One of the Worst Weeks for DVD Releases in a Looong Time...

Joey here, though I may as well not be, since there are pretty much no films worth looking at this week. This is a sad week, most likely to make sure people go see The Dark Knight (and to a lesser extent Mamma Mia and perhaps even Space Chimps), and to further prove that, the PICK OF THE WEEK is only a decent film:

Meet Bill

Almost nobody saw this Aaron Eckhart film about a loser getting his life together, and while it's not so great, it's the best thing out this week. Take that as you will.

-The Bank Job was fair, but nothing more, and the scary thing is that it's by far the best of the remaining bunch.

-College Road Trip should have embarrassed Martin Lawrence into retirement, Step Up 2 The Streets made me long for the original Step Up (if that's humanly possible), Shutter was a sad excuse for a horror film, and i'm still not sure how so much talent got involved in such a huge misfire as Penelope was.

-Just to give people something to hang onto this week before we all see The Dark Knight, and my older movie picks are going to just be a list of some movies that I have been watching a lot of lately and are all far better than what we have available this week:

JFK

Charlie Bartlett

Ghosts of Mississippi

Heathers

Wolf Creek

Rocky Balboa

any of these films would satisfy you far more than what is out this week...

-So, who's ready for some Batman?

Kate Hudson Joins Rob Marshall's Nine

The Weinstein Company announced today that Academy Award nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) will join the cast of Nine, Academy Award Nominee Rob Marshall's (Memoirs of a Geisha, Chicago) adaptation of the Tony Award Winning Broadway musical. The film stars Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will be Blood) as world famous film director Guido Contini as he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life played by Hudson and the previously announced Academy Award Winners Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and Academy Award nominee Penélope Cruz. The announcement was made today by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company.

Nine was adapted by Academy Award nominee Michael Tolkin (The Player) and Academy Award winner Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, composer and lyricist for the original 1982 Broadway production that won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and was written by Arthur Kopit. Marshall and John DeLuca (Memoirs of a Geisha, Chicago) will choreograph. LUCAMAR Productions partners DeLuca and Marshall will be on board as part of the producing team, with Marc Platt serving as producer, and Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston to serve as co-executive producers. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in the UK on October 10th.

Harvey Weinstein stated: "We are thrilled that Kate Hudson is joining this group of some of the most talented and creative actors in film and it will be an incredible experience for audiences to watch this cast work under the brilliant direction of Rob Marshall. Inspired by one of cinema's most profound auteurs, Minghella's dramatic writing, and Marshall's dynamic staging will provide the actors with a daring opportunity to showcase their artistic potential."

Rob Marshall said: "It's wonderful having Kate join this extraordinary cast! Her revelatory skills as a singer and a dancer lead to the creation of the role of 'Stephanie,' a fashion reporter from Vogue working in Italy. An exciting new song, written by our composer Maury Yeston, has been added for her as well."

Nine reunites Rob Marshall and Harvey Weinstein whose last collaboration, Chicago, helped revive the Hollywood Musical earning 13 Academy Award nominations and winning six Oscars including Best Picture. The film grossed over $170 million domestically and over $300 million worldwide.

Nine also extends the Weinsteins long-lasting relationships with these actors, having previously worked with Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench on such venerable projects as The Hours, The Others, Shakespeare in Love, Chocolat, My Left Foot and Gangs of New York all of which garnered 49 Academy Award nominations and 11 wins, earning each of the actors an Oscar for their work.

Inspired by Fellini's classic film 8 1/2, Nine is a sultry and enchanting musical. Day-Lewis stars as Contini with his wife "Luisa Contini" played by Cotillard, his sultry mistress "Carla" played by Cruz, Kidman as his film star muse "Claudia Graham," Judi Dench in the role of "Lily" - his confidant and costume designer, Sophia Loren as his mother or "Mamma" and Hudson as "Stephanie" the young American fashion journalist. The role of "Saraghina" the whore from Guido’s youth is yet to be cast.

The original 1982 Broadway production of "Nine," nominated for twelve Tony Awards and winning five, including Best Musical, was directed by Tommy Tune, choreographed by Thommie Walsh, starred Raúl Juliá with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Arthur Kopit. The 2003 Broadway revival of "Nine" received eight Tony Award nominations and won two, including Best Revival of a Musical.

