palin.

And that was Joe Biden's performance in the debate, from his emphasis on repetition ("Let me repeat that again: time!") to his dissing of Scranton, PA, "an absolute jerkwater of a town," to his pendulum-swinging opinion on the Republican candidate ("John McCain, and again, this is a man I would take a bullet for, is bad at his job and mentally unstable"). And while Tina Fey had Palin's winking, Jason Sudeikis had Biden's game show host smile at the end of every answer.

Citizens can rest easy knowing that comics will be able to write jokes in the event of an Obama-Biden win.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-10-06T16:28:00+00:00Tina Fey Continues As Sarah Palinhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/29/that-adorable-fey-palin/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/29/that-adorable-fey-palin/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/29/that-adorable-fey-palin/#commentsFiled under: ,

On this week's Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were at it again, this time recreating Sarah Palin's recent interview with Katie Couric. And once again, Fey said pretty much what Palin actually said, like when they started talking about the bailout. Not as funny as the first sketch, but this one still had that same unsettling aura that all they had to do to perform the sketch was print out the interview transcript and put in on some cue cards. Also...:

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-09-29T11:49:00+00:00What Do John Adams and Tina Fey Have In Common?http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/22/the-emmy-awards-oh-what-a-night/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/22/the-emmy-awards-oh-what-a-night/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/22/the-emmy-awards-oh-what-a-night/#commentsFiled under: ,

With 30 Rock, Mad Men and Damages winning big, it was a huge night for cable shows (and shows that have cable-sized audiences).

Starting with the dramatic side of things, tiny shows cleaned up. Critical darling Mad Men took home awards for Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Writing for creator Matthew Weiner. Unfortunately, Mad Men's maddest man, Jon Hamm, lost to Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston in the Lead Actor Category. Meanwhile, Damages damaged the hopes of many a performer when Glenn Close won for Lead Actress and Zeljko Ivanek won for Supporting Actor. Dianne Wiest was named Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work on HBO's nightly psychologist drama In Treatment. The only major network show to win in any dramatic category was House; director Greg Yaitanes won for the episode "House's Head."

As for comedy, the night was full of surprises. Jean Smart beat out Ugly Betty favorite Vanessa L. Williams to win for Best Supporting Actress, though odds are voters picked her because they loved Designing Women and not necessarily because they like Samantha Who? And Jeremy Piven's THIRD WIN IN A ROW for Entourage confused everybody who assumed that either Neil Patrick Harris or Rainn Wilson would be named Outstanding Supporting Actor. Looks like Piven is the new Tony Shaloub -- the guy everybody loves to hate for continually winning for no reason. What wasn't a surprise, however, was Barry Sonnenfeld's directing win for the pilot of Pushing Daisies. That pilot was too pretty not to get something.

But Tina Fey was the big winner last night; the only way she would hear the word "Emmy" more often is if she changed her name to Emily. Fey picked up statuettes for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Comedy for 30 Rock. Alec Baldwin also won for Outstanding Lead Actor. Fey's plea to viewers in her acceptance speech for Outstanding Comedy, in which she listed every possible place one can watch 30 Rock, shows that the occassional screw-up aside (stop giving awards to Jeremy Piven), the Emmys usually celebrate the best of television, and we would all do well to start watching what they're touting.

Oh, and John Adams won every other award. I am 99% sure I am not exaggerating.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-09-22T16:49:00+00:00Fey and Poehler and Palin and Clintonhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/14/fey-and-poehler-and-palin-and-clinton/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/14/fey-and-poehler-and-palin-and-clinton/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/14/fey-and-poehler-and-palin-and-clinton/#commentsFiled under: ,

Election years for Saturday Night Live are like when you used to play Nintendo Duck Hunt as a kid and you would hold the video game gun right against the screen. Yes, it is incredibly easy, but it is still satisfying each time you kill a duck.

Thus we have the 2008-2009 season of SNL. Speaking of fake guns, my favorite part of the opening sketch from last night's season premiere was when Amy Poehler, as Hillary Clinton, talked about her struggles while Tina Fey, as Palin, did a series of poses, including cocking an imaginary rifle:



Maybe it's luck, maybe it's fate, maybe it's the hair and make-up department, but thank goodness that Tina Fey is around to embody Sarah Palin. (It doesn't hurt that Palin has given the comedy world so much material anyway.) Fey's uncanny caricature of the VP nominee, the perfect foil to Poehler's Hillary scorned, made for a spot-on comment on these wildly different women. It's funny cause it's true, which is a little scary, which is why it's best that we all laugh about it.

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-09-14T20:27:00+00:00Vampires. They're So Hot Right Now.http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/07/true-blood-truly-good/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/07/true-blood-truly-good/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/07/true-blood-truly-good/#commentsFiled under: ,


To paraphrase Mugatu, Will Ferrell's villainous fashion designer in Zoolander, "Vampires. They're so hot right now."

