Hitting theaters this upcoming Friday(in limited release,a more widespread one will be out by August 10th) is the Jane Austen biopic,Becoming Jane,that many Austenites dread will sully the good name of our favorite writer gal.
I've had those doubts myself but am now just giving in to the hoopla,particularly since the film seems to be igniting a revival of Austenmania that we haven't seen since Colin Firth made Mr. Darcy the ultimate wet shirted heartthrob of the Regency era low those many moons ago.
Becoming Jane will soon be followed by the movie version of Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club and speaking of books,there are a number of Austen related titles arriving at your local booksellers such as Laurie Viera Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict(which I loved) and Shannon Hale's Austenland,which one of my good blog buddies,Robin Brande,has been saying such great things about.
And if that wasn't enough,PBS will be launching "The Complete Jane Austen" on Masterpiece Theater,starting in January of 2008. A story based on Austen's letters and diaries called Miss Austen Regrets will be part of the mix. The main bulk of their Austenfest will be newly made versions of Sense and Sensibility,Mansfield Park,Persuasion and Northanger Abbey(which really needed a remake;the only one out there is more like watching an old Hammer horror film than a JA flick),along with the now classic Pride and Prejudice from A&E and the Kate Beckinsale Emma(which is my personal favorite).
A good number of the PBS adaptations(including Emma and NA) were written by Andrew Davies,who shot to acclaim after helming the infamous P&P miniseries,and who has adapted several other classic novels into great films like Wives and Daughters and last year's Bleak House. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Davies on my Austen tour of England a few years ago(he was our group's guest speaker in Bath)and was able to not only get his autograph on a JA bookmark but to ask him alittle about the then upcoming miniseries version of Daniel Deronda that he was working on. Davies was a delightful man and as witty as his screenplays. It was a real honor to be in his prescence.
So,why Jane again and why now? Perhaps enough time had passed from the last bout of Jane-itis that we can fully enjoy her words and wit all over again. Also,not to get too sociopolitical(which is something I prefer to avoid like the plague),but another factor in this equation may be the fact that soon we will be having a change of the guard in our government and some of the uncertainty demands abit of comfort that only Our Jane can provide.
And what advice can she give us on that front? Well,that whatever life throws your way,you can always find solace in your family and community of true friends and neighbors. Also,that achieving your heart's desire requires both patience and persistence,on man's part as well as woman's. Sounds like pretty solid ideals to me. So,let us all rejoice in the magic that is Jane Austen and get our dancing shoes on to trip the mind and soul fantastic:
On this weekend's Ebert and Roeper movie review show,it was announced that on August 2,Roger Ebert will be doing a live online chat with fans to promote the new "Balcony Archives" website,which will feature a number of the classic Siskel & Ebert reviews(many of which have been lost or damaged over the years)along with current Ebert/Roeper vids as well. As of this writing,there hasn't yet been an media story or any links available but I will update this story later in the week when that info becomes public.
UPDATE: The official Ebert & Roeper site has now added some info regarding the online chat this Thursday,beginning at 7:00 PM. If you would like to submit a question,just click here to do so!
I'm very happy to hear this,since one of my favorite childhood memories was watching Siskel & Ebert with my family. We discovered the movie mavens on PBS(along with many moviegoers across the country)on Sneak Previews and then later,kept up with them when the show got syndicated and was reborn as "At The Movies." We didn't always get to see the latest films out there but by watching Roger and Gene,we never felt out of touch with the current cinema buzz:
SNEAK PREVIEWS OPENING
AT THE MOVIES OPENER
Siskel and Ebert not only made talking about the art of film mainstream and fun,they also had great debates over why they did or didn't like a movie. Some of the best chemistry between them emerged during a rousing argument,which was one of the reasons I looked forward to watching them every week. Here's one example,where the two of them clash on David Lynch's Blue Velvet:
While they could heatedly debate the quality of a film,both Siskel and Ebert were as equally passionate about things they argeed upon,like bad trends in film making(the depiction of women was a sore point at many times)and their pleas for better made movies in all genres,such as this spotlight shone on Halloween as a superior horror movie and one that others would've done well to emulate instead of most of cranked out slasher films of the day:
With Gene's passing, other reviewers tried to take up the gauntlet but to no avail. Roger went thru a number of co-hosts before settling on Richard Roeper(who is too wishy washy for my taste)and now with Ebert in bad health as well,another great advocate for movie love may no longer be with us.
Granted,I don't always agree with many of Ebert's opinions regarding film(his review of the latest Harry Potter movie seemed very out of touch with the scope of the series but then again,maybe he just doesn't like wizard angst)but I can't deny the cultural impact he and Siskel have made on the current state of film appreciation. The Siskel & Ebert phenom has become such a pop culture staple that it's regular fodder for parodies,like this great bit from Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle:
I also have to admit that Roeper has growed on me alittle,especially with the rotating mix of co-hosts to review movies with. It gives folks a chance to check out people who they've never seen on TV before or film makers like Kevin Smith defend those little movies they love,regardless of mockery:
The Balcony Archives sounds like a great opportunity, not only for film lovers to relive the glory days of Siskel & Ebert but for new generations to discover what the fuss was all about and catch the fandom fever themselves. It'll also be excellant for people to talk live to Roger Ebert(I'd like to know whatever happened to Sparky the Wonder Dog). All in all,it's good to know that come what may,the balcony will still be open and I'll be able to see the likes of them again at the movies:
Blogger note: My thanks to everyone who voted in the very first LRG poll-the winner of "Who is your favorite HP Villian" was Snape and the big loser was Draco(no votes or love for Malfoy!). I'm thrilled about this fun new feature and will gladly take suggestions on polling topics(pop culture subjects only,please!).
