Catch all the “Planet of” films as part of Fox Movie Channel’s four-day Channel of the Apes weekend.
First comes the new half-hour retrospective “Evolution of the Apes” (Thursday at 6 a.m., also 8:30 a.m., 3 and 5:15 p.m., FMC), followed by Charlton Heston’s original theatrical adventure “Planet of the Apes” (Thursday at 6:30 a.m.) and then its TV spinoffs through the afternoon.
Heston’s 1968 original is back Thursday at 8 p.m., immediately followed by all four big-screen sequels. Detailed listings at foxmovie channel.com/scheddaily.asp.
NEW YORK (AP) — Despite the ability to watch video on computers and cell phones, Americans are viewing more television than ever.
Nielsen Media Research said Monday the average American watches 142 hours of TV in a month. Last season the typical home had a television on for eight hours and 18 minutes each day. That’s up an hour per day from just 10 years ago.
And the older you are, the more TV you watch. Nielsen said Americans aged 65 and up watch more than 196 hours per month.
Americans are also watching more video on the Internet and mobile devices, although Nielsen said cell phone viewing is mostly a guy thing.
Radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem star of Cox Radio stations WHPT(102.5 The Bone) and WFYV-FM in Jacksonville (Rock 105) has added four more radio stations to his broadcast empire.
He will soon be heard in Miami, Orlando, Ft. Myers and Richmond, VA.
Cox Radio stations WHDR-FM/Miami (93 Rock), WHTQ-FM/Orlando (96.5), and WDYL-FM/Richmond (Y101), along with Beasley Broadcast Group station WRXK-FM/Ft. Myers (96 K-Rock), will begin broadcasting the Bubba the Love Sponge Show on Monday, January 5, 2009.
The show is broadcast live from 6 am to 10 am from Bubba’s studio in Tampa.
Makes Ya Feel Old? The Fonz has gone gray
Henry Winkler as crafty Uncle Ralph, a former NYPD cop. When Ralph visits his stressed-out niece for Christmas, he unexpectedly brings along a stranded fellow traveler, whose eccentric behavior and contagious enthusiasm causes Ralph’s niece to wonder if there isn’t more to be had from life. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, premieres Saturday, December 13 (9/8c).
“The Beatles,” the Fab Four’s 1968 release better known as ”The White Album,” was sprawling and stylistically diverse, created under conditions so fractious that drummer Ringo Starr and engineer Geoff Emerick both quit at different points.
Saturday’s tribute to “The White Album,” presented by listener-supported radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM, was far less fractious although perhaps even more diverse.
The sold-out Skipper’s Smokehouse crowd, ranging from pre-schoolers to those old enough to have purchased “The Beatles” the day of its release 40 years ago Saturday, saw the four vinyl sides of the album performed by The Ditchflowers, Rebekah Pulley & the Reluctant Prophets, Four Star Riot and The Vodkanauts.
The Ditchflowers, led by area scene veterans Brian Merrill (Barely Pink) and Ed Woltil (Mad for Electra), were the most overtly Beatles influenced band on the bill. That didn’t stop them from giving the rinky-dink “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” a much needed roughing up, though. The Ditchflowers’ portion soared from the start but hit its peak on with Woltil holding his own, trading scorching lead guitar with Steve “Best Guitarist ‘Round These Parts” Connelly in a minute or two of sheer guitar heaven.
For Side Two, Pulley’s Prophets were augmented by a cellist, keyboardist and, for “Martha My Dear,” a trumpeter. When they stayed close to the originals, Pulley had trouble finding her footing. When she made the songs her own, though, the results were excellent. “Blackbird’ got a soulful, piano-led reading. The rather slight “Don’t Pass Me By” was transformed into something muscular, gritty and funky. Pulley used a looping effect to layer guitar parts for a haunting solo “Julia.”
Four Star Riot attacked Side Three’s leadoff track, “Birthday,” and didn’t let up until the final cut, “Long, Long, Long.” Singer Steve Alex seemed intent on shredding his vocal cords while guitarist Chaz Winzenread excelled in capturing those nasty, distorted guitar lines that powered “Yer Blues” and “Sexy Sadie.” The Riots sounded dazed while finishing off with “Long, Long, Long,” but considering what they did to “Helter Skelter” (or maybe what “Helter Skelter” did to them), it’s understandable.
