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Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Viral marketing seems to be the rage these days with various TV shows and future films making audiences solve puzzles that will boost the profile of a particular project. That said, a jumble on the "Dark Knight" viral website WhySoSerious.com was solved, which involved gathering photos of letters from cities around the United States.
The prize is a new pretty cool new photo of The Joker, as seen above, in the back of a car.
A new puzzle is now posted at RorysDeathKiss.com. Rory’s First Kiss was the fake title used for the production of "The Dark Knight" while they filmed in Chicago. On the site is a set of all new instructions, with a promise of another reward.
Director Michael Mann ("Heat") is developing "Frankie Machine" as a star vehicle for Robert De Niro at Paramount Pictures, reports Variety.
A few months back, we reported it would be with Martin Scorsese. Check it out HERE.
In any case, the film is an adaptation of the Don Winslow novel "The Winter of Frankie Machine." De Niro will play Frank Machianno, a mob hitman who has retired to run a bait shop.
He agrees to help the son of a mob boss resolve a dispute with another Mafioso but is forced to turn into Frankie Machine again when he realizes he's been set up to be killed.
Alex Tse has just been set to do a major overhaul of the concept and Brian Koppelman and David Levien's original draft.
The bow and arrow... The blade... They're back. No CGI special effects. No studio backlot filming. No faggy PG-13 MPAA rating. For this new "Rambo" trailer, there's nothing but pure adrenaline in this vintage-feeling, old-school action flick starring Sly Stallone.
Variety reports that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio will reteam yet again early next year on the flick "Shutter Island," a Laeta Kalogridis-scripted adaptation of the Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone").
Set in 1954, the drama is set in 1954, with DiCaprio in final talks to play U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.
The Paramount and Sony Pictures co-production is being rushed forward for a March start of shooting. Filming will take place in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Nova Scotia.
The duo's first joint effort was "Gangs of New York," followed by "The Aviator," and then last year's "The Departed." All of the films were nominated for Oscars in one capacity or another with "The Departed" snagging a statuette for Best Picture.
Papa H never actually dabbled in the screenplay form. Studio writers took on the novelizations of films based on his books. But we'd like to think if he did, in fact, write for the big screen, he'd fall in line with the rights of the many scribes who lay it on the line, day-after-day, staring at the blank typewriter.
Remember, no matter what you're watching in TV or film, it ALL begins on thne page ...
Hollywood Union Authorized to Strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Members of Hollywood's film and television writers union have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike anytime after their contract expires at the end of the month.
More than 5,000 members of the Writers Guild of America cast ballots, with 90 percent voting in favor of authorizing the strike, the union said Friday evening. Members voted Thursday.
"Writers do not want to strike, but they are resolute and prepared to take strong, united action to defend our interests," guild President Patric Verrone said in a news release. "What we must have is a contract that gives us the ability to keep up with the financial success of this ever-expanding global industry."
Since July, the guild has been in talks with film studios and production companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Both sides acknowledge they have not made progress.
Nick Counter, the alliance's president, said he was not surprised by the vote.
"Our focus is on negotiating a reasonable agreement with the WGA," he said in a news release.
A key issue dividing producers and writers, as well as actors, whose contract expires next June, is compensation for DVD sales and productions that get distributed on the Internet or in other new media formats.
The writers' current three-year contract expires Oct. 31, and their vote gives the union's leaders authorization to call a strike anytime after that day.
Studios and TV networks have accelerated filming of shows and movies and begun stockpiling scripts in case of a strike.
The last strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks. Losses to the industry were put at $500 million.
How does "Real Time" host Bill Maher deal with a combative dick in the audience?? Well, he takes matters into his own hands and confronts him on live TV and just about tosses him out himself. It all goes down at about 2:17
Kudos, Bill. You have balls. Papa H would most definitely approve.
Love him or hate him, here's the poster for the upcoming Sly Stallone pic aptly titled "RAMBO," formerly titled "John Rambo (ala "Rocky balboa) and "Rambo to Hell and Back."
Members of the "Rat Pack," from left, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop, perform at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas Jan. 20, 1960. Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in night clubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's boisterous Rat Pack, has died at his home, his publicist said Thursday. Oct.. 18, 2007
It's downright scary that on the day the Sands in Atlantic City plummets to it's own death, it's announced that the last living member of the Rat Pack has passed. Here's his obit via the Associated Press.
