Friday Odds n' Ends

Could the wonderful James McAvoy be donning fake ears and feet to play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit? What Perez says has a fairly high record of being accurate, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

If you're as obsessed with Twilight as I am these days, check out the first page or so of Breaking Dawn over on EW.com today. This weekend you can pick up a copy of Eclipse: Special Edition, which includes the rest of the first chapter.

And, also for fellow Twilight fans, during the MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show a full scene from the film will be aired.

Two things I never expected to go together? Coldplay and Guitar Hero...

A Few Words on Editing (Or, "Are Special Effects Ruining Movies?")

This weekend I, like many others, saw the new Indiana Jones movie. I won't make any jokes now about how Harrison Ford is really old (he is) or how upsetting it was to see Cate Blanchett doing a bad fake Russian accent (very). Instead, what I'm dying to talk about as the film floats around in my mind, is what special effects have done to the way movies are made.

Special effects can be awesome (duh). The upset comes when power-crazed directors (Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, et al.) decide that now that they can turn anything they imagine into a scene, they should turn it into a scene. Lucas couldn't reel in his desire for superfluous special effects when he shot the Star Wars prequels, Peter Jackson (who did just fine controlling himself for the Lord of the Rings films) can't stop himself from spending too much time on dinosaurs and giant insects in King Kong, and Spielberg allows bloated special effects setups to drain all of the fun out of his latest Indy outing.

Of course, now that we have the capacity to create them, special effects should be utilized. Directors simply seem to have forgotten about an important step in the storytelling process: editing. If (SPOILER ALERT) giant, man-eating ants aren't necessary to the plot of your film (and trust me, Spielberg, they weren't), CUT THEM! Precious moments of my Sunday afternoon could have been better spent if directors could simply learn to control their desire to CGI the charm out of their films.

When the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones films were created, perhaps Lucas and Spielberg sat around lamenting the fact that their precious visions of elaborate galactic senates and mysterious otherworldly temples couldn't be realized on the big screen. But, at least the movies were about stories and characters instead of aging tech-geeks high-fiving each other behind-the-scenes for their ability to create fake bugs.

New Weezer Video!

Had to post this one since it's already my new favorite music video. Weezer uses the video for their latest song, "Pork and Beans," to send up all of our favorite You Tube staples. From Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker, to Chocolate Rain Guy, to Kevin Federline and Po-Po Zao. And, of course, the viral video that seems to have started it all...the Numa Numa kid.

Enjoy!

Not as Awesome as Amy Winehouse

After the possibility of Amy Winehouse singing a song for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, hearing that Beyonce may do it instead doesn't inspire any excitement in me. I like Beyonce, but it's just not the same.

The original song's producer, Mark Ronson, has not confirmed that Beyonce will take over for Winehouse. He has only said that the track was temporarily shelved because Amy was not ready to record it.

Amy Winehouse needs to get her shiz together. I was a big fan of Chris Cornell's song for the last bond movie, and Amy Winehouse seemed like the perfect person to follow him. It probably won't work out, judging by these switch-up rumors and Amy's latest escapades, but a girl can dream. Beyonce doesn't seem capable of the edginess or darkness the new Bond movies are going for.

Another New Trailer: Eagle Eye

Wasn't going to do another trailer so soon, but just found this teaser for Eagle Eye. Shia Labeouf takes on his first really grownup looking role. The whole thing seems like a crazy-intense spin on The Matrix and The Bourne movies.

Not much to see here, but so far so good.

New Trailer: The Rocker

Coming out on August 1, 2008, The Rocker is the new comedy starring none other than Mr. Dwight K. Schrute himself, Rainn Wilson. The trailer does not have me convinced that this is going to be a winning role for Wilson. There is way too much dependence on physical comedy (none of which is actually that funny), and I'm not sure he pulls off the middle-aged-slightly-overweight-man-in-spandex thing quite as well as Will Ferrell.

