Friday 130th!

Before I do anything else, I just show you this. It's a really cool (okay..easy) film quiz that is as funny as hell. It's worth a click if you've got a few minutes to kill in the office today. Hey, it's a Monday!

Movie news: I mentioned the new The Omen yesterday (cunningly being released on 6.6.06), but it seems like they're not the only one's using the calender as a release date tie-in. The guys behind the latest (tenth for all you movie number geeks out there) Friday 13th movie. Look here! See that I'm not lying! The good thing it that it's a prequel. I think that's the right direction to go with the franchise at this stage.

Another additon to the list of films I want to see this year - Happy Feet. It's another cutesy Pixar movie event but this time with penguins. After the little guys in Madagascar and March Of The Penguins, everybody in Hollywood seems to be mad for the critters. I'm not complaining though as I seem to have adopted/been infected by my girlfriends love of them. It had to happen eventually I guess! Anyway, if you've got a spare minute then check out the trailer.

Also, all over the papers today but I'll post it here anyway - the SAG's happened last night (Sunday). Good to see another of last years best films, Crash, getting a few nods rather than everything going to Brokeback Mountain. Don't forget, Oscar nominations are out tomorrow so it's worth keeping an eye for those. I'm pretty excited about the awards this year. Hopefully it'll be as good as last year.

More importantly though, the Razzie nominations are out. Check out the list here. Let me know what you think? I think they're pretty bang on this year. Let's be honest, they had more than a years fair share of crap movies to choose from in 2005. I still can't get the stink of Revolver or Dukes of Hazzard of my clothes!

Okay, I think that's me done for now. Back to work everyone!

Satan's spawn, Indy and The Joker go into a bar ..

Okay, loads of stuff to flag up today. First of all, the trailer for The Omen remake has gone on line. You can find it here. I've got some high hopes for this as I am a fan of Liev Shreiber. He is also on of the most interesting people I have ever spoken to. Anyway, take a look.

Next up, Harrison Ford's been talking about get his bullwhip out again for Indiana Jones 4. You can read what he's been saying about it all by clicking here. I still can't decide whether this movie is a good idea. I want to see Indy back again but... you know.

Paul Bettany's been talking about the rumours that he could be playing The Joker in the next Batman movie. I think that'd work. Anyway, am I the only person who wasn't blown away by Batman Begins last year? I thought it was okay, good even, but not amazing.
Maybe I was missing something?

And Fred Savage has got a new TV show. It's about time he was back our screens. I used to love The Wonder Years. I even had a soft spot for his terrible movies The Wizard and Little Monsters. Add in the fact that he's from Chicago - one of my favourite cities in the world - and it's all good!

Finally, here's my article on Munich. Let me know what you think. And if you're interested in the UK band Arctic Monkeys you want to read this too. Anyway, have a great weekend (or what's left of it) and I'll be back again soon!

OH MY GOD! You killed Buzz & Woody! You B*****ds!

Okay. So I was all happy about Disney and Pixar kissing and making up then this happened. When I first heard about the idea originally last year I wasn't sure it would work. I mean, after two great Toy Story movies why make another and risk messing it all up by stretching the concept? Then I warmed to it. Then I went ice cold on the whole thing when it was rumoured that it going to be one of those shitty straight-to-DVD efforts that studios keep pumping out these days. But then they changed their mind and it was going to be a proper release. Now it's all off. Let's hope they also shelve the ideas for those Finding Nemo and Incredibles sequel they've been talking about.

Hey Hollywood! If you make a great film you don't have to make a sequel. Seriously!

Okay. I'm now about to seem like a total hypocrite and praise a movie franchise. Damn!

Anyway, schlock horror! Great news for fellow fans of the Final Destination series of movies (now there's a fun franchise! LOVE IT!) who happen to be living in the US. The guys behind Final Destination 3 want you to see the movie FOR FREE on Wednesday February 8 and tell them what you thought about it. Here's the link to get your free tickets. Enjoy!

