Archive for January, 2009
Jennifer Hudson Won’t be Singing at the Inaguration of Obama
2008 has been a bittersweet year for Jennifer Hudson. But of course, we all know that already. When Hudson released Spotlight (her first album) to high praise, not to mention her Oscar win, really shows us that she is on a great roll.Tragically, after her success her mom, brother, and nephew were murdered by her sister-in-law when she went on a rampage, a hit that could have destroyed the performers life, let alone career.She hasn’t been in the spotlight as much afterwards, rather preferring to grieve privately with family.
But there’s always the comeback, in the tradition of many who went through American Idol 8.In the history of American Idol a TON of past contestants have faded into near obscurity only to have a major comeback into the spotlight again. Hudson, of course, is one of those stories, and there’s no doubt that she’ll do the same this year, right?
For a moment, we thought it wouldn’t have come any sooner. On New Year’s Eve, the New York Post reported that Hudson, who has not performed since the murders, is in talks to sing the Star-Spangled Banner during the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama, on January 20 in Washington, D.C. The bit, which was since picked up by many other media outlets, pointed out the possibility: Hudson, who sang the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, hails from Chicago, the same city where Obama began his political career.Adding to that is the fact that she is a HUGE Obamamaniack the newspaper source told them.
Quickly, however, a representative for the Idol winner denied that Hudson will perform at the inauguration. “There is no truth to this,” a representative simply told Access Hollywood, maintaining that Hudson’s return performance will be at an event in Los Angeles in February, paying tribute to musician Neil Diamond.
With that, though, at least we can say that Hudson is indeed poised for a comeback. Disregarding the debate on whether Obama’s team is sensitive enough to consider the murders, or whether Hudson is black and all—at least a comeback is bound to happen. Here’s to resiliency, then. This season of the show starts on January 13th and features the addition of a new judge Kara DioGuardi.
Episode III Star Wars
The chronology of the Star Wars saga truly became complete with the release of the Episode iii Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Directed by George Lucas, this last episode of the film followed the Clone Wars, another new episode that revealed to the public how Anakin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader grew up. The release of Episode iii Star Wars in May 2005 enjoyed great reviews from critics, registering a huge box office success seven days after the launching. In the history of the cinema the making of this film added a new page exquisitely written.
The reason for which there was room for chronological additions is that George Lucas only outlined the basic plot in the 70s at the time of the project conception. Back then, details came second on the priority list, and the important facts were the ones to count in the development of the series. Episode iii Star Wars needed several scene changes before it was released, as the director worked on editing, scripts and scene making equally. Nevertheless, the result was worth waiting for, since Episode iii Star Wars tackles with more than just the founding of the galactic empire, the public is confronted with the corruption and pervasion of evil.
Design required just as much attention as the screenplay for Episode iii Star Wars, and Lucas was fully aware of it. Hundreds of patterns were created by the art department and they were often subject to modifications before being put on screen. While shooting various scenes, they even used pre-visualization techniques to see how the scenes and the characters would appear in the final version. Steven Spielberg also assisted the making of the Revenge of the Sith, observing all the work that Lucas and his team devoted themselves to for the analysis of every sequence. Stunts are an incredible and must-have part of the film, particularly for the fighting scenes; thus, the famous duel moment between Anakin and Obi-Wan was filmed at the speed at which it actually took place, with very little cuts used to increase velocity.
Episode iii Star Wars was shot almost exclusively in the Fox Studios in Sidney, Australia, although various backgrounds were later shot in other parts of the world so as to create the much necessary practical environments. Thus, a team filmed the eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, and the material was used in the end of the film to create the background of the Mustafar planet. There was a theatrical version of Episode iii Star Wars released almost in the same time with the movie. The premiere of the film took place at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2005, without entering the competition, while the play was put on stage four days later.
Mini-Me has been confirmed for the new Big Brother
The 2ft 8in American Actor, who played Doctor Evil’s clone Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies is ready to enter the latest celebrity Big Brother home in the UK. Apparently, the pint sized star has already revealed his game plan by promising to sabotage fellow Big Brother house mates and picking his nose and putting it into other peoples food.
The other housemates for this year's Big Brother house include world known rapper, Coolio from the 90's, Swedish celebrity, Ulrika Jonsson and model Lucy Pinder. Personally, I have never been a fan of any celebrity Big Brother or just regular Big Brother for that matter. I just find the whole thing very over rated. There is nothing more boring than watching Big Brother live as it literally is just watching people sleep and eat which is just a bit strange. Every year it is just the same as the last event. You watch people betray each-other and scramble for the top spot and then watch them sell their story to the highest newspaper bidder. It is almost like watching paint dry over and over again. Everyone knows what will happen and the chances are that the producers of the show have tried to pay someone to deliberately kick up a stink in order to aggravate the rest of the house mates. However there is always something there that gets the public watching it again and again and I suppose that is whats so fasinating about it.
There is no doubt that it will be really fun to see 'Mini-Me' on our screens as he is quite a character. It has been a while since he has been in the public spot light. He will obviously be most known for his part in the Austin Powers movies which were extremely popular. It would be great to see the Austin Powers movies make a come back! So lets see