[CinemaRatty] tag: emmy

TVs The Shield as a movie: Michael Pena says hes in

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:17:58 +0000

With just under two months until the series finale of “The Shield,” talk from the TV show’s fiercely loyal fanbase is beginning to turn once again to rumors that one of the greatest cop dramas of all time could live on — as a feature film?

About a year ago, Emmy winner Michael Chiklis revealed to us that “there are a lot of questions about the potential of a ‘Shield’ movie these days,” and we remarked at the time that it would be interesting to see what happens to Vic Mackey in the years to come, assuming he makes it through Season 7 alive. But according to his former co-star Michael Pena, even if Vic does die it could invite a prequel to bring him back from the dead.

(MTV)

TVs The Shield As a Movie? Michael Pena Says Hes In

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:50:12 +0000

“Oh yeah, that would be awesome,” said Pena, who played Strike Team member Army Renta, one of the few characters on the show to witness Vic’s dark side and then actually walk away. “That would be really interesting, because I think that they would have to [bring Army back]. I’d have to be going up against Vic Mackey, and I would love to see that story line.”

“I don’t think many guys are still alive [besides me],” reasoned Pena, who can currently be seen alongside Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams in the military dramedy “The Lucky Ones.” “I don’t think there’s been any [other] Strike Team guys that came out alive. There’s [Walton] Goggins, his character is still on. Lemonhead died; Lemon’s gone. Then there’s Ronnie the Beard Guy …”

I don’t know about you, but the simple fact that he refers to Vic’s right-hand man as “Ronnie the Beard Guy” makes me want to promise to see every Michael Pena movie ever made. With any luck, that will include a “Shield” film in theaters someday — and after the success of “Sex and the City,” it seems like the timing has never been better for a small-screen cop to make the leap.

Would you like to see a “Shield” movie? What plotline would you want to see?

Showtime and Bacon Working on John Wilkes Booth Emmy Bait

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:04:04 +0000

Kevin Bacon and Showtime are working together to prepare a new cable series about John Wilkes Booth and his brothers. From Variety:

"The Booths" will revolve around actor-brothers Edwin, Junius Brutus Jr. and John Wilkes Booth and their dysfunctional relationship in the years prior to Lincoln's assassination. No writer is yet attached, but Bacon will exec produce for the cabler. Showtime is no stranger to period drama, having aired "The Tudors," among other shows. John Wilkes Booth eventually became a rabid defender of the South and clashed with his brother Edwin. The three brothers performed together just once, in a New York showing of "Julius Caesar" in 1864. Booth, of course, shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre while the President was watching the play "Our American Cousin" on April 14, 1865.

Look, Showtime. I know after HBO's success with John Adams, you guys want an early-American biographical melodrama too, but if you want to really bring home the awards, you can't half-ass it. Here are some suggestions to help you out. You can thank me after the Emmys. - You already have The Tudors, so don't call this The Booths. Just Booth. Much cooler, and you can say it like Lost. - The Booth brothers are all actors, so let's get actual actor-brothers to play them--really add another layer to this thing. The Baldwins seem like the obvious choice, but since Kevin Bacon is producing, maybe use the Bacon Brothers? I think there are only two of them though, so the third guy will be have to be CGI. Actually, fuck it, let's just get the Jonas Brothers. - And could we get Harry Dean Stanton to play Lincoln? Everyone loves that guy. - When Booth shot Lincoln, he used a derringer. LIKE A WOMAN! In this Showtime version, he should use like a Magnum, or something from Halo. - In the final episode, it's revealed that John Wilkes Booth and Lincoln are the same person, and that Lincoln was a figment of Booth's imagination, so there's still slavery. For the last shot, the camera pulls back to reveal the entire series was being watched by Shaq in the Miami Heat locker room. An off-camera voice calls to him: "Time to play basketball, Shaq," and Shaq stands up and he's in chains. - ALTERNATELY...* After shooting Lincoln, Booth quickly puts his mouth to the brain-hole and draws deeply, swallowing Lincoln's soul and absorbing all of his knowledge (as explained by Morgan Freeman's voice-over). Booth shouts, "It's a great day to be a Booth!" and flies up through a skylight, shattering the glass as though he were unaware of it completely. Cut to: small diner on a desolate stretch of highway. Title: "Moments later, 500 miles away." A figure enters the diner. He's tall, stately, bearded--is it... Lincoln? NO! It's Booth! Only he has Lincoln's beard from sucking in his soul! A hostess approaches him, "Counter or booth?" He looks to the camera knowingly. Credits. (It's the Blade Runner music for the credits.) *By alternately, I mean both endings are shown, and a title would say "alternately" so audiences would get to choose which ending they think really happened.