That being said, the opening of the trailer, with it's great "I'd still be the pretty child" exchange, is exactly the reason I think this movie could turn out all right. The movies that play up awkward and funny family exchanges are always a good time, and teenagers who look like teenagers are a bonus.

It could go either way...

Live Blog: Battle of the Davids

9:00 - Has anyone figured out what this Ruben Studdard song means? Oh well, whatever. I'll allow him to celebrate me out of this live blog. Goodnight!

8:58 - If Simon really means that the show is about finding a great performer, is Archie really the best? His stage moves haven't changed since the first round, he often sounds as if he's running out of breath during song verses, and he's kind of awkward. Cook has faults too, but in the contemporary music market, whose CD will really sell? Anyone out there reading, please weigh in on this one. I would buy a CD by a David Cook. I wouldn't buy a CD by a David Archuleta. And that is just the honest to blog truth.

8:56 - Archie's performance helps me remember that, before choosing to ignore some of his later faux pas, the judges were right saying that David Archuleta has a great voice.

8:51 - Um, gross. Did someone actually lose the tip of his thumb in someone's food on tonight's Hell's Kitchen? That promo makes me glad I don't watch that show.

8:49 - Instead of picking a song he'd already done so well on, I think Archuleta should have given one of his missteps another shot (even though the judges commentary this season would hardly allow you to think he'd had any). We'll see how "Imagine"-redux goes soon enough.

8:48 - Why is Simon hardcore pimping lil' Archie tonight? And did he just wink at Cook?

8:47 - He's standing in his truth? What does that mean, Paula!?

8:46 - Yet another subdued final note for Cook. Nice job. This song choice was much better than last week's Switchfoot song. And he always gets me with those tears.

8:43 - I hope Cook keeps it acoustic.

8:42 - Who is that boxing guy, and why are they giving Andrew Lloyd Webber, the worst guest judge of the season, more screen time?

8:36 - I won't fault Archie for the awfulness that was that song. He didn't have anything great to choose from, I get it. I am so sick of hearing Randy saying this kid can sing the phone book. I for one would not pay to hear that. Or anything else that he puts out, but that's just me. It's surprising to me that Simon would prefer yet another sappy ballad out of the AI winner to something uptempo.

8:35 - Did anyone else just see those tickety-tack fake nails some girl in the pit was wearing? They were on extreme close-up, so they were hard to miss.

8:28 - I'm afraid Cook may have given off a bit to much of an 80's vibe with this "Dream Big" song, but the simple fact that he didn't sing it as a ballad is a MAJOR improvement over the past six Idol winner songs.

8:24 - Interesting spin on the song competition. The Davids get to choose which of the entries sucks the least. And, based on Slezak's review of the entries, sucks least is about the truth.

8:19 - Side note. Archie should now be considered part of the four-way song showdown over "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Was he better than Clay Aiken, Bo Bice, or Justin Guarini? I don't know, and I certainly don't have the energy to watch all three of their performances to decide.

8:17 - Archie has a nice voice, but is he interesting? That performance doesn't have me convinced that he is.

8:16 - That faraway shot of Archie all alone on the steps was kind of sad.

8:13 - Pretty solid start for Cook. Resisted the urge to put forth his typical power note at the end. Moved around the stage instead of sticking like glue to the mic stand. All in all, he looks good up there.

8:11 - U2 for Cook and Elton John for Archie? Not your best work, Clive.

8:10 - Let's get this party started. Clive Davis better have some good stuff picked out for these guys.

8:05 - David Archuleta may not have made the best decision. Going after David Cook will only work if David Cook doesn't flip whatever crap song they've got to sing this year into something kind of awesome.

8:00 - Super cheesy boxing-style intro? Totally unnecessary.

Before the live blog, check out the buzz...

Only a few more hours until the Davids take the stage to sing this year's embarrassingly cheesy winner's ballad. As we near the 8 o'clock hour, here's some fun stuff to get you prepped and ready for go-time.