Finally, next week is shaping up nicely as far as work is concerned (and by work I mean perks related to what I do for a living). Along with getting to meet the lovely Reece Witherspoon, I will also be going to see 80's legends A-ha live in London. They've got some new material out and it's seriously good. Have a listen and let me know what you think!

B'bye!

Chris Penn. Dead. Family Guy talk show. Live.

Apologies for not updating my blog for a few days later, but first, this sucks. Chris Penn has died. I've been working on this strory today and it really sucks.

I'll be honest, as an actor I liked him more than his brother Sean. Sean always seems like he wants to be taken so seriously all the time, Chris couldn't give a rats ass whether he was playing a goofball or a killer - he loved it! He blew me away in Reservoir Dogs, absolutely blew me away. He was great in Footloose and, okay I admit it, thought he was good in the cheesy action-fest Best Of The Best (I and II). What an absolute and utter shame.

Chris. You'll be missed. Hollywood needs more actors like you, and now they've got one less.

On a lighter note, who else here is a Family Guy fan? All of you? Excellent! It seems that Stewie - the psychotic baby with the campest English accent I've ever heard - has got his own on-line talkshow going on. Check it the story out here... and the link to the Family Guy site is here. There's a podcast on their site too so make sure you check that out.

Also, Adam Goldberg has joined the cast of new movie Deja Vu. I'll be honest, I don't know much about the movie or really care about it so far (based on what I've read) but I just wanted to flag up his name and urge you to go and check out a movie her did about 2 years ago called The Hebrew Hammer. It's hilarious. Basically Goldberg plays a Jewish 'Shaft' type character and he's fighting a Christian Mr Big (played by Andy Dick) who is trying to ruin Chanukah by making all the Jewish kids watch It's A Wonderful Life. Very very funny.

My life already! I'm out of here

P.S. Apologies for not updating this blog for a few days I've had a really busy week in work so far and it's getting busier. I've written 2 features today - one on Munich and another on the (rather splendid) British band Arctic Monkeys. Also, I'm due to interview Reece Witherspoon next week so I've been preparing for that... and watching Firefly on DVD.

Nizlopi were great on Sunday night. We 9me and my better half) had a great night out - even though we only knew one of their songs. They were excellent. Really excellent. If they ever play near you then you should seriously check them out. Bloody brilliant!

Anyway, I'll post links to the articles I've written and the website for the company I'm working with in the next few days - we're about to launch a new site anytime now.

Honest.

A great Knight out! Spamalot comes to London's West End!

This is awesome news. Spamlot is coming to London. I've been wanting to see this show since it debuted on Broadway. I am a huge fan of the Python movies and Tim Curry - here's hoping that he'll transfer to the London version. I love the soundtrack - hilarious - but I've never been able to get (ok .. afford) a ticket to the NY show when I've been over there.

Anyway, it opens at the Palace Theatre on October 2nd (which means that this play is going to have to close). Tickets go on sale at the end of February. Great news to end a pretty good week!

Also, this is crazy! I'm not being anti-religion but I swear, this is crazy! Maybe it's just me but... isn't it a bit... much?

The Catholic church wants the The DaVinci Code movie to be given an adult rating so that kids can't see it, therefore avoiding "insidious" lies about Catholicism. WHAT?! Come on, lighten up. Seriously.

Okay, the weekend is here so I'm going to relax, hang out with my better half and on Sunday we're going to see Nizlopi play live at Shepherds Bush Empire. Smashing!

Hostel; BAFTA's and my Spider sense is tingling!

I am amazed that I managed to get a wink of sleep last night. Absolutely amazed. I had the uncomfortable pleasure of going to a preview screening of Hostel yesterday evening. Bloody hell! Literally.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good horror movie. It loved Saw (the recent sequel not so much but it was still a worthy follow-up), I loved Cabin Fever (from the same guy who made Hostel, Eli Roth) .. you get the idea; but in parts of Hostel - as good as it is, which is very good - I couldn't even look at the screen. Very effective and brilliantly executed (pardon the pun) but tough to stomach. If you think you've got the stamina then do go and see it, seriously, it's great; but if you think it might be too disturbing then go with your guts instinct.