DVD REVIEW: CAN'T HARDLY WAIT 10 YEAR REUNION EDITION (1998)

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Back in the 80’s, the multiplexes were crowded with teen films. John Hughes based his whole career around them.

As Hughes retired, the genre died out. There were attempts to revive it in the early 90’s, but not much happened.

In 1998, a film came out that I would argue is the best of the decade’s genre films, CAN’T HARDLY WAIT.

When it was released, I was in my twenties and had outgrown the genre. I only went to see it since I had just written a screenplay about an all night party, and the trailers made it seem very similar.

WAIT had several characters coming together at a big graduation party. Preston (Ethan Embry) wants to proclaim his love for the most beautiful girl in school, Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who has just broken up with her jock boyfriend (Peter Facinelli). School geek (Charlie Korsmo) wants to destroy the jock for years of mistreatment. And Seth Green wants to find a woman, any woman, and winds up getting locked in a bathroom with Lauren Ambrose.

The story was perfect in that, it sets them up with their quest, lets them go, and we watch the results. The dialogue throughout is very well written. Some of the smartest and funniest of the 90’s.

The film was written and directed by the team of Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, their first film as directors. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was already a big fan of theirs. They had written A VERY BRADY SEQUEL which I have often called the smartest (as far as knowledge of the source material) TV adaptation of all time. Watching BRADY in the theatre, I was laughing so hard at some of the obscure Brady references that I really felt that I should stand up and explain it to the audience, who was missing out. When I realized they were responsible for both films, they joined my “Must See Anything They Do” list. (And I will defend their next feature 2001’s JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS any time that it is necessary, one of the few great satires.)

Due to its frequent cable airings, CAN’T HARDLY WAIT has become something of a classic of its genre. So much that it has just been released in a 10th anniversary edition.

This DVD has a new reunion audio commentary with the directors and stars Seth Green, Peter Facinelli, Donald Faison and others. This is a very entertaining track as the cast members point out all the future stars who appear in the film (future Emmy winner Jaime Pressly, Freddy Rodriguez, Clea DuVall, Selma Blair, Sara Rue and even a guy named Jason Segal of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL). For those that haven’t gone on to stardom, cast member Joel Michaely does a sort of “What Ever Happened To” recap of their career (I should get him to contribute to this site). Who would have guessed that Charlie Korsmo is now working for the Department of Defense!

The DVD also includes the audio commentary from the first release, one of the funniest I have heard where Seth Green does half of it with a British accent for no reason.

There are several deleted scenes, new to this release. Surprisingly one scene, involving Segal with a vodka filled watermelon (that was part of the original theatrical trailer) is not included. Neither is that original trailer. But there are two music videos, including Smash Mouth's "Cant Get Enough Of You Baby"

There are three featurettes, running close to an hour, about the making of the film and what the actors are doing ten years later. Jennifer Love Hewitt is not interviewed, neither is Lauren Ambrose. But most of the others appear.

I’ve often wondered why Ethan Embry didn’t become a big star from this. Since VEGAS VACATION, where he played Rusty, I thought he was a great comic actor. Yet, while he is still acting, he hasn’t had the career he should have.

While films are often rereleased in anniversary editions just for marketing purposes, this one is worth an upgrade. The extras are all fun. I’m not one to really care all that much for extras, as the film is the most important thing. I have hundreds of DVDs where I have yet to see any of the extras. Here, I went through this DVD in one sitting, watching everything on it.