Surf-lounge hep cats The Vodkanauts successfully redid Side Four’s numbers in their own style, giving “Savoy Truffle” a hard-swinging backbeat and turning “Cry Baby Cry” into a bossa nova. And if any band was meant to play “Honey Pie,” it’s the ‘Nauts.
They ceded the stage to Ray “Rayzilla” Villadonga and Robert Constable for the audio-collage “Revolution 9.” Sadly, the backing track prepared for the number wasn’t always audible – the parts that were sounded phenomenal – but the two soldiered own, leading the crowd with cue cards (“Number!” “Nine!” “Block that kick!” etc.) for a brave experiment that surely would have had John Lennon smiling.
The evening ended with a stage full of performers and most of the crowd singing along to non-album track “Hey Jude.”
Tropic Thunder
Genre: War/Satire/Spoof
Director: Ben Stiller
Run time: 107 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray
The Lowdown: War is (funny as) hell.
“Tropic Thunder” is an absolute classic. Uproariously funny, darkly satiric and spot-on spoofy, Ben Stiller’s biting look at war movies and the actors and studios that make them is a subversive masterpiece.
It’s essentially three movies in one: A bruising gut-punch to Hollywood egos, both in-front of and behind the camera, that exposes the money-first reality fueling most motion pictures. A scathingly funny send-up of both war movies and the fragile men often picked to portray hardened soldiers. And a damn-fine action comedy in its own right.
Stiller proves once again that when he is allowed to unleash his pitch-black brilliance, he’s at his best. His turn as Tugg Speedman, a fading action star who wants to be taken seriously as an artist, stands with “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” and “Zoolander” as his best work.
But his choices as director prove to be even better, starting with casting.
The decision to go with Robert Downey Jr. as an Australian method actor so committed to his craft that he receives skin pigmentation to portray a black soldier proves to be an amazing choice. Downey should be nominated for an Oscar. His work here is just that good.
Jack Black is funny as hell as a drug-addled comic making his living off a flatulence franchise. If this isn’t a big giant poke at Eddie Murphy, who has coasted for years on lame fare like “The Klumps” and “Norbit,” I’ll eat my notebook.
But the real coup is Tom Cruise, who throws himself into a self-deprecating, razor-sharp evisceration of both celebrity and the Hollywood machine as movie producer Les Grossman. It’s easily Cruise’s best work since “Magnolia,” and it’s refreshing to see him so energized. He’s also a riot as the foul-mouthed, heartless, rap-loving Grossman.
“Tropic Thunder” also looks gorgeous with beautiful cinematography that is only enhanced by a crisp high-definition transfer on Blu-Ray. It also features a wonderfully eclectic soundtrack.
It’s difficult not to rave too much. Simply put, if you haven’t seen this movie, and you are a true movie fan and fiend, you will be in awe. It’s just that good.
The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – No.
Nudity – Jack Black in his underwear.
Gore – Bloody firefights, land mines and one funny-ass severed panda head.
Drug use – Heroin addiction shouldn’t be funny, but oh it is.
Bad Guys/Killers – The Flaming Dragons are not to be taken lightly.
Buy/Rent – This is a MUST-BUY.
On the Web – http://www.tropicthunder.com/
Release Date – Nov. 18, 2008
It’s Brendan Canning’s album but it’s Broken Social Scene’s tour.
Of course a large percentage of Broken Social Scene plays on the album, and ihe album, “Something For All of Us,” is credited to Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning.
Welcome to the world of Broken Social Scene, a Canadian group inevitably referred to as a collective, centered around songwriters Canning and Kevin Drew.
The group, which sometimes swells to 15 on stage, has included at one time or another, Feist, Emily Haines, members of Stars and Apostle of Hustle, and seemingly every Canadian musician who isn’t in The Arcade Fire (or Rush).
