Jun 29 2009
Jeff Goldblum pronounced himself dead a few minutes ago on "The
Colbert Report," after Stephen Colbert played a portion of a New
Zealand news show that reported the actor had died. Colbert argued with
Goldblum, standing onstage at the "Report," that if bloggers and tweets
say someone's dead, it must be so. Then the video was played, revealing
that a New Zealand police source had confirmed Goldblum's death on a
movie set -- despite the actor's earlier protests that he was not in
New Zealand recently.
Goldblum was forced to agree that he must, indeed, be deceased, and proceeded to eulogize himself.
He dwelled a bit on his prowess in bed and said how much he'd be
missed, particularly by fans of his TV show, "Law & Order: Criminal
Intent" on USA Network . . .
I salute you, Jeff Goldblum. May you have humor about this fiasco ever after.
Jun 29 2009
G4 network's "Attack of the Show" has parodied Billy Mays often enough over the years, but usually in good-natured fashion. With news of the all-star pitchman's death, "AOTS" hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn paid tribute to "the most memorable salesman and internet sensation ever," noting his good humor and how he'd become a favorite of video mash-up artists over the years.
Jun 25 2009
Maybe that thunder and lightning outside my window is the wrath of Jeff Goldblum -- or a higher power -- who thinks it's off-the-grid awful that someone started a rumor today that Jeff Goldblum had fallen to his death on the set of a movie filming in New Zealand.
The rumor became so widespread that his publicist released a statement to Entertainment Weekly, saying, "Reports that Jeff Goldblum has passed away are completely untrue. He is fine and in Los Angeles."
Amid the terrible news of Michael Jackson's death, Twitter and other Web sites somehow picked up an old Internet hoax about actor and West Homestead native Goldblum, the "Jurrasic Park" and "Independence Day" star who's now seen on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
At 10:45 tonight, the National Examiner site still listed Goldblum under today's "celebrity deaths," for goodness sakes. Here's how it played out on Manolith.com :
Update: This report has turned out to be false, an old Internet hoax that resurfaced among the Michael Jackson frenzy. More on the official NZ Police website.
"Then the repeated their earlier, false report: According to reports from a New Zealand newspaper - and lots of action on Twitter - actor Jeff Goldblum died early this morning after a fatal fall. The alleged death occurred while on set in New Zealand when Goldblum fell over sixty feet off a nearby cliff. As of yet no other news source has picked up the story, so it’s probably false. That said, he is currently filming a movie titled, “Morning Glory“, but no word on where it’s filming. . . ."
In a week when the entertainment world lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, it's particularly inexcusable to spread false reports like this. I hope Goldblum can have a Groucho Marx-like sense of humor about it. Marx, of course, denied reports of his demise by saying that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.
Jun 24 2009
Lucasfilm Ltd. and G4 are joining forces for a first: A live TV
broadcast of a panel from San Diego Comic-Con International, which
celebrates its 40th year next month. "The Star Wars Spectacular!" will
be broadcast on Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m. The telecast is billed as
featuring "never-before-seen footage, breaking news, surprise announcements, guest stars
and more." In addition, G4 will present three hours of live coverage from the
Comic-Con floor, beginning at 4.
I haven't seen a full slate of programming from Comic-Con yet,
so I don't know if this would have been on my schedule -- I'll be at
the massive movie/TV/comic/video/game/pop culture covention with my
son, Josh, from preview night Wednesday, July 22, through the end on
Sunday, July 26 -- but this will make it easier if there's a conflict.
Exclusivity is one of the attractions of being there, like when Hugh
Jackman shows up unexpectedly with previously unseen footage of "X-Men:
Wolverine." Or when Steve Carrell shows up off-program for the "Get
Smart" panel. Don't know if I need to be there if the whole world is
watching, but it's great for anyone who's never been among the
125,000-plus fans who attend each year.
