When I heard a news teaser yesterday about a new Burger King ad being pulled off the air for being “offensive” I knew exactly which one it was. I had seen it several times, and thought it was mildly funny, but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before some people would be up in arms about it.

Oh, I get it. SpongeBob SQUARE pants! And as a product of the MTV generation, I know that song well. But I figured that many parents would think it inappropriate, as the ad is for a Kid’s Meal.

But guess what? That’s not the ad in question at all - apparently no one has a problem with using booty shaking and an extremely sexual song to promote a product geared towards children.

Nope, the ad that has been banned by Burger King is this one, for BK’s Texican Whopper:

My first thought was that it is “offensive” to professional wrestlers, but apparently that’s not it. According to the Houston Chronicle, the ad is “offensive” in “half a dozen ways”, including the argument that the cape worn by the luchador looks too much like the Mexican national flag, and that the pool scene looked as if it were implying that the Mexican character was swimming across the Rio Grande.

I’m speechless. Maybe I’m insensitive, but I watched that ad five times, and never made either of those connections.

While neither of these BK ads really offends me, it’s the first one that I would have suspected of drawing the fire… But what the heck do I know?

I don’t know much about his new film, Funny People but the new trailer was recently introduced and it looks promising. Adam Sandler joins Seth, Jonah and the Apatow gang for what looks to be not only funny, but also a little tragic.

Check out the trailer for Judd Apatow’s Funny People:

…and now your blog bonus feature, the Apatow directed Oscars spot featuring a montage of some of the best and worst comedies of 2008

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay: Milk
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Costume Design: The Duchess
Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Music (Original Score): Slumdog Millionaire
Best Music (Original Song): Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire
Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Feature Film: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film: Departures
Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
Best Documentary Short: Smile Pinki
Best Short Film (Animated): La Maison en Petits Cubes
Best Short Film (Live Action): Toyland

Tally:

Slumdog Millionaire — 8
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — 3
The Dark Knight, Milk — 2
Departures, The Duchess, Man on Wire, The Reader, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, WALL-E — 1

Obviously some of these are before my time, but they are all poignant and have molded the Academy Awards show into what it is today:

Roberto Benigni Goes Nuts

Sally Field - “You Really Like Me”

So, the Academy is ridiculous, so the rest of these aren’t embedding properly, but if you double click you can watch them at the YouTube Page.

Jack Palance Finally Wins After 40+ Years in Hollywood

Scorsese’s LONG Overdue Directing Oscar

Princess Little Feather Accepts for Marlon Brando

Charlie Chaplin Gets a Long-Deserved Oscar

I miss you. Please begin filming Arrested Development: The Movie soon.

The End.

I don’t expect it will be up long before it is forcebly taken down, but for now you can catch a glimpse without having to…er getting to watch Jason kill folks at Camp Crystal Lake.

But hold to your helmet! This summer, from the creators of Oregon Trail and Tetris: The Movie, comes DIG DUG: Rise of the Pookas.

Tickets go on sale in March at all Game Stop and Play N Trade locations. Dig it!

Many wondered if a Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway DVD would follow, and today I found out that it not only will, but that it will be released across the country on Tuesday, February 3rd. Grab your copy and hold on to the Rent legacy forever.

No day but today.

Today I saw this new preview for the geekiest movie of the year. Definitely could be funny!

Fanboys hits the theaters this summer and stars Princes Leia, Lando Calrissian, Darth Maul, Shooter McGavin, Those warehouse guys from The Office, The Guy from Tropic Thunder, Jay, The Guy from Die Hard 4, The Hot Chick from Sin City, and Captain James T. Kirk.

Kristen Bell, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, and Will Forte also appear. Check it out:

Now it looks as if Randy ‘The Ram’ may be the next to enter the pay per view world as Mickey Rourke seems to be taking his personae into the WWE. Rumors have persisted for the last few weeks that the WWE may be looking to capitalize on Rourke’s success by bringing his character into the storylines leading up to WrestleMania - certainly The Wrestler would naturally share a huge fanbase with the WWE and vice versa.

On Larry King Live last night one of the WWE Superstars, Chris Jericho, “called out” Rourke, further implying that a match may be imminent.

I am all about viral advertising and I know how rabid WWE fans can be, so I think this could be a huge partnership for the WWE as well The Wrestler, which I consider to be solidly in the top three films of the year.