It is worth picking up.

Dragonball Teaser Trailer

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:24:53 +0000

If you’re a fan of the extremely popular Japanese anime series “Dragonball Z,” I recommend you don’t watch this teaser trailer for Dragonball, the live-action American version. You’ll be very disappointed. For everyone else, it’s good for a laugh.

Justin Chatwin is a very Caucasian “Goku,” Emmy Rossum is a non blue-haired “Bulma,” Jamie Chung is “Chi Chi,” and Chow Yun-Fat is “Master Roshi.” Goku must find all seven dragon balls to prevent Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) from taking over the world.

With this and the Watchman legal battle, Fox is really upsetting a lot of fans.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Dragonball opens on April 10, 2009.

AMC Becoming a Class Act With Its Programming

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:03:17 +0000

Several years ago when AMC turned on its satellite and became one of America’s first all non-premium all movie channels it had to dig deep into film archives and showed some unknown films of questionable quality. When the channel began showing commericals everyone thought it was doomed, however, that slowly began to change as the channel grew and became better known films of much higher quality and with some real star-quality were being shown. Eventually the channel sort of branched-off and began having film reviews and other styles of short-programming between the movies. Then, couple of years, the cable channel did a complete 180 and started offering up unique original programming and high-quality remakes of some great TV series from the past. This has become very apparent with the recent Emmy sweeps the channel has enjoyed with its original show “Mad Men,” a story centering around 1960’s New York ad agencies.

Last year AMC announced that it would resurrect a classic 1967 show for a 6-part miniseries remake of “The Prisoner.” At first most SF buffs and lovers of the original show, that starred Patrick McGoohan, balked at the idea of taking such a beloved show and trying to improve it for the 21st Century. But, the more that became known of AMC’s attention to detail and its dedication to getting it right, the more excited fans became, especially with the announcement that the great Ian McKellen (”The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “X-Men” films), the two-time Oscar nominee, would be co-starring as “Number Two.” That excitement grew to a fevered-pitch this past June when AMC announced it had also signed on James Caviezel (”The Passion of the Christ”) to play the lead role of Number Six made famous by McGoohan. AMC’s “The Prisoner” is set to air in 2009.

This week AMC told the press that it will adapt the highly popular 1982 Kim Stanley Robinson novel “Red Mars” for broadcast with Johnathan Hensleigh (”Armageddon”) serving as the projects co-executive producer. Hensleigh will also adapt the teleplay.

Robinson’s Mars trilogy “Red Mars,” Green Mars, “Blue Mars,” which follows the progression of Mars exploration and colonization by Earthlings and the changes the planet undergoes during this process, have seen hugh success among all readers, not just sci-fi lovers. Whether or not AMC will follow with adaptations of the other two novels will depend on the ratings success of their attempt at “Red Mars.”

Watch the entire 'Dragonball' teaser trailer!

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:09:04 +0000

After a crappy bootleg version of James Wong's upcoming "Dragonball" flick appeared on the Web earlier this week, we now have a better version for you to check out just above. The film stars Justin Chadwin, Joon Park, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum and Yun-Fat Chow, among others. Scheduled release date is April 10, 2009.

So what do you think about this people? I don't know that much about "Dragonball" and can't compare anything here, but I am eager to what you guys have to say about this footage. Excited? Sound off just below.

FORGOTTEN TV: New Zoo Revue (1972-1977)

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000

THE NEW ZOO REVUE was to the 70’s, and even the 80’s, what BARNEY was to the 90’s. It was a children’s show with lots of characters dancing around in costumes.

There was Henrietta Hippo, Charlie the Owl, and Freddie the Frog. The humans interacting with them were Doug and Emmy Joe. Sometimes, the mailman would stop by.

The most memorable thing about the show was the theme song. (You can find it on Youtube but they don't allow embedding.

