Movie Help Web

"Dancing With the Stars" announces new contestants

2008-08-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

This morning, ABC announced the celebs competing on this season of "Dancing With the Stars." Here they are, in alphabetical order, along with their day jobs:

Lance Bass, singer
Toni Braxton, singer
Brooke Burke, model
Rocco DiSpirito, chef
Maurice Greene, Olympic gold medalist in track
Kim Kardashian, stylist/actress
Cloris Leachman, actress
Cody Linley, actor
Susan Lucci, actress
Misty May-Treanor, Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball
Ted McGinley, actor
Jeffrey Ross, comedian
Warren Sapp, NFL star

We'll get to see these 13 and their partners in action September 22.

RIP, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

2008-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Two African-American entertainers passed away over the weekend ... first, actor-comedian Bernie Mac died August 9 of complications from pneumonia. One of the original "Kings of Comedy," Mac starred in his own show from 2001 to 2006, earning two Emmy nominations, and appeared in Ocean's 11 and its two sequels. Mac was 50.

A day later, Isaac Hayes died of unknown causes. The longtime actor-singer won an Academy Award and a Grammy in 1971 for the theme to Shaft, and also voiced the role of Chef on South Park. He was 65.

Morgan Freeman seriously hurt in car accident

2008-08-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Morgan Freeman was injured in a car accident in Jackson, Mississippi. The 71-year-old actor was taken to a hospital in Memphis, where he is in serious condition, a hospital spokesman said. The accident happened shortly before midnight in rural Tallahatchie County in the Mississippi Delta, and did not appear to involve any other cars. My best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

Peter Bogdanovich appears on NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me

2008-07-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Just got done listening to Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me, the weekly news quiz on NPR. This week the special guest was none other than writer-director-actor Peter Bogdanovich, who tackled three questions about the news and chatted about early fame, one-time flame Cybill Shepherd (who, as it turns out, chose Bogandovich over Elvis), "turning down" a chance to direct The Godfather, and acting on The Sopranos. To hear the interview, click the below link (scroll down to "Not My Job"):

Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! (July 26, 2008)

"Dark Knight"' star accused of assaulting mother, sister

2008-07-22T12:10:00.001-07:00

Christian Bale was arrested by London police after allegations that he assaulted his mother, Sharon Bale, and his sister, Jenny Bale, Sunday night. Police questioned the Dark Knight star for four hours, but released him on bond without filing any charges. Bale's law firm issued a statement saying no assault had taken place; Bale's mother and sister (or at least people who appeared to be his mother and sister) had no comment. Fortunately for The Dark Knight's producers, Bale doesn't have to return for more questioning until September, meaning he won't have to leave the movie's European premiere tour.

Getty of "Golden Girls" dies at 84

2008-07-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Estelle Getty, best known as Sophia from The Golden Girls, died around 5:30 this morning in L.A., her son said. Although Getty was in her 60s during the show's run, to me she was perfect for the role of the feisty octagenarian. But don't take my word for it -- watch the below Season 1 highlights clip:

"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," co-star Betty White told the Associated Press. Amen to that.

Court tosses Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" fine

2008-07-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Good news for CBS today, in the form of a federal appeals court decision that threw out the FCC's $550,000 indecency fine for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The FCC had argued that Jackson's nudity was graphic and explicit, thus meriting the maximum fine against the network and its stations. However, the court ruled that the FCC had deviated from its usual policy of imposing fines only in instances where the indecent programming was "pervasive".

"The Commission's determination that CBS's broadcast of a nine-sixteenths of one second glimpse of a bare female breast was actionably indecent evidenced the agency's departure from its prior policy," the court said in its ruling.

There is no public comment yet from the FCC, though I can't help wondering if their private reaction included any "indecent" use of language.

TV picks for July 20-26, 2008

2008-07-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

My picks for this week's TV viewing:

Sunday, July 20: Start off the week with The Simpsons Movie (HBO, 10:15 p.m.). It's only an hour and a half -- you'll be in bed by 12.

Monday, July 21: If you want to know whether any of the gadgets in The Dark Knight could actually work, check out Batman Tech (History Channel, 9 p.m.)

