AMC Hollywood Icon: James Dean

Season 2 Episode 9 - Open Thread

2009-05-11T02:00:00Z

Talk about Episode 9, "4 Days Out."

When is Season Three starting?

2009-05-08T17:06:56Z

Your Post

Nye Incidents

2009-05-08T17:00:00Z

Fans of Whitley Strieber (Communion) will be happy to learn that the scifi and horror novelist's new horror comic, The Nye Incidents, is coming to the big screen. Dark Castle has optioned the story of a medical examiner on the hunt for a killer of alien abductees for director Todd Lincoln. If it's anything like Wolfen or The Hunger, expect a creepfest of the highest order.

Wolfen Creator Whitley Strieber Explores The Nye Incidents

2009-05-08T17:00:00Z

Whitley Strieber doesn't quite rank with horror superstars Stephen King and Clive Barker, but two of his novels became much-loved movies: 1978's Wolfen and the erotic vampire outing The Hunger (1983), starring David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve. But Strieber's latest, the graphic novel The Nye Incidents (Devil's Due) is more reminiscent of Communion (1989), the UFO thriller he scripted from his own book. Like Communion, The Nye Incidents is based on supposedly true accounts of human/alien interaction, and now that Dark Castle has optioned it for the big screen, Strieber might help bring back the era of the extraterrestrial thriller.

A mash-up of Bones and The X-Files with a dash of Signs, The Nye Incidents follows level-headed medical examiner Lynn Devlin's investigations into the gruesome murder of an alien abductee. Of course, she's haunted by dreams of creepy saucer-eyed people, despite her logical, Dana Scully-esque side. Strieber has said that the story, inspired by true events, is so scary he didn't dare tell it himself, so he enlisted writer Craig Spector and artist Gus Floor to bring the tale to life. (Too scared, or too busy, Mr. Strieber? Only the aliens know for sure!)

Dark Castle has enlisted Todd Lincoln (visual effects supervisor for From Dusk Till Dawn and director of the upcoming Hack/Slash) to bring The Nye Incidents to multiplexes. But who should play Lynn Devlin? Perhaps Strieber could convince his old pal Susan Sarandon to delve into the world of scifi/horror? Or maybe it's the perfect big screen vehicle for Gillian Anderson... that would certainly make up for that recent lackluster X-Files movie.

To learn more, check out our photo gallery. For more on The Nye Incidents and other horror comics, visit ComicMonsters.com.

Short and Tweet - AMC Filmcritic Reviews (in Brief) for May 8

2009-05-08T15:29:03Z

• Star Trek
J.J. Abrams hits a triple, rebooting the classic space opera with flash, fun, and dazzling effects.
Click here for the full review.

• The Window
A man spends his final day on earth in quiet reflection in this deeply artistic Argentinian import.
Click here for the full review.

• Rudo y Cursi
This Mexican import spins the "uplifting sports movie" with a real downer of an ending.
Click here for the full review.

• Adoration
Auteur Atom Egoyan's latest mindfreak explores Israel-Palestine violence but is too heavyhanded.
Click here for the full review.

• Outrage
Documentarian Kirby Dick rails against the state of gays in DC, but comes off as hypocritical.
Click here for the full review.

• Next Day Air
Putrid wannabe gangsta flick attempts to be both funny and edgy, yet makes no sense whatsoever.
Click here for the full review.

For up-to-the-moment reviews short and tweet, subscribe to the AMC Filmcritic Twitter feed.

Opening Night - Star Trek Stars Collide, George Takei Admits He's Now "The Old Guy"

2009-05-08T05:01:00Z

After hurting my pinkie playing basketball, I was worried I wasn't going to be able to do a proper Vulcan hand signal at the Star Trek premiere. But it all worked out -- check out the Twitpic.

It was the biggest premiere event we've done at AMC News. Nuts! And if you follow us on Twitter you know it was an epic Star Trek-like battle to talk with the stars. I spoke with Chris Hemsworth, Leonard Nimoy, Simon Pegg, John Cho and George Takei. Take a look.

Star Trek Review - A Trekkie Treat for the Masses

2009-05-08T05:00:59Z

In a sense, it's all been leading up to this. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek honors history while launching the long-lived, beleaguered franchise into the 21st Century. It lives up to the highest calling of the Prequel, retroactively enriching the Original Series and the six movies it spawned. Whether it is a successful "reboot" remains to be seen -- this weekend's box-office will likely have the answer -- but while Star Trek is certainly accessible to non-Trekkies, I suspect it will only be special to the already initiated. Those who have journeyed with Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty and Uhura before will be delighted.

Among this Trek's biggest contributions to franchise canon is contextualizing Captain Kirk's reckless bravery. What bothers me about William Shatner's Kirk is his fearlessness, leaping into the jaws of danger without so much as a thought. (To me, bravery is Captain Picard in Star Trek: First Contact: Terrified of the Borg, but willing to do what's necessary.) As played by Chris Pine, Kirk isn't merely a rogue but an angry, volatile screw-up, goaded into joining Starfleet Academy by an old-timer Captain (Bruce Greenwood) who idolizes his father.

