BOX OFFICE ANALYSIS

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1: $140M —  There might be vampires and werewolves, but the real appeal comes from those old-fashioned romantic notions Hollywood’s all but ignored for decades.

Happy Feet Two: $22M — Why would the first one be such a smash and this one flop? My guess is the political preaching in the first. Parents were either caught off guard or willing to go to that well once, but the thought of a second helping was off-putting. And judging by Kyle Smith’s review, they chose wisely. Hollywood attempting to wedge themselves between a parent’s influence on their child is unforgivable and the worst kind of sucker punch.

Immortals: $12.M – With a total take of just $53M and all the competition swinging into action this holiday weekend, things could look better.

Jack and Jill: $12M — This might be the first Sandler comedy not to reach $100M.

Puss In Boots: $10.7M — $122M gross after four weeks in release is probably not what DreamWorks had hoped for. The holiday weekend might give it a lift.

Tower Heist: $7M — Only $53M after three weeks with that cast is a disaster.  The trailer was awfully appealing to me, which is why I never predict these numbers in advance.

J. Edgar: $5.9M — Dead in the water.

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas: $2.9M — One of those movies Hollywood makes for themselves that makes a little money but does the more important work of pushing their values out into the popular culture. An awful lot of effort to make a few million dollars.

50 REASONS WHY THE ‘GREEN LANTERN’ MOVIE SUCKED

Because I turned this abysmal piece of crap off after an hour or so, I can only say that numbers 1 through 24 are spot on.

Friday night I was in a Friday night kind of mood for something brainless. That’s my only excuse for picking this up from Redbox. Godawful doesn’t begin to describe it. Martin Campbell, an otherwise terrific action director, must have had the script shoved down his throat and about 200 producers giving him notes.

What a disaster. With a $200 million budget (add at least another $60M for advertising and promotion), this likely lost somewhere around $100M.

LOOKING BACK AT THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW‘

Through middle and high school, I watched Johnny Carson and David Letterman religiously. Unless you saw both in their prime, you can’t properly mourn the loss of either. Letterman may still be on the air, but the Letterman I watched would’ve hated the nasty old bastard he would eventually become.

SPRINGSTEEN TO TOUR WITH NEW ALBUM IN 2012

It has nothing to do with his politics, but sometime over the last decade I got all Springsteen’d out. “The Rising” was a beautiful album and sometime in 2003 or 2004 I caught him live at Dodger Stadium, but the thrill is now gone. The old music still sounds great, but most everything released since “The Ghost of Tom Joad” all sounds alike.

Maybe it’s time to stop calling Springsteen “The Boss.” How about “The Welfare Queen“?

‘EXPENDABLES 2′ POSTER RELEASED

Where the hell’s Jet Li?

THE SET OF ‘THE GREAT GATSBY’ OR KIDS PLAYING DRESS UP?

I cannot tell you how much I miss having adults in films. And it has nothing to do with age.

MEG RYAN IS 50

She was America’s sweetheart and then she had a VERY public extra-marital affair.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Scarface (1983): Watched my new Blu-ray and was simply blown away by every minute of it. This is one of those rare films where watching it once is never enough. When the end credits roll, all I want to do is watch it again. My wife’s not a fan, but she does enjoy making fun of it, so that evens things out. For some reason, she can’t get over Pacino’s accent, which of course is the coolest thing ever committed to film.

Watching the extras was a reminder, though, of why I’m no fan of extras. I have no desire whatsoever to be told what a movie’s “about” or “what it means.” That’s up to me and regardless of what the filmmaker(s) meant, that doesn’t mean that’s what they said.

In one of the many documentaries that come with the Blu-ray, some of the filmmakers behind “Scarface” talked about what they felt made the story and lead character so appealing and iconic. For me, the answer to this question is absurdly simple: Whether it’s Michelle Pfeiffer or “the world, Chico, and everything in it,” Tony Montana goes after what he wants. There’s a vicarious thrill in a character like that because even though we find his methods and goals distasteful, we admire the audacious qualities of someone who takes no crap and tells whoever he wants to f-off.