I got a great surprise this week as I looked over the current list of DVD releases. Seems that someone decided to give The Monster Squad a special two-disc anniversary edition.This little known movie came out in the late 1980s and did some time in theaters and on the cable channel circuit(where I first saw it)but has pretty much been persona non grata on the DVD market until now.
The plot of the film is pretty much a combo of The Goonies and Scooby Doo,with some old school Creature Feature vibes poured into the mix. A group of misfit kids team up to stop a group of monsters,lead by Dracula(Duncan Regehr)who are looking for a magic amulet that can pull all of the forces of evil into limbo. Naturally,Drac would like nothing better than to smash that sucker and set off a reign of darkness there.
The movie was made by Tri Star and they were under major pressure not to copy any of their monster designs from the Universal Studios films(they even had to tweak a few names like calling one monster "Gill Man"). Some of the monsters were played by actors who went on to more notable cult movie roles,like Napoleon Dynamite's Uncle Rico(John Gries)as the Wolfman in human form and Tom Noonan as a very sympathic Frankenstein's monster:
With a movie like this,folks have their favorite goofy lines and kickass moments. Most of the Monster Squad fans loved the part where two of the boys are facing the Wolfman and from a swift kick to the crotch,discover that"Wolfman's got nards!" My favorite bit in this movie is when Dracula tries to spot the amulet ritual by grabbing a cute little five year old girl by the chin(a virgin was needed to say the magical chant and yes,they could only find a little girl at the last minute),lifts her off the ground and hisses""Give me that amulet,you BITCH!" Just the way that Duncan Regehr delivers that line,in total scary seriousness,cracks me up.
Monster Squad was directed by Fred Dekker,who also made a much more gruesome horror comedy movie,Night of the Creeps(which I did see in a movie theater near me). Both films share the same earnestness of the characters who don't do the obvious wink and nudge approach to the unearthly menance out to get them.
Dekker also co-wrote the Monster Squad script with Shane Black(NOTC was written by Dekker alone),which accounts for some of the love and care given to this mix of genres. NOTC is also not currently available on DVD but perhaps with this new release of Monster Squad,it could perhaps see the light of day soon.
So,if you haven't seen this fun little kiddie fright flick before,just add it to your Netflix queue or check it out at your local video store. I know plenty of the diehard fans are rejoicing here and why not join the party?
Top Chef,instead of giving us another new episode,presented a "Watch What Happens" reunion special(a little early for that,isn't it?)that had folks from each season sharing their experiences on the show. Season One was represented by Harold,Lee Ann and Dave,Season Two had Ilan(wearing a tuxedo suit with no socks-when it comes to fashion,clearly his taste is in his mouth),Sam,Cliff and Michael and all of eliminated chefs up to this point stood in for the current season.
It was duly noted that Marcal had been asked to come but was on a "fishing trip" and can you really blame him? A few questions were asked about the Marcelgate incident with Cliff insisting that it was all meant in stresed out,drunken fun(my interpretation,anyway). A montage of TC fights were shown(a good number featuring Marcel),along with audition tapes,a never before clip of the Season 2 Final Five holding a mock Quickfire Challenge and a video of Ilan's Aspen Food and Wine cooking contest,where he snarked that Sam"surrounds himself with ladies because he's insecure." Well,you would be the expert on that subject,now wouldn't you,Ilan? Personally,I never thought Sam was that hot in the looks department. Not bad looking but he just doesn't make my water boil over.
The judges got abit of ribbing,as well,with Judge Tom's style of dissecting his food on the plate and some defensiveness from Sandee when the question of "Do you know who you're going to eliminated before you get to the Judge's Table?" came up. I didn't like the whole cheesy"Padma is De Sexy" montage that followed the rather distasteful viewer question of "How can you guys cook when Padma is around? I would eat anything off of her...I'd drink her bathwater!". As Buffy once said to Spike,"Ewww!" Yes, it was mentioned that Judge Tom is considered attractive to folks who like "bear" men but that was done with much more class and good natured humor. Padma didn't seem to have a probelm with it,but I was very put off by that needless pandering.
There were plenty of positive moments,like Lee Ann(who looked great)talking about her role as culinary producer on the show,Harold(who can steam up my windows anytime)giving us a preview of his NYC restaurant,Perilla(I noticed that Ilan pretty much went into stammer mode as he was asked about what his big plans were) and hearing some inquiries from Project Runway's Tim Gunn(who is a big fan of TC). A decent special but I'm looking forward to next week for some new hijinks.
Hell's Kitchen had plenty of hijinks this week,as Julia won the opening challenge(cooking lunch for "trendsetters" aka high schoolers)and got a trip to Vegas where she and Jen met last season's HK winner,Heather.
Meanwhile,Bonnie,Josh and Rock had to clean the restaurant and Bonnie bonded slightly with Rock over being jealous of Julia's win. Josh wound up taking center stage during the dinner sevice as he kept pre-cooking the appetizers,despite Ramsey's repeated demands not to do so. On top of that,the aps tasted so bad that customers were sending them back and Ramsey had had enough of him and threw Josh out of the kitchen and the competition:
But that was not the end of the drama;Julia had a hard time on the garnishes as her stuff kept disappearing mysteriously(Rock's turbot vanished at one point as well and I suspect foul play on Bonnie's part). Rock and Jen started fighting,most of which was Rock's fault(he really has a temper problem there). Ramsey got so frustrated with the two of them that he smacked the grill to get them to shut up. After dinner service was completed,Bonnie was told to select two people to be put on the chopping block and she chose Rock and Julia(gee,what a surpise!). I thought Rock would be on his way out the door,but Ramsey tapped Julia for dismissal instead:
Ramsey did seem sad to let her go,and made Julia a great offer-he'll send her to culinary arts school and then she can come back on the show to "win it all." I'm happy that Julia's getting such a great opportunity but truly bummed at seeing her leave. Rock may very well be able to cook,but his attitude towards others is horrible and his temper flairs make him the last person on earth that I'd want to work for.