J.J. Abrams InterviewLearn about the new movie from the director
Damon Lindelof InterviewThe movie's executive producer explains why Trek needed a reboot
Simon Pegg InterviewLearn about the new Scotty, actor Simon Pegg
Ultimate Fan QuizTest your Trek trivia with questions from the movies.
John Scalzi's Trek Cheat SheetCatch up on past movie plots with original Trek Haiku
Villains Photo GalleryFind out what warped these Trek movie villains
Aliens Photo QuizSee how well you know the obscure Trek aliens
Franchise OverviewFilm historian Tim Dirks takes a detailed look at the various entries in the series
Meet Your MakersCatch up with the careers of the Original Series cast

]]> As we learn in the movie's thrilling opening sequence, George Kirk sacrificed himself to save his shipmates -- including his pregnant wife -- as First Officer on the U.S.S. Kelvin. This painful history haunts young James, and at first his bravado seems more suicidal than anything else: We see him rush headlong into a bar fight against three bigger guys, and sense that he fully expects to emerge the worse for the wear. Over the course of the movie, this self-destructive impulse becomes brash indifference before settling into the Shatner-esque determination with which we are already familiar. It's an impressively deep character arc.

Pine does a nice job with the role, making subtle nods toward Shatner's portrayal while staking his own claim to the character. But the movie's highest acting honors unquestionably belong to Zachary Quinto, whose interpretation of Spock as a twentysomething Starfleet whiz kid with a chip on his shoulder is stone-cold genius. The half-Vulcan Spock has always struggled to reconcile his vaunted Vulcan logic with the human emotion he has never quite been able to suppress, and Quinto sublimates that conflict beautifully: Young Spock is fiery and confident, his resolute insistence on cold, hard reason often boiling over into very human anger. The background the movie gives the character -- a genius child tormented by his pureblooded peers and driven to Starfleet by Vulcan elders' contempt for his human mother -- makes him richer still.

The rest of the cast is a pleasure too. Real-life Russian Anton Yelchin brings some much-needed Russianness to Chekov, mercifully replacing Walter Koenig's bizarre mangling of the accent. (It's one deviation from tradition I'll gladly tolerate.) The usually stoic Karl Urban is surprisingly loose and funny as Bones. John Cho and Simon Pegg don't have much to do as Sulu and Scotty, but they do the old stalwarts justice. And the movie finds creative ways for Zoe Saldana's Uhura to be less of a glorified receptionist than the Nichelle Nichols version.

I haven't said much about the plot, because it is easily Star Trek's weakest link: An overcooked, time-travel-heavy concoction that gives us a banal villain in the form of an angry Romulan played by Eric Bana, and undergoes painful contortions to allow Leonard Nimoy significant screen time as Old Spock (or, as the end credits put it, "Spock Prime"). But I was mostly content to ignore the nuts-and-bolts of the story. For me, this was about seeing the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise take its first voyage, and this sort of reverse nostalgia is where the movie excels. When we finally heard the classic voiceover and saw the Enterprise triumphantly zoom off into the distance, I was beaming at the screen. Yes, this is how it happened.

Where does that leave the non-Trekkies that Paramount hopes desperately to attract? They can enjoy the movie's brisk pace, lively humor, and J.J. Abrams's lucid, artful direction. (Abrams sends the camera swooping and diving through his mostly-CGI universe, somehow managing to stylize Trek without betraying it.) But the greatest pleasures here are reserved for those with at least some background. Here is the highest compliment Abrams and company could have hoped for: They leave Star Trek better than they found it.

To get an alternate movie review of Star Trek, go to AMC Filmcritic.com

Mary Robinette Kowal - Ten Movie Moms Too Fantastic to Be True

2009-05-08T05:00:50Z

Mother's Day is here and lest you need reminding, none of us would exist were it not for them. Fantasy has a high incidence of orphaned characters, but once in a while mothers do show up. Here are the ten best moms a fantasy girl could ask for.

10. Mrs. Jones, Coraline (2009)
There's a fair chance you too once shouted "You're not my real mother!" Coraline's (Dakota Fanning) mom (Terri Hatcher) is focused on her writing, and isn't as attentive as the child might like. Mother eventually shows how much she cares with a carefully-timed glove purchase, and she sure wins out over the cloying affections of the Other Mother.
Con: Distracted by work
Pro: Doesn't replace your eyes with buttons

9. Mrs. Little, Stuart Little (1999)
Maternal love is hard to define, as evidenced by Mrs. Little's (Geena Davis) decision to adopt a mouse. She tries to make their home safe for her special needs child -- after all, Stuart (Michael J. Fox) is only three and a half inches tall, so even a mundane activity like laundry is hazardous.
Con: Smothers you with love
Pro: Willing to let you take chances

