NBC GIVES ‘HANNIBAL’ DIRECT-TO-SERIES ORDER
This will be a series that revolves around Hannibal Lecter and FBI Agent Will Graham. But the question is, how will Lecter wear on audiences as the co-star of an hour-long weekly drama? The appeal of the character has a lot to do with how little we see him and how his unseen presence hangs over everything else. If memory serves, Anthony Hopkins was only on screen for about 16 minutes of “Silence of the Lambs,” but he won Best Actor instead of Supporting because whether or not he was on screen, he was still there.
Methinks NBC is getting desperate. They can’t even look around at what’s happening to television and realize that its ‘original’ programming that’s making an impact.
THEATERS GOING DIGITAL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Serious question: Is there a difference between digital and film projection? I know there’s a technical difference, but I mean as a moviegoer. Should we care?
‘PHANTOM MENACE’ RISES IN RECORD BOOKS
“Phantom Menace” is about to pass the original “Star Wars” at the box office. You combine that with the fact that Barack Obama’s approval rating sits at 49% today and suddenly I’m starting to lose faith in my fellow countrymen.
NO PUBLIC MEMORIAL FOR WHITNEY HOUSTON
There’s a lot of people out there surprised by the public outpouring of grief and ongoing media coverage of Whitney’s death. Those of us old enough to remember when Elvis died, probably aren’t as surprised.
For better or worse, celebrities and artists become a big part of our lives. For all her personal flaws and drama, Houston had dignity in public and wasn’t the kind of public person who split her fans among cultural or political lines. She was a beautiful, talented individual whose art made up the soundtrack of many years of our lives. And even though she was out of the public eye for over a decade, we were all expecting a comeback.
Instead, she died young.
So we not only mourn for the loss of what was but also for the loss of the future we expected. Whitney only hurt herself and those close to her. The rest of us only gained from existence. What’s not to mourn?
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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
New York: A Documentary Film (1999) — We’re about four chapters in, about halfway through, but I’m starting to lose interest. Ric Burns (brother of Ken) did a terrific job with “The West,” but this is longish and I’m already tired of hearing how awesome big government is. Something that I suspect will only get worse once we reach the Depression era.
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COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO
Everybody cut Footloose! Paramount Home Media Distribution is giving fans of the hit film Footloose the chance to win a dance inspired by the movie for their school! Just visit https://www.facebook.com/FootlooseMovie to vote for your school, then tell all of your friends and tweet using the #Footloose hashtag to earn extra votes. You can vote once a day and even download posters on Facebook to put up at your school and spread the word. Students at the winning school will get to kick up their heels with a DJ, professional dancers to get the party started, a dance contest with prizes, a photo booth, themed decorations and more fun and surprises, all courtesy of Paramount. Hurry, you’ve only got until March 2 to get your votes in!
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CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON Debuts on DVD April 10, 2012. Many critics and comedians believe that CAR 54 Where Are You? is one of the greatest comedy series ever to appear on television. Leonard Maltin calls it “one of the funniest TV shows of all time.” Carol Burnett, who worked with the show’s creator Nat Hiken, called him a comedy genius. In Carl Reiner’s words, “All comedy writers of Hiken’s day agreed that he had no peer.” Last year’s release of Season One was greeted with great excitement by both critics and fans and sold very strongly. Long out of circulation, Season Two of this brilliant show can now be enjoyed on DVD by its legion of fans and new generations who will have a chance to view it for the first time. On April 10, 2012, Shanachie Entertainment will be releasing all 30 episodes of Season Two newly remastered from the only known set of 35 mm fine grain prints in a 4-disc set, the first time it has appeared on DVD since it’s original broadcast 50 years ago.
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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR
“QUESTIONABLE TREK – VOL. 3” – ANDREW PRICE AND SCOTTDS DISCUSS THEIR LEAST FAVORITE “TREK” FILMS
LATINO-REVIEW’S FIRST LOOK SERIES RETURNS WITH A LOOK AT ‘TAKEN 2′
TRAILER FOR WHIT STILLMAN’S “DAMSELS IN DISTRESS”
MEET THE TWO BRAVE SOULS WHO WATCHED 86 HOURS AND 37 MINUTES OF ‘THE SIMPSONS’ IN A ROW
DIRECTOR FOUND FOR TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES REBOOT?
JONNY LEE MILLER TO PLAY SHERLOCK HOLMES IN CBS PILOT “ELEMENTARY”
NICOLAS CAGE TALKS ‘GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE‘
NEW POSTER AND TRAILER FOR ‘GAME OF THRONES’ SEASONS 2
“HAYWIRE” STAR GINA CARANO CAST IN ANOTHER ACTION FILM, “IN THE BLOOD”
ANGELINA JOLIE IN TALKS TO STAR IN DISNEY’S “MALEFICENT”
DWAYNE JOHNSON SAYS ‘FAST SIX’ BEGINS IN MAY, WON’T SHOOT BACK-TO-BACK FOR ‘FAST SEVEN’
HINTS ABOUT NEW STUDIO GHIBLI PROJECTS
GORE VERBINSKI ADRESSES ‘LONE RANGER’ WEREWOLF RUMORS & MORE
HOW JIMMY KIMMEL EARNS $2 MILLION A YEAR FROM YOUTUBE
‘THE KILLING’ SHOWRUNNER TO PEN REMAKE OF HITCHCOCK’S ‘SUSPICION’
“WAYNE’S WORLD” TURNS 20 (IN OTHER WORDS, WE’RE OLD!)
SEQUEL BITS: ‘REAL STEEL 2,’ ‘GHOST RIDER 3,’ ‘TAKEN 2,’ ‘WAITING TO EXHALE 2,’ ‘TINTIN 2’
DO AUDIENCES CARE WHEN SEQUELS SWITCH UP THEIR ACTORS?
WATCH AN HONEST TRAILER FOR “THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D”
THE 7 WORST ROLE MODELS FOR WOMEN IN MODERN ROMANTIC COMEDIES
CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF “FUNNY FACE”
PLEASE ALLOW DAVID LEE ROTH TO EXPLAIN WHY BROWN M&MS WERE FORBIDDEN BACKSTAGE AT VAN HALEN SHOWS
PETER BERG REVEALS ‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ MOVIE PLOT
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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
11:15 PM Doctor Zhivago (1965) — Illicit lovers fight to stay together during the turbulent years of the Russian Revolution. Dir: David Lean Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Tom Courtenay. C-200 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format.
It’s just an objective fact that they don’t make ’em like this anymore.
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