It's hard to root for any of the remaining chefs but I will keep watching,just to see Bonnie get taken down. She is not only useless behind the stove but a whiner and a schemer. I got so mad when she complained about Julia's winning dish for the high school kids-"obviously,cheese on bread tastes good!" Well,if that was true,Bonnie's fried breaded goat's cheese should've gone over like gangbusters but it apparently didn't.
Plus,I find it hard to credit the culinary expertise of someone who tosses out a whole bunch of food because she thinks it's gone bad,without checking with anyone else first! That is so basic food prep 101 that anyone who does what Bonnie did should not be allowed to cook in a professional or even an amateur kitchen! She needs to go down hard here.
HGTV's Design Star started it's second season off,with an audition special. The hopeful designers were interviewed by two of the show's judges,Vern Yip and Martha McCully and Season One's winner,David. A variety pack of folks came in and so far,I have one contestant who I like already:Adriana.
She seemed really down to earth and very polished. Adriana did make the contestant cut but many of the truly wacky folks did not,thanks be to the Tv gods(one of them looked like Drusilla and she even had a little dog with her that gave me BTVS season two flashbacks). The hands down winner for most bizarre audition goes to this illustrater of a yoga cat book:
Random Notes:
The 4400: I totally dug the Ed Woodsian power of this week's featured 4400,Curtis Peck and his wacky yet apparently revealing conspircy film,The Marked. I just hope that whatever those doctors injected into Tom can be rendered harmless,maybe by a big shot of Promicin,perhaps?
I AM SO GETTING THAT MOVIE!
Who Wants to be a Superhero?: Season two of the Stan Lee/Sci Fi Channel fantasy recruitment show starts tonight and what a roster of names we have here! There's Hygena,who uses cleaning products to fight evil,Braid,a gal with hair action and Mr. Mitzvah who has a Star of David paddle as his ultimate weapon(I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried,folks). Oh,and there's a lady named Whip Snap-I wonder if she's ever worked with Whip Boy to stop Lion Man's reign of terror:
I try to avoid most of the news about the celebrity bimbolinas that pass for starlets these days,but it's getting harder to look the other way on Lindsay Lohan. Her recent DUI arrest(her second one,I might add),just days after leaving rehab yet again(do they have a revolving door specially installed for her there or what?)has a nifty little upgrade there. Seems the cops found some cocaine on her person and what is her defense to that? Here what she e-mailed Access Hollywood's Billy Bush:
"I am innocent ... did not do drugs they're not mine. I was almost hit by my assistant Tarin's mom I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy,"
Gee,that's so original-right up with "the dog ate my homework" and "I was just standing here,minding my own business,officer"! Come on,Lindsay,can't your publicist write you some better excuses than that? Even if the coke isn't yours(which I find difficult to believe,especially from a girl who went thru rehab and then announced to the world that she's holding her next birthday party in Las Vegas and it's being sponsored by a vodka company.),your credibility is pretty much shot to hell.
Of course,this latest bust is putting a crimp in Lohan's promo tour for her about to be released movie,I Know Who Killed Me. Awww,poor little Lindsay! Well,I know Who's Killing Your Career and if you want to know,too,just look in the mirror,honey.
Hey,Lindsay,if you want to go straight down the tubes,why not go all out? Surely,you can outdo the likes of Paris and Nicole in the shameless spiral game! Why not take a tip from Britney and hook yourself up with a real loser who will quickly drain your bank account and help shove you off that ledge you're endlessly teetering on. Maybe,if you're really lucky,you'll find your true soulmate like Nancy Spungen did:
I know how harsh that sounds but I'm getting sick of seeing celebrity self destruction,particularly from a young woman who's an icon to many of the up and coming generation out there. Can't somebody start making it trendy to be smart and have self respect? You don't hear about Natalie Portman hitting the clubs until the wee small hours of the morning while on a film shoot,do you? Keira Knightley isn't known for showing off her lack of underwear in front of the paparazzi,as far as I know. Anne Hathaway hasn't been seen falling down drunk and passing out in the front seat of her car! It can be done,folks.
Yes,girls just want to have fun and I'm not advocating that all of the Hollywood misses act like prim and proper prisses(and I'm not letting the boys off the hook either-what's bad for the goose is just as bad for the gander),I'm just begging for an end to this parade of stupid,spoiled sluttiness. It's getting to the point where I wouldn't be shocked if this South Park parody item was actually for sale at the local mall:
If you think I'm exaggerating about the influence of this behavior on young people,watch this clip from "My Super Sweet Sixteen",as Audrey shows her "appreciation" for the car her mother gave her as an early birthday gift:
The blame for this phenomenon can not be all put on Lindsay,or the rest of her catty cohorts-parents need to take a stand and give some real guidance to their kids. However,Lindsay is now 21 years old and she's the one who is going to have to accept responsibility for her own life choices and suffer the consequences.
So,Lindsay,it's all up to you. GET SOME DAMN HELP,ALREADY! No more of this phoney baloney pseudo rehab,you need the real deal. You might actually get some major jail time and if you do,use that time wisely. Otherwise,that Oscar you've been claiming is your destiny might never be yours,in this lifetime atleast:
Meet Courtney Stone,modern woman of the world,who decides to get over her broken engagement with the cheating Frank(and the emotional betrayal by good friend Wes,who turns out to have covered up for Frank)in a most old fashioned way;taking to her bed with her favorite Jane Austen novel,Pride and Prejudice.