Hear what Slezak & co. over at EW.com have to say on the latest episode of Idolatry about who should win.

AOL.com has a ton of interesting stuff to check out on their Idol page. Click through the gallery to see the results of fan polls. David Cook beats out Archuleta for the best performance vote, and doesn't land on the worst performance poll at all even though Archie claims third place on that list for his mediocre take on "You're the Voice."

Idol's down to two contenders: time for another live blog!

Greetings all! David Archuleta and David Cook (hereafter referred to as "the Davids") wound up doing exactly what they were expected to last night, and were named the final contestants of this season of American Idol. While it's not surprising they nabbed the final spots, figuring out which one of them will come out on top is nearly impossible.

I won't be posting again this week, but come back for my Tuesday night live blog during the showdown of the Davids. I'll be attempting to put my biases aside for the night to give each David a fair shake...let's see how that goes.

Deciding What to See Tonight?

If Speed Racer is whirling around your mind as a possibility this weekend, click over to yahoo to see the first seven minutes (hat tip: Pop Candy). The ratings I've seen on this thing so far have been atrocious, but here's a way to make your own educated choice.

Happy Friday!

McCain - Schrute Ballot Coming Your Way

On The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night, Republican Presidential nominee John McCain announced that he'd like someone very special to be his running mate: Dunder Mifflin Scranton's third in command, Dwight Schrute.

As surprised as I am that McCain watches The Office, I have to give him credit. The Daily Show audience is the perfect group to lay that punchline on.

There's really only one problem with this match up. To quote Dwight (discussing his fantasy appointment of 24's Jack Bauer as his second in command), Dwight is "unavailable. Fictional. And overqualified."

Hat tip to Office Tally for the link, and check out the first link to The Caucus for some other highlights from the McCain interview.

New Trailer: Twilight

I've been keeping my eyes open for this one, and somehow I still managed to miss it for a day! Twilight, the film based on the wildly popular series of vampire love stories by Stephenie Meyer, now has a quickie teaser trailer streaming online. Filming only ended last week, but the trailer still looks pretty put-together despite the fact the movie won't be released until December. See for yourself...



The casting looks solid here. Robert Pattinson (vampire Edward) and Kristen Stewart (his mortal love interest, Bella) seem to have good chemistry, and Pattinson's edginess is fitting. As someone who only recently gave in to the hype swirling around the books and read the series (seriously recent, I'm finishing the third book as we speak), I can honestly say that not only am I eagerly awaiting this film, but it doesn't look like I'll be disappointed.

The movie should have everything that I love about the books (great story lines, interesting characters) with none of the little things that drive me crazy about Meyer's prose (clumsy use of vocabulary, too many adverbs, etc.). Meyer flipped the old vampire cliches (sleeping in coffins, aversions to garlic, fangs) and created new superhero-ish vampires that should be a blast to watch onscreen.

Something Watchable on MTV?

The only MTV staple I'll even bother watching anymore is The Hills. I know that is a show I should consistently deny watching, but this blog is hardly the place to pretend my television habits don't occasionally dip into the mindless overexposure genre from time to time. That being said, "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" may be just the kind of show that tempts me back to the network for another weekly chunk of time.

"Blonde" will follow bright young Broadway hopefuls as they vie for the soon-to-be-vacant role of Elle in the stage adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film. Variety says the show is going for more of a Project Runway vibe than American Idol, not wanting to depend on the formula of that omnipresent pop contest. All I can hope is that they figure out what went wrong with "Grease: You're the One that I Want" and avoid making the same mistakes as that snooze-fest (the only bright spot was the eventual winning "Danny," Max).

I may actually be looking forward to the June 2 premiere of "Blonde" more than is normal for someone who has no interest whatsoever in seeing the musical. Behind the scenes dirt seems a lot more intriguing where this one's concerned.