Here are the nominees and winners (in bold) from last night:

Awards for Outstanding Performances in Primetime Television

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• LAURA DERN as Katherine Harris - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
• LAURA LINNEY as Abigail Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
• SHIRLEY MacLAINE as Coco Chanel - “COCO CHANEL” (Lifetime)
• PHYLICIA RASHAD as Lena Younger - “A RAISIN IN THE SUN” (ABC)
• SUSAN SARANDON as Doris Duke - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• RALPH FIENNES as Bernard Lafferty - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)
• PAUL GIAMATTI as John Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
• KEVIN SPACEY as Ron Klain - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
• KIEFER SUTHERLAND as Jack Bauer - “24: REDEMPTION” (FOX)
• TOM WILKINSON as Benjamin Franklin - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• SALLY FIELD as Nora Walker - “BROTHERS & SISTERS” (ABC)
• MARISKA HARGITAY as Det. Olivia Benson - “LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT” (NBC)
• HOLLY HUNTER as Grace Hanadarko - “SAVING GRACE” (TNT)
• ELISABETH MOSS as Peggy Olson - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• KYRA SEDGWICK as Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• MICHAEL C. HALL as Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)
• JON HAMM as Don Draper - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• HUGH LAURIE as Gregory House - “HOUSE” (FOX)
• WILLIAM SHATNER as Denny Crane - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)
• JAMES SPADER as Alan Shore - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• CHRISTINA APPLEGATE as Samantha Newly - “SAMANTHA WHO?” (ABC)
• AMERICA FERRERA as Betty Suarez - “UGLY BETTY” (ABC)
• TINA FEY as Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• MARY-LOUISE PARKER as Nancy Botwin - “WEEDS” (Showtime)
• TRACEY ULLMAN as Various Characters - “TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• STEVE CARELL as Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
• DAVID DUCHOVNY as Hank Moody - “CALIFORNICATION” (Showtime)
• JEREMY PIVEN as Ari Gold - “ENTOURAGE” (HBO)
• TONY SHALHOUB as Adrian Monk - “MONK” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
• THE CLOSER (TNT)
• DEXTER (Showtime)
• HOUSE (Fox)
• MAD MEN (AMC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• 30 ROCK (NBC)
• DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
• ENTOURAGE (HBO)
• THE OFFICE (NBC)
• WEEDS (Showtime)

Awards for Outstanding Performances in Film

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• AMY ADAMS as Sister James - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• PENÉLOPE CRUZ as Maria Elena - “VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA” (The Weinstein Company)
• VIOLA DAVIS as Mrs. Miller - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• TARAJI P. HENSON as Queenie - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
• KATE WINSLET as Hanna Schmitz - “THE READER” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• JOSH BROLIN as Dan White - “MILK” (Focus Features)
• ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. as Kirk Lazarus - “TROPIC THUNDER” (Paramount Pictures)
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN as Father Brendan Flynn - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• HEATH LEDGER as Joker - “THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• DEV PATEL as Older Jamal - “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• ANNE HATHAWAY as Kym - “RACHEL GETTING MARRIED” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• ANGELINA JOLIE as Christine Collins - “CHANGELING” (Universal Pictures)
• MELISSA LEO as Ray Eddy - “FROZEN RIVER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• MERYL STREEP as Sister Aloysius Beauvier - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
• KATE WINSLET as April Wheeler - “REVOLUTIONARY ROAD” (Paramount Vantage)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• RICHARD JENKINS as Walter Vale - “THE VISITOR” (Overture Films)
• FRANK LANGELLA as Richard Nixon - “FROST/NIXON” (Universal Pictures)
• SEAN PENN as Harvey Milk - “MILK” (Focus Features)
• BRAD PITT as Benjamin Button - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
• MICKEY ROURKE as Randy - “THE WRESTLER” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)
• DOUBT (Miramax)
• FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
• MILK (Focus Features)
• SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Check out this new viral marketing campaign for Watchmen in the form of a news reel from March 11, 1970.

I don’t know very much about Watchmen yet, but this is pretty clever and definitely piqued my interest in the movie and the Dr. Manhattan character.

I absolutely loved The Dark Knight, and I am extremely impressed that it is now the second highest-grossing film of all time. However I still think that it is overrated. Keep in mind that something can be overrated and still be extremely good. But based on the incredible, ridiculous amount of hype that The Dark Knight garnered, I don’t think there is any way it could have possibly lived up. I can’t help but wonder how the film would have made out if Heath Ledger had not died.

Additionally, only one of this year’s nominated films has had a wide release prior to the Oscar deadline and that one (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has only been released for a month. I think if more people had a chance to see the other nominated films they wouldn’t be as quick to chastise the Academy for leaving out their favorite. There really are some great films out there this year (I personally would have loved to see Gran Torino and The Wrestler get more love) and The Dark Knight is certainly one of them - but certainly not the only one.
By the way: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, and Frost/Nixon all open nation-wide today.

History will be - as it always is - the judge of where The Dark Knight fits into the 2008 film hierarchy, and even more so, where it fits into the annals of film history. The good news is: the film will live on as an Oscar winner as Heath Ledger is a sure thing to win Best Supporting Actor - it won’t even be close!