However,her mental getaway becomes all too real when she wakes in the year 1813,in the life and body of Miss Jane Mansfield,who is recovering from a fall off a horse.
At first,Courtney thinks she's in a dream but when the local doctor insists upon giving her a bleeding to restore her health and Jane's mother(who shares quite a few traits with Courtney's own mom)demands that she act sensibly or be sent to a madhouse,Courtney is forced to conclude that she and the real Jane have somehow switched places in time.
In addition to getting used to such things as having no choice but to let someone else dress you(Regency outfits are as tricky to put on as snowgear),not being able to take a bath without folks having to hail up buckets of water and chamber pots,Courtney is under serious pressure to marry Mr. Edgeworth,a well to do widower who may have a scandalous secet or two,according to his sister,Mary.
Courtney takes Mary into her confidence about the body switch and Mary in returns somewhat accepts her friend's memory problems in her own way. Turns out Mary has some romantic regrets herself and the two of them try to figure out how to handle that,while Courtney seeks a way to find her way back to her own time period and to Wes,who seems to have a few things in common with Edgeworth who becomes more appealing as time goes by.
This is Laurie Viera Rigler's first novel(she has co-authored non fiction books with film critic Richard Roeper and Sheree Bykofsky) and she certainly has developed a lively writing style that her favorite author would be proud of.
She also does JASNA proud as well(Rigler is the webmaster for their Southwest Region site)by skillfully blending the reality of both Courtney's and Jane's worlds and getting her leading lady to realize that while longing for a better place to be has it's limits as well as it's perks,some things such as love are timeless.
There's alot of humor tossed into the mix that keeps Rigler's tale from getting too melodramatic(including a chance meeting with Jane Austen herself). According to the official Confessions website,a sequel is in the works,featuring Jane Mansfield's adventures in 21st century LA,living in Courtney's shoes . After reading this book,I'm certainly looking forward to that and hopefully,more novels from Rigler.
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict will be released by August 2 and I urge all of my fellow Austen fans to seek it out. You'll find alot to indentify with and a great story to enjoy.
A little irony was served up with last night's Quickfire challenge on Top Chef,as those who botched the pineapple desserts were reminded as Padma showed them all what food item had to be creatively used;frozen pie crusts. Hung made a chocolate mousse filling that didn't fully set before he served his dish but thought that his flavors would make up for the messy-mess there. That didn't cut ice with guest judge Martha Fromkin,who ranked him as one of the worst.
Joey turned out to be the QF winner( he mentioned in one of the camera asides that he does have some pastry experience that he's been keeping quiet about)and went into the Elimination Challenge with immunity. This time out,everyone had to cook a Latin dish to serve up to the cast of telenovella Dame Chocolate for lunch. Originally,the chefs were told that they had three hours to cook but Judge Tom arrived at the start of their prep and told them that since the lunch was moved up,they only had an hour and a half to make their dishes.
This made everyone extra special nervous;Hung was pretty much in frantic mode and he nearly knifed Casey as he whipped around with one of those ginormous blades upright in his hand. Dude,didn't anyone ever teach you how to carry a knife in the kitchen? You hold it either down at your side or with the handle pointed out when giving it to someone else,keeping the blade out of harm's way! Geez,all of those cooking tips from my mom seem smarter and more sensible when I watch these cooking competitions.
Joey was having a great week,as his bean stew was chosen as one of the top dishes served at the lunch. Howie,who was also in the Top Two,kept raving about how delicious it was and that it was his favorite plate at the lunch. I'm glad to see those fellas starting to get along,after that nasty fight they had a couple of weeks ago.
Their new found friendship was further sealed,as Howie won the challenge and recieved a nice bottle of wine,which he promptly gave to Joey! That showed real class,in my opinion. Howie's starting to grow on me,but I do have agree with Joey's earlier comment(made in a friendly way) that Howie does overly rely on pork. You gotta use some of the other white meats out there,dude,or the judges will rip you a new one on that at some point. Trust me on this.
There were four folks put up on the chopping block(they are really getting tough on these elims-used to be only three people called to the carpet back in the day),one of whom was Hung. His "arrozo con pollo" aka chicken and rice ,was not up to par which seemed to confuse him. Judge Tom told him that the rice was dry and tasted underseasoned and Hung's response was "Oh,I thought I was in trouble for over seasoning." and "The rice didn't want to make you spit it out and drink water." Uh,no but it still was crap cooking there. Someone needs a big slice of humble pie,right quick!
Lia was the one who had to pack her knives and go,for her trout and polenta cake which was deemed very bland. I thought Casey might've been tapped,since her attempt at making a coffee mole sauce went south fast. Judge Gail said it had a "bitter,licorise" taste which sounds yicky to me. I'm not a big fan of chicken with sauce to begin with and not into coffee,so I would be inclined not to eat that dish on first sight. Then again,she did wrap the chicken in bacon,which is usually a winner so I would've gone for it. Better luck next time,Casey!
I will be so happy when they finally get rid of Bonnie on Hell's Kitchen. The Red Team lost out on the leftover challenge,due to Bonnie wasting most of the thirty minute time limit by yammering about what to cook(and her steak and egg suggestion to Jen crapped out). As their punishment,the ladies had to not only clean the kitchen but check in and unload the daily delieveries. Guess who was in charge of checking them in and totally forgot to make sure everything was correct? If you said Bonnie(who whimpered and whined instead of figuring out how to fix things),give yourself a gold star!:
The fellas had fun playing paintball with Ramsey(who whipped their butts)and gleefully refused to help the ladies out with the boxes as they trooped back home. The big elimination challenge was for the teams to create their own menus for the dinner service. They had to come up with three of each course,appetizer,entree and dessert. Brad's ideas made up most of the men's offerings while Julia's suggestions were ignored. Ramsey didn't let the girls get away with that and had Julia's steak and shrimp placed on the menu. I am so sick of this "Oh,Julia doesn't know anything" attitude that both Bonnie and Jen give her. I didn't like Jen's look when Julia asked her about ahi tuna,like she was so shocked that anyone needed knowledge on that.