**Rumor has it, she is taking over the role inhabited on stage by Jane Krakowski.





Source: The Weinstein Company *** July 14, 2008***

Seven Emmy geniuses predict Thursday's award nominations

Somehow I've managed to coax six suckers brilliant kudos seers to join me in predicting the Emmy nominations that will be announced this Thursday morning: Michael Ausiello (EW.com), Matt Webb Mitovich (TVGuide.com), Marc Berman (MediaWeek), Ray Richmond (Hollywood Reporter) and our two resident Emmy gurus — our forums moderators Robert "Rob L" Licuria (AwardsHeaven.net) and Chris "Boomer" Beachum.

~ Tom O'Neil, goldderby.latimes.com

Lead Acting and Production Categories only...



So, this means they predict the following nominees:
Mad Men
Damages
House, M.D.
Boston Legal
with the 5th slot either going to LOST (snubbed since its victory for season 1) or GREY'S ANATOMY



So, this means they predict the following nominees:
30 Rock
The Office
Pushing Daisies
Two and a Half Men
Curb Your Enthusiasm



So, this means they predict the following nominees:
Hugh Laurie, House
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
James Spader, Boston Legal
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad



So, this means they predict the following nominees:
Glenn Close, Damages
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
with the fifth slot most likely going to either Patricia Arquette or Minnie Driver and maybe even Jeanne Tripplehorn.
For all we know, 6 nominees could be announced making room for both Arquette and Driver.




So, this means they predict the following nominees:
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men



So, this means they predict the following nominees:
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine

and Felicity Huffman is definitely a factor. I feel she would most likely be either a 6th nominee or replace Julia Louis-Dreyfus. However, her dramatic turn may steer her away from a comedy-based category.

R.I.P. Evelyn Keyes (1916 - 2008)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450810/

Gone With The Wind star Evelyn Keyes has died of uterine cancer. She was 91.

The actress passed away at her home in Santa Barbara, California on 4th July but the news was withheld until her death certificate had been filed, according to her close friend Allan Glaser.

Keyes played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister, Suellen, in the 1939 movie and went on to star in a variety of other films including 1949's Mrs Mike and The Seven Year Itch in 1955.

The star, who married four times, counted director John Huston and band leader Artie Shaw among her famous husbands.

After Shaw died in 2004, Keyes sued his estate, claiming that she was entitled to half of it. In July 2006 a jury ruled in her favour and awarded her $1.42 million (GBP711,000).

Her last film appearance was in 1989 in the comedy movie Wicked Stepmother.

Am I The Only One....

that gets a weird feeling inside when reading a really good book or watching a terrific movie/dvd? Joey here again, and I've experienced this on more than one occasion, like your body and your brain is aware and somewhat in awe of the greatness it is experiencing. Does anyone else ever get this feeling or am I completely insane?

Just In Case We Haven't Talked About The Dark Knight Enough...

...we'll do it some more now! Joey here, and with a week (and counting) to go until it finally hits theaters (i'll be doing the 12:01 show...what about y'all?), all we can do is drowl. As of today, it has a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This seems to be getting WALL-E type reviews, that good. Anyone out there somehow not planning to see it?

Inglorious Bastards Finally Getting Rolling?

Joey here with some potentially exciting news. According to this article: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/quentin-tarantino-unveils-inglorious-bastards/

It seems that Tarantino is showing the script off to potential backers. Does this mean we may really see the flick at Cannes next year?

More importantly, does the idea of a new Tarantino film excite you guys?

Fragments of a DVD Report

Joey here with the weekly DVD report. This week we have a few interesting options, though only one or two really stand out. Luckily, there's only one cinematic abortion to deal with. Let's jump right in with my PICK OF THE WEEK, which comes with a caveat but still is my choice nonetheless. It is:

The Tracey Fragments

- This film has yet another terrific performance from Ellen Page, and that alone would make it worth the pick, but it's decision to use a split screen approach to telling the story also makes it something different. However, that also makes it something that not everyone will be able to sit through. So, if you think you can handle it, this is definitely worth picking up.

-Also out this week worth a mention is Stop-Loss, Kimberly Peirce's soldier drama. Not everyone liked it as much as I did, but I found her work her to be as good a piece of filmmaking as her previous film (Boys Don't Cry) was. We also have The Ruins, which is a solid entry into the horror genre. If you dig that type of flick, it won't dissapoint. There's also the melodrama Sleepwalking, which is decent but nothing special, and the animated Batman: Gotham Knight, which bridges the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. If anime works for you, it's supposed to be fantastic.

-As usual, this week also has a horrible film being released. That film is Superhero Movie, and while it might not be as bad as Date Movie, it still, pardon my french, sucks out loud. Don't waste your time with this one.