Here are the lyrics:

La-La-La-La-La-La-La, La-La-La-La-La-La-La

It’s the New Zoo Revue, coming right at you...
Where three delightful animals have fun with what they do.

We learn with our friend Doug (our friend Doug!)
I'm his helper Emmy Jo (Emmy Jo!)

With Freddie!
Charlie!
Henrietta!

We have fun learning what we don't know.

Delicate and feminine is Henrietta Hippo.
Very wise and very smart is Charlie the Owl. (Whooo!)
Lots of spark with lots of parties, Freddie the Frog.

It's quite an unusual thing, the animals talk and sing...
With Doug and Emmy Jo, everyday's a different show!

It’s the New Zoo Revue, coming right at you...
It’s the New Zoo Revue, coming right at you!

The show ran 196 episodes from 1972 to 1977. Reruns ran throughout the 80’s as well. One of my stations aired it every morning at 6 a.m. in the 80’s.

What I wasn’t aware of at the time, the two hosts of it Doug (Doug Momary) and Emmy Joe (Emily Peden) were married, and still are to this day.

Having seen the show recently (it is available on DVD) it is a bit dated, but still fun. Dated mainly because Emmy Jo is frequently wearing miniskirts with go-go boots.

The biggest star to come from the show is Chuck Woolery. The LOVE CONNECTION and LINGO host played the postman.

Now those with warm memories of the show may want to stop reading here.

Really.

Stop reading.

This could ruin the show for you.

One of the most famous things about the show today (other than the occasional Henrietta Hippo reference on THE SIMPSONS) is a blooper from the show.

I first saw this on a blooper compilation tape in the mid 80’s and was shocked by it. The reruns were still on the air then.

It is now on Youtube.

Here it is, and again, a warning. You will never look at Freddie the Frog or Charlie the Owl the same way again.

Told you.

But, I guess the people in the costumes got a bit bored doing this show, and had to have some fun.

The first season is available on DVD, as well as a couple DVDs of select episodes.

Hump Day Hottie, Lee Pace

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Hump Day Hotties 5th season premiere...

I wasn't quite counting down the hours to tonight's premiere of Pushing Daisies (like my buddy JA was) but my DVR was aware and the recording was triple-checked. Okay so I was counting down the hours. It had been a long time between the first and second season. I was nervous.

How kind of them to thank us for that interminable wait by stripping scrumptious Lee Pace down to his skivvies soon after the recap scenes. The only more rewarding way to kick off the premiere might have been a brief musical duet from Kristin Chenowith and Ellen Greene but you can't have everything.

I'd rank this episode somewhere in the middle of the quality range that Pushing Daisies hits. At its best the show's sublime silliness and pinch of bittersweet drama tastes totally gourmet. At its worst, it's still yummy but the flavors a touch ripe and the plating way too busy.

My favorite line in the new episode was delivered by Olive Snook i.e. Kristin Chenowith, the winner of the 2008 Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy (Shut Up! this show encourages fantastical thinking. I'm having a pleasant false memory). She has been shipped off to a nunnery (don't ask) by Lily Charles (Swoosie Kurtz), who once stayed there to hide a pregnancy.

You holidayed here 30 years ago and found a baby in the cabbage patch. And by cabbage patch I mean your lady parts.

LOL. So why am I not talking about Lee Pace, the presumed subject of this post? I'm getting there.

In truth, he never has all that much to do in any given episode. In many ways he's the straight man of the show. The supporting cast is the swirling colorful comic relief. Pace is there to provide anchor. He does it beautifully. Pace never flinches from or winks away Ned's sweetness, softness or soulful sincerity which would be temptations for some lead actors... especially within a show so possibly indulgent of winking.

Since this is a film blog, I must say that I hope he gets big movie roles on every Daisies hiatus. It'd be a shame if he was never challenged with a Soldier's Girl level role again. He was so convincing as the transgendered Calpernia in that Showtime film. Directors ought to be asking him to stretch again... when he's not making pies. And while we're talking movies, I'll leave you with this beauty of a number from the spring period comedy Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (spoilers -- it's late in the film). Kristin Chenowith isn't the only woman who bursts into song when she's thinking about Lee Pace. He has that affect on Amy Adams, too.

previous seasons of Hump Day Hotties
... if you're feeling chilly.