8. Mrs. Bucket, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Being a mom is a hard job, but when you're as broke as the Buckets it's downright depressing. Still, Mrs. Bucket (Helena Bonham Carter) manages to put a happy face on their hapless circumstances: There's a hot meal on the table every night -- even if it is always cabbage -- and a candy bar for Charlie's birthday.
Con: Ugh, cabbage
Pro: Lets you to go to Chocolate Factory, despite Mr. Wonka's Michael Jackson-esque demeanor

]]> 7. Mrs. Grace, Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Mrs. Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) has a hard time believing her son's tales of ogres and faeries. But you have to give her credit for rolling with the truth when confronted first by a troll-like brownie and then by ogres. When push comes to shove, she's not letting anyone mess with her kids.
Con: Oversensitive BS-detector
Pro: Willing to admit mistakes

6. Tess, Freaky Friday (2003)
Some people have to grow up before they realize how similar they are to their mother. Not so with Anna (Lindsay Lohan), who swaps places with Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis). A lesser mother might have hidden at home, but Tess takes advantage of being in high school with the benefit of hindsight.
Con: Meddles in your personal life
Pro: Aces your tests for you

5. Fly, Babe (1995)
Not all good mothers are birth mothers. Fly, the sheepdog, adopts Babe as her own -- even though he's a pig. She comforts him and encourages him to follow in her pawprints, and never once tries to eat him, even though his chops are just begging for a gnosh.
Con: Wants you to do things her way
Pro: Loves you even after you steal her sheep-herding job -- and do it incorrectly!

4. Mae Tuck, Tuck Everlasting (2002)
We always think of our Mothers as unchanging, but Mae (Sissy Spacek) actually is. An immortal, she's had ninety years to practice the job -- despite only seeing her sons once per decade. She may feel ambivalent about her children's maturation, but she's warm and generous and always lays a bountiful table.
Con: Doesn't want you to grow up
Pro: Will actually kill for you -- provided you spring her from jail

3. Anne MacMarrow, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)
Angus (Alex Etel) wants a pet. But his mother Anne (Emily Watson), raising a child alone during wartime, fears it will distract him from learning about responsibility. But when he reveals he's been raising a magical Water Horse, she recognizes the maturity in his care for the creature.
Con: Not afraid to send you to bed -- or to boot camp -- without supper
Pro: Remarkably understanding when it comes to hidden sea creatures

2. Una, Stardust (2007)
The child of a single father, Tristan (Charlie Cox) leaps at a chance to meet his birth mother by traveling to a magical land. Una (Kate MacGowan) is an especially active mom: Though a slave girl, she manages to play a pivotal role in saving Tristan and helping him woo his love.
Con: Absent from your childhood
Pro: A princess in disguise

1. Molly Weasley, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Is there a more matronly figure in fantasy than jolly Mrs. Weasly? She raises a brood of children, cooks, cleans and works magic. While her kids are away, she makes sure they get packages filled with hand-knit sweaters, and she adopts Harry into the family.
Con: Sweaters! Gah!
Pro: Always ready with a heaping plate of food

Mary Robinette Kowal is the winner of the 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and a professional puppeteer. Her first novel Shades of Milk and Honey is being published by Tor in 2010.

Hank's Blog - Call Me Susie Homemaker

2009-05-08T05:00:43Z

There are things they don't teach you when you're training to join the DEA. I mean, they prepare you as much as it's possible to prepare someone for the lawless junkie hordes we face everyday. However, there are certain aspects of everyday life as an agent that aren't covered in training. For example, getting sweat stains out of body armor.

Look, I'm a guy -- I sweat. Sorry for being a man. I mean, I live in freaking Albuquerque, which becomes the left armpit of hell during the summer. Yeah, yeah, it's a dry heat -- my ass. The heat may be dry but I'm producing enough sweat to drown a small army. And you know, this body armor we wear does not exactly, shall we say... breathe.

Now I'd say screw it and leave the sweat stains as they are, but you know, I'm representing the DEA, so I gotta answer to the bossman. And the bossman says sweat stains are unsightly. So I gotta break out the white vinegar, do a little soak, and voila! Good as new. Of course, then you smell like vinegar. Which, come to think of it, kind of smells like B.O. Guess it's a toss up.

Daily Scan for 05.08.09 - McG Explains Terminator Rating, New Yorker Publishes J.G. Ballard

2009-05-08T05:00:16Z

• With Wolverine slashing up the box office, it looks like Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds may be the next X-Men Origins spin-off to hit cinemas.

• McG claims that Terminator Salvation is only warranting a PG-13 rating because of a cut scene involving a screwdriver stabbing... plus, some omitted nudity.

• The New Yorker publishes J.G. Ballard's final story, appropriately titled "The Autobiography of J.G.B."

• The trailer for Neil Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg follow-up District 9 is up, and it is heartbreaking.

]]> • DVICE lists Star Trek technologies that are almost here.

• Douglas Adams' final Dirk Gently novel will be adapted for Radio 4.

• io9 lists the stories both too awesome and too stupid for Star Trek to put on screen.