Despite atrocious reviews, Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer's fourth and supposedly final book in her Twilight series, sold 1.3 million copies its first day out on August 2 and has since sold a few more million more. The first volume of the saga, beginning the tale of the blood-boiling love between a young Pacific Northwesterner and the teenager vampire of her dreams, has also been adapted into a movie. Twilight will be released on November 21, three weeks earlier than originally planned in order to fill the continent-sized void that was left when Warner Bros. delayed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince until next summer.

But if you prefer your vampires more macabre than Mickey Mouse, then has HBO got a show for you! Based once again on a series of books about vampires, True Blood follows some small towners in Bon Temps, Lousiana, a hamlet that plays host to a whole host of vampires. The Japanese have invented a synthetic blood drink called Tru Blood to sate vampire desire for the human variety, but vampires still remain feared outcasts fighting for their rights. Alan Ball, he of American Beauty and Six Feet Under fame, developed the show, hence the obsession with death and the fairly obvious analogies to our own society, in this case, the discrimination of groups like homosexuals. The show stars Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress rocking one hell of a thick Southern accent. She can also read minds, but only if that mind is human. Stephen Moyer plays the so-bad-he-must-be-good vampire who falls in love with her.

Early buzz on the show is mixed, pegging the show as either ridiculous or ridiculously addictive. But after the failure of last summer's John from Cincinnati, created by another of HBO's prodigal sons, Deadwood auteur David Milch, the network could use a hit in the drama department in this post-Sopranos world. Considering the success of the Twilight series, particularly in light of the bad reviews for Breaking Dawn, it's clear there's a thirst for vampire stories. Plus, it's got the most awesome fake drink marketing campaign ever and since it's HBO, the show will be full of all that sex and violence TV viewers just love. Whether True Blood will actually suck in viewers, however, remains to be seen.

True Blood premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on HBO. Here's the trailer:

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-09-07T15:03:00+00:00Kids and Their TV These Dayshttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/01/kids-these-days/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/01/kids-these-days/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/09/01/kids-these-days/#commentsFiled under: ,

Interesting that as television viewership skews older, networks continue to reach for that ever-more elusive zeitgeist by aging themselves down. This week, getting a jump on all those old fogy networks, the CW tosses out its one-two TKO (that's Teen Knock Out) of Gossip Girl and 90210.

By conventional standards, Gossip Girl, based on a book series about the scandalous lives and loves of fabulously wealthy NYC teens, was not a hit last season, averaging a little over two and a half million viewers on the year. But thanks to those tech-savvy kids, the ones who can record stuff on DVRs and stream other stuff through the Internet, Gossip Girl was as hot a topic as any of the dish on the show's fictional gossip blog, conveniently titled Gossip Girl. The show succeeds thanks to its saucy, scandalous plotlines and extravagant look, displaying the kind of lifestyle we normal folk could only dream of affording. It's Dallas for the younger set, an east coast OC that doesn't pretend to be relatable by creating a character like the geektastic Seth Cohen.

But if Gossip Girl is The OC for the Upper East Side and The OC was the second coming of Beverly Hills, 90210, what does that make the sanctioned second coming of BH, the CW's simply named 90210?

Well, no one knows yet. The CW didn't release any copies of the pilot, leading critics and fans alike to speculate that the revamp is not nearly as bodacious as its predecessor. On the other hand, 90210 is just about the only new show this season that has any buzz, thanks to the on-screen reunion of former BFFs Kelly and Brenda (Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty) and constant writing and casting shake-ups. Plus, it's got the former Mrs. Lucille Bluth, Jessica Walter, playing essentially the same character that she did on Arrested Development, which is just enough street cred if your street is in Burbank.

It seems the teen show has come full circle. 90210 has the same locale as BH, and uses the same set-up: sweet simple midwesterners experience some dramatic culture shock when they move out to Cali. But in the wake of Gossip Girl, the show will be infused not with the very special episode ethos of the early 90s but the sex, drugs and rock and roll outlook of today's youth, at least according to television's take on youngsters. And the fact that Silver, Kelly's baby sister from the old show, has grown up into a YouTube sensation only further highlights the of-the-moment nature of today's teen shows. With all the gossip blogging and YouTube slogging, the shows are sleeker now, fast-paced and risque without any apology. As Gossip Girl has proven, we're not really watching teenagers so much as world-weary young adults -- emphasis on the word "adult." But fans of the original can take comfort in that if nothing else, at least the promos use the old theme song:

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-09-01T15:16:00+00:00It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Comic Con!http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/30/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-comic-con/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/30/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-comic-con/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/30/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-comic-con/#commentsFiled under: , ,

"The Dark Knight" has made so much money in its first 10 days that scientists have created a new number to quantify it: fafillion, as in "'The Dark Knight' has now grossed one fafillion dollars." This is roughly equivalent to $314.2 million.

