It’s All Relative: The Obama/HuffPo Connection Tightens

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned American know-how, pulling yourself up from the bootstraps, proving to the world you have the mettle to succeed on your own raw talent? If you’re Paris Hilton or, say, the Huffington Post — none of those good ol’ values amount to a hill of beans! The Huffington Post, the website famous for slapping left-wing bias on mainstream news, recently hired Ethan Axelrod — you may have heard of his dad, David Axelrod: the celebrated image-maker of the Obama campaign. Given the Huffington Post is all snuggles with the Obama Administration, the news might come as no surprise.

Lefty-types are always making room for their own, so long as you have a famous last name or a privileged pedigree. For a bunch that loves to push for “universalizing” and “leveling the playing field,” they sure are elitist! This is the world where Anderson Cooper, scion of Gloria Vanderbilt, is handed the keys to CNN. Al Gore’s daughter Kristin nabs a dream job writing for Matt Groening’s “Futurama” straight out of college. Oh sure, it helped that Poppa Gore agreed to guest star twice (but only if his young daughter could direct). Gore went on to appear as a disembodied head (yes, the show ‘jumped the shark’). Is Huffington Post banking on access to daddy Axelrod’s head, too? ‘Wink, wink,’ welcome aboard Ethan… (more…)

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Tags: "Futurama", 2012, Al Gore, Anderson Cooper, Arianna Huffington
Posted Aug 2nd 2009 at 7:03 am in Culture, Featured Story, News, Politics | 195002120 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/08/02/sometimes-talent-is-relative/It%27s+All+Relative%3A+The+Obama%2FHuffPo+Connection+Tightens2009-08-02+14%3A03%3A08Jason+Killian+Meath

At 25, ‘The Karate Kid’ Still Packs a Punch

Looking back at The Karate Kid (1984), which turned twenty-five years old this week, a thought keeps recurring.

Wow. . . Avildsen made it work twice.

John G. Avildsen is, in some ways, a director of little distinction when compared with well-known marquee names like Spielberg, Scorsese, Nolan, and Tarantino. The vast majority of his movies are utterly forgotten by the average filmgoer — indeed, he’s been nominated for Worst Director at The Razzies three times. And yet, like Victor Fleming decades earlier with his twin successes The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind (both 1939 — read a great recent article on Fleming here), Avildsen has twice punched way above his weight, netting himself an Oscar for Best Director and giving birth to some of the most memorable moments in motion picture history. (more…)

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Tags: "Cruel Summer", "Sweep the Leg", Andrew Shue, Asians in Hollywood, Bananarama
Posted Jun 24th 2009 at 6:50 am in Entertainment | 1663063 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lgrin/2009/06/24/at-25-the-karate-kid-still-packs-a-punch/At+25%2C+%27The+Karate+Kid%27+Still+Packs+a+Punch2009-06-24+13%3A50%3A07Leo+Grin

The Stoning Of Team Hollywood

The crime is complete. Judgment has been passed. The killing stones are in hand. As per the harsh stoning penal code of Iran’s Islamist thugocracy (for however long that lasts) where the crime took place, my stones are not so big as to kill right away, not so small you can’t call them stones. And I’m winding up like Nolan Ryan. Feel free to pick up a stone of your own. But wait for it!

And let me make this perfectly clear, even if they do say Jehovah!

Sentence must be read before being carried out. And unlike Soraya M., the board members of the Asylum of Motion Picture Airheads and Stooges will deserve every rock that’s thrown their way. I also believe that, in light of events in Iran today, the following commentary will stand out in much starker prominence than it did when I first started reporting on them in early March, when Team Oscar first set off for the Unfriendly Skies of Islamist Iran. (more…)

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Tags: Academy of Motion Picture arts and Sciences, Ahmadinejad, Al Franken, Alireza Davudnejad, Ambush Bay
Posted Jun 19th 2009 at 5:45 pm in Entertainment, News, Politics | 1641062 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jtsimpson/2009/06/19/the-stoning-of-team-hollywood/The+Stoning+Of+Team+Hollywood2009-06-20+00%3A45%3A26John+T.+Simpson

Angels, Demons and the Magical Missing Middle Easterner

A frequent cavil by participants in the Angels & Demons debate is, “It’s just a movie!” (Or, “It’s fiction!”)