Ultimate Fan Quiz - Bill Murray

2009-05-08T05:00:15Z

If you've seen Bill Murray, you've probably laughed at Bill Murray. Do you remember his description of the end of days in Ghostbusters? What odd disguise does he don in Get Smart? Which director casts Murray in nearly all his movies? Take our quiz and catch up with Murray's singular sense of humor. Take Quiz Â»

To challenge yourself with more movie trivia, try our Super Movie Quiz.

What to See - Star Trek

2009-05-08T05:00:15Z

There's sure to be praise for the fresh faces of the new Star Trek, and for good reason. It's a strong ensemble, and no one slouches into an impression of whichever pop-culture icon they've been chosen to embody. Chris Pine gets close to the Shatner-cadence of the old-school Kirk, but he's got a swagger of his own; Zachary Quinto's Spock is less arch and more warm than Nimoy's original performances. And the time-shifting plot not only ups the stakes to a fever pitch, it also clears the boards for new tales of the Enterprise that could go anywhere the movie's makers want to in future installments.

But Star Trek, in director J.J. Abrams' new incarnation, isn't just about people and plot: It's about people caught up in a plot in a world we kinda-sorta already know, and one of the many great things about the new Star Trek is how it nods to and recreates the classic sounds and sights of the Star Trek universe without feeling like it was filmed in a museum exhibit. There are plenty of nods to the film's past in the design and sound, but it never feels like a musty recreation.

J.J. Abrams InterviewLearn about the new movie from the director
Damon Lindelof InterviewThe movie's executive producer explains why Trek needed a reboot
Simon Pegg InterviewLearn about the new Scotty, actor Simon Pegg
Ultimate Fan QuizTest your Trek trivia with questions from the movies.
John Scalzi's Trek Cheat SheetCatch up on past movie plots with original Trek Haiku
Villains Photo GalleryFind out what warped these Trek movie villains
Aliens Photo QuizSee how well you know the obscure Trek aliens
Franchise OverviewFilm historian Tim Dirks takes a detailed look at the various entries in the series
Meet Your MakersCatch up with the careers of the Original Series cast

]]> Take, for example, the sideburns-and-miniskirts look of the makeup and costuming. They're fleeting nods to the '60s origins of the show, but they're subtler than you might think, even as you come to appreciate the movie's insistence that yes, the ponytail will apparently be in fashion several centuries from now. Or the sound design -- which lovingly recreates the old-school pings of the consoles and the whirrrrr of the transporter beam in Dolby splendor. And when we actually see Spock resolve out of the beam's haze, it's the same visual effect as the old-school show -- more refined, but not reinvented. Production design is like interior decorating; money makes it easier, but it can't make up for the lack of good judgment and taste -- and when it comes to the look and feel of the Enterprise, Abrams' team demonstrates both.

Another nice thing about the new Star Trek is that the ship feels like a ship, hearkening back to the naval epics that inspired the show's feel. We actually see the photon torpedoes loaded into their launching tubes, for example. As Kirk (Chris Pine) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) run about below decks, it's in a huge space full of vats of cooling fluid that, while they may not be explained, clearly look like they're there to do something.

At one point, we pull back from the bridge and see that the viewscreen Kirk and his crew have been looking at is also a window -- in what I think may be a first for Star Trek, reminding us that there's risks and dangers built in to the crew's travels, that they're not just watching their circumstances on some futuristic widescreen TV.

It's easy to make a movie look like "the future," but it's also easy to do that wrong, which is why so many scifi films look so silly. With Star Trek, we get a fresh take on familiar memories, giving us a nice moment of perspective without a hint of soggy nostalgia to keep it at arm's length. The story in Star Trek is superbly crafted, to be sure, but the look and feel and sound of it are a great reminder of how it's the little things that can mean a lot, even -- or maybe even, especially -- on board the Enterprise.

To get an alternate movie review of Star Trek, go to AMC Filmcritic.com

This Mother's Day, Consider How Much Worse It Would've Been With Nanny Dearest

2009-05-08T05:00:12Z

It's so hard to find good childcare! Teenaged babysitters are out: At best they smoke pot, make out with their boyfriends and get killed by unstoppable psychokillers; at worst they freak out on LSD and put the baby in the oven, thinking it's a turkey. But nannies... well, who wants to wants to be humiliated on Nanny 911 or made to look like a self-absorbed lemon tart in some Nanny Diaries-style roman a clef? Still, it could be worse, as these movies amply demonstrate...

]]> The Nanny (1965)
Forget What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964): This is Bette Davis at the height of her "Boris Karloff in skirts" period, playing cat-and-mouse games with a little brat whose distant father and drunken, weepy mother won't listen when he says that dowdy, solicitous, sweet-as-pie Nanny drowned his younger sister in the bath and is trying to do the same to him.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)
So, you're a high-strung, asthmatic, stay-at-home mom who, while pregnant with your second child, was molested by a gynecologist who subsequently kills himself. Maybe you should hire a perfect stranger to care for your children, someone like Rebecca De Mornay. De Mornay's full-tilt loony performance as the psychonanny is actually sheer brilliance. Why it didn't do for her what Fatal Attraction did for Glenn Close remains a mystery.