For “Something For All of Us,” Canning took “the lead in the directorial sense,” he says. “There was a little more pressure on me. Not everyone had to had to spend countless hours in the studio like with a band record. It was mainly me and the guys who produced the record,” Ryan Kondrat and John La Magna.
Canning didn’t have far to travel to work on the album.
“Ryan is my next-door neighbor and John lives a block and a half away,” Canning says. “Ryan’s been saying for a couple of years they had a studio just up the street. They primarily had done work on TV shows there. I went in and helped them a bit with that sort of work in January 2007 and we had a big old time.”
The resulting album is a fine addition to the Broken Social Scene catalog, a collection of carefully ornamented guitar pop, spotlighting Canning’s voice, which bears an eerie resemblance to Elliott Smith on the quieter material.
Broken Social Scene, meanwhile, is working on a Broken Social Scene which will feature God knows how many members peripheral and otherwise. You could think of them as the Wu-Tang Clan of alternative rock, minus the arrest record.
“Yeah, our arrest warrants aren’t too many,” Canning says. “We like to cross the border freely.”
Broken Social Scene with Land of Talk performs at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg tonight (Nov. 22). Call (727) 896-2276 for ticket information.
Welcome to Reel People. It’s a place where, you guessed it, real people like yourselves spout off on new movie releases. It works best if you—yes, we mean you—jump into the comments below and tell us what you think of the movie, too.
This week, we’re watching “Twilight”
What I liked: Set against sweeping Washington state vistas, empathetic high school students and starkly white vampires breathe life into Stephanie Meyer’s 498-page novel, “Twilight,” in just over two hours. As this generation’s James Dean, Robert Pattinson is almost perfect as the brooding, passionate, complex Edward Cullen. Taylor Lautner is ideal as shy, quiet, captivating Jacob Black, and Billy Burke plays the consummate father – oblivious to what is really happening in his daughter’s life, while caring and worrying about her typical teenage behavior. The best action sequence is a ball game in the woods during a lightning storm – smooth, rhythmic, and fascinating.
What I disliked: The rest of the movie’s action clumsily charges along, thrusting important details into quick, rigid events, sometimes with overdramatic music and jerky transitions. Lush vampire abilities that flow magnificently in print are irregular and cartoonish on film. The undead look the part – white skin, golden to black eyes, and ruby lips – but the make-up is startling and pasty, instead of impressive. Kristen Stewart is a stronger, more independent Bella - not the lovely and needy “damsel in distress” portrayed in the novel.
Would I recommend it? Anyone who has read “Twilight” will be swept up in the breathtaking visuals and dead-on characterizations. However, the action and story might be disorienting and unsatisfying for the uninitiated. A caveat for the chick flick cynics: this is definitely a love story with more bite literally than figuratively.
Score: 8 out of 10
Courtenay O’Connell
What I liked: “Twilight” is one of the best vampire movies I’ve ever seen! I liked the themes of self restraint, protection and trust that run through the plot. I found the relationship between Bella and Edward surprisingly romantic and sincere. I was very impressed by the maturity of the main characters and the issues they face as a couple. “Twilight” is the best movie I’ve seen in a long time with a target audience of young teenagers. I was worried the world was going to be overrun by “High School Musical” garbage which portrays teenagers as extremely childish and their puppy love as laughable nonsense. In contrast, the emotionally rich characters in “Twilight” capture that amazing turning point in life, that indescribable shift from child to adult, where the idealism and optimism of youth meet the ability to make those first choices that shape the life you choose for yourself. Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, has grown so much as an actor and she contributes a lot to the success of this movie. “Twilight” also has an excellent soundtrack that added a lot to the dreamy overtones of the movie. By the end of the film I felt invested in the story and not having read the books I find myself wondering what the future holds for Bella and Edward.
What I disliked: It takes a long time for the movie to get going. The first interactions between Bella and Edward were awkward and choppy. Their time together was rushed and felt like an inadequate basis for their intense attraction and perfection together. The special effects throughout the entire movie were absolutely, inexcusably bad.
Would I recommend it? Yes I’d definitely recommend it. There are some terrific role models in this movie for young viewers.