The people they interviewed, however, had a different opinion about how the story showed us society’s hypocrisies and blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I’ve finally memorized Tony’s drunken, “Say good night to the bad guy” scene, and am going to perform it in McDonald’s all across the America this spring… if that NEA performance art grant comes through.

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SCOTTD’S EPIC LINK-TACULAR

TOP SIX MOST AMAZING CELEBRITY HOMES

NEW RIDLEY SCOTT THRILLER WITH GERARD BUTLER BEING SHOPPED TO STUDIOS

NEW PHOTOS FROM ‘DARK KNIGHT RISES’ … MORE … MORE

NEW CHARACTER POSTERS FOR ‘THE AVENGERS‘

THE 10 MOST CREATIVE INTROS ON TELEVISION

YOUNG BRITISH ACTOR ASA BUTTERFIELD CAST AS TITLE ROLE IN ‘ENDER’S GAME‘

AN OVERLONG, BUT ATMOSPHERIC AND COOL FULL TRAILER FOR ‘THE GREY’

LESSONS FROM ‘CITIZEN KANE’ (OR CAIN?)

THE WORST MOVIES FROM THE BEST ACTORS

PETA SAYS MARIO RACCOON SUIT CONTROVERSY WAS “A JOKE”

‘DEXTER’ RENEWED FOR SEASON 6 & 7

JERRY GOLDSMITH’S COMPLETE GREMLINS SCORE FINALLY RELEASED

THE WIT OF FILMMAKER WHIT STILLMAN

MEL GIBSON’S PERSONAL CHURCH NOW WORTH $67 MILLION

A LOOK BACK AT RICHARD RUSH’S ‘THE STUNT MAN‘

10 ACTORS WHO ARE FAMOUS FOR THE WRONG ROLE

THE DIABOLICAL ALLURE OF THE TRAGICOMEDY

10 FILMS TO WATCH BEFORE GOING TO FILM SCHOOL

A LOOK AT THE WORK OF CINEMATOGRAPHER HASKELL WEXLER

ESSAY: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS: ‘THE BEAST FLESH CREEPING BACK‘

WHEN DID GREAT SITCOMS HAVE THEIR FIRST GREAT EPISODES?

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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22

TCM:

8:00 PM  EST: Sullivan’s Travels (1941) –  A filmmaker masquerades as a hobo to get in touch with the little people. Dir: Preston Sturges Cast:  Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick.  BW-91 mins, TV-G.

One of those movies Hollywoodists rave over but have learned nothing from.

We don’t want your self-important opinions … we just want to laugh.

Dance, monkeys, dance.

--Please send tips/suggestions/requests/complaints to jnolte@breitbart.com

In both of those interviews, Leno made the central point of his conversation the perceived gaffes and weak points in the GOP candidates’ statements and policies. What I defended was that at the very least, as Leno grilled them, his guests were given the chance to respond. And, at the time, it made sense for Leno to drill down on those issues because they were the elephants in the room.

Well, when President FailureTeleprompter arrived on the ‘Tonight Show’ set, you would think the herd of elephants that follow Obama everywhere had never existed at all.

Here’s a rundown of Leno’s talking points questions:

How awesome is your foreign policy? How great is is that you and Hillary came together for America? How about your approval rating being three times higher than Congress?  Do you find Mitch McConnell’s desire to defeat you as unpatriotic as I do? Great job quitting smoking! How do you cope with the awesome responsibility of being President? How were those chicken and waffles? How’s the family? How about that heartbreaking NBA lockout?

Nothing about the failed stimulus. Nothing about Solyndra, Fast and Furious, unemployment or record deficits.

As a longtime defender of  Jay Leno, I think he’s done real damage to his non-partisan everyman image.

At least he has with me.

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Pay special attention when he discusses his 9-9-9 plan.

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Leno is a good interviewer. He asks all the questions on everyone’s mind but isn’t sitting back waiting to strike with a “gotcha.”

Cain, however, couldn’t be better. He’s confident, polite, brimming with charm, and is obviously prepared for any question that comes his way. As Cain himself said earlier this week, America is over the whole “black president” thing, but how about the “non-politician who actually wants to reform the immoral tax code and is obviously making that reform part of any mandate should he win” thing?

Bring it on.