-My "vintage" pick this week is one that I've been preaching about since it first came out in theaters 2 years ago. It's Half Nelson, and Ryan Gosling gives one of the best performances I've ever seen here. His Oscar nomination was well deserved for this role, and I still believe he should have won for it. Pick it up for his performance, but also take note of the unique filmmaking techniques at hand. A great film indeed.

-What will you guys be watching this week?

The Rottentomatoes Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Prior to becoming enlightened about the art of movies, I had no standard when it came to watching movies in theater. Regretfully, this led me to see movies like Inspector Gadget, the Bachelor, Godzilla, Blue Streak, Rush Hour 2, and a slew of other terrible movies. Since then, I (along with my brother Kenny) came up with a standard that saved me hundreds of dollars, time, and dignity. I don’t have a fancy name for it, and it is fairly straightforward. It’s based primarily on the tomatometer of RottenTomatoes, and it goes as follows:

Tomatometer-Willingness to Pay

100%-85%-VERY HIGH (I will probably see it unless an Act of God prevents me).
84%-79%-Medium (I like to call this the range of persuasion, which means I need a compelling/ very persuasive reason to go).
78% or below-Almost Non-Existent (It will take an exception or a gun to my face to make me go see it in a theater).

*Exceptions apply from 84% to 60%

*Developed by Kenneth and Keith Lucas

This simple criterion has saved me a great deal of time in the movie theater, and money. Some people say my system is too rigid, and I’ve engaged in fruitless debates about why I should change. However, like every rule, there are exceptions. So the method isn’t absolute. Here are a few of the exceptions:

1. Nostalgia Exception- this includes childhood movies, old TV shows turned into movies, and old childhood movies remade. “Childhood” is pretty vague, so use your discretion wisely. Watching Inspector Gadget or Street Fighters in theaters is not using your discretion wisely…

2. Dating Exception- I will probably never take a girl to go see There Will Be Blood (on a first date) unless I am absolutely sure she knows who Daniel-Day Lewis is. There are just some movies that are suitable for dating (i.e. 90 percent of Matthew Mcconaughey’s movies), while others are not (90 percent of the movies I like). Oh the conundrum…

3. “Job on the Line” or George Costanza Exception-Don’t lose your job because you can’t stomach watching a Chris O’Donnell movie. If your boss loves the Bachelor or Batman and Robin, and wants everyone to go, then go. This is just a cost that you will have to accept unless you don’t have anyone to report to or don’t mind being unemployed. (Also applicable to film critics since your job depends on reviewing movies of all sort)

I don’t want to spell out all of the exceptions. But I guarantee that if you follow this method, you will feel better about yourself, your marriage will be saved, world hunger will end, and no more movies like Little Man will be made. I understand that this is the age of Ignorance, but going to the theater to see White Chicks only sustains an institution that has caused many of the world problems. This is the institution of making crappy movies, and until we stop going to see them, we will continue to get annual Vin Diesel or Eddie Murphy movies. So let’s fight the system! It will start from the bottom, but in this age, anything is possible…

In Case Hancock Didn't Do It For You...

Joey here, and if Will Smith let you down over the 4th of July, have no fear, because if you live near a market playing The Wackness, go out and see it now! It's very good, and not at all, well...wack. Details to come soon, but suffice to say, this is a very good and very funny indie movie.

-Was Hancock any better than I Am Legend? Please say it was...

Dark Knight Blues

It's Keith on the one and twos...

I'm trying to figure out a way to avoid getting too hyped for The Dark Knight. I've been counting down intensely for the last year. But, I don't want to over anticipate the movie. I've done this a few times, and seldom does it turn out good for me (see American Gangster, Superman Returns, and Spider-man 3). I need to figure out a way to stop thinking about the Dark Knight until the 18th.

Any good advice on avoiding this?

New CONTEST!

ACADEMY IDOL will be coming this November! And we are running a contest to design the new Academy Idol Logo...

You can submit as many pictures as you want, all entries must be submitted by August 31st! YOU, then will vote for your favorite and the new banner will be used during the episodes of the season.

Prizes will be four free movie tickets, name on the credits at the end of each episode, and any DVD of their choice. GOOD LUCK!

Send pictures to: claytondavis@awardscircuit.com

To watch last year's episode LOOK HERE

or

http://www.youtube.com/user/thetrilogy911

Updates and Predictions

New Predictions of the MainSite. (Starting with Best Picture) Also Myles Big Opening Article and more updates to come.

I wish everyone a SAFE, and BBQ'd FILLED 4th of July weekend.