Anything involving a Lucasfilm-related project is usually kept
under wraps and would normally demand that on-site fans find a seat at
the panel. As G4 puts it, "Traditionally, details surrounding
Lucasfilm's primary panel presentation are closely guarded secrets,
with only 6,500 lucky on-site fans allowed access to the wealth of
coveted information from a galaxy far, far away. But this year, G4 is
offering TV viewers the one-of-a-kind opportunity to share the
excitement with an exclusive broadcast of the panel. G4's Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and
Olivia Munn will join Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet and a galaxy of guests from
Star Wars: The Clone Wars and
beyond - including supervising director Dave Filoni, and voice talent from the
show - to provide an insider look at the Star Wars universe, with never-before-seen
footage and a LIVE table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars
script."
There will be the traditional fan Q&A as well.
One of the cool things already announced for this year is the launch of the "Star Wars
Stories Project," in which fans of the Star Wars-verse can contribute to Lucasfilm's own historical archive through video
testimonials. In addition to online submissions, fans will have the opportunity
to record their stories at Lucasfilm's pavilion on the Comic-Con
floor. Fans are invited to upload their stories at G4's Comic-Con site.
Jun 23 2009
This is how I would have reviewed "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which I saw in preview Monday night:
Boom! Robots! Shia LaBeouf! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Isabel Lucas! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Flatbush? (Was that a Flatbush sign next to the deli? I'm from Flatbush!) John Turturro! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robot! Desert! Boom! Robots! Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox!
Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a rip-roaring summer action movie, and teen-age boys will love the eye candy, I'm sure.
Other things I couldn't help but notice . . .
** Sam (LaBeouf) has Decepticons after him because of information downloaded directly into his brain. That's straight out of NBC's "Chuck," right down to the blinking eyes and twitches that LaBeouf goes through whenever the new brain waves kick in.
** Rainn Wilson's cameo as Professor Colan gives "Transformers 2" the obligatory summer movie appearance by a player from "The Office." (But it's Ed Helms who seems to be everywhere these days.)
** Glenn Morshower, the upright Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce of TV's "24," portrays . . . General Morshower. According to movieblog.com, "He was the Colonel in command of the US military base that was attacked in the beginning of the first Transformers movie. [His] character died in that attack but that isn't stopping Michael Bay from bringing him back for Transformers 2 anyway. He'll just be playing another character." Glad director Bay saw fit to give Morshower a promotion, too. He's so solid on "24" without ever being boring.
** Former "Las Vegas" star Josh Duhamel (seen with co-star Shia LaBeouf at the movie's premiere/AP/Matt Sayles) also gets a promotion. He's the leader of NEST (Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Team), the military unit that supports the Autobots. Duhamel has leading-man looks but there's not much on his plate, according to IMDB.com. He's got a rom-com, "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell, listed as completed for next year, and that's it. Well, he is a newlywed - to Fergie of Black-Eyed Peas.
** Duhamel's NEST buddy, Tyrese Gibson, on the other hand, has been cast as Marvel Comics' Luke Cage in a film named for the title character.
** Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime, a role he originated in the TV cartoon version. One of the world's great voice artists, Frank Welker, is onboard as Soundwave and Devastator. He's also the voice of Scooby Doo and Abu the monkey in Disney's "Aladdin."
** Watch for Anthony Anderson, who was a computer wiz in the first movie and now stars on TV's "Law & Order," and you won't find him. But listen carefully: He provides the voice of Jolt.
Jun 22 2009
. . . Meryl Streep as Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," with Amy Adams as her co-star. Streep turned 60 recently. How can that be? Nora Ephron, who directed Streep in "Heartburn," directs her own screenplay of Julie Powell's book for the feature film, due Aug. 7.
. . . Whatever it is Joss Whedon has planned for a "Dr. Horrible" sequel. In April, he told a group of reporters that the next phase of the viral sensation "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" could take any form, from another Web series to a full-length feature film. The original starred Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. The panel with Whedon and his stars and collaborators was, for me, one of last year's highlights of Comic-Con International in San Diego.
