Burlesque (2010)
This small-town-girl-makes-good-in-the-big-city tale features Christina Aguilera's acting debut — can she or can't she? — plus bombastic production numbers, the always fabulous Stanley Tucci, and a shirtless Cam Gigandet. But really, as with most important things in life, the appeal of this film can be boiled down to one word: Cher.
Monday, November 29, 2010
20 event movies for gays/gals
CBS has eyes for neo-Western lawmen and female prosecutor pilots
CBS, home of the procedural, is getting creative with two pilots in development. According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Live Feed, the network is working with CSI creator Anthony Zuiker on Desperado, “about a band of lawmen who enact cowboy-style justice on modern-day criminals in San Antonio.” As the trade points out, that’s got a definite Justified vibe, which the Eye clearly likes: It’s also developing a legal drama called Knife Fight that has Justified vets Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly exec producing with Michael Cuesta (Dexter). Based on a short story by crime novelist Joel Goldman, it revolves around “a female public defender who ‘becomes a prosecutor in order to pursue the truth.’” Vague, but on the network that has given us The Good Wife, promising. (Plus, “Knife Fight” would look great in TV listings.)
Disney Spins 'Tangled' Hair Into Box-Office Gold - New York Times
Four wide-release movies arrived at already crowded multiplexes over the Thanksgiving holiday, and three of them — “Burlesque,” “Love & Other Drugs” and “Faster” — appeared to be in tryptophan torpors. But Rapunzel, above, came to the rescue at the weekend box office: “Tangled,” an updated take on the long-haired princess, performed sharply better than expected. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” (Warner Brothers) was No. 1 at the North American box office for a second week, selling about $76 million in tickets over the five-day holiday period for a new domestic total of $220 million. “Tangled” (Walt Disney Studios) sold about $69 million, validating Disney’s controversial decision to play down this film’s musical and princess elements in marketing materials; strong reviews and premium-priced 3-D screenings also helped. DreamWorks Animation’s “Megamind” (distributed by Paramount) was third with $17.6 million for a new total of $130.5 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office statistics. “Burlesque,” a musical starring Cher and Christina Aguilera that Sony Pictures Entertainment backed with a hefty marketing campaign, was fourth with about $17 million. Denzel Washington’s runaway-train thriller, “Unstoppable” (20th Century Fox), took fifth place in its third week with about $16 million for a total of over $60 million. Opening out of the Top 5 were “Love & Other Drugs,” a romantic comedy from 20th Century Fox starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway that took in $14 million, and “Faster,” a thriller from CBS Films and Sony that had about $12 million in sales. “The King’s Speech,” a drama from the Weinstein Company that is considered an Oscar contender, opened in four theaters to $349,791, a total that is considered quite strong for such a limited release.
James Franco — A Hot 'Actors Studio' Commodity! - Access Hollywood
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
Between his likely Oscar nomination-earning acting ability and his good looks, James Franco is sending fans into a tizzy, including the usually subdued crowd at Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio.”
According to TMZ, tickets to view host James Lipton’s interview with the “127 Hours” star were in such high demand, the show’s staff was forced to reject a record number of people.
The site claims that hundreds of industry professionals attempted to nab free tickets to the show, and the crew was forced to deny more than 250 requests.
The tickets available for purchase also reportedly sold out.
As for the interview, the handsome 32-year-old didn’t disappoint. After taping the show (set to air next month), a source for the site claimed, “James stayed another hour-and-a-half after the taping and talked to every single student and fan who wanted to talk.
“No one has done that since Paul Newman… the very first guest that ever appeared on the show,” the source reportedly added.
In addition to thrilling the industry crowd, female fans of the former “Eat Pray Love” actor were so taken with the star, that their screams and cat-calls reportedly caused the famously stoic James Lipton to halt the interview and scold the ladies, saying, “17 years filming this show and I’ve never heard a sound like that before.”
James — whose incredible portrayal of real-life adventure Aron Ralston in Danny Boyles “127 Hours” is already generating awards buzz — can next be seen in the upcoming comedy, “Your Highness,” alongside Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel and “Eastbound & Down’s” Danny McBride.
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'Black Swan' shows eerie side of ballet - msnbc.com
Movies
"Black Swan" is already being discussed when the Oscars are mentioned, and it sounds delightfully eerie. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are competing ballerinas in "Swan Lake," with Portman playing the innocent White Swan and Kunis the sensual Black Swan. When Portman finds herself changing, things really start to get interesting. (Opens Dec. 3.)
"Black Swan" is already being discussed when the Oscars are mentioned, and it sounds delightfully eerie. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are competing ballerinas in "Swan Lake," with Portman playing the innocent White Swan and Kunis the sensual Black Swan. When Portman finds herself changing, things really start to get interesting. (Opens Dec. 3.)
True-crime buffs will remember the name Robert Durst, son of a real-estate mogul who was questioned in both the disappearance of his wife and the murder of a friend. He wasn't charged in either case, but later ended up being acquitted of the murder of a neighbor whom he admitted to dismembering (he pled self-defense). The new film "All Good Things" uses Durst as a model, with Ryan Gosling playing the main character and Kirsten Dunst as his vanished wife. A fascinating look at a true-life story that still remains unexplained. (Opens Dec. 3.)
Best bets: 'Black Swan' an eerie ballet Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis play competing ballerinas in the new movie. Plus: "Top Chef All-Stars" brings back 18 cheftestants; "Eclipse" comes to DVD. 'Harry Potter' leads holiday box office 'Ugly Betty' actor: I 'killed demon' inside mom Darth Vader costume fails to find new owner Choosy Cher returns to screen in 'Burlesque'The Black Panthers are hardly talked about any more, but once they made headlines across the nation. In "Night Catches Us," Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington play Panthers who must deal with divisions within his troubled Philadelphia neighborhood after he apparently snitched on a friend. Times change, but not that much. (Opens Dec. 3.)
TV
Other shows bring back fan favorites and villains all the time — "Survivor" most notably — so why not "Top Chef All-Stars"? Eighteen former cheftestants sharpen their knives again, including Richard Blais, Tiffany Derry, Spike Mendelsohn and Fabio Viviani. (Dec. 1, 10 p.m., Bravo.)
North, to Alaska! We're goin' North, the rush is on. Yes, another reality show set on The Last Frontier, but this one has no Palins in sight. "Gold Rush: Alaska" follows six men who try gold mining out of economic desperation. Someone check the calendar, is it 1849 or 2010? (Premieres Dec. 3, 10 p.m., Discovery Channel.)
DVD
Entertainment Weekly called "Eclipse" the best "Twilight" movie so far. Although most new DVDs are released on Tuesdays, this latest Bella-Edward-Jacob vamprance is coming out on a Saturday so fans can celebrate at Saturday midnight release parties. Get those Team Jacob and Team Edward shirts out again! (Out on DVD Dec. 4.)
Disney fans who are itching to see behind the magical Mouse curtain will want to mark their calendars now. Three Disney documentaries — "Waking Sleeping Beauty," "The Boys," and "Walt & El Groupo" are coming out on the same day. "Beauty" looks at the studio's rich animation history, "El Groupo" examines a little-known goodwill tour Walt Disney made in South America, and "The Boys" focuses on the Sherman brothers, who wrote some of the most popular Disney songs of all time. "Chim-Chim-Che-ree," anyone?" (Out on DVD Nov. 30.)
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is TODAYshow.com's movies editor.
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