By the way, thank all of you for the birthday wishes, highly appreciated!

Take A Listen To This!

http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/thedarkknight/

Joey here...could The Dark Knight also have the best score of the year as well?

Listen and comment!

It Certainly Looks Like...

...The Dark Knight is poised for a huge impact when it opens. Joey here, and at this point, I just can't see this film being bad at all. No negative reviews so far, more and more kickass clips/trailers popping up, and box office-wise, I just tried to buy tickets for the midnight IMAX show the wednesday it opens and it's already sold out. Wow.

-Bring on the caped crusader and the clown prince of crime!

Emmy Top 10 Lists

**** = likely nominees, ~~~ = likely winner


*Drama Actor*

****Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" ("The Wheel")
Denis Leary, "Rescue Me" ("Babyface")
****Hugh Laurie, "House" ("House's Head")
****Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" ("Pilot")
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy" (episode?)
****James Spader, "Boston Legal" ("The Court Supreme") ~~~
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment" ("Paul and Gina: Week 4")
Eddie Izzard, "The Riches" ("Last Temptation of Wayne")
****Michael C. Hall, "Dexter ("There's Something About Harry")
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights" ("Last Day of Summer")

*Drama Actress*

****Glenn Close, "Damages" ("Pilot")
****Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" ("Manhunt")
Patricia Arquette, "Medium" ( "Aftertaste")
Minnie Driver, "The Riches" ("Dead Calm")
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men" ("The Hobo Code")
Mary McDonnell, "Battlestar Galactica" ("Faith"
Jeanne Tripplehorn, "Big Love" ("Take Me As I Am")
****Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters" ("History Repeating")
****Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace" ("Tacos, Tulips, Duck and Spices") ~~~
****Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" ("Undercover")

*Drama Supporting Actor*

Naveen Andrews, "Lost" ("The Economist")
****John Slattery, "Mad Men" ( "Long Weekend")
Jake Weber, "Medium" ("Wicked Game, Part 1")
****Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages" ("I Hate These People")
Blair Underwood, "In Treatment" ("Alex: Week 6")
Bruce Dern, "Big Love" ("Good Guys and Bad Guys")
T.R. Knight, "Grey's Anatomy" ("Freedom, Parts 1 & 2")
****Ted Danson, "Damages" ("Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker")
****Michael Emerson, "Lost" ("The Shape of Things to Come") ~~~
****Christian Clemenson, "Boston Legal" ("Roe vs. Wade, The Musical")

*Drama Supporting Actress*

****Sharon Gless, "Burn Notice" ("Identity")
Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men" ("Babylon")
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy" ("The Becoming")
Jill Clayburgh, "Dirty Sexy Money" ("The Watch")
****Rose Byrne, "Damages" ("Because I Know Patty")
Jane Alexander, "Tell Me You Love Me" (Episode 10)
S. Epatha Merkerson, "Law and Order" ("Bottomless")
****Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal" ("The Mighty Rogues")
****Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment" ("Paul and Gina: Week ?")
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters" ("Domestic Issues")
**** Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy" ("Lay Your Hands on Me") ~~~

*Drama Guest Guest Actor*

**** Charles Durning, "Rescue Me" ("Yaz")
Oliver Platt, "Nip-Tuck" ("Carly Summers")
**** Peter O'Toole, "The Tudors" ("Episode 208")~~~
**** Keith Carradine, "Dexter" ("Morning Comes")
Stanley Tucci, "E.R." ("The War Comes Home")
Glynn Turman, "In Treatment" ("Alex: Week 8")
**** Robert Morse, "Mad Men" ("Nixon vs. Kennedy")
Peter Riegert, "Damages" ("Do You Regret What We Did?")
Danny Glover, "Brothers and Sisters" ("The Feast of Epiphany")
**** Robin Williams, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit ("Authority")

*Drama Series*

****"Damages" (Pilot)
"House" ("Frozen")
"The Tudors" (#205)
****"Lost" ("The Constant")
"The Wire" (Series finale, "30")
"Dexter" ("The Dark Defender")
****"Boston Legal" ("The Court Supreme")
****"Grey’s Anatomy" ("Freedom, Parts 1 and 2")
**** "Mad Men" (Pilot, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes")~~~
"Friday Night Lights" ("Leave No One Behind")


*Comedy Actor*

Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies" ("Pie-lette")
Steve Carell, "The Office" ("Goodbye, Toby")
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" ("Rosemary's Baby")
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" ("Mr. Monk and the ???")
David Duchovny, "Californication" ("The Last Waltz")
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ("The Bat Mitzvah")
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men" ("Is There a Mrs. Waffles?")
----3 more to come----