... a Penguins player -- any player -- on a national TV morning or late-night talk show. The Steelers' Santonio Holmes made the rounds after he was MVP of the Super Bowl. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson are everywhere. And I remember that Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk took the Cup to "Live With Regis & Kelly" last year. Where's the love for our Stanley Cup-winning guys?
. . . Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald, Julie White Hamish Linklater and Raul Esparza in the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night." That's New York's Central Park, and I don't know if I'll make it to NYC in time. It ends July 12. Sigh. I hope it's being filmed for posterity. And me.
. . . Hugh Jackman (OK, Hugh Jackman in anything) and Daniel Craig on Broadway in "A Steady Rain." I mean, come on. Wolverine/"The Boy From Oz" and James Bond/"Defiance" on the same stage? The Keith Huff play, by the way, is about Chicago cops "whose lifelong friendship is put to the test when they become involved in a domestic dispute in a poor neighborhood."
. . . August in Pittsburgh, when Pittsburgh CLO offers Sondheim's "Into the Woods" and PICT unveils its production of "The History Boys." Quantum is back then, too, with "36 Views."
. . . What's in store at Comic-Con International, July 22-26. Variety and other media outlets are wondering about the TV-heavy lineup of panels, especially in a year when the huge fan convention comes before the Television Critics Association summer press tour. "What's happening at Comic-Con is the fan community gives you an immediate reaction to your project in a big way," Lisa Gregorian, exec vice president of worldwide marketing for the Warner Bros. TV Group, told Variety. "It's live testing." Shows like "Fringe" and "Heroes" and my favorite, "Chuck," were launched with positive fan buzz at Comic-Con. I like forward to all of it. Most of the programming hasn't been announced yet for the 40th anniversary, but whatever it is, my son and I will be there again, waiting in long lines for the movie and TV panels, demo-ing the video games, seeing what's on the comic book horizon and, in general, geeking out and then blogging about it.
I can't wait.
Jun 19 2009
The cast of Pittsburgh CLO's "8-TRACK: The Sounds of the '70s," will perform songs from the show at Ross Park Mall's Center Court, noon-12:30 p.m. tomorrow, June 20.
"8-TRACK" plays through Sept. 27 at the CLO Cabaret Theater (412-456- 6666) or PittsburghCLO.org).
Jun 19 2009
A player aims a "nerf dart" gun at a Transformer figure at BotCon 2009, the official Transformers convention marking the 25th anniversary of the phenomenon, held last month in Pasadena, Calif. (Reed Saxon/AP)
As of 1 p.m. today, MovieTickets.com is reporting over 350 sold-out performances nationwide for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” including 115 midnight performances. Additionally, the BIG film of next week accounts for 41 percent of tickets sold at MovieTickets.com this week. Fandango is reporting a similar surge in sales for the second "Transformers" film from Michael Bay, with returning stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.
There are a lot of people hoping "Transformers 2" will kick-start summer in a way that "X-Men: Wolverine" and even the well-received "Star Trek" did not. IMAX has booked its screens for the toy-to-movie franchise, which means that the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" can open in IMAX on only 2 screens in LA and New York and then has to wait for "Transformers 2" to finish its run.
JoBlo.com reports that IMAX opted for the big 'bots ahead of "Harry Potter," which was originally scheduled to open Thanksgiving 2008. Now the boy wizard has to wait for his turn on the BIG big screen.
I have to admit, I'm excited for both films but IMAX holds no allure -- I have motion sickness, and IMAX only ramps up the nausea. I can't watch without Dramamine.
I'm in the minority, though, according to an ongoing Fandango survey of moviegoers planning to see "Transformers 2":
- 81% of respondents say Megan Fox is the one star they’re most excited to see in the new movie.
- 76% say they are fans of director Michael Bay.
- 72% say the IMAX presentation of "Transformers 2" will be an important part of their moviegoing experience.
- 71% of respondents are 18-34 years old; 68% are male.
Jun 18 2009
The topics that people send my way . . .
As a tribute to Father's Day, Christoper Dabrowski of the Manly Men Men blog (warning: could be rated a hard R, so you're on your own to find the link) decided to pull together a list of television's manliest men of all-time.