The implication is that the filmmakers made this movie just so they could tell a ripping good yarn. Stipulating for the moment that it is a good yarn, there’s no way to show that the filmmakers were indeed fully cognizant of their movie’s cultural impact. There’s no way we can get inside their minds, right?

Hassassin Assassin

Well, I’ve figured out a way to do just that. No, I don’t have ESP or a special mind-reading device. But I do have common sense (pace my wife).

Now, whenever someone adapts a book into a movie, it’s instructive to examine where the movie differs from the book. If the movie version alters a key detail in the book, you can’t blame the original author for that decision. It’s clearly a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Art, Film, Middle Easterner, Muslim
Posted May 22nd 2009 at 3:33 pm in Entertainment, Religion | 140846One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aleigh/2009/05/22/the-last-angels-and-demons-article-youll-ever-read/Angels%2C+Demons+and+the+Magical+Missing+Middle+Easterner2009-05-22+22%3A33%3A44Andrew+Leigh

No ‘Boycott Backfire’ for ‘Angels and Demons’

On the heels of a public-relations juggernaut with the inspiring (and arguably false) message that it’s “not as anti-Catholic as The Da Vinci Code!”,the cinematic conspiracy thriller Angels and Demons finished first at the U.S. box office during the past weekend, providing some useful evidence about the effects of church boycotts.

Based on a novel by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, and featuring the same director-star team as the lucrative 2006 film adaptation of that novel (Ron Howard and Tom Hanks), Angels and Demons brought in approximately $48 million during its first weekend. While enough to edge out Star Trek’s second-weekend take of $43 million, it’s a good deal less than Da Vinci, which snagged a gaudy $77 million during its first three days.

Simple Hollywood film economics explains the matter quite well without reference to any hypothetical backfire effect from church boycotts. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Atheism, boycotts, Da Vinci Code, Religion
Posted May 20th 2009 at 11:03 am in Entertainment, Reviews | 138578No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/05/20/no-boycott-backfire-for-angels-and-demons/No+%27Boycott+Backfire%27+for+%27Angels+and+Demons%272009-05-20+18%3A03%3A49S.T.+Karnick

Angels & Demonizing: ‘Fiction With an Agenda is Propaganda’

Warning: This post divulges the entire “Angels & Demons” plot. If you haven’t seen the movie and intend to, go no further for there be spoilers…

People whose opinions I respect have defended A&D as not being anti-Catholic. This is probably due to the end of the film which delivers a trumped up moment of warmth and reconciliation between Tom Hanks’ Robert Langdon character and the Church in the form of a new Pope.  From my perch, this moment is a subtle but devious cherry on top of a blisteringly unfair and wholly dishonest attack on the Church.

Serial adulterer Martin Luther King, Jr.

Serial adulterer Martin Luther King, Jr.

Serial adulterer Martin Luther King, Jr.

One way to dishonestly destroy someone or something is to repeat only the negative about that someone or something. DreamWorks has just announced a new film about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and were it to focus solely on King’s extra-marital affairs no one would argue that the movie was anything other than a propaganda tool produced with the goal in mind of assassinating his character. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Catholic church, Martin Luther King, Propaganda, Ron Howard
Posted May 19th 2009 at 9:37 am in Entertainment, Politics | 1381823 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/19/angels-demonizing-how-cinematic-propaganda-works/Angels+%26amp%3B+Demonizing%3A+%27Fiction+With+an+Agenda+is+Propaganda%272009-05-19+16%3A37%3A26John+Nolte

‘Angels and Demons’ Unreal from Top to Bottom

“Angels & Demons” upset me.