Tuesday, July 22: Superspy Mike Myers faces off against evil genius Mike Myers in spy spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (FX, 8 p.m.). Groovy, baby!

Wednesday, July 23: The top eight perform on So You Think You Can Dance (FOX, 8 p.m.).

Thursday, July 24: Robert De Niro fights other boxers and his own demons in Raging Bull (IFC, 9 p.m.)

Friday, July 25: Heath Ledger's breakthrough role as a gay ranch hand came in Brokeback Mountain (Bravo, 9 p.m.).

Saturday, July 26: The Red Sox and the Yankees continue their three-game series at Fenway Park (FOX, 3:55 p.m.).

"Dark Knight" sets box office record

2008-07-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Move over, Spidey. Batman's back, and he's kicking box-office booty. According to current figures, The Dark Knight took in $155.34 million its opening weekend, beating the previous record ($151.1 million) set by Spider-Man 3 last May. (That number could go up when the final numbers are released tomorrow). The latest Batman movie, which was Heath Ledger's last role, also pulled in $67.85 million on Friday, which bested the previous opening-day record (set by Spider-Man 3 by almost $8 million.

Overall, Hollywood has had a healthy weekend, with estimated revenues of $253 million from Friday through today, more than half of it from The Dark Knight.

Movie review: The Dark Knight

2008-07-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Batman fans, here's your reading for today: the Movie Help Web review of The Dark Knight, the follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins and the swan song of actor Heath Ledger. Our reviewer got to see the film at a special midnight preview this morning; read his take on the performances of Ledger and Christian Bale, the storytelling, and whether this is the best Batman film yet, then post your comments here after you see The Dark Knight for yourself.

60th Primetime Emmy nominations: Other candidates

2008-07-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

I won't give all of the candidates in the non-drama and non-comedy categories (go to the official site for that), but here are some other nominations worth nothing:

Outstanding Reality-competition Program

The Amazing Race, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runaway, Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Late Show With David Letterman, Real Time With Bill Maher, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special

Bill Maher: The Decider, George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya!, James Taylor: One Man Band (Great Performances), Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, The Kennedy Center Honors

Outstanding Made For Television Movie

A Raisin In The Sun, Bernard And Doris, Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale, Recount, The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Outstanding Miniseries

The Andromeda Strain, Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre), John Adams, Tin Man

60th Primetime Emmy nominations: Drama

2008-07-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

This year's Emmy candidates in the Drama categories:

Outstanding Drama Series

Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, House, Lost, Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series

Boston Legal, The Mighty Rogues, directed by Arlene Sanford
Breaking Bad, Pilot, directed by Vince Gilligan
Damages, Pilot, directed by Allen Coulter
House, House's Head, directed by Greg Yaitanes
Mad Men, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot), directed by Alan Taylor

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series

Battlestar Galactica, Six Of One, written by Michael Angeli
Damages, Pilot, written by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman
Mad Men, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot) , written by Matthew Weiner
Mad Men, the Wheel, written by Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith
The Wire, 30, teleplay by/story by David Simon, story by Ed Burns

60th Primetime Emmy nominations: Comedy

2008-07-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

The primetime Emmy nominations were just announced -- here are the candidates in the Comedy categories:

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, The Office, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carrell, The Office
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series

30 Rock, Rosemary's Baby, directed by Michael Engler
Entourage, No Cannes Do, directed by Dan Attias
Flight Of The Conchords, Sally Returns, directed by James Bobin
Pushing Daisies, Pie-Lette, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
The Office, Money (Parts 1 & 2), directed by Paul Lieberstein
The Office, Goodbye, Toby, directed by Paul Feig

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series

30 Rock, Rosemary's Baby, written by Jack Burditt
30 Rock, Cooter, written by Tina Fey
Flight Of The Conchords, Yoko, written by James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, and Bret McKenzie
Pushing Daisies, Pie-Lette, written by Bryan Fuller
The Office, Dinner Party, written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky

TV picks for July 13-19, 2008

2008-07-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

My picks for this week's TV schedule:

Sunday, July 13: A double feature (with an intermission for dinner) of Some Like It Hot (TCM, 4 p.m.), with the late and great Jack Lemmon, and Meet Me in St. Louis (TCM, 8 p.m.), with the incomparable Judy Garland.