Last 'Rat Pack' Member Joey Bishop Dies By Jeff Wilson, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89. He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.
Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday.
The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.
Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise. He termed the comedian "the Hub of the Big Wheel," with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, "Son of a gun!"
"He was the perfect match for the Rat Pack. He fit right in like an old shoe," Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said Thursday.
The quintet lived it up whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and proudly gave honorary membership to a certain fun-loving politician from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration gala Bishop served as master of ceremonies.
The Rat Pack faded after Kennedy's assassination, but the late 1990s brought a renaissance, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The movie "Ocean's Eleven" was even remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the lead roles.
Bishop defended his fellow performers' rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview.
"Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads?" he asked. "I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away."
Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred in two TV series, both called "The Joey Bishop Show."
The first, an NBC sitcom, got off to a rocky start in 1961. Critical and audience response was generally negative, and the second season brought a change in format. The third season brought a change in network, with the show moving to ABC, but nothing seemed to help and it was canceled in 1965.
In the first series, Bishop played a TV talk show host.
Then, he really became a TV talk show host. His program was started by ABC in 1967 as a challenge to Johnny Carson's immensely popular "The Tonight Show."
Like Carson, Bishop sat behind a desk and bantered with a sidekick, TV newcomer Regis Philbin. But despite an impressive guest list and outrageous stunts, Bishop couldn't dent Carson's ratings, and "The Joey Bishop Show" was canceled after two seasons.
Bishop then became a familiar guest figure in TV variety shows and as sub for vacationing talk show hosts, filling in for Carson 205 times.
He also played character roles in such movies as "The Naked and the Dead" ("I played both roles"), "Onion-head," "Johnny Cool," "Texas Across the River," "Who's Minding the Mint?" "Valley of the Dolls" and "The Delta Force."
His comedic schooling came from vaudeville, burlesque and nightclubs.
Skipping his last high school semester in Philadelphia, he formed a music and comedy act with two other boys, and they played clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They called themselves the Bishop Brothers, borrowing the name from their driver, Glenn Bishop.
Joseph Abraham Gottlieb would eventually adopt Joey Bishop as his stage name.
When his partners got drafted, Bishop went to work as a single, playing his first solo date in Cleveland at the well-named El Dumpo.
During these early years he developed his style: laid-back drollery, with surprise throwaway lines.
After 3 1/2 years in the Army, Bishop resumed his career in 1945. Within five years he was earning $1,000 a week at New York's Latin Quarter. Sinatra saw him there one night and hired him as opening act.
While most members of the Sinatra entourage treated the great man gingerly, Bishop had no inhibitions. He would tell audiences that the group's leader hadn't ignored him: "He spoke to me backstage; he told me `Get out of the way.'"
When Sinatra almost drowned filming a movie scene in Hawaii, Bishop wired him: "I thought you could walk on water."
Born in New York's borough of the Bronx, Bishop was the youngest of five children of two immigrants from Eastern Europe.
When he was 3 months old the family moved to South Philadelphia, where he attended public schools. He recalled being an indifferent student, once remarking, "In kindergarten, I flunked sand pile."
In 1941 Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga and, despite the rigors of a show business career, the marriage survived until her death in 1999.
Bishop, who spent his retirement years on the upscale Lido Isle in Southern California's Newport Bay, is survived by son Larry Bishop; grandchildren Scott and Kirk Bishop; and longtime companion Nora Garabotti.
Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas contributed to this report.
In August 1980, The Brighton was the first casino in town built from the ground up, on the site of its former namesake at Indiana Avenue & Brighton Park. After a healthy opening, financial troubles soon arrived. Some say it was due to the casino’s diminutive size. Others say it was poor management. Whatever the case, it was sold two months later to the PPI Corporation, which also owned the Sands in Las Vegas. To capitalize on the famed casino and to hopefully conjure images of Frank, Dean and Sammy, the Brighton was renamed The Sands the next May.