Part of running any business is training people,either in new procedures or to do things in a certain way that works best for that particular workplace. Is it too much to ask that a chef should be willing and able to show another how to make a dish that person may not be familar with? I've never worked in a restaurant but it seems to be a group effort to make a kitchen run well and if you're not willing to be a team player,what's the point of doing this?
Julia made some major brownie points,as her surf n' turf entree was the most requested on the Red menu. Go,Julia,it's your birthday,yeah! Bonnie's bacon wrapped rabbit took long to cook and she totally lied to Ramsey when he asked whose idea it was-"it was a team collaboration,Chef!" No,it was not,Missy! No wonder that Jen didn't want to speak with her all evening:
It was down to Bonnie and Brad on the chopping block and Brad was sent home. That was probaly due to him not coming to Josh's aid on the meat station after Ramsey told both Rock and Brad to help him out. Not cool,dudes. Team work,people! Even Ramsey told them all that at the end of this episode. They would do well to keep that in mind as next week,the remaining chefs will be put into one team.
Another good episode of The 4400 this week,as Kyle and Isabelle find Jordan Collier and his cohorts,Tom gets some insight into the potential for positive results from Promicin newbies and Sean has a rude political awakening. Those dreams of Maia's about Promicin People being shipped off to an internment camp are troublesome. I know that Diana's doing all she can there,but maybe something more drastic needs to make sure that Maia's nightmares remain just that,nightmares.
Had to admit that they got me with that whole"Tom's going to get the shot" bit and why is it that Kyle is so trusting of those prophecies? How can he be so sure that all of the people destined to take Promicin on that list will survive? It says they change the world but that doesn't mean that they have to live to do that! Perhaps,I question too much.
Random Notes:
The 2007 Emmys: the nominations were announced today and I must first give out my boos: No Gilmore Girls noms(the Sopranos weren't the only ones to have a final season,you know!)and why do Two and a Half Men and Brothers and Sisters have so many nods? I know folks watch TAAHM,but wasn't Brothers and Sisters cancelled already?
And now for the cheers: Heroes is up for Best Drama and Masi Oka has a Best Supporting Actor nom-Hiro Nakamura could get an award,yes! Ugly Betty,up for Best Comedy with America Ferrara and Vanessa Williams in the actress catagories,sweet! Minnie Driver got a Best Drama nod for The Riches,Denis Leary is again up for Best Actor and the summer miniseries The Starter Wife scored as well,with a Best Miniseries nom and Judy Davies getting a Best Supporting,along with Joe Mantegna. Oh,and Jenna Fischer was nominated for Best Supporting for The Office! I may actually have to watch the Emmys this year.
To celebrate,here are a few clips to showcase some of the nominees:
With Bad Movie Month looming on the horizon(better known to most as August),the chances of more good films to look forward to become dimmer and dimmer. While we at LRG will once again pay tribute to BBM in our usual fashion,with regular Friday features, all hope should not be lost.
Granted,it's hard to be optimistic with the likes of "UnderDog"(a live action version,no less) and "Bratz:The Movie"(another live action feature,the horror,the horror!)being advertised nightly,but there are some decent looking movies ready to pop up on the horizon. Let's take a look-see,shall we?
NO RESERVATIONS
This foodie drama/romcom is about to be served on July 27 and it does look quite appetitizing. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as a tough talking top chef who has to melt down some of her icy demeanor to connect to her orphan niece(Abigail Breslin) and hot new sous chef Aaron Eckhart. The timing for this movie is great,with shows like Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef mainstreaming folks into food love and plenty of grown-ups in need of non kiddie fare at the multiplex. Plus,Eckhart is some pretty sweet eye candy there:
STARDUST
This fantasy film(based on Neil Gaiman's book) is due out by August 3 and you might have some misgivings about a big budget flick like this,starring Robert DeNiro as Captain Shakespeare and Michelle Pffeifer as a youth seeking witch, so late in the game but it doesn't look bad at all. The plot has a young man in love on a quest to protect a falling star that's turned into a human girl who has the power to grant wishes. Pretty much a gal in high demand there:
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Matt Damon gets back in the action star ring for Round 3 of the Jason Bourne chronicles. With a mix of old faces( Julia Stiles,Joan Allen) and new(David Strathern),plus the promise of finding out the true origins of this ultimate super spy, the third time out should be a real charmer:
BECOMING JANE
August 3 is going to be one busy release date,with not only Stardust and TBU coming out but the long awaited and potentially controversial Jane Austen biopic,Becoming Jane,hitting the big screen as well. Becoming Jane will be in limited release at first,which may make things easier. Nevertheless,there will be quite abit of talk stirred up from this movie which I suspect would not entirely displease the lady in question. After all,for what do we live but to make sport for our neighbors and then laugh at them in our turn?:
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB
I know that this adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler's funtastic novel is really an autumn release but the trailer's already out and about,so why not savor it now? It looks like they may have done a good job here and it may further booster the impending Austenmania wave that's slowly overtaking us all. Dive in!:
Our story begins with Delores Walker,who boards a bus to Florida in 1972 to get her dream job as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs. One of the few happy times her family had was a trip there,when Delores was thirteen. Three years later,her dad is long gone and Delores' determined to be depressed mother,Gail,insists that she leave school and go to work to help pay some of the expenses for not just the two of them but Westie,Delores' little brother who has never even seen his father.