On a lighter note, the BAFTA Film nominations came out this morning. Nice to see The Constant Gardener getting so many nods. Quite suprised not to see a nomination for Keira Knightley in Pride And Prejudice - I thought she was excellent. Co-star Brenda Blethyn got some recognition as least. You can read the full list of nominations here.

And finally, really good to see that Bryce Dallas Howard has been signed up for Spiderman 3. If you click here you'll be able to read more about what she'll be doing. Spidey III should be even better than the second one from the looks of who've they got lined up already. I love Spiderman. I managed to get the chance to speak to his creator, Stan Lee, a few years ago - a bit of a childhood dream come true if I'm honest - and he was SO nice. An absolute legend.

And if you haven't seen these before then enjoy! A brilliant way to waste some time in the office (and it's not rude!). Have a great day!

You're not the boss of me anymore!

Bad news. They're axing Malcolm In The Middle. Life is unfair!
Fox have decided to ditch the show after 5 years.

I think it's one of the few consistently funny shows on TV. Yes, I know that all the kids have grown up but still, that show never fails to make me laugh. For crying out loud, they managed to make Friends last for a decade and that ran out of real laughs (and characters who hadn't slept with each other) LONG before it's cancellation.

The MITM scripts were always fresh, funny and sharp; and the cast were perfect. Plus the theme tune was sung by one of my all time favourite bands, They Might Be Giants! I'm really disappointed.

There is one episode that ALWAYS makes me laugh, one scene especially. It's the one where the parents hire a babysitter and Dewey tries to prove he's all cute and innocent by singing and dancing along to the 'Boopie Boopie Boopie Boo' song he's made up - which basically consists of him singing Boopie Boopie Boopie Boo over and over again while rocking from side to side. Hilarious.

Okay, maybe it's one of things where you had to be there to see the funny side but trust me, if I've had a crappy day it never fails to make me smile.

The network is also ditching That 70's Show... so it's not all bad!

Ride him cowboy! Homo on the range at the Golden Globes!

I couldn't resist it .. it's just that this years awards were more pink than Golden? To me that's a good thing. Could this mean that the average person is now seeing 'being gay' as not being abnormal? Let's hope so.

Anyway, a great night at the Golden Globes for 'the gay cowboy movie' as it's come to be known. It is a superb movie in almost every aspect (the pace was a little off in some places for my liking but hey..Hollywood ain't about to start crying over my opinion).

In case you've managed to avoid hearing, seeing or reading anything about the awards ceremony until now, here's some more on the results.

Four awards in all - including best director. For those of you who weren't aware, the name of the guy that made this is Ang Lee, in the past he's made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Sense And Sensibility, The Ice House and the woeful The Hulk. In the (slightly twisted) catchphrase of Dr David Banner: "Don't make him Ang Lee, you wouldn't like him when he's Ang Lee".

Other notable winners last night included Felicity Huffman for her role in TransAmerica and Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote. Okay Hollywood, next up - The Oscars! Let's hope voters there are also tickled pink!

In the words of the classic song from The Producers: "Keep it gay, keep it gay, keep it gay!"

Have a great day, and thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Hey Hollywood! What's with all the humping?

So on Thursday we found out that Angelina Jolie is pregnant with a baby Brad (or Bradetta) and now Gywneth Paltrow says she's 'in the club' too! What the hell is in the charcoal purified designer bottled slightly-sparkling showbiz water these days?

I have to admit that I'm happy for Gwyneth as she's a great Hollywood mum - although I don't even know if she qualifies as that these days since she lives in London for most of the time. I have to admit that I am also slightly biased as when I interviewed her for Sky Captain a few years back she was perhaps one of the sweetest women I have ever had the pleasure to meet - plus she is stunning in the flesh. By that I mean in person, and not that I saw her naked. Plus I think her husband - Chris Martin - is a nice guy too. I'm not the biggest fan of his music, I like Coldplay in general - I admit
some of their stuff is amazing - but the rest is a touch too whiny for me.
He does a lot of good stuff for good causes so he's okay in my book. Again, I met him once and he was very down to earth, pleasant and chatty. Basically, a lovely couple.