Tonight the Sands will be imploded to make way for a massive resort ala Borgata.
last November, the legendary carpet joint threw its last pair of dice, leaving only 10 casinos standing in Atlantic City. For now, that is. Before its new owners Pinnacle Entertainment begin construction on their ambitious $1.5 billion megaresort, much had to be done to the Sands building before it's even razed.
Pinnacle CEO and Chairman Dan Lee enlightened the local press on a few post-shutdown procedures. For starters, everything had to be accounted for like slots, table games, chips, cards, dice and other gambling items.
State gaming regulators gave the company approval to recycle the old gaming equipment in their other casinos. In addition, light fixtures had to be removed and there will likely be a salvage sale for such industrial items as copper wiring and windows. A public liquidation of old furniture also was held.
Upon the Sands’ closing, many wondered the fate of The Madison House, a 120-suite boutique hotel operated by the Sands and one of the Atlantic City’s few remaining grand old inns. The snag? It opened in 1930 and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Interestingly, the Sands had 12 years left on its lease. "We can't tear it down. We'll probably use it to house construction workers. However, we don't know what the future of Madison House will be," Lee said. Pinnacle expects to begin construction on its new resort in 2008 and open it by early 2011.
We'll miss ya! Say hi to Frank at the Big Casino in the Sky...
My Danny Bonaduce post from the the other day doesn't hold a candle to this video. If one thing is clear, Bonaduce may need some sort of help. Last we saw him, he was sorta on the right path and even embarking in some kind of weird therapy and Bible study program. What the eff happened?
Now that's he's getting a divorce from him wife, all hope may be lost. In any case, check out this video. It's pretty intense.
Former "Survivor" contestant Jonny Fairplay is suing Danny Bonaduce, alleging battery and emotional distress after Bonaduce tossed Fairplay over his shoulder at an awards show.
Actually, it was sorta hilarious. Fairplay, a douche in his own right, pretty much fucked with the wrong guy. And Bonaduce of all people, who, by the way, looked half-in-the-bag. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, also names the producers of the awards show, the Fox Reality Channel.
Fairplay, whose real name is Jon Dalton, was presenting an award on stage at the Fox Reality Channel "Really Awards" on Oct. 2 when Bonaduce unexpectedly approached him on stage. They exchanged a few harmless words and that's where Fairplay should've left it.
Like I said, he's a D-bag ... The dope jumps onto Bonaduce who looked like he was in no mood. He messed with the wrong guy.
When Fairplay jumped into his arms, Bonaduce tossed him over his shoulder as if he were a baby kitten. Fairplay hit the floor head first and was hospitalized for injuries to his face and mouth. Blood everywhere, tooth left on the stage.
With Fairplay "on the ground and blood and broken teeth on the stage floor, Mr. Bonaduce proceeded to parade around the stage with pride," according to the suit.
Reporters. They have to put themselves in the situation, cover it, and be stoic. No matter what. Would Edward R. Murrow cry? Gonzo scribe Hunter S. Thomspson? Would Hemingway?
I can fully understand when fans get upset at the notion that their team may be down for the count. But should a broadcaster? And live on-the-air, no less... Yankees radio announcer Suzyn Waldman did exactly that during her postgame show on WFAN when the Yankees lost Monday night. Check it out:
Now that she's the object of scrutiny all over the web, here's what she had to say, defending her weepy coverage.
"This one's getting me angry, because I don't play this card a lot, but this is as sexist as it gets," the Yankees' radio analyst said yesterday. "What's the big damn deal? That I cried for four seconds of a 10-minute postgame? The idea that I can't choke up because a man I went through cancer with 11 years ago is going to lose his job and I was describing his coaches crying? It's absolutely ludicrous."
She's referring to Joe Torre, obviously, who is unlikely to have his contract renewed. (Waldman is a breast cancer survivor; Torre has survived prostate cancer.)
We're officially stoked. Check out Tim Burton's new trailer for the upcoming musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Sweeney Todd is a fictional villain/antihero whose actual existence, whether under a different name or not, is disputed. A barber and serial killer, the character appears in various English language works starting in the mid-19th century. His weapon of choice is a straight razor, with which he cuts his victim's throats; in some versions of the story his lover, friend, and accomplice, Margery (sometimes Nellie or Claudette) Lovett, bakes the carcasses into meat pies.