Armed with only a handful of silver dollars she found hidden in the back of her parent's closet and Otto,her favorite childhood puppet who she sometimes secretly talks to,Delores departs from the Bronx and manages to impress Thelma Foote,the current manager of the Weeki Wachee mermaids,into giving her a chance to perform. Pretty soon,Delores is known as "Delores Taurus" and becomes one of the main performers in the show,headlining such much needed attention getting acts(Weeki Wachee is in fierce competition with the newly opened Disney World) such as an underwater re-inactment of the current hit film,"The Godfather".
Meanwhile,Gail makes an unexpected friend at one of her cleaning jobs,an up and coming fashion magazine intern named Avalon who even takes Gail and Westie along on a business trip to Boca Raton to help her out as an assistant. Delores' reunion with her mother is not the greatest but she does get to reconnect to Westie,who shares his sister's love of the water. Delores is not lacking in friends such as merman Lester,who sunbathes constantly in hopes of clearing up his skin and Molly,one of her sister mermaids.
The success of the "Merfather" attracts the local television station,who wants to pick up some ratings for the evening news by having a rotation of WWS mermaids as weathergirls. Delores is first up,and quickly becomes the one and only choice for the job. During one of her reports that takes her to a stormy beach front,Delores makes a daring ocean rescue that leads to an unexpected reunion that may or may not reunite her family.
This is Betsy Carter's second novel(The Orange Blossom Special is the title of her first)and reading it makes me wish that I had discovered her sooner than this.Swim To Me is a gracefull and tender tale of a young woman in search of finding not only her heart's desire but a loving family and winds up creating more than one along the way.
Carter captures the magic of Weeki Wachee and the essence of the time period without resorting to a glossy literary version of rose colored glasses. She also brings out the humanity of gruff characters like Thelma,who was once a WWS mermaid herself but due to being rejected as the leading lady for "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid"(plus,an underwater show mishap),prefers to harden her personality shell but little by little,allows herself to open up to the new possibilites around her. Even Gloomy Gail is given a chance to blossom into her own person here.
Swim to Me is due out at a bookseller near you by August 1,which is great timing,being one of the biggest vacation months. This sweet and snappy novel is perfect for poolside reading and relaxing. Put it on your summer shopping list today!
Top Chef's Quickfire Challenge this week was to make an appetizer that would go along with a specially made gin cocktail. Hung was convinced that he had this one in the bag but his salmon & cream sauce combo didn't go over. Personally,I'm not a drinker but since the cocktail Hung had(after another infamous knife draw)had raspberry in it,chicken might've been a better choice than fish.
Casey won the QF,which gave her immunity that really made things interesting for the next Elimination Challenge. Everyone had to form teams of three to prepare a tasting menu trio of dishes(with one food item as the theme)for a elite dining club. Casey wound up with Joey and Howie,who managed not to get into a major fight for once as they both want her to take a back seat in decision making.
Since it was a four course meal,Dale insisted on having a dessert trio and Sara M. and Camile joined him for that one. All of the other teams went the protein route and made last minute changes at the supermarket with numerous complaints about their tight budget. Each team had $150 to spend and while I know meat's pricey(particularly at an upscale market),quit your whining,people. I can buy a week's worth of groceries with that kind of cash and still have change leftover. If I can do that at an Associated Foods,you guys certainly can manage.
The first course was shrimp and it went over well;the only weak spot was Hung's sauteed shrimp with corn pudding but not by much. There was much love for Brian's raw pink number with caviar but Lia's olive oil combo with cucumber & lime won the day for her and her special prize was to cook at a celebrity charity event in the Hamptons. Very nice,Lia!
The beef trio was well recieved,with only one complaint regarding Sara M.'s butter braised tenderloin that looked like something out of the Denny's menu,according to Judge Tom. My bet is that Sara's beef tasted good but compared to the fancy footwork from her two teammates,Tre and CJ,it did seem rather Plain Jane in appearance.
Casey's team wanted to use duck originally but decided on tuna when they went shopping. The guys did a so-number on their dishes but Casey's bird nest tartare creation was underseasoned(she ran out of soy sauce but didn't think to use salt. Talk about your "could've had a V-8!' moments there!) and her fellow chefs were criticized for not tasting each other's food. Casey had a mini-meltdown over the possibility of them getting knocked off due to her tasteless tuna but never fear,dear-the fish dish was not the worst by far.
That honor went to dessert,which was pineapple and pastry based. None of the three chefs had alot of pastry experience and it showed,with a rock hard upside down cake,half done gelatin that was passed off as a "semifreddo"(Judge Tom didn't buy that one) and a tone deaf tart. I don't get why so many chefs on cooking shows seem to be all thumbs when it comes to making a dessert;yes,there are specialists in any field but shouldn't a potential top chef have some familarity with every course that can be served for traditional dining? Camile had to pack her knives and go after that cake that even in her own words,was more like a cornmeal muffin.
Hell's Kitchen held a taste-off,with each team whipping up three lobster dishes. The lobsters wigged out Bonnie(the teams had to each yanked their own lobster out of the tank)but her lobster salad was deemed worthy of being added to the evening's menu. Melissa tried to tone down some of her crazy bitch routine(she even tied her hair back!)but still managed to mess things up for her team by making mushy risotto rice for Brad and mangling the monkfish.