The Omen (2006)
John Moore's remake of seminal devil-child shocker was a big old ho-hum, but enticing serial-mom Mia Farrow (Angelina Jolie is an amateur by comparison) out of ten-year retirement to play Nanny-from-Hell Mrs. Blaylock was sheer genius. The frail Farrow may not look as though she's got the right stuff to protect Satan's spawn, changeling Damien Thorne, from the forces of righteousness. But when her devilish charge is threatened, she does a mean impression of a Tasmanian devil in a Laura Ashley dress.

The Guardian (1990)
Yes, Exorcist director William Friedkin set the bar on movies about demonic kids. No, he didn't do the same for movies about demonic nannies. Sweet-faced Camilla (Jenny Seagrove) from the Guardian Angel Agency aces the nanny interview with maternal cooing. Her employers fail to notice that she has the soul of an ancient Druid and plans to sacrifice their baby to the big old tree with which she has a deeply unnatural relationship. Harry Potter's whomping willow has nothing on Camilla's woody alter-ego, which wallops unwary interlopers with its low hanging branches before impaling them on its flailing roots.

Click here for the full movie schedule for The Innocents, a movie that makes the most of a tremulous governess, two beautiful children and one luxurious country estate.

Talk Forum - What You're Saying

2009-05-08T05:00:10Z

Throughout Breaking Bad Season 2, AMCtv.com will award Talk forum commenters quoted in our weekly "What You're Saying" post with prizes like a Breaking Bad baseball hat or a Breaking Bad poster (limit one per person).

Why did Walt pound the towel dispenser in "4 Days Out"? How will his cancer remission affect the trajectory of the show? And can he get back to a "normal" life now? Those were just some of the topics discussed in this week's forums.

• "When Walt looks at himself in the reflection, he sees who he has to be again -- the man we met in the pilot. I think he likes Heisenberg more than he likes Walter White, and the remission of his cancer means that Heisenberg has to go. Or does he?" -- JPinkerton

• "I think Walt is feeling some pains of consciousness. That is why he was beating the towel dispenser. Remember, earlier in the show he was starting to confess all he had been doing wrong -- lying, etc. He did all this stuff to his family and now he is in remission." -- bakersdozen

• "Remission! you knew it would have to happen, how else would this all keep going ...but now what?" -- serenity

• "I politely disagree that the good medical news takes away the driving force of the show. That was the instigator that got the story going. This shows the confidence of the writers that where the show goes from here will be powered by the characters and the story." -- starscm

]]> • "I took Walt's punching of the towel dispenser as an indication of total frustration. He realizes how everything he's been touching has led to setbacks and life-threatening situations. He also knows that blaming Jesse for everything is lame and that he (Walt) is as much to blame for their continuing screw-ups." -- lala10

• "With Walt's tumor in remission, this changes everything. He can still DIE in any of the few episodes, or he makes season 3 very, VERY interesting." -- KennyD

• "My prediction is that Walt is going to try to get out of the meth business, but unfortunately he's in too deep to get out. He's got too many people (mainly Saul and his 'associates') involved. He's gotten himself in way over his head and is going to have a hard time resuming a 'normal' life." -- Tchefuncte Tiger

Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations, discuss Sunday's all-new episode or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own.

The Newsdesk 05.08.09 - Diesel Revs Up Wheelman; Keanu Is Jekyll

2009-05-08T05:00:01Z

• Vin Diesel will stay in the driver's seat for the racing movie The Wheelman. The live-action adaptation of the popular video game will be directed by John Singleton (2 Fast 2 Furious). Diesel is also the basis for the character in the recently released video game. Synergy!

• Keanu Reeves will star in Jekyll, a modern-day retelling of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. Ironically, both sides of Keanu say "whoa" a lot.

• A Los Angeles judge rejected Roman Polanski's bid to have his 1978 sex case dismissed because the filmmaker refuses to show up in court.

• Disney/Pixar will launch a new animation studio in Vancouver to accommodate their many upcoming projects. Someone has to animate A Bug's Life 2: Still Buggin'.

• A new photo of Robert Downey Jr. in the Iron Man 2 armor has been released. Neat. But what's the deal with the giant donut?

• Mickey Carroll, one of the last surviving Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz has passed away at the age of 89. The Lollipop Guild is a little less jolly today. ]]>

BIZ

Series Let Advertisers 'Boldly Go' Where Few Have Gone Before
from Advertising Age - Madison+Vine by bsteinberg@adage.com(Brian Steinberg)
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Want to buy a vowel? In these days of changing technology and economic strife, you can have that and so much more. Walt Disney's ABC, known in marketing circles for its resistance to giving advertisers flamboyant tie-ins to its most popular shows, is -- in certain cases -- putting the "O" in "Lost" up for sale.

Nielsen IAG Product Placement Activity Report
from Advertising Age - Madison+Vine
"The Celebrity Apprentice" was the highest scoring show and AT&T top brand in the latest Nielsen IAG product-placement activity report.