But not for the reason you may think.

The new movie, based on the Dan Brown book of the same title, is, of course, full of nonsense. But most of it I expected.

The boots, I didn’t.

I know that the Vatican didn’t grant Ron Howard and his team all of the access they wanted. But after seeing the movie, I wonder if anyone having to do with the film even went to Rome. Or, more specifically, if any women associated with the movie went to Rome. (more…)

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Tags: Angels & Demons, Ayelet Zurer, Exorcist, Georgetown, high heels
Posted May 18th 2009 at 6:25 pm in Entertainment | 1375623 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kjlopez/2009/05/18/angels-and-demons-unreal-from-top-down/%27Angels+and+Demons%27+Unreal+from+Top+to+Bottom2009-05-19+01%3A25%3A24Kathryn+Jean+Lopez

Open Thread: ‘Angels and Demons’

Have at it.

Discuss. Debate. Write your own review…

Big Hollywood’s review can be found here.

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Catholic church, Da Vinci Code, dan brown, Ron Howard
Posted May 15th 2009 at 5:33 pm in Entertainment | 136166No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/05/15/open-thread-angels-and-demons/Open+Thread%3A+%27Angels+and+Demons%272009-05-16+00%3A33%3A54Big+Hollywood

Review: ‘Angels and Demons’

There’s a lot of “It’s better than ‘The Da Vinci Code‘” flying around about director Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” but that’s a lot like saying “It’s smarter than Nancy Pelosi” or “It’s less involved with the Nazis than George Soros.” For starters, A&D is not better than “Da Vinci,” which at least made some sense in helping us to understand how the mind of Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) worked. Instead, this follow-up offers the same plodding plotting, outrageously dishonest Catholic bashing and numbing over-length … but now Langdon’s mental methodology is made completely incoherent to the point of gibberish.

The Pope is dead and to elect the new Holy Father, the ancient ritual of the Conclave is set to begin when the four Cardinals most likely to be chosen, the preferiti, are kidnapped. An ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati takes responsibility. They have no demands and only wish to teach the Church a lesson for a violent purging of their scientific “free thinkers” hundreds of years ago and to do that they have promised to violently kill one Cardinal an hour, each in a different location, with the grand finale being the complete destruction of Vatican City with an anti-matter bomb stolen in the film’s opening scene.

The only clues offered that might save the day are also meant to further the Illuminati’s pro-science stance. Each clue is based on the four altars of science: earth, air, wind, and fire and to help unravel these symbols, Harvard Professor Robert Langdon is called in. Joining him is Vittorio Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), the gorgeous Italian scientist who helped create the anti-matter and the best hope to disarm it. (more…)

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Tags: Angels & Demons, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Catholic church, davinci code, Ewan McGregor
Posted May 14th 2009 at 5:28 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 1351222 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/14/review-angels-and-demons/Review%3A+%27Angels+and+Demons%272009-05-15+00%3A28%3A56John+Nolte

Sergeants Rock

I just cannot get behind this Star Trek rebirth.  The whole thing is just so unrealistic.  Not the warp speed or phasers or beaming about the universe – those are at least remotely plausible.  I am talking about the fact that the starship Enterprise is composed entirely of officers and yet it still seems to function.  Where are the non-commissioned officers (NCO), the petty officers and sergeants who actually make any military organization run?  No, I can suspend disbelief over Klingons and tribbles, and I actively support the notion of green alien hotties.  But the idea of a functioning military unit without sergeants is just a wormhole too far.

–

Hollywood movies often focus on the commanders, the captains and colonels, but they have also managed to highlight some great sergeants as well.  When you are picking out DVDs for next weekend, remember that May 16th is Armed Forces Day and consider a few selections that show the sergeant in all his gruff and grumbling glory. 