We have the most vulnerable incumbent in office since Jimmy Carter and are we really going to allow a few to once again frighten us into nominating yet another ”electable” Big Government Republican who only pays lip service to reform? Are we really going to allow that to happen again?

I’m not only over the “black president” thing, I’m over the whole “same ole, same ole GOP candidate thing.”

Cain is a breath of fresh air who’s only getting fresher by the day.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s got a long way to go and many tests lie  ahead of him, but winning that Florida straw poll thrust him into the spotlight and thus far he’s taken full advantage of the moment with zero mistakes.

Impressive man and a great American.

My thanks to our friends at Right Scoop for the video.

Leno crosses the line from “Tonight Show” host to something closer to a journalist, but at the very least he’s respectful, inquisitive, and lets Congresswoman Bachmann speak — which is how I wish more so-called journalists would behave.  Obviously this issue was going to be the elephant in the studio, so Leno probably felt it was necessary to discuss it, and I’d say he handled the elephant with some class.

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Don Rickles is hilarious in this clip being … Don Rickles. If you haven’t seen 2007’s “Mr. Warmth,” a terrific documentary directed by John Landis that looks at the last comedian still allowed to stick his finger directly in the eye of political correctness, it’s currently streaming on Netflix. May the 85 year-old live to be a 110.

Something I noticed during her interview with Sean Hannity a few weeks back is that even though she’s only been on the national scene for a few years, we’ve really had the opportunity to watch Bristol Palin grow into a lovely and poised young woman. The wicked Left personally targeting her with their wicked Alinsky tactics (and domestic terrorism) during her season on “Dancing With the Stars” has obviously backfired in a major way. Like her mother, Bristol has only come out stronger — with a new book and a reality show that will focus on her work at a small charity.

While the desperate Left tries to label as hypocrisy”  the act of learning from your mistakes, Bristol just keep on keeping on. And that she’s chosen to bring her values into a venue where it is most needed — the world of pop culture — is especially gratifying. 

I don’t know what’s in that Wasilla water, but we should bottle it with the label: Leftist Kryptonite.

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The overall context is even worse.  The conversation surrounds an assassination attempt on Cheney.

I’m just saying if [Cheney] did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact. [full transcript below the fold]

This is the mistake guys like Maher make when they start complaining about the speech of others, especially when you’ve personally said something on national television about how much better the world would be if the Vice President were dead. The bipartisan use of crosshairs on a map doesn’t even begin to compare to that, nor do jokes about your opponent being afraid to leave the house. Maher isn’t using a metaphor here. In front of millions of rabid partisans, he’s painting a picture of how much better the world be if that Cheney guy was dead.

I personally don’t remember Maher saying this and it’s obviously a classless thing to say but if someone had made an attempt on Cheney’s life with a VHS tape of this quote between their teeth, it wouldn’t be Maher’s fault. Though according to his own reasoning, just the opposite is true.

Furthermore, this is the man who probably didn’t have his “Politically Incorrect” contract renewed at ABC for making a controversial statement about the “bravery” of the 9/11 attackers just days after the attack. Many on the right, including Rush Limbaugh, stood up for him and yet here he is on the “Tonight Show” justifying ABC’s decision to fire him because he has just devolved into a being who now sounds like Ari Fleisher reminding us to ”watch what we say” — something Fleischer said when asked about Maher’s 9/11 comments.

Are these this week’s New Rules, Bill?

March 03, 2007 on NewsBusters:

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Maher complains about right-wing rhetoric and then says:

No, because that’s the rhetoric they love. The Right-wing loves… the go-to rhetoric for them is ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to kill the people we disagree with?’

Then some in the audience start to argue with him, an audience that surely isn’t 100% Republican. No one comes to his defense.

Leno, hilariously, just sits there like he’s watching a crazy uncle poop his pants at Thanksgiving dinner and Maher’s closing rally about the Democrats reclaiming patriotism is wet with flop sweat. But at least he admits the Democrats come up short in the department of patriotism.  

More painful awkwardness below the fold.

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In front of an all-military audience, Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” saluted America’s fighting men and women for Veterans Day. Part of the show included comedian Dennis Miller who did a few minutes of stand up that ended with a heartfelt thank you to the men and women who make everything good possible.