Monday, July 14: Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, which won Academy Awards for stars Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.

Tuesday, July 15: The MLB All-Star Game, the last one to be held in Yankee Stadium (aka the house that Babe Ruth built).

Wednesday: July 16: More baseball, in the form of the classic Kevin Costner flick Bull Durham (Encore, 8 p.m.)

Thursday, July 17: As a warm-up for this week's Dark Knight premiere, 2005's Batman Begins (FX, 8 p.m.)

Friday, July 18: The season premieres of my two favorite detective comedies, Monk (USA, 9 p.m.) and Psych (USA, 10 p.m.)

Saturday, July 19: Closing out the week with another comedy, the Star Trek spoof Galaxy Quest (HBO, 6 p.m.)

Brolin, Wright, "W." crew members arrested

2008-07-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright, who are shooting "W." in Shreveport, Louisiana, were arrested early yesterday morning, police said. The actors (along with five crew members) were taken into custody after they allegedly tried to stop police from breaking up a bar fight. Fortunately for production, Brolin (who plays George W. Bush in the Oliver Stone movie), has already posted bail and been released, according to the Times of Shreveport; police could not confirm whether Wright, who plays Colin Powell, had been released as well.

Four films for the Fourth of July

2008-07-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Independence Day in the U.S., which means ballgames, fireworks, and (for movie fans) July 4th films. Here are four movie picks for your holiday viewing pleasure -- two musicals, one action flick and one drama:

The Music Man -- Features the show-stopper 76 Trombones and a pair of wonderful actors in Robert Preston and Shirley Jones (yes, the future mom on The Partridge Family). Watch for Ron Howard as Jones' much younger brother ... so young he's credited as Ronny Howard.

Independence Day -- Aliens attack the White House, then get creamed by Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum's computer virus.

Born on the Fourth of July -- Based on the autobiography by Vietnam Vet-turned antiwar protester Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise got his first Academy Award nomination for playing Kovic.

1776 -- If you've ever wanted to see the Founding Fathers sing and dance, this is your chance.

Have a happy Fourth!

Opening today: "Hancock"

2008-07-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Will Smith's new movie, Hancock, opens today to make the most of the July 4 movie traffic. And judging from the trailer below, it'll need all the help it can get:

Maybe Smith fans are ready for a cynical, alcoholic homeless superhero. I'm not particularly, and judging from the 12 years it took for this script to reach the screen, I'm not alone. On the other hand, Smith has worked box-office magic before, so maybe this will fare just fine against Wanted, WALL-E and the rest of the current top 10.

As clock ticks on TV contracts, SAG and AFTRA engage in turf war

2008-06-30T12:41:00.001-07:00

The Screen Actor's Guild is set to expire at 12:01 Tuesday morning. Unlike the studios' dispute with the Writers Guild, no strike seems in the offing (at least, if you believe SAG president Alan Rosenberg, who issued a statement to that effect today). Which is fortunate, because both unions have their hands full fighting over the deal the latter's leadership has already reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

SAG has spent $150,000 on ads, e-mails, and calls trying to persuade its sister union's rank-and-file to reject the agreement. Meanwhile, various Hollywood names are lining up on one side or the other: Jack Nicholson, Laura Dern, Viggo Mortensen, and Holly Hunter against the AFTRA deal, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin for it. Meanwhile, George Clooney and other stars are urging the unions to find a middle ground. The AFTRA vote isn't until July 7, so expect at least a few more days of squabbling.

Emmy semifinalists revealed

2008-06-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to a bit of surprising Emmy news: for the first time, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has revealed the semifinalists for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series. Here are the top ten candidates in each category:

Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm*, Entourage*, Family Guy, Flight of the Conchords, The Office*, Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock, Two and a Half Men, Ugly Betty*, Weeds*

Drama: Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter*, Friday Night Lights, Greys Anatomy,
House*, Lost*, Mad Men*, The Tudors, The Wire*

The five finalists for each category (as well as the rest of the Primetime Emmys) will be announced July 17.