If you have never experienced the joy of going through basic training and do not plan to, your first stop should be Full Metal Jacket, with R. Lee Ermey’s legendary portrayal of a Marine drill instructor who must have missed out on the block of instruction on sensitivity.  I saw this in the theater about a week before I reported to Basic.  That was a poor idea. (more…)

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Tags: A Bridge Too Far, Afghanistan, Al Matthews, Aliens, An Officer and a Gentleman
Posted May 11th 2009 at 4:47 pm in Entertainment, Military | 1310103 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/05/11/sergeants-rock/Sergeants+Rock2009-05-11+23%3A47%3A39Kurt+Schlichter

Angels, Demons & Democrats

How much of the box office of “Angels & Demons” will end up in the Democrat campaigns? If it makes money, it could be a lot. 

Tom Hanks, the star of “Angels & Demons”, endorsed Barack Obama, claiming he represents a “seismic shift” in our political and social fabric. He said an Obama victory will “redefine our republic” (see his YouTube video here).

He backed this endorsement with $29,800 in contributions (see here). He also gave to the campaigns of Al Franken ($14,600), one of the most deceitful public figures in the United States; Henry Waxman ($500); Barbara Boxer ($500); Patrick Kennedy ($250); and, Ethan Berkowitz ($250), all Democrats. He also contributed $12,300 to the Franken Recount Fund! In addition to his political contributions, Tom gave $50,000 (the maximum) to President Obama’s Inauguration Fund.

Ron Howard, the famous director of “Angels & Demons,” was equally smitten by Barack Obama. (more…)

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Tags: Angels & Demons, Democrats, hollywood, Obama, political contributions
Posted May 10th 2009 at 4:44 pm in Celebrity News, Media Criticism, Politics | 130810No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/drbaehr/2009/05/10/angels-demons-democrats/Angels%2C+Demons+%26amp%3B+Democrats2009-05-10+23%3A44%3A29Ted+Baehr

‘Angels and Demons’: A Tale of Two Critics

Hollywood Reporter:

If the world could be rendered as simple as “Angels & Demons,” we’d all be living in a less confusing place. Taking to heart the critics’ lament that the first Dan Brown novel-to-film “The Da Vinci Code” was talky, static and arcane, director Ron Howard and his crew have worked hard to make Professor Robert Langdon’s return a thrilling, faster-paced walk in the park. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Hollywood Reporter, Kris Tapley, Ron Howard, tom hanks
Posted May 8th 2009 at 8:53 am in Entertainment, Video | 129954One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/08/angels-and-demons-a-tale-of-two-critics/%27Angels+and+Demons%27%3A+A+Tale+of+Two+Critics2009-05-08+15%3A53%3A05John+Nolte

‘Angels’ Not So Demonic?

The first review of “Angels & Demons” hit the streets today and apparently director Ron Howard took a different tack with his second adaptation of Dan Brown novel.

The Hollywood Reporter says the “Da Vinci Code” prequel treats The Vatican “as a fairly ‘normal’ nation-state, and not as some all-powerful SMERSH-like nemesis.”

THR:

And in the end, most of those who attacked the film before seeing it on grounds of its being anti-Catholic will have to eat their words, as the warm-hearted ending casts a rosy glow around the College of Cardinals, the papacy (sic.) and the faithful throngs in St. Peter’s Square. 

The Vatican itself seems to think the film is less a threat than “Da Vinci” was. Or maybe humor is now part of its press strategy.  (more…)

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Tags: Angels & Demons, Catholocism, protest, Rome, Ron Howard
Posted May 5th 2009 at 2:54 pm in Entertainment, Religion | 127154No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ttapp/2009/05/05/angels-not-so-demonic/%27Angels%27+Not+So+Demonic%3F2009-05-05+21%3A54%3A09Tom+Tapp

DENIED: Bigotry of the Obamatrons

Recently, at the office (a place I sometimes affectionately refer to as Obama Central), I made the mistake of printing out a Washington Post editorial that questioned the foreign policy expertise of our new Commander-in-Chief.  By the time I got to the printer to pick it up, someone else had already seen it - and stamped “DENIED” across the top of the page in red ink.  Next to that was scrawled, “RIGHT WINGER GO HOME.”