Anyway, back to Gwyneth, am I the only male in the world that has a soft spot for her Mum? Blythe Danner? I know it's a bit wrong but I think everyone has to have one older Hollywood woman that they find attractive. I don't mean in a sexual way but that you think is well .. I don't know what the word is for it but just trying to think about what it is makes me feel a little wrong. Anyway, my other two are Jacqueline Bisset and Dame Judi Dench. Don't ask. Please. Ever. I'm going to stop talking about that now.

Anyway, I read this this morning and thought you might like to see it. One of the guys behind The Matrix is now one of the women behind The Matrix. I know Hollywood knocked your dick in the dirt over the last two movies but dude, at least you could have picked it up and stuck it back on!

I never understood all the fuss around those movies anyway. I did love Bound though. Now, that's a great heist movie. Okay. I'm done!

Baby Brangelina!

So I wake up this morning to the news that Angelina Jolie is pregnant with Brad Pitt's baby. You can read more about it here.

I mean congratulations and everything - it's great news and I'm happy for them - but am I the only straight male on the planet who doesn't fancy her? I met her once, she was very pleasant but I just don't get the attraction. Having said that, I don't imagine for one minute that she was looking at me and mentally debating my hotness level either.

Brad seems like a nice enough guy. He's adopted her children and they've recently adopted another one from Ethiopia, and now they're pregnant with another. I just never figured her for a mum of three!

Now I remember that a little over a year ago, she revealed that she wanted to adopt two more children - one Muslim and the other Christian to complement her Buddhist son Maddox. Hey Angelina, they're kids not accessories! Please take this seriously!

Naturally, many people are now going to be wondering what they'll call the little one. With one called Maddox and the latest member of the family is Zahara, my money is on something like Thor or Titan. That way they all get cool names, because calling it Kevin or Earl just wouldn't seem right!

Okay, I got stuff to do so have a great day. Make it yours.

Clerks 2 trailer goes live; Harry Potter 5 casting call

Morning all! Thanks for dropping by. I've woken up this morning with loads of stuff to tell you. Get ready to embrace your inner geek!

First of all, good news (for Kevin Smith fans at least). After waiting very patiently for way too long the trailer for Clerks 2 is now online. This one's in colour but it does look like it's kept much of the charm of the original. The film's not out for a few months yet but it's certainly one of the movies that I'm looking forward to.

Also, some great news for Harry Potter fans. There's going to be a casting call in London, England this coming Saturday 14th January. It's for the role of Luna Lovegood so you need to be a girl between 13 and 16 years old AND resident of the UK or Ireland. The best thing about this is that you don't have to have any previous acting experience to audition. You need to be there early because you just know it's going to be mad busy. Anyway, you can get all the details like where it's the auditions are happening right here. If you are going, be careful that you don't get trampled underfoot by all those pushy mums who think that their little darling is the next Keira Knightley. Seriously, they really scare me! Anyway, all the best if you're going down there. Maybe I'll be talking to you at the premiere next year?

Other casting stuff you might want to know about - if reports are right then 4 actresses are in London, England right now reading for the role of 'Bond Girl' in the new 007 movie, Casino Royale. As everyone knows (unless they've been living in a cave) Daniel Craig is going to be the man with the license to kill this time round. Charlize Theron has already said no; two other names that have been bandied around are Natasha Henstridge (Species) and Australian actress Kimberly Davies (er..Neighbours). The movie is due to start shooting in 19 days time so expect an announcement next week. There's some more on this story here.

Finally, this is not movie related but we were woken up in the middle of the night by something mysterious scratching around in the corner of our bedroom. I checked it out (despite being really scared of rats etc) and there was nothing there! So somehow our bedroom has become some kind of mini-'Lost' episode! All I need to do now is find Narnia in our Ikea wardrobes and my fantasy world is complete!

Enough already! Have a good day and keep coming back.

Music to hear; Thank Slevin; Back to Narnia & Hostel

After a nice weekend away I've hit the week head on. I've got loads of stuff to cover off today so I'll dive right in if that's okay?