I was worried about Julia for a moment there-she got alittle flustered during service but managed to pull herself together. Bonnie seriously needs to shut up about Julia not being"familar" with the food. Was Julia the one who didn't know how to put out the frying pan fire or was that you,Missy?:
Melissa was sent home but the Blue Team was still in trouble. Ramsey called both Josh and Brad on the carpet and yelled at them for their lousy work. At one point,it was nearly a triple elimination but the boys were given another shot:
On the 4400,Diana finally found little sister April,who survived her Promicin shot and gained the ability to make others answer her questions truthfully. April's not as slick as Chloe Sullivan was with the same power but she did have some fun testing Tom with her mad skills:
Other plot highlights included Sean running for city council and having to come out publicly against Jordan Collier's Promicin policy(I thought he was pretty discreet in his statement,despite what Kyle felt) and Isabelle translating that prophecy code to discover a list of names of folks who are destined to take the Promicin plunge. Kyle and Tom are clearly going to have a showdown,since Tom's name is on the list and Tom knows that Kyle's had his shot. I find it interesting that Isabelle still has total recall of the entire encyclopedia,another notch on my theory that her powers are not truly gone. If you need a refresher course in The 4400 lore or some current info,I would recommend checking out The 4400 Guide,it's a very well done and cool site.
Random Notes
Rescue Me: The death of the Chief and it's aftermath was handled well,with Tommy Gavin giving what I considered a eulogy of sorts at the beginning of the show last night. I know Jack McGee(the actor who played the Chief) was rather steamed at how his character was written off,according to an interview at TWOP,but it doesn't seem like a deliberate snubbing to me. In other plot points,Garrity should just take Maggie up on her offer for a divorce because she's not going to get clean and sober any time soon,especially for him.
Mind of Mencia: Another season of the show kicked off on Sunday and yes,Carlos is still in anti-PC mode. Good for him! According to a story on TMZ,Kanye West gives a bit of a shout out to Mencia in his new song,not being happy about the MOM parody of "Golddigger" that calls Kanye "Theo Huxtable". Hey,Kanye,if you're going to go the Vanilla Ice route with the pseudo-gangsta backstory,you gotta take your lumps there:
The title of Allyson Beatrice's book comes from an actual announcement given by a group of beleaguered hotel workers as a happy crowd of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, who only knew each other from the community board they shared,descended upon a Holiday Inn for a friendly get together on President's Day weekend. The main reaction to that exclaimation was good hearted laughter,a strong theme that runs thru Beatrice's book. WTVPPLTL tells the tale of one person who normally keeps to herself but thru the shared interest in one of the best TV shows of our time and the loved/feared power of the internet,becomes part of a extended family of friends.
Allyson moved to L.A. from Boston to jumpstart her life and a major part of that came from her growing involvement with the official Buffy talkback board,The Bronze,which wound up being a casuality of the WB/UPN war to claim BTVS as their own and Buffistas.org. She got to meet some of the Mutant Enemy folks during several online campaigns(such as "Give Buffy an Emmy")and one of her favorite writers on both Buffy and Angel,Tim Minear. Allyson also got involved in the campaign to save Firefly(a show she didn't even like at first),by helping to put out a huge "thank you for your support" ad in Variety and even attended a political fundraiser for Kerry that Joss Whedon and other ME show cast members held as a meet and greet for fans.
The real heart of the book is centered on the online friends that Allyson made who became real life pals,such as fellow campaigner Kristen, ita(yes,her name is ment to be spelled in lowercase)who stayed with Allyson when she made her own flight from a stagnant life in Ann Arbor and Nilly,a Buffista from Israel who was given the chance to visit all of her American online friends due to a generous act of PayPal donations from the board(Tim Minear put up a thousand dollars to get the ball rolling).
Allyson also gets into the pros and cons of online community board life,which anyone who's ever spent serious group time on one will instantly recognize as all too true. She praises moderators,warns about the annoyance of trolls(with a pretty funny and fictional example of a flame war) and explores the media hype surrounding the true and sometimes exaggerated menace of stranger danger on the net. You do have to watch out for those Elderly Dutchwomen sometimes,even in the Elderly Dutch chat rooms!
Will the Vampire People...gives a excellant look at what good a cult fandom can do for folks and how it can be an enriching experience. I was once part of a Buffy/Angel community board myself(made up originally of disillusioned posters from Aint It Cool News) called The White Room ,where I made some great friends that I'm still in touch with today,even tho the board has died down somewhat after both shows went off the air. I also was once more active at the Republic of Pemberley,where I met up with several of the good folk there,even taking my first trip to England to meet up with a large number of them for a tour thru Jane Austen country. As one of the Vampire People myself,Allyson's book brings back alot of happy memories and I'm sure that most of the folks who still attend Buffy related(or any fan related)events and online gatherings will feel the same.
Will the Vampire People...is due in August but is available now at most bookstores and is the perfect gift for the fangirl or boy in your life. Check it out for yourself,if you're curious to get in on the party. All are welcome at the fandom dance and there's no cover charge(except for the book,of course!) or coolness screenings at the entrance. Just alot of people looking for some fun and saying it once more with feeling.
Here we are again,on a bright hot summer morning,getting ready for another week of time to kill before Labor Day looms ahead. With the weekend box office results in(pretty much guaranteeing us a Transformers sequel after raking in $67 million) and still several days away from the release of Harry Potter 7,let's see what folks will have to talk about in the entertainment world:
HARRY POTTER AND THE NEXT MOVIE DEBUT
The fifth HP title will be in theaters this Wednesday and so far,most of the early reviews have been on the positive side. The director this time out is David Yates,who has worked with one of the HP film regulars(Shirley Henderson,aka Moaning Myrtle) in the BBC miniseries,The Way We Live Now,which was made in 2001. I own that one on DVD and it is really worth seeing,especially if you're big into Anthony Trollope.