* Movie Help Web picks for Emmy nominations

George Carlin dies at 71

2008-06-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

George Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, died last evening of heart failure, his publicist said today. During his decades-long career, he made 23 comedy albums, produced 14 specials for HBO, wrote three books, and appeared on TV shows (he was the first person to host Saturday Night Live) as well as numerous movies.

But even without all of that, Carlin would've always had a place in history thanks to his "Seven Words" routine. A subsequent ruling by the Supreme Court allowed the FCC to ban said words from broadcast TV, and they can't be used to this day. "So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said earlier this year. He was 71 at the time of his death.

Baseball and movies

2008-06-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I visited the "Baseball as America" exhibit, which has finally made its way to Boston after six years on tour. I was pretty impressed by the sheer number of items on display, and pleased to see that the film section (which included a nice montage of clips) featured some of my favorite baseball movies. Kevin Costner's two great baseball movies, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams got prime positions, as did Robert Redford's The Natural. A League of Their Own was also well represented, with a costume-prop combo worn by star Geena Davis, and the montage included probably my favorite line in the whole film: "There's no crying in baseball!" I also enjoyed hearing Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first" routine and seeing the "You've Gotta Have Heart" song from Damn Yankees (without sound, sadly).

Movies I would've added: Eight Men Out (for the historical reference to the Black Sox scandal), The Rookie (based on a true story), and The Sandlot (to have a movie where kids were actually playing and enjoying the game). And there are plenty more suggestions where those came from ...

Cyd Charisse dies at 86

2008-06-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to report that the dancer and actress Cyd Charisse passed away in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent heart attack. Though her performing career spanned several decades, she's best known for her appearances with the two great stars of Hollywood musicals, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. The clip below, from Singin' in the Rain's "Broadway Melody" sequence, is vintage Charisse:

Tim Russert of "Meet the Press" dies at 58

2008-06-13T12:32:00.001-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that Tim Russert, journalist and host of Meet the Press, has died, according to his family. Details are very sketchy right now -- The New York Post says that Russert, 58, collapsed at NBC's Washington bureau of an apparent heart attack, which no one else is saying, and Wikipedia's bio of Russert is in a constant state of flux. Updates and confirmation, if it comes, will be posted here.

Update: CNN's Wolf Blitzer is also reporting this now.

Update: Tom Brokaw went on air at 3:39 p.m. and confirmed Russert's death of a heart attack. The network says Russert had been recording voiceovers for Meet the Press when he collapsed. He was 58.

Heigl of "Gray's Anatomy" won't request Emmy nomination

2008-06-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

How often do you hear a story like this? Actress Katherine Heigl, who won a Best Supporting ActressEmmy last year, has declined to seek another nomination this year. In a statement to the Associated Press yesterday, the star of Grey's Anatomy and last summer's Knocked Up said that she felt she didn't receive "materials" worthy of another nomination (translation: her storylines and/or dialogue weren't up to snuff), and she didn't want to take a spot away from someone else. An unexpected move, this will burnish Heigl's reputation for honesty, though I can't imagine that the producers will be terribly thrilled with her comments or her decision, especially since Heigl was the show's only winner last year. The only people who might be happy are Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, who (if nominated again) will only have to split the Grey's Anatomy vote two ways intead of three.

HBO buys stake in Ferrell's Funny or Die

2008-06-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's what executives at HBO must 've said after This Just In, a comedy website developed jointly with AOL, shut down last year. Today, the cable network announced it had bought a small stake in Will Ferrell's Funny or Die. Launched two years ago, Ferrell's site combines user-submitted video with celebrity submissions from the likes of Judd Apatow, Vince Vaughn and Ferrell himself, and according to Variety has averaged about 3.2 million unique visitors per month during the past few months (numbers that in all likelihood dwarfed those of its onetime rival). As part of the deal, Funny or Die will develop 10 half-hour episodes of programming for HBO, and there is talk of working together on live comedy tours or even a programming block on one of HBO's channels.