CBS Expects to Get Price Increases During Upfront
from Advertising Age - MediaWorks by bsteinberg@adage.com(Brian Steinberg)
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Yes, advertisers, CBS will ask for price hikes in this year's TV upfront marketplace.

Pixar to Open New Animation Studio in Vancouver
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
Disney has announced that Pixar Animation will build a 20,000 square-foot animation studio in Vancouver, British Columbia.

George Lucas Plans To Build Digital Film Production Studio in Northern California
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
George Lucas wants to build a new state of the art digital film production studio in Northern California. Lucas has asked Marin County to consider plans to build a 262,728-square-foot building that would house a maxim of 340 employees at the former Grady Ranch in Lucas Valley.

Hot promotions: Summer movies inspire creative tie-ins
from Film Journal by Anita Watts
It's that time again: hot weather and summer vacations. What does it mean for the U.S. cinema industry? More leisure time to make a trip to the movies, and the studios have quite a lineup for the 2009 summer season.

Minka Kelly joins 'Roommate'
from Hollywood Reporter by Borys Kit
Minka Kelly has joined Leighton Meester to topline Screen Gems' thriller "The Roommate," being directed by Christian E. Christiansen.

'Saw' helmer to revisit Troma hit
from Hollywood Reporter by Borys Kit
Just in time for Mother's Day, Twisted Pictures, the Genre Co. and Rat Entertainment have lined up a financing deal with LightTower Entertainment to remake Charles Kaufman's 1980 Troma cult classic "Mother's Day."

CBS Corp. posts loss, sees positive signs
from Hollywood Reporter by Georg Szalai
CBS Corp. swung to a first-quarter loss as the recession continued to drag down various advertising businesses. But management echoed other industry biggies after the market close Thursday in saying it is seeing signs of stabilizing advertising trends.

Cablevision posts Q1 profit, adds subscribers
from Hollywood Reporter by Anthony Crupi, Mediaweek
Cablevision swung to a first-quarter profit, as the company added more digital-phone and Internet subscribers and saw a lift in ad sales dollars at its Rainbow Media programming unit.

FESTIVALS
Virgin Music Fest Expands To Five Canadian Cities
from Billboard News - All by Robert Thompson, Toronto
The Virgin Music Festival will hit five Canadian cities this summer, including Montreal, the event's organizers announced today.

World's best music fests
from CNN.com - Entertainment
A list of events and who will be performing at them

AFI Fest '09 dates set
from Hollywood Reporter by Staff report
AFI Fest 2009, headquartered at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, will run from Oct. 30 - Nov. 7 in Hollywood.

AFI Fest Goes Free in '09
from indieWIRE News
In an unprecented move for a major U.S. film festival, AFI Fest in Los Angeles will offer free tickets to all screenings at this year's event, set for October 30th to November 7th. Also, the festival is moving from the Arclight to Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood this year, while also featuring a weekend of showings in Santa Monica, pegged to the annual AFM.

"Burma VJ" Leads SFIFF Winners
from indieWIRE News
Anders Østergaard's "Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country" took home the Golden Gate Award for best investigate documentary, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize, last night as the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival came to a close.

6 Films to Watch for from the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
from indieWIRE News
The oldest film festival on North American soil continues to buck trends, innovate, and focus on quality over commerce as it plows ahead seemingly unencumbered by a slumping economy that has sharply altered and downsized (and in some cases bankrupt) its peers.

Stiller and Ramis Head To Nantucket
from indieWIRE News
Harold Ramis has been announced as the recipient the The 14th Annual Nantucket Film Festival's annual Screenwriters Tribute.

Hamptons fest to spotlight docs
from Variety.com
Film Festivals: 'The Cove' kicks off SummerDoc series -- The Hamptons Film Festival is going public with its SummerDocs series.

MOVIES
Twitter Assault on the Studios -- and Movie Critics
from The Wrap RSS by Maria Russo
A new site called Flicktweets has just launched, produced by the Movie Review Query Engine. It collects real-time tweets about movies onto one page.

Daily Box Office: Wednesday, May 6, 2009
from Box Office Mojo - Current Box Office Results
X-Men Origins: Wolverine tops Wednesday's box office with $4.0 million

Box Office Preview: 'Star Trek' will rocket to No. 1...but can it beam up non-Trekkers?
from Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider by Nicole Sperling
Okay, it's not your father's Star Trek. We get the campaign. We love the campaign. But what will happen at this weekend's box office when J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the classic Star Trek franchise takes on reigning champ X-Men Origins:

Leonard Nimoy Talks 'Star Trek'
from Access Hollywood - Movies
"Star Trek" star Leonard Nimoy chats with Access' Scott "Movie" Mantz about the highly anticipated reboot of the "Trek" franchise and how it feels to play Spock again.

Movie Review | 'Star Trek': A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward
from NYT > Movies by By MANOHLA DARGIS
The latest spinoff from the influential TV show is a testament to television's power as mythmaker.