Score: 7 out of 10
Jessica Conrad
This has nothing to do with TV. It’s just weird.
TAMPA – Comedian and part-time Florida resident Rosie O’Donnell says ”every American should have the right to be married to anyone they choose who is above legal age” and the so-called “marriage protection amendment” passed by a majority of voters doesn’t really protect marriages.
“The fact that more than 50% of heterosexual marriages end in divorce, I don’t know how reverential we should be about the term to begin with,” she noted during a telephone news conference Wednesday.
The conference was to promote her upcoming “Rosie Live” musical variety show on NBC debuting Wednesday night. But she talked about a wide range of subjects including her departure from “The View” and the passage of laws that would ban gay marriages.
During the recent Presidential election, Florida, Arizona and California passed laws that prohibit same-sex couples from having their relationship legally protected.
Florida’s “Amendment 2” defines marriage as union between a man and a woman.
O’Donnell, who has a home in Miami, said it might be possible to give same-sex couples all of the same rights with a different word other than “marriage.” that would appease everyone, at least in the interim.
“In the argument about marriage, I understand that the word is a hot button issue for people,” she added. “If we didn’t have to call the word marriage, if it was unioned or familied that might appease everyone, at least in the interim.”
O’Donnell married her long-time girlfriend in San Francisco in 2004. She said she is not as concerned about the word “marriage” as some people are. “And I know that that’s not, perhaps, the status quo in the gay community,” she added. “I’ve talked to many gay rights activists who have explained to me very passionately that that’s still not equal.”
She said “the most disheartening thing about Florida to me has always been the fact that gay foster parents are not allowed to adopt the children that they raise,” she said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“Florida rates in the bottom 10% of all states in terms of child welfare,” she said. And the fact that there are a willing, able, capable, loving adults who want to take these children that have no homes into their homes, give them a stable and loving life, and are not allowed to legally is really a sin against humanity, against the world, against anyone’s belief in God.”
Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813 259-7654 or .
TV Guide and other sources are reporting that Disney’s Cheeth Girls have been dropped from The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This comes after seminude photos of one group member — Adrienne Bailon, 25 — surfaced on the Internet.
Macy’s spokespeople told the New York Daily News that “scheduling issues” are to blame for the late-in-the-game change. The Girls’ itinerary, however, is free and clear for Thanksgiving Day.
Earlier this month, bare-bottmed photos of Bailon — who with Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams comprises the Cheetah Girls — went viral after they were purportedly “stolen” from her laptop. Publicist Jonathan Jaxson, however, claims the leak was an orchestrated maneuver designed to spice up Bailon’s image.
Hancock
Genre: Superhero/Sci-Fi
Director: Peter Berg
Run time: 102 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Format: Blu-Ray
The Lowdown: “Hancock,” previously called “Tonight, He Comes…,” is a movie with more problems than a ready-made porn spoof title.
It’s the theatrical equivalent of schizophrenia.
Essentially three movies in one, “Hancock” is a superhero fantasy, a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be different and a treacly love poem about making the world a better place.
The first two movies are thoroughly entertaining, particularly on the unrated extended version rolling onto video shelves and media stores Nov. 25. The additional 10 minutes inexplicably cut from the theatrical version adds depth and nuance to the tale of John Hancock, a reluctant hero struggling to discover his true self.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the excised scenes that show the character’s vulnerability in trying to explain how different he is to an excited fangirl who simply wants to bed him as a conquest. It’s a tender, and uproariously funny, peek behind the superhero cape that comic book movies rarely allow.
Will Smith, proving once again that his July 4th streak remains intact for a reason, commands the screen as Hancock. He’s offensive and gruff, yet funny, and his honest portrayal of a conflicted soul rings entirely true. Hancock is a drunk, he’s a lout, he’s a menace and yet, the persecution he receives from an angry public elicits sympathy.
Smith isn’t making the best movies these days, not like he did with “Men in Black” or “I, Robot,” but he still manages to provide enough charisma to keep even lackluster blockbusters afloat.
His scenes flying around the city of Los Angeles, thwarting crime and causing untold millions in damage to public property are a hoot.