So, first off I have 2 female vocalists you should pay some attention to. First off, Tina Dico - a Danish woman who's already big in her home country but is trying to break out right now. Her latest album 'In The Red' beat Coldplay and U2 to top spot in the album charts in Denmark so she's pretty popular. Her album is well worth getting hold of.

Also, I went to a showcase at the BBC yesterday to hear Helen Boulding play and sing. Stunning. She's a bit like a lot of people (Katie Melua, Natalie Merchant, Vanessa Carlton, Lisa Loeb but less angsty) however she has a distinctive voice that makes you melt! She's already had stuff played on BBC Radio 2 and her album is out later in the year. I'm really looking forward to it. Her voice made me feel all funny inside .. which was nice.

Two other musical things I have to flag up - I've been able to listen to pre-release copies of albums from Fightstar (featuring Charlie from Busted .. although I'm sure he's sick to people referring to him as that so sorry Charlie) and MC Lars recently and they are both brilliant. Follow the links to their sites and judge for yourself though. I'd love to get some feedback on those.

Okay, movies. First off I saw Lucky Number Slevin last night but I have signed a review embargo so I'm not allowed to tell you about it. For those of you that don't know it's something that journalists (like me) have to do on a regular basis. It's cool, normal procedure and I totally respect that. But I'll give you full review when I'm allowed to, which is the day of release.

So happy to see that Hostel is number one at the US with a pretty solid opening weekend - $20.1 million. Not bad for a film that only took $5 million to make in the first place! I'm going to see a screening of this in a week or so and I am really looking forward to it, although I do realise that it will be really scary and I will probably mess myself! Hopefully I'll be getting the chance to talk to Eli Roth aswell so I'll let you know where and when you can read that as soon as I know. The even better news is that they're already working on a sequel.

On a more family friendly note, it looks like we're being invited on a return trip to Narnia sooner than we thought. The studio's already looking for a director for Prince Caspian and they should announce who it'll be within the new few weeks. I say (if he wants it) give it to Andrew Adamson - he did a great job with the first one. As I always say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Come on, the guy gave you a movie that made a monkey out of Kong at the box office - don't be a schmuck!

One more thing before I go. I managed to steal a few hours yesterday to go and see Brokeback Mountain. Absolutely enchanting. What a great love story. However, I don't know what it is but I've yet to be dazzled by any performance that Heath Ledger has ever given us. I'm not saying he's a bad actor, because he isn't, he's great in this - but as yet he's never really had me rooting for him. Having said that I think Jake's character did more than enough 'rooting' for Heath in that movie! Ha ha ha ha ha .. *note to Simon from Simon - don't laugh at your own jokes, it makes you look stupid*

Okay, that's your lot for now. Have a great Tuesday!

My Name Is Earl! Karma is a funny thing at Universal Studios Hollywood

I caught the superb TV show My Name Is Earl for the first time when I was on a road-trip with a friend in Florida last October and thought it was pretty cool. The show took America by storm last year, and finally debuts on UK Channel 4 tonight (Friday) at 10pm. If you want to find out more about it then click here. It's very funny and is worth watching.

However the coolness of the show is not what this post is all about. I had an email from my friends at Universal Studios that I thought you might like.

If you are an “Earl”, and you are heading for Universal Studios in Hollywood in January or February 2006, then you’re in luck.

To celebrate the show’s debut in the UK, NBC is teaming with its sister company, Universal Studios Hollywood, to give free park admission to any UK visitors with the name "Earl" during January and February 2006. All any "Earl" will need is a valid UK passport to show at the Universal Studios Hollywood ticket booth. The "Earl" freebie includes an official t-shirt.

So, just to make sure that everything is clear, this offer is ONLY valid to UK RESIDENTS called EARL who visit UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD in JANUARY thru FEBRUARY 2006. You have to have your PASSPORT with you at the time you visit to prove your name is Earl. How cool is that? You can save yourself $55!

And, for those of you who aren't called Earl but are going to Universal Studios Hollywood anyway, here's a link that'll save you $10 on admission - it's only for a limited time though so be quick.