The first thing that went through my mind was: cross burnings.  The second was: children are evil (my workplace is overrun by hundreds of twentysomethings).

I tried to be rational.  Whoever defaced the page had no way of knowing who had printed it out – just as I had no idea who the defacer was – so it wasn’t personal.  Still, it was hurtful.

And it was bigoted.  The defacer didn’t know anything about me – my political affilitation, my sex, my race, nothing.  Die hard Democrats read mainstream editorials, don’t they?  So much for the good will of Dave Matthews’s “American Prayer” starring Idi Amin and Perez Hilton - and Michael Moore’s patronizing, post-Election email exhorting his followers to be kind to their Republican friends (as if they have any). (more…)

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Tags: Andrew Klavan, ann coulter, Barack Obama, bigotry, brainwashing
Posted May 4th 2009 at 12:34 pm in Featured Story, Politics | 11361416 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/05/04/denied-bigotry-of-the-obamatrons/DENIED%3A+Bigotry+of+the+Obamatrons2009-05-04+19%3A34%3A36Charles+Winecoff

‘Wolverine’ claws to $34.75M Friday & Could Scratch Out $86.8M Opening! All-Time 4th-Best Performer for First-Weekend-of-May Summer Kickoff!

In my Final Weekend Tracking column posted on Wednesday, I predicted that X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) would reach $92M on opening weekend, despite soft reviews (now only 38% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). My first fearless forecast of the 2009 summer blockbuster season appears to be close to dead-on (missed by only 5%).

Star-turned-producer Hugh Jackman has scored his second-biggest opening ever and, easily, his biggest as a solo star. Wolverine has mauled the competition with a massive $34.75M opening day (including $5M or so in Thursday midnight sales). That could translate to a 3-day of $86.8M, getting Hollywood’s most lucrative season off to a spectacular start.

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted May 2nd 2009 at 5:29 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1244022 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/05/02/estimates51/%27Wolverine%27+claws+to+%2434.75M+Friday+%26amp%3B+Could+Scratch+Out+%2486.8M+Opening%21+All-Time+4th-Best+Performer+for+First-Weekend-of-May+Summer+Kickoff%212009-05-02+12%3A29%3A38Steve+Mason

Ron Howard’s ‘Demon’ Defense Doesn’t Hold Water

People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to. – Malcolm Muggeridge

I’m a fan of Ron Howard. I’m also a Roman Catholic. So when Howard recently defended his upcoming film, Angels and Demons, on the Huffington Post from criticism leveled by William Donohue of the Catholic League, I sat up and took notice.

Here’s an understatement for you: Not everybody likes William Donohue. Whereas some admire him as a passionate defender of the faith, others view him as a hectoring, self-righteous censor, with a tendency to get red-faced and a bit shouty when locking horns on one of the ubiquitous news talk shows.

Howard, of course, is always calm and collected. Besides, he’s Opie; and who doesn’t like Opie? So I enter this fray with the greatest trepidation, fully expecting to regret every minute of it. (more…)

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Tags: Angels and Demons, Bill Donohue, Catholic church, davinci code, Ron Howard
Posted May 1st 2009 at 8:07 am in Entertainment, Politics, Religion | 12196611 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aleigh/2009/05/01/demonizing-angels/Ron+Howard%27s+%27Demon%27+Defense+Doesn%27t+Hold+Water2009-05-01+15%3A07%3A59Andrew+Leigh

The Summer Blockbuster Season is Set to Start Huge! Spin-Off ‘Wolverine’ could Claw to $92M Opening Weekend!