When he saves a PR manager (Jason Bateman) from being smashed to death by a train, the movie slides into its second act, and that’s where trouble begins.
Bateman’s character is written too loose. He’s a one-man marketing messiah who wants to convince major corporations to give away their goods in order to better society. He has a lame campaign centered around a heart. He is an eternal optimist. He refuses to take no for an answer.
His plan to reinvent Hancock as a public hero by having him atone for his public damage with a jail stint is kind of clichéd and kind of funny. The initial prison scenes are a riot, including one gag guaranteed to make you spit milk through your nose (if you happen to be drinking milk when you watch it). But the prison scenes also start to drag. Hancock’s maturation feels too pat, too contrived. There’s no real emotional journey. He just decides to finally shut his mouth, act right and fly straight (pun intended), and that’s that.
The bridge to the third and most problematic act also includes one of the worst superhero-saves-the-day scenes in the history of superhero movies. It’s not the bank robbery featuring uber-boring villain Red Parker Jr. It’s Hancock’s stilted attempt to interact with the police officers in the line of fire. It just doesn’t work, despite Smith’s immeasurable charm.
Hancock’s new role as a public darling comes with a price. He begins to learn more about his true identity and whether he may not be alone in the world as the lone person with special powers.
Watching a good-to-great film suddenly sputter, then lurch, then careen headlong into oncoming traffic with no chance to avert disaster is difficult. You can’t help but question the people behind the scenes. Did this third act actually make sense to them as they wrote it? Did this actually seem cohesive while it was being filmed?
Smith’s charm keeps him mostly unscathed. Charlize Theron takes a huge hit, however, when she is saddled with the movie’s most difficult job – trying to make an unbelievably silly swerve feel genuine.
Ultimately, the big finish feels like that time in college when you stood too long next to the keg and then foolishly decided to chat up whatever girl happened to be standing nearby. The big bang is neither climatic nor fulfilling.
Adding insult is an unnecessary epilogue featuring Bateman’s marketing campaign. And then, apparently, for no other reason than he makes us chuckle, Mike Epps shows up to mug for the camera in an even less necessary closing credits cameo.
The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – I’ve always had a thing for Charlize Theron. She even makes big steaming piles of poop like “Reindeer Games” watchable.
Nudity – Charlize isn’t shy about taking off her top (Hello, reasons no. 1 and 2 that I still watch “Reindeer Games” on cable), but here she keeps mostly clothed. And she’s still hot.
Gore – It’s not necessarily gory, but it’s pretty gross – not to mention hilarious – to see what happens when two prisoners don’t comply with Big Willie’s prison request. Head meet butt, now insert.
Drug use – Does Jameson Irish whiskey count?
Bad Guys/Killers – Eddie Marsan, the bad guy in “Hancock,” is so forgettable, so lame, so not a threat for a superhero, that he makes Tchéky Karyo’s Fouchet, the equally lightweight, incoherent foreign drug dealing villain in “Bad Boys,” seem like Hitler. You would think a movie with a budget this big would come up with a proper arch-nemesis.
Buy/Rent – I wasn’t terribly impressed with “Hancock” when I saw it in theaters. But the Unrated Extended Blu-Ray version is far superior to the original theatrical version. It’s still not a classic, but it’s one you will want to watch more than once.
Release Date – Nov. 25, 2008
Southland Tales
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Richard Kelly
Run time: 145 minutes
Rating: R
Format: Blu-Ray
The Lowdown: I love this movie.
Really, really, really love this movie.
I want you to love it too. I know you may initially resist because it’s not “Donnie Darko” and it makes even less sense than “Darko” was, which is to say not at all. But please don’t let that deter you.
This is a film full of brilliant moments connected by two convoluted subplots: The first involves black holes and space-time continuum and features two characters playing dual roles. One of those roles is a movie star playing a movie character who believes he is acting in a movie that he wrote. There’s also a nuclear explosion, a political power struggle to control a new energy source and a potential civil war. Oh yeah, and the new energy source also can be used a drug to get you really, really high. (Like I said, very convoluted)
But the entire thing is sprinkled with an amazing who’s-who roster of character actors and superstar cameos.