ABC Family held a "Harry Potter Weekend" recently,with several promo clips for the new movie slipped in during the commericals. Some of the bits were very tantilizing for the diehard Potter junkie,such as character profiles of Delores Umbridge, Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Lestrange,played by Helena Bonham Carter. Looks like HBC really has fun with her wacky wicked witch part:
BELLATRIX
LUNA
UMBRIDGE
MORE J.K. ROWLING
Harry Potter's creator,J.K. Rowling,gave an interview on the Jonathan Ross show in England last Friday and it was a great conversation. I'm not familar with Ross' show but I really enjoyed the clever,laid back style of his interviews. It was also great to see someone treat Rowling no different than an author of adult literature,with some funny off-color remarks:
PART I
PART II
THE LAST GUY YOU'D EXPECT TO SEE ON FOX AND FRIENDS!
Saturday morning,the first thing I saw on TV was Korn's former guitarist,Brian "Head" Welch being interviewed on Fox and Friends to promote his new memoir called Save Me From Myself. Welch left the band awhile ago,after getting off of drugs and becoming a Christian. I'm glad to see that he's doing well,especially since he has a daughter to take care of and I suspect plenty of present and past Korn fans will be eager to check out his book to see just how jacked up the group was on the Family Values tour.
I did get a glimpse of the book's intro at the Harpercollins website,which has a "Browse Inside" feature. Remember that Motley Crue book,The Dirt,a few years back? This rock n' roll memoir might rival that one for musical decadence;in the prologue alone,Welch describes his daily diet for a year as being made up of " beer,pills,speed and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Well,atleast he had some protein there!
GOOD MORNING!
LIVE EARTH,SCHMIVE EARTH
The big international rock fest,Live Earth,went off well on Saturday but I was more interested in the Harry Potter-a-thon. I'm sure everyone involved ment well but I question the wisdom of having a huge concert to promote environmental awareness that used up plenty of those precious fossil fuels that contribute to global warming,with all of those planes and limos needed to transport the artists.
Plus,I find that,as I get older,I'm much more in tune with the wacky wisdom of George Carlin on many subjects:
IF CARLIN SAYS THE PLANET IS FINE,THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!
P.S., congrats to Toni Collette,who has offically announced that she's expecting her first child with musician hubby,Dave Galafassi. Glad to hear it and please don't fall prey to that sinister celebrity trap of unusual baby names. You might want to consider some sensible ones,like Muriel or Harriet.
I know Gwyneth's a buddy but instead of her,you really should ask a few other of your friends for suggestions. Who would you trust,for example,to pick out some really great shoes or a fun place to do some ABBA karoake? Just saying!
Earlier this year,Black Snake Moan hit the theaters and many folks were surprised that it was not a sleazy throwback ala Mandingo(which I think may have disappointed some)but an interesting and compelling story about two people in pain who find comfort in each other. I've heard and read much about it,but it didn't get to see the movie until it arrived on DVD recently.
I watched BSM last night and I was truly riveted to the screen. I didn't even want to pause for a bathroom break due to the hynoptic sway of the story and the need to see what would happen next to the characters. The plot is not just"Christina Ricci gets chained to a radiator by Samuel L. Jackson." Jackson play Lazarus,a former blues man turned farmer whose wife has just left him to take up with his brother. While still stewing about that,Lazarus discovers a young,barely dressed and beaten girl abandoned on the roadside by his house.
Her name is Rae,and Lazarus finds out thru some local inquiries that she's a sex addict. She's also running a fever and wanders around in a haze,hallunciating due to past traumas and some of the drugs she took to get over her boyfriend Ronnie leaving for the Army.
When Rae finally wakes up sober and somewhat healthier,she finds that Lazarus is determined to "cure" her of her self destructive lifestyle and part of that treatment involves chaining her up. She naturally doesn't take kindly to that and fluctuates between flirtation and pure fury to get him to set her loose. Lazarus stays firm about helping her and slowly but surely,the two of them form a bond of unlikely yet healing friendship.
One of the key factors that makes this movie work is the casting;it's truly difficult to imagine any other actor than Samuel L. Jackson that could pull this role off and make Lazarus believable,sympathic and very reasonable in everything that he does. Ricci plays well off of him and brings plenty of solid emotional strength to Rae. One of the most gripping scenes in the film is Rae's confrontation with her mother about their past and while there's only a glimpse of it in this clip,that whole sequence is heartbreakingly sad and amazing all at once:
In the making of the film featurette,director Craig Brewer describes the film as a music album,with it's various rhythms and themes. That's pretty accurate,since music plays a major part of this film,almost like a narrator at times. Jackson did his own singing here and could've had a whole other career based on his personability in the performances given,whether it's in front of a crowd at a juke joint or alone in a room,with only an audience of one:
SHOWTIME!(PLENTY OF CUSSIN')
ORIGIN OF THE BLACK SNAKE MOAN
This movie is so good,that even Justin Timberlake(as Ronnie) was actually credible in his performance. From what I gathered,he was pretty much playing himself and perhaps he might do better than some of his musical compatriots in the acting realm. We shall see. He's no Mandy Moore(why that poor girl got sucked into the vortex of a crappy comedy like License to Wed,we may never know)but I would be willing to see him in another film and not be quick to dismiss him on sight.
Black Snake Moan is the kind of film that will hold a place on many critics' Best Movies of the Year list but undoubtedly will be overlooked for most of the awards shows(the Golden Globes,maybe yes but Oscar,most likely no). That's a real shame for all of the artists involved here and I hope that more people will take a chance on seeing this movie for themselves.
Hype aside,it's best to appreciate BSM for what it is,not what it isn't or could have been. The story is meant to be allegorical,sort of a modern day Southern fable and works best on that level. Put away any notions you may have pre-hand and simply allow yourself to be spellbound,you'll enjoy the experience much better that way.