May I first say that any such blog that does not include Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos, left) of "Battlestar Gallactica" has done its homework, but then I realized this was sitcoms only. And it's not necessarily fathers. So for Father's Day, they have a list of their manliest sitcom men, who, like the Fonz, are not known for roles as fathers. Huh? "As you read down the list about some of these iconic characters, I think you will agree that we've had a chance to learn about family values, how to bond with your son, and avoid the wife all at the same time. As a tribute to Father's Day weekend, we put together our list of television's manliest men of all-time," said Dabrowski.
"Avoid the wife"??!! That makes a man manly??!! Puh-leeze! In fact, most of the married men on his list represent TV's most loving husbands.
So here's the Manly Men Men list -- followed by my own lis, of manliest TV fathers, no sitcoms necessary. Just because.
MMM's manliest TV men
1. Archibald "Archie" Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), "All In The Family"
2. Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), "Happy Days"
3. Al Bundy (Ed O'Neil), "Married With Children"
4. Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), "Two and a Half Men"
5. Tim "The Toolman" Taylor (Tim Allen), "Home Improvement"
6. Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), "Entourage"
7. Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith), "That '70s Show"
8. Earl Jehosophat Hickey (Jason Lee), "My Name Is Earl"
9. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James), "King of Queens"
10. Frank Barone (Peter Boyle) "Everyone Loves Raymond"
POPi's manliest TV fathers
1. Admiral Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos), "Battlestar Gallactica" -- Think of him, as, oh, the Moses of mankind, leading what's left of human beings to the Promised Land.
2. Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), "The Rifleman" -- It's on cable's Western channel. Trust me, Chuck Connors is as macho as sensitive dad's get.
3. Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), "Friday Night Lights" -- A loving father, sexy and devoted husband, and a high school football coach with scruples.
4. Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks, above right), "Star Trek: Deeps Space Nine" -- The third single father on the list. Makes me think I should think twice about adding Ben Cartwright later on. But these sci-fi guys with military titles really fit the manly mold.
5. Tim "The Toolman" Taylor (Tim Allen), "Home Improvement" -- Tim's macho posturing can't hide the fact that's he's a devoted father and husband.
6. Dan Connor (John Goodman), "Rosanne" -- Dan, living a blue-collar life in which money was always an issue, was the very definition of big-hearted patience.
7. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby), "The Cosby Show" -- A doctor, a doting husband and dad. Smart and funny can be manly, too.
8. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), "The Sopranos"/Vick Mackey (Michael Chiklis), "The Shield" -- I debated this one a lot. Are manly fathers less so because they are amoral? I'm writing them in while I'm still debating that one.
9. Jimmy Brock (Tom Skerrit), "Picket Fences" -- An underrated, offbeat show that had a core family with a caring father who also was the town sheriff.
10. Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), "The Andy Griffith Show" -- Another sheriff. Hmmm. Everyone in Mayberry, not just Opie and Aunt Bea, looked to Andy as the strong, steady leader in crises big and small. And he had enough confidence in his own ability to keep a frequently inept deputy around.
Jun 16 2009
Did I say back to real life?
How about: How real is the rumor that "Twilight" and "New Moon" stars Kristen Steward and Rob Pattinson are dating?
According to Hollyscoop: "The pair are definitely an item."
Quoting "a sources," the gossip site says, “Rob has been crazy about Kristen since they first started filming 'Twilight.' Even though Kristen had a boyfriend at the time, Rob made sure she knew he was crazy about her.”
There have been tongues wagging about the couple since "New Moon" started shooting in Montepulciano, Italy. "They would enjoy romantic dinners together after shooting would wrap up and reportedly wouldn’t stop kissing even after the director called 'cut',” according to Hollyscoop.
“Kristen and Rob have been dating for a while, but they have been very hush, hush,” says the site's source. “Right now is a crazy time for Kristen and Rob, they can’t go anywhere because the paparazzi follow them. They can't even leave they house because it’s swarmed with paparazzi."
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