In two books, the horror and crime story writer Peter Haining argues that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims
As with most Tim Burton projects (we'll forget the awful "Planet of the Apes"), the period piece looks Gothic, comical, creepy and lavish all at once. Bravo and enjoy ...
David Letterman is one of the best interviewers in TV history. Bar none. For proof, check out this hilarious clip of the TV funnyman interviewing a squirming Paris Hilton, who wants nothing more than to drop the whole Paris-in-jail-conversation.
Face it, reality TV is here to stay. It ain't goin' anywhere.
Being a writer, I'm a natural voyeur and I must admit, reality TV for me, is like crystal meth to a junkie. When done properly, it can have me sitting in front of the TV for hours and I can just feel my brain fading away along with the prospects of writing something of worth.
As if anyone cares, here's a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite reality shows and a brief explanataion as to why, followed by a video or two.
AIRLINE This is an odd show, indeed. This A&E reality program follows the trials and tribulations of a national airline. Sounds boring? Think again. It's completly riveting. That said, though, if I've never flown before and watched this show, I'd probably never get on a plane. What's more, it's an awful advertisment for the Southwest Airlines, who never winds up looking rosy.
THE REAL WORLD The grand dame of reality shows that, depending on the cast, never seems to run out of conflict. The recipe is simple - seven kids, throw them in a sweet crib, watch them fight. Keep Big brother. Gimmie my MTV kids who drink too much, fight too much and all look like supermodels.
COPS I'm gonna be honest. I'm praying to the gods above that someone somewhere makes an all "COPS" TV channel. Loop the friggin' show 24/7. On the air since 1986 or thereabouts, this is a raw-as-shit look at what life is like being a cop. No host. Just a camera and sound tech. To see what life is like behind bars, check out its sister show "Jail" that debuted a few weeks back. Equally as awesome.
BREAKING BONADUCE An offshoot of the reality show genre seems to be the "celeb-reality" show. While most of the shows featuring K-List personalities are bullshit ala "The Two Coreys" (which btw gets my vote as the suckiest reality show ever), this VH1 account of Danny Bonaduce trying to get back on the straight-and-narrow with his family, life, sobriety and career is as "real" as it gets. A close second is the former VH1 show "Shooting Sizemore."
THE CONTENDER What self-respecting "Rocky" fan wouldn't love "The Contender," which by the way, leads us to another ofshoot of the genre - the competition reality show. Just the same, when done well, competition brings out the best in people and gives us the best TV watching experience.
HELL'S KITCHEN I love this show, even if it is a little cheesy. Keep "Top Chef," this competition show with gonzo chef Gordon Ramsey is addictive if only for his insane screaming at everyone.
BLOW OUT and WORK OUT Lifestyle reality. That's what I call shows that are basically about people we don't know, but TV people want us to. Hence, "Blow Out" and "Work Out," two shows that take place in Southern Cali. I don't live in La La land, but if I did, shit, I'd want to live in the realm of either clearhead hair stylist Jonathan Anton or uber-hot trainer Jackie Warner.
JONATHAN WITH BRUNO
THE OSBOURNES You gotta love the Osbourne clan. They practically invented the celeb-reality genre with their groundbreaking show. Seems tame now, but they were the first TV framily to invite camera into the home.
MIAMI INK These dudes at the Miami tattoo shop are rad and give us great stories each week through the conflicts in the workplace - another reality subgenre - and through their incredible tattoo work.
... of sorts. In a homage to my blogger buddy Stephen at Sand and Cotton, who comes up with the quirkiest Top 10 lists around, here's my lame attempt at compiling something just as odd:
My Top 10 list of Arabians getting jacked
This guy annoys me. I think it's that dopey smile. I'd smack him, too.
Maybe they didn't like his singing...
I don't know what to say... The weirdest shit ever.
Crappy quality, but still, a good slap
This little kid could hit. Watch out, infidels!
Not a smack, but, damn, hurts just the same. Or worse.
More foot action, but with no sound
An Arab and a Turk rumble HARD. too bad I can't tell who is who.
HILARIOUS -- This little kid gets rocked... HARD
and finally ... not a smack at all, but just as funny. I don't wanna know how this dude wound up on a treadmill, I just thank Allah it was captured on video.