First Look: Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Iron Man 2' Armor
from Access Hollywood - Movies
The first glimpse of Iron Man's new armor has arrived. In a new behind-the-scenes photo, Robert Downey Jr. takes a moment from battling evildoers in his "Iron Man 2" role as Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man - and shows off his latest super-outfit.

'Terminator' spoiler: The classic T-800 is back
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ...
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Well, he said he'd be back. In some form, anyway

Pirated 'Wolverine' downloaded 4M times
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, May 7 (UPI) -- Twentieth Century Fox says an unfinished copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" illegally posted on the Internet has been downloaded 4 million times since March 30.

Katie Holmes cast in del Toro thriller
from EW.com: Movies
By Clark Collis
Variety: Actress to star in ''Don't Be Afraid of the Dark,'' about family sharing their home with devilish creatures

Newsweek: Has 'Star Trek' lost its moral relevance?
from MSNBC.com: Movies
The original "Star Trek" series dealt with important issues of the day, but the new film is all explosions and action. What happened?

Brett Ratner No Longer Directing Conan
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
Hack director Brett Ratner might not have a chance to ruin the legacy of Conan after all.

Movie Review | 'Julia': Unbearable to Watch, Impossible to Evade
from NYT > Movies by By MANOHLA DARGIS
"Julia," starring Tilda Swinton, is a perverse blend of sadism (the director's, Julia's) and masochism (ours, Julia's).

Robert Rodriguez Says Sin City 2 Could Shoot As Early As Next Year
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
I think most everyone has given up the idea of a Sin City sequel, especially after Frank Miller's The Spirit tainted the memory of the original Robert Rodriguez co-directed comic book adaptation.

Movie Review | 'Rudo y Cursi': How the Ball Bounces, on the Field and Off
from NYT > Movies by By A. O. SCOTT
In "Rudo y Cursi," two brothers struggle with fame, wealth and the caprices of life in a media-saturated consumer culture.

Vin Diesel Takes The Wheel, Burns Rubber For 'The Wheelman'
from MTV Movies Blog by Elisabeth Rappe
When your name is Vin Diesel, you have two "Fast and Furious" installments under your belt, and a video game is designed around your heroic visage, the chances are good that you'll nab the leading part when it's turned into a movie.

Keanu Reeves is Jekyll
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
Keanu Reeves will star in Jekyll, a modern day retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 classic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for Universal Pictures.

It's Going To Be 'A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas'
from MTV Movies Blog by Adam Rosenberg
When "Harold & Kumar" star Kal Penn traded in his bong for a ranking post in the Barack Obama administration recently, most fans naturally concluded that the stoner comedy franchise conceived by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg had officially gone up in smoke. Penn may or may not be out, but that didn't stop Warner Bros from announcing today that "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas" will hit theaters on November 5, 2010.

TELEVISION
Reality King Mark Burnett Takes on the History Channel
from Advertising Age - Madison+Vine by ahampp@adage.com(Andrew Hampp)
A Q&A with Mark Burnett, who will soon premiere his first original series for a cable network in years, History Channel's "Expedition Africa: Stanley and Livingstone," which he described as "one of my most favorite projects ever."

Television Review | 'The Alzheimer's Project': The Disease That Steals Your Self
from NYT > Television by By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
"The Alzheimer's Project," a deeply affecting documentary series on HBO that begins on Sunday, seeks to comfort and encourage those affected by the disease.

`Simpsons' cast, crew unveil show's postal stamps
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By MICHAEL CIDONI
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "The Simpsons" now has the U.S. government's stamp of approval.

iPhone Beams In Galaxy of 'Star Trek' Apps
from Wired: Entertainment by John Scott Lewinski
From alien almanacs to tricorder simulators, these apps put one of sci-fi's greatest worlds in the palm of your hands.

New comedy `Modern Family' set for ABC next season
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ...
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- ABC says it has picked up a mockumentary-style comedy about family life for next season.

HGTV programming reflects hard economic times
from L.A. Times - TV News
The cable network made its mark featuring grand homes and designs. But '$250,000 Challenge' helps struggling middle-class families pay the bills.

ABC sets Aisha Tyler talk show
from Hollywood Reporter by Nellie Andreeva
Aisha Tyler has been tapped to host a talk show pilot for ABC.

'Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Mickey Carroll dies at 89
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Mickey Carroll, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 beloved film "The Wizard of Oz," died Thursday. He was 89.

Obama drama
from Hollywood Reporter by John Consoli
Networks are taking a stand against the president's primetime pre-emptions.

Susan Boyle on Monday's 'Oprah': Report
from EW.com: TV
By Annie Barrett
E! Online: ''Britain's Got Talent'' sensation will be interviewed and guide a tour of her Scotland home

Fine on CNN: "It's Time To Embrace A New Prime-Time Ethos"
from mediabistro.com: TVNewser
Jon Fine writes an open letter to "CNN management" in his latest Businessweek column. "Bravo for '08," he begins, but "in prime time it's not enough to lean on CNN's advantages." Fine has a plan for a new prime time focused on debate.

HBO: Drew Peterson not welcome on brothel show
from USATODAY.com Television - Top Stories
HBO says there's no chance Drew Peterson will appear on Cathouse, its reality television show set in a Nevada brothel.