Afterwards, the popular radio talk show host sat down with Jay for a few minutes of not mincing words about Nancy Pelosi, the terrorists, Newsweek, and more  — all to an appreciative military audience who obviously aren’t used to hearing Miller’s uniquely clear-eyed and always hilarious pro-American truth-telling from our current class of entertainers.

Somewhere Bob Hope is smiling. Not to be missed.

After Louis C.K.’s drunken ‘twitter rampage’ in which he called Sarah Palin a “C*nt-Face Jazzy Wonder Girl”, we were surprised at the little amount of fanfare that erupted when Louis and Bristol Palin appeared together on the Tonight Show Friday.

Personally I like to imagine Leno was in the know and he’s just far more of a sociopath than anyone expected—making then perform together for his own sadistic pleasures[.]

It’s no secret in show business comedy circles or to anyone with access to Twitter that comedian and television star Louis C.K. is crudely and sexually obsessed with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin — so much so that he sends her direct tweets calling her the vilest of names [NSFW screen shot below]. The star of the FX series “Louie” not only savages the former Governor in such a way that I’m forced to publish the evidence below the fold with a strong warning, but his breathtakingly vicious attack on Trig Palin is quite popular on YouTube.

Louis C.K.

So infamous is Louis C.K. for this cruel and misogynistic (a word I don’t use lightly) behavior towards all things Palin, that a good number of his fans didn’t miss the “joke” when he appeared with Bristol Palin on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” last week. Gawker sure enjoyed it. Therefore, there’s little doubt in my mind that the decision to book Louis C.K. and Bristol Palin — to have them sit next to each other on  the “Tonight Show,” was an intentionally smug inside joke in order to allow a bunch of elitist show-biz and journo types to chuckle behind Bristol’s back as she was unknowingly humiliated on national television in front of all of Hollywood.

If we’ve learned anything about some show-bizzers since Governor Palin stepped into the national spotlight, it’s that they are a bottomless pit of dark-hearted hate and cruelty. To intentionally humiliate a politician’s family, especially her children, is so far beyond the pale… But to go after a child with Down Syndrome. I’m simply speechless.

And never did I think I’d see the day — but here we have Johnny Carson’s storied “Tonight Show” brought to an all-time low where, apparently, it’s in on the joke:

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WARNING: What you’re about to read and watch below would win the Gold Medal at the Degenerate Olympics. Also, although Twitter hasn’t verified Louis C.K.’s account, we have done so through two separate sources — both of whom love his Palin-hate.

Poor Andrew Dice Clay. He might still be a superstar had Sarah Palin been around in his day to turn what he said into a Hollywood Resume’ Enhancer.

Without further comment:

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Wow. This audience loves her and only grows to love her more as the interview rolls on. About ten minutes in she shows more guts than any politician maybe ever by agreeing to make her stand up debut … on The Tonight Show … in front of a Los Angeles audience. What poise.

If Sarah Palin can win over this audience in this way in one of the bluest regions of the country, if I were Barbara Boxer I’d be pretty worried right now.

Something’s in the air.

Kudos as always to Jay Leno for being the consummate gentlemen. During the interview he’s curious, respectful, let’s her talk, and just probing enough for this kind of setting. Imagine David Letterman in this situation. With one eye on impressing his fellow Manhattan Elites, he’d have been a nauseating mixture of lecherous and cruel. Jon Stewart would’ve made a lot of faces, Bill Maher’s head would’ve exploded, and Stephen Colbert would’ve made fun of Trig.

If Leno thought the Beautiful People were out to get him before, his respectful treatment of Sarah Palin should forever seal his fate as The Outsider. He must have missed the Hollywood Memo declaring that its child-raping directors you make look good, not self-made governors.

UPDATE: Ed Morrisey makes a keen observation:

The Right Scoop captured last night’s canny performance from Sarah Palin on Jay Leno’s renewed Tonight Show. How canny? She manages to tie her treatment by the media to the mostly unfair treatment Leno himself got from the entertainment media, a good way to gain the audience’s sympathy.

Yup. Just keep underestimating our Sarah.