Some performances will surprise you. Justin Timberlake, specifically, seems to grow more confident with each new role. Sarah Michelle Gellar is as good here as she was in “Cruel Intentions,” the only two roles where she has fulfilled the promise shown on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Seann William Scott continues to add distance between his work as a serious actor and “Stiffler.” Even smaller performances by Cheri Oteri, Bai Ling and Miranda Richardson shine.
The reason “Southland Tales,” which originally was released in 2006, didn’t spark the same cult frenzy as “Donnie Darko,” I think, is Kelly’s decision to pour so many storylines into one big pot. It’s definitely difficult to follow at times.
Visually, however, this is a magnificent feast for the eyes that never grows boring. The Blu-Ray transfer sparkles, bringing to life the different devices that Kelly uses – animation, multi-screen splits, scrolling news tickers, even music video dream sequences – to further his story.
The imagery is exciting and breathtaking. It’s a calculated artistic risk that works.
So what if it doesn’t make sense? It should be enough sometimes for a movie just to dazzle and entertain.
The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Bai Ling, smokin’ hottie. Sarah Michelle Gellar, porn star hottie. Mandy Moore, unexpected hottie. Cheri Oteri, no business being a hottie, but still is. Michele Durrett, newcomer hottie. The list goes on.
Nudity – Odd – I don’t think there is any nudity. Bai Ling’s dress is held up by nothing more than nipple tape and a prayer, though.
Gore – There’s no Frank the Bunny, but appropriate carnage does take place.
Drug use – Fluid Karma, baby.
Bad Guys/Killers – USident never met a civil liberty it couldn’t trample.
Buy/Rent – Buy this movie. Go on. You have no excuse. It’s on Blu-Ray now. Go. Go now. Own it!
On the Web – http://www.southlandtales.com/
Release Date –Nov. 18, 2008
Went over to Oranldo this past weekend and checked out the Phil Noto show at Uberbot. Here are a couple pics of Phil’s work as well as a few other artists the shop had hanging.
I like Phil’s drawing style. Check out his sketchbooks on his website.
Phil Noto: “Falling Star”
Phil Noto: “Play Girl”
Erik Jones had a couple paintings along with some prints at Uberbot as well.
Erik Jones: “Blossom”
Erik Jones: “Jasmine”
This piece was hung right as you walk into the store. From the artist tag, it looked as if this was left over from a previous show that delt with video games.
Bryan Adams: “Science Of A Video Game”
A new poll by a medical association has found that Gregory House (from the FOX program “House” ) is America’s most loved and among the most disliked TV doctors.
I like House, too.
The survey by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) found that many people responded positively to House’s medical skills, while at the same time, many respondents didn’t like him because of his gruff bedside manner and poor communication skills.
Ironically, the results of the survey suggest the qualities people value most in a physician are bedside manner or communication skills (95 percent) and board certification (93 percent).
Coming in second asa favorvite on a list of 13 fictional television doctors were Marcus Welby ( “Marcus Welby, M.D.” 13 percent ), followed by Hawkeye Pierce (“M*A*S*H,” 11 percent ) and John Carter (“ER,” 10 percent).
Other TV docs mentioned in the survey, each of whom got less than 10 percent of the vote, were Cliff Huxtable (“The Cosby Show” ); Miranda Bailey (“Grey’s Anatomy” ); Derek Shepherd (“Grey’s Anatomy” ); Michaela “Mike” Quinn (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” ) ; Doogie Howser (“Doogie Howser, M.D.” ); Jack Shephard (“Lost” ); James Kildare (“Dr. Kildare” ); and Frasier Crane (“Frasier” ).
The physicians who respondents said they would least like to have as a doctor are Doogie Howser (“Doogie Howser, M.D.;” 17 percent ); Gregory House (11 percent ) and Frasier Crane (“Frasier;” 11 percent ).
Overall, the main reasons why these doctors would not be chosen by respondents were for personal qualities (31 percent) or professional reasons (29 percent.) Seven percent do not know why they wouldn’t choose them as their doctor.
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