Can TV's "Daisies" bloom again after such a long layoff?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:43:00 +0000

Is is just me, or does the new TV season just kind of suck? I mean, I guess we knew it would be pretty bad with last year's strike, but so far I've only found one show that has me hooked, and that one not entirely.

I'm still sticking with "Fringe" simply because I'm a sucker for the supernatural, but until last night's pretty good episode that show has seemed nothing but predictable, especially given its drive to be bizarre.

Much better but still improving is FX's "Sons of Anarchy," which has been accurately described as "The Sopranos" on motorcycles. Starring Ron Perlman, Katey Segal (yes, that Katey Segal), Charlie Hunnam of "Undeclared" fame (what there was of it) and Maggie Siff (a k a Don Draper's mistress Rachel Mencken on season one of "Mad Men"), this drama airing tonight at 10 delivers plenty of grit and is still working on the storyline to match it.

But the real news, and what I've been waiting for all fall, is the return of "Pushing Daisies," which has to be the last show to either return or premiere in this entire year. If you haven't tuned in before to this prime-time fairy tale from the mind of Rryan Fuller, I can't urge you strongly enough to start tonight when it returns at 8 on ABC. All you really need to know is its a super-sweet romantic tale about a piemaker (Lee Pace) who just happens to have the ability to bring people back to life for one minute and the return of his childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel), whose father he just happened to kill by accident when they were kids.

From there, it usually just gets crazier, and a whole lot of fun. So, what's gonna happen in the new season? Well, tonight Ned, Chuck and Emerson Cod (the extremely funny Chi McBride) are on the case of a murder involving some killer bees (and just as deadly honey marketers). In the next two weeks they'll then visit a circus where the human cannonball has some deadly ideas of his own and then a convent, where Ned and Emerson will play men of the cloth.

That all sounds like a lot of fun, but will it be as whimsical and entertaining as ever? Variety, thankfully, says yes. Here's what they had to say about the opening episodes of season two:

Emerging like a sweetly scented addition to primetime’s musty flower bed, “Pushing Daisies” opens its second season in full creative bloom. Producer Bryan Fuller’s Emmy-nominated dramedy is one of the few programs that dares to deal in whimsy, which is perhaps why audiences drifted away before the writers strike truncated its initial run. Managing expectations is paramount to the show’s longevity -- such an offbeat concept is unlikely to break out in a major way -- but let’s hope ABC’s patience is rewarded with this gentle if somewhat delicate flower.

Beyond its fairy-tale explosion of color and production design, “Daisies” indulges in moments of almost surreal imagination, like having Kristin Chenoweth -- as Ned’s lovelorn assistant Olive -- put her Broadway chops to use reenacting a memorable scene out of “The Sound of Music.” The cast, meanwhile, is uniformly terrific -- down to the 150-some-odd-year-old Golden Retriever (in dog years) that Ned can only scratch with a stick.

In my mind, I'm already there. One of my other favorite TV dramas, "Friday Night Lights," also returns tonight, but since I don't have DirecTV and will be unable to watch it I have nothing else to say about that (yes, I'm a petty man in many, many ways.)

'Now I'm a paraplegic and I know why'

Instead I'll leave you with the video for what I still think is the catchiest cautionary tale of all time (and the only one I can think of that could make the above line about paraplegics very, very funny). I have no idea how it came up, but somehow I got into a discussion the other day with my fellow cubicle slave Randy Waters about the old Afroman song "Because I Got High" and just how infectious it is. MIA's "Paper Planes" has been driven almost as deeply into my skull this year, but that tune isn't nearly as cool as what will probably be Afroman's only hit song ever. Enjoy this video featuring Jay and Silent Bob, but please, if you're watching this at work do so with headphones, because the end gets a little racy. Peace out.