*Comedy Actress*

**** Tina Fey, "30 Rock" ("Sandwich Day")~~~
Anna Friel, "Pushing Daisies" ("Bitter Sweets")
****Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds" ("Bill Sussman")
****America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty" ("Odor in the Court")
Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives" ("Now You Know")
Eva Longoria Parker, "Desperate Housewives" ("In Buddy's Eyes")
****Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" ("The Restraining Order")
Sarah Silverman, "The Sarah Silverman Program" ("Bored of the Rings")
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives" ("Now I Know, Don't Be Scared")
****Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine" ("One and a Half Men")

*Comedy Supporting Actor*

Justin Kirk, "Weeds" ("Bill Sussman")
****Rainn Wilson, "The Office" ("Money")
****Jack McBrayer, "30 Rock" ("Episode 210")
John Krasinski, "The Office" ("Branch Wars")
Tracy Morgan, "30 Rock" ("Secrets and Lies")
****Jeremy Piven, "Entourage" ("The Day F***ers")
Fred Willard, "Back to You" ("Cradle to Grave")
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage" ("The Dream Team")
****Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother" ("The Goat")
****Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men" ("Meander to Your Dander") ~~~

*Comedy Supporting Actress*

****Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds" ("Risk")
Jenna Fischer, "The Office" ("Fun Run")
Judith Light, "Ugly Betty" ("I See Me, ICU")
Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock" ("The Collection")
****Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies" ("Girth")
****Jean Smart, "Samantha Who? ("The Girlfriend")
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live" ("Tina Fey")
****Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty" ("Bananas for Betty") ~~~
Conchata Ferrell, "Two and a Half Men" ("Fish in a Drawer")
****Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men" ("Media Room Slash Dungeon")

*Comedy Guest Actress*

Edie Falco, "30 Rock" ("Episode 210")
****Annie Potts, "Ugly Betty" ("Zero Worship")
Amy Ryan, "The Office" ("Goodbye Toby")
****Elaine Stritch, "30 Rock" ("LudaChristmas")
Carrie Fisher, "30 Rock" ("Rosemary's Baby")
****Polly Bergen, "Desperate Housewives" ("Distant Past")
Vivica A. Fox, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ("The Rat Dog")
****Sarah Silverman, "Monk" ("Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan") ~~~
Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives" ("Welcome to Kanagawa")
****Jane Lynch, "Two and a Half Men" ("Rough Night in Hump Junction")
Shirley Knight, "Desperate Housewives" ("If There's Anything I Can't Stand")

*Comedy Series*

"Weeds" ("Go")
**** "30 Rock" ("Cooter") ~~~
****"The Office" ("Local Ad")
****"Pushing Daisies" ("Pie-lette")
"Entourage" ("The Day F***ers")
"Family Guy" ("Padre de Famila")
"Flight of the Conchords" ("Sally Returns")
****"Curb Your Enthusiasm" ("The Bat Mitzvah")
"Ugly Betty" ("Something Wicked This Way Comes")
****"Two and a Half Men" ("Rough Night in Hump Junction")

The DVD Releases This Week Suggest One Thing...

...Go See WALL-E! Joey here, and the dvd releases this week are indeed relatively weak and of course coinciding with the upswing in big movie releases at the multiplex. That being said, as always I'm able to come up with a PICK OF THE WEEK, and this week's pick is:

-My Blueberry Nights

Wong Kar Wai's first english language film isn't perfect, but it oozes atmosphere and features a star studded cast and a rather good romance to boot. Norah Jones is the big suprise here, but everyone does good work.

-Also out this week on the positive side is City of Men, which is good, but not City of God good, and the comedy Sex and Death 101. This got a very limited release but comes from the man behind Heathers and is also a fairly dark comedy. This also has a really interesting premise, and while it's flawed, it's still not bas at all.

-Released this week as well, but of less quality is Vantage Point, which was not nearly as good as the marketing made you think it was, Drillbit Taylor, which was nowhere near as funny as the presence of Judd Apatow would have you think, and the shameless cash-in Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control. This looks just horrid and may actually taint Get Smart by its simple existence.

-My old school pick this week is the Kevin Costner sports vehicle For Love of the Game. Sam Raimi directed this and made a good book into a great sports drama about an aging pitcher. Seek it out if it sounds like your type of thing.

-Once again...Go See WALL-E!!!!!!!