While no trailers have been released yet, someone did send me a fan made trailer that might give us an idea of what we might be in for. Check it out and see if you can figure out who all of the actors are and which movies they used to create the trailer.

I can proudly say that this year, I have only seen one of nominated films. Check ‘em out:

Worst Supporting Actress

• Carmen Electra (Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans)
• Paris Hilton (Repo! The Genetic Opera)
• Kim Kardashian (Disaster Movie)
• Jenny McCarthy (Witless Protection)
• Leelee Sobieski (88 Minutes, In The Name of the King)

Worst Supporting Actor

• Uwe Boll (Postal)
• Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia!)
• Ben Kingsley (The Love Guru, War, Inc, The Wackness)
• Burt Reynolds (Deal, In The Name of the King)
• Verne Troyer (The Love Guru, Postal)

Worst Actress

• Jessica Alba (The Eye, The Love Guru)
• The Cast of The Women (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith
  and Meg Ryan)
• Cameron Diaz (What Happens in Vegas)
• Paris Hilton (The Hottie and The Nottie)
• Kate Hudson (Fools Gold, My Best Friend’s Girl)

Worst Actor

• Larry the Cable Guy (Witless Protection)
• Eddie Murphy (Meet Dave)
• Mike Myers (The Love Guru)
• Al Pacino (88 Minutes, Righteous Kill)
• Mark Wahlberg (The Happening, Max Payne)

Worst Director

• Uwe Boll (1968: Tunnel Rats, In The Name Of The King, Postal)
• Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer (Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans)
• Tom Putnam (The Hottie and the Nottie)
• Marco Schnabel (The Love Guru)
• M. Night Shyamalan (The Happening)

Worst Screenplay

• Disaster Movie and Meet The Spartans
• The Happening
• The Hottie And The Nottie
• In The Name Of The King:A Dungeon Siege Tale
• The Love Guru

Worst Picture

• Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
• The Happening
• The Hottie and The Nottie
• In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
• The Love Guru

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Adams - Doubt
• Penelope Cruz - Vickie Christina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marissa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor

• Josh Brolin- Milk
• Robert Downey, Jr.- Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
• Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
• Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Actor

• Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
• Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn - Milk
• Brat Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler

Best Actress

• Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Melissa Leo - Frozen River
• Meryl Streep - Doubt
• Kate Winslet - The Reader

Original Screenplay

• Frozen River
• Happy Go Lucky
  
• In Bruges
  
• Milk
• Wall -E
  

Direction

• David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
• Gus Van Sant - Milk
• Stephen Daldry - The Reader
• Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

What’ya think? The Oscars Ceremony will be held one month from today on February 22nd.

Check out the new full-length trailer.

Fast and Furious brings back Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez as well as Paul Walker and it opens on April 3rd.

Here are the Nominees and Winners (bolded) from last night. I am particularly excited about Mickey Rourke for his amazing performance in The Wrestler. Also, Heath Ledger’s win for The Dark Knight is huge and could be a prelude to a posthumous Oscar. The big winner of the night was Slumdog Millionaire - the Hollywood/Bollywood collaborative effort about a young man who has the opportunity to win 1 Million rupees on an Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”.

To the list:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas – I’ve Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell – In Bruges
James Franco – Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I’ve Loved You So Long (France)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Written by Eric Roth
Doubt - Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon - Written by Peter Morgan
The Reader - Written by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire - Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Composed by Alexandre Desplat
Changeling - Composed by Clint Eastwood
Defiance - Composed by James Newton Howard
Slumdog Millionaire - Composed by A. R. Rahman
Frost/Nixon - Composed by Hans Zimmer

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

“Down To Earth” – Wall-E - Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
“Gran Torino” – Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
”I Thought I Lost You” – Bolt - Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele
“Once In A Lifetime” – Cadillac Records - Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street
“The Wrestler” – The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen

Best Television Series - Drama

Dexter (SHOWTIME)
House (FOX)
In Treatment (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order
January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)
Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment (HBO)
Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (SHOWTIME)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)
Kevin Connolly – Entourage (HBO)
David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
Tony Shalhoub – Monk (USA)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

A Raisin In The Sun (ABC)
Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Cranford (PBS)
John Adams (HBO)
Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)
Laura Linney – John Adams (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine – Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Ralph Fiennes – Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Paul Giamatti – John Adams (HBO)
Kevin Spacey – Recount (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Eileen Atkins – Cranford (PBS)
Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)
Melissa George – In Treatment (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Dianne Wiest – In Treatment (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Denis Leary – Recount (HBO)
Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)
Blair Underwood – In Treatment (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson – John Adams (HBO)