The Madoff Affair
from Variety.com
TV Reviews: It's perhaps time for a sober, streamlined look at what "Frontline" calls "The Madoff Affair."

MUSIC
Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist 'Ean' Evans dead at 48
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ...
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) -- Bassist Donald "Ean" Evans of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died after a battle with cancer.

Depeche Mode tops Euro chart again
from The Hollywood Reporter - Music by By Paul Sexton, Billboard
Depeche Mode's "Sounds of the Universe" (Mute/EMI) starts a second week at the European Top 100 Albums summit, and it's an 11th week at No. 1 on European Hot 100 Singles for Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (Interscope/Universal).

ABC Music Lounge: No cocktails, but nonstop music
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by LYNN ELBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Cocktails won't be served, but ABC says a new online "music lounge" will offer a full menu of songs and artists featured on its shows.

Van Halen Confirmed For 'Guitar Hero,' New Music Games Coming
from Billboard News - All by Antony Bruno, Denver
Activision Blizzard is releasing three new music-based games this year: "DJ Hero," "Guitar Hero 5" and "Band Hero," and also confirmed the existence of "Guitar Hero: Van Halen."

Financial crisis inspires Tori Amos' latest album
from Reuters: Entertainment News
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. singer and songwriter Tori Amos says she was inspired by the financial crisis to question the definition of power and success in relationships on her latest album "Abnormally Attracted To Sin."

Exclusive: Spinal Tap Debuts Song, Comes 'Back From The Dead' For Album
from Billboard News - All by Gary Graff, Detroit
Harry Shearer -- who crafted Tap with partners Christopher Guest and Michael McKean and director Rob Reiner -- tells Billboard.com the 25th anniversary of the hit parody "This is Spinal Tap" meant "we should probably do it again. There were still a lot of Spinal Tap songs that had never been recorded."

Steve Earle Ready To Take 'Townes' On The Road
from Billboard News - All by David J. Prince, London and Rob Levine, N.Y.
Steve Earle, whose new album of Townes Van Zandt songs arrives in stores next week, is set to hit the road later this month.

Jack White Says New White Stripes "Won't Be Too Far Off"
from Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily by Chris Harris
When Jack White announced he was starting up another new band, the Dead Weather, earlier this year, White Stripes fans wondered when they'd see another album of Jack and Meg songs.

Green Day Announces New York Club Gig
from Billboard News - All by David J. Prince, London
Green Day will celebrate the release of its much-ballyhooed "21st Century Breakdown" album with an intimate club show - or two - in New York City.

Third Eye Blind Finds Second Life Of Success
from Billboard News - All by John Benson, Cleveland
After the title track from its December 2008 E.P. "Non Dairy Creamer" found success at alternative radio, Third Eye Blind guitarist Tony Fredianelli tells Billboard.com the rock act is confident about the prospects for not one but two studio Sony albums - "Ursa Major" and "Ursa Minor" - it plans on releasing over the next year.

Perry Farrell 'Can't Wait For People To Hear' New Jane's Addiction Songs
from Billboard News - All by Gary Graff, Detroit
As it prepares to begin its five-week tour with Nine Inch Nails, the reunited Jane's Addiction is sitting on a pair of brand new songs frontman Perry Farrell "can't wait for people to hear" -- although there are no plans for that to happen yet.

Apple Approves NIN iPhone App
from Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily by Chris Harris
The delayed update to Nine Inch Nails' iPhone application has finally been approved by Apple, according to a Tweet from the band's tech-savvy mastermind, Trent Reznor.

Kylie Minogue announces N. American tour
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LONDON, May 7 (UPI) -- Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has announced on her Web site plans for her first North American concert tour.

'Pow' still No. 1 on U.S. record chart
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, May 7 (UPI) -- "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas is No. 1 on the U.S. record chart for a fifth week, Billboard.com reported Thursday.

Q&A: The Decemberists' Meloy on Metal, Musicals and Scary Jobs
from Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily by Christopher R. Weingarten
Already renowned for their ambitious narratives and literary bent, Portland indie rock band the Decemberists have topped themselves with an hour-long story-album based on the themes of British folk songs.

Summer Movie Preview 2009: Peter Travers Ranks the Best and Worst
from Rolling Stone: The Travers Take
The current issue of *Rolling Stone* features Peter Travers' Summer Movie Preview, a look at the "money season" where studios dredge up stale sequels and prequels for desperate moviegoers trying to beat the heat.

ETC...
Chris Brown's Lawyer Wants LAPD Records
from Billboard News - All
Chris Brown's attorney is seeking police records to try to find out who leaked information about the alleged beating of Rihanna.

Kiefer Sutherland charged with assault
from CNN.com - Entertainment
Actor Kiefer Sutherland has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he was accused of head-butting fashion designer Jack McCollough at a New York nightclub early Tuesday, police said.

Fawcett's dad flies in to say goodbye
from Los Angeles Times - Celebrity News
Farrah's condition has allegedly worsened.