The great thing about a sequel is that it has a built-in audience. The problem with sequels is that, as the numbers after the title go up, so does the production budget. Very hard to know for sure, but sources have told me that the production budget for X-Men was in the $75M range. X-2: X-Men United may have had a budget of about $110M, while the cost of X-Men: The Last Stand was, in all likelihood, as much as $210M. Why doesn’t it make sense to just churn out X-Men 4?

Look at these numbers.

(more…)

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Tags: 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee, academy award winner
Posted Apr 29th 2009 at 10:10 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 121806One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/29/finaltracking51/The+Summer+Blockbuster+Season+is+Set+to+Start+Huge%21+Spin-Off+%27Wolverine%27+could+Claw+to+%2492M+Opening+Weekend%212009-04-30+05%3A10%3A03Steve+Mason

America Loves a Girl-on-Girl Smackdown! Beyonce’s ‘Obsessed’ is the Biggest Last-Weekend-of-April Opener Ever with $11M Friday & a Possible $27.5M 3-Day!

Recording superstar Beyonce Knowles is building a bankable resume for herself as an actress with Sony Screen Gems’ Obsessed as the latest title burnishing her resume. Co-starring the excellent Idris Elba (The Wire), this low budget, PG-13 genre pic has scored a far-above-expectations $11M on Friday, and it will likely reach $27.5M for the weekend. That is the best opening yet for the former Destiny’s Child lead vocalist as an above-the-title star, topping 2003’s The Fighting Temptations and Cadillac Records from late 2008.

Beyonce does battle with the sexy Ali Larter (HEROES) in OBSESSED

OPENINGS FOR BEYONCE MOVIES
1. Austin Powers: Goldmember – $70.3M opening
2. Obsessed – $27.5M opening (projected)
3. Pink Panther (2006) – $20.2M opening
4. Dreamgirls – $14.1M wide break (after a platform start)
5. The Fighting Temptations – $11.7M opening
6. Cadillac Records – $3.4M opening

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted Apr 24th 2009 at 11:11 pm in Entertainment, Political Humor, Steve Mason's Box Office | 116742No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/24/estimates423/America+Loves+a+Girl-on-Girl+Smackdown%21+Beyonce%27s+%27Obsessed%27+is+the+Biggest+Last-Weekend-of-April+Opener+Ever+with+%2411M+Friday+%26amp%3B+a+Possible+%2427.5M+3-Day%212009-04-25+06%3A11%3A11Steve+Mason

Hollywood’s Worst Release Date: Beyonce’s ‘Obsessed’ Could Edge Disney’s Baby Polar Bears in ‘Earth!’

The final weekend of April has never been Hollywood’s favorite release date. In fact, it is generally considered to be among the worst release dates on the calendar. Whatever opens on the final weekend of April gets absolutely crushed by the official start of the summer blockbuster season on the first weekend of May.

The 4 new wide releases and 1 major specialty release set to debut this weekend will face an onslaught of mega-hits over the next month. How can Obsessed (Sony), Earth (Disney), The Soloist, (Dreamworks/Paramount), Fighting (Rogue) and The Informers (Senator) possibly find an audience with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Bros) arriving next weekend followed by, in successive weeks, Star Trek (Paramount), Angels & Demons (Sony), the combo of Night at the Museum 2 (Fox) and Terminator: Salvation (Fox) and Disney/Pixar’s Up?

(more…)

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Tags: "Fast & Furious", 17 again, 2-d, 3-d, academy award nominee
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 5:47 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1145145 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/04/23/finaltracking4-23/Hollywood%27s+Worst+Release+Date%3A+Beyonce%27s+%27Obsessed%27+Could+Edge+Disney%27s+Baby+Polar+Bears+in+%27Earth%21%272009-04-24+00%3A47%3A04Steve+Mason

Review: The Great Buck Howard—A Show Biz Valentine

The Great Buck Howard is a funny, knowing gift for anyone who loves old-fashioned show business: It celebrates the entertainer who is in it for the fun of putting on a good show, and for bringing a little pleasure to anyone who cares enough to come out and watch. 