One year ago, at Comic Con in San Diego, Batman fans were treated to a teaser trailer and a creepy, Joker-related scavenger hunt. Another big hit at the convention was the "Iron Man"panel, which went on to earn $314.9 million in its run, which is incredible unless you compare it to "The Dark Knight."

Combine the performance of those two movies with "300," the 2007 film that perhaps owed all of its buzz and box office to its Comic Con appearance the year before, and it's clear that the influence of what was once a tiny little comic book convention can not be understated. This isn't the revenge of the nerds; the nerds are firmly in control of what we watch.

Comic Con, in the past five years or so, has become a platform for geek-leaning auteurs, and then, everybody else, to showcase their upcoming projects, reward loyal fans, and get the word out thanks to with-it techies posting the info on the information superhighway. Also jumping on the information superhighway: bigger websites like this one.

TV's been just a little slower on the uptake than movies, but this past weekend, it was all over San Diego. So what will be the big story to come out of this year, TV-wise? The triumphant returns of "Heroes" and "24" after dismal seasons? A new geektastic show like "Fringe"? Well, maybe not "Fringe" according to Entertainment Weekly.

Or will it be a new sort of show, one that could finally be the venture that ushers in the new way we watch TV on the Internet? Joss Whedon's brain child during the writers' strike became the Internet musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", filmed with Whedon's money and distributed on his terms. It sort of made the internet implode when Act I debuted for free on July 15, but once they got the site up and running again, they released the next two acts without a hitch. Now you have to pay for it on iTunes.

The overwhelming viral popularity bodes well for the creators reaping some financial benefits. Plus, at the "Dr. Horrible" panel on July 25, it was announced that there would not only be a DVD (with musical Commentary!) and a soundtrack, but another installment, a proclamation which has since reverberated throughout the world... wide web.

Well, if the future of entertainment is watching Neil Patrick Harris sing whilst wearing a funny costume, then I'm OK with the geeks running things. Ponder this while you watch the song below: how does NPH do that with his fingers at 0:40?

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-07-30T06:50:00+00:00The Timeliness of Mad Menhttp://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/28/the-timeliness-of-mad-men/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/28/the-timeliness-of-mad-men/http://brighthall.aol.com/2008/07/28/the-timeliness-of-mad-men/#commentsFiled under: ,


"Mad Men," AMC's pristine period drama about advertising executives in the 1960s, has returned for its second season. The buzz is so loud for this show (most recently, 16 Emmy nominations including Outstanding Drama), it's a wonder any of us can hear the TV. Here's a primer if you've plugged your ears.

Is it the writing? The acting? The hair gel that is so thick on every man's head it could protect his skull during wartime? What makes this show so powerfully enacted?

Surprisingly, it has a lot to do with that last one. The show is so totally immersed in the era, the viewer feels like the silhouette plummeting past the ads during the opening credits. Those sexist witticisms from the men of Sterling Cooper, the way Betty Draper looks like she's going to burst from being so repressed for so many years, Don Draper's smooth ad pitches as he takes yet another drag of his cigarette: every aspect of this show comes from the fact that these characters exist in 1960.
In contrast, take CBS's "Swingtown," which is as much about the 70s as "Mad Men" is about the 60s. Unlike its cable counterpart, though, the 70s feel like a gimmick on "Swingtown," a way to distract the viewer with flashy clothes and disco so no one can see that the writers are floundering for a way to present the characters. They just always seem aware that they're in 1976 and what a groovy time that is! It's a time of growth and change and shorts that are way too short! Key party!

On "Mad Men," however, these characters aren't going with the flow, they're resisting it. Change won't happen so long as they are around to dictate what consumers, and thus the country, do. It's a huge blow when Nixon loses to Kennedy, despite Sterling Cooper's ad campaign for Dick, but the employees at SC are unwilling to recognize that the country is moving away from the way they want it to be. They will keep swilling their drinks and sleeping around so long as they've got the money and the stamina to keep up with the lifestyle.

The second season jumps forward to 1962, but the severe attention to period detail -- the clothes, the cigarettes, the technology, or lack of it -- will most certainly remain the same. Yet, as the characters inch through the 60s, they move closer to the precipice that is the end of the decade, and with it, the end of the world that makes them who they are. But "Mad Men" will handle this transformation with a grace that is missing from "Swingtown" because no matter how much this show is about the time period, it's ultimately about how these characters prepare for the fall they don't see, or don't want to see, coming.

P.S.- Going back to that earlier query, it doesn't hurt that the writing and the acting are also very, very good:

 

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]]>Emily Lasky2008-07-28T12:11:00+00:00