Personally, I haven't been to the Hollywood theme park but I have been the ones in Orlando tons of times and they are brilliant. I swear, I never get bored of doing those rides!

Anyhow, back to the TV show. If you're from the UK, make sure you watch My Name Is Earl on Channel 4 from January 6; in the US, the new series is on NBC every Thursday from January 5.

Oscar host announced

I'm waking up to some great news this morning.

Jon Stewart's going to be hosting the Oscars this year. You can read more about that here.

I think Jon is one of the smartest funnymen in the US right now - it should be a vintage (if controversial) ceremony!

Anyway, there's a lot of great films that could be fighting it out for one of those statues this year, so when the final list of nominations comes out I'll be giving you my predictions.

I'm sure Hollywood's waiting with baited breath.....

Also, The Goonies was on TV recently (I watched it although I already have the DVD) and I started to wonder about what the cast are up to these days.

It looks like I'm not the only one.

I may be in my early 30's, but the Truffle Shuffle still makes me laugh!

2006 is shaping up nicely

Okay, so here I am and here you are. Thanks for finding my blog. This my first time doing this so please be gentle!

If you've just stumbled across this place then a warm and welcoming 'Hi'; if you've come to me courtesy of Steve and Johnnie at WGN Radio in Chicago then a huge and like-seeing-an-old-friend-who-you-haven't-seen-in-ages 'Hi!'.

From this year I'll be doing a regular feature spot with them, which is great, as I love the station, I love Chicago, and they're damn fine people - so it's an honour.

So, movies. Well, 2006 is looking like being a great year for movies already - but before I get into that here's a link to a retrospective of big Hollywood moments of last year that got published recently.

Seriously, I think someone in Hollywood must have spiked the water last year - there were so many bad movies out! I think my four worst were Bewitched, The Dukes Of Hazzard, House Of Wax and Revolver.

I have previews for Munich, TransAmerica, Capote and Fun With Dick And Jane coming up in the next 2 weeks so I'll let you know what I think of those. I'm really looking forward to the first 3 but I never have been a huge Jim Carrey fan so I'm a bit nervous about ..Dick And Jane. I am open to being proved wrong though.

One film I am looking forward to catching is Lucky Number Slevin - it's set in the world of black and Jewish gangsters, and it's about a man who gets confused with the friend whose apartment he is staying in and forced by a gangland boss to assassinate his archenemy's son.

The cast is amazing - Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, Josh Hartnett and Lucy Lui. It'll get a trailer up as soon as I can find one. It should be out around March.

Anyhow, just for the record here some other films that I'm really looking forward to/am curious about this year:

Brokeback Mountain - great cast, great story
Memoirs Of A Geisha - looks so beautiful
Bee Season - I know this going to make me cry!
Chicken Little - Look me in the eye and tell me that bird isn't cute!
Final Destination 3 - Oh come on! Everyone has to have a guilty pleasure!
V For Vendetta - Kaboom!
Tenacious D in Pick Of Destiny - I LOVE The D!
Ice Age 2 - The first one left me wanting more. What can I say?
Rent - I'm a straight guy who likes musicals. Go figure!
Mission Impossible 3 - I can't be worse than 2
Curious George - Loving the monkey since I was a kid so it has to be on here!
X-Men 3 - 2 was great so I have high hopes for this



Poseidon - Sink or swim? I think swim..but then again I like Stealth!
Over The Hedge - The trailer looks hilarious
Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 - Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirates life for me!
Superman Returns - Screw Superman..it's got a bald Kevin Spacey and he looks cool!
Cars - Fun with a capital F!
Ant Bully - It just sounds fun
Monster House - The trailer alone for this film gets me so excited!
Nacho Libre - It's Jack Black for crying out loud!
Sin City 2 - I'm just curious about whether or not it'll have the same wow factor this time
Jackass 2 - That's my inner child(ishness) coming out
Casino Royale - Who doesn't like a bit of Bond?

I'm sure there'll be a whole load of suprises along the way this year - and a few disappointments but that's .. er .. entertainment ..

Anyway .. first proper entry done .. I gotta go poop so I'll say 'bye for now and hopefully you'll come back and read my ramblings again soon.