Buck Howard the man is an old-fashioned show-business type: He is a mentalist—a magician who does mind-reading tricks. But he is preternaturally good at what he does (in contrast to his complete lack of self-awareness), and he was once a pop-culture fixture, a regular on The Tonight Show. (“The real one—with Johnny Carson,” he constantly reminds—this will have its intended melancholy effect only on those over 40 or so.) Now he plays half-empty halls in third-tier markets. Not that this tempers his enthusiasm, or that of his fans. Which is exactly the point. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, amazing kreskin, brothers lost, colin hanks, don most
Posted Mar 25th 2009 at 2:51 pm in Reviews | 88770No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mlong/2009/03/25/review-the-great-buck-howard%e2%80%94a-show-biz-valentine/Review%3A+The+Great+Buck+Howard%E2%80%94A+Show+Biz+Valentine2009-03-25+21%3A51%3A07Mike+Long

And the Oscar for Best Non-Sexual Nudity goes to…

The film industry in Hollywood is the most rewarded vocational field in the world. Having been a part of the “Big Hollywood” launch team, I followed roughly forty-eight award shows this year. Generally, I would characterize them as slightly self-aggrandizing. By the way, I’m not confused; awards are nice (consult my bio), but why are there so many award shows? The people who win awards are rarely underappreciated.  Take Kate Winslet for example, one of Hollywood’s most overrated actresses.  I always feel I’m watching her act. Peter Mayhew was more organic as Chewbacca than Winslet as a suburban housewife in the off-putting “Revolutionary Road.” But Hollywood seemingly invents awards to celebrate Winslet and her ubiquitous bare breasts.

What irritates most is that while the shows may differ, the awards are roughly the same.  In sports, there’s only one MVP, one Rookie of the Year.  Yet every year, we are bombarded with the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, and the BAFTAs.  Not to mention all those snooty little film festivals in upscale ski towns. (more…)

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Tags: ashton kutcher, award shows, BAFTAs, Beyonce, big hollywood
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 3:17 pm in Entertainment | 7174690 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/amarlow/2009/03/03/and-the-oscar-for-best-non-sexual-nudity-goes-to/And+the+Oscar+for+Best+Non-Sexual+Nudity+goes+to...2009-03-03+23%3A17%3A44Alexander+Marlow

Top 5: Directed by Ron Howard

Before he turned to tedious Oscar-bait and incomprehensibly dull “thrillers” with Tom Hanks, Ron Howard used to tell a pretty solid story every now and again. Howard’s best film will always be the timeless “Music Man,” but we’re looking at his turns behind the camera today: (more…)

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Tags: apollo 13, backdraft, gary sinise, kurt russell, night shift
Posted Feb 2nd 2009 at 5:54 pm in Top 5 | 3939870 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/02/top-5-directed-by-ron-howard/Top+5%3A+Directed+by+Ron+Howard2009-02-03+01%3A54%3A37John+Nolte

Let’s Vote These People Out Of The Cinema

The vast majority of the open-minded and spiritually-advanced celebrities who roam Hollywood are people who feel enlightened enough to bash and bad mouth only those who don’t think like they do. The entertainment industry and their surrogates feel comfortable enough to make negative public commentary about Christians, Israel, Mormons, Republicans, the brave men and woman of our military, female Governors and anyone who doesn’t feel the world should be like a brothel in Prague.

Tom Hanks came out last week and called people who used their democratic vote, “Un-American,” and in this down economy he’s come up with a way to help you save money with a form of free speech that’s not only silent, but deadly to most entertainers.
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Tags: prop 8, tom hanks
Posted Jan 19th 2009 at 12:23 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment | 24213181 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlindsey/2009/01/19/hollywood-has-a-way-to-save-you-money/Let%27s+Vote+These+People+Out+Of+The+Cinema2009-01-19+20%3A23%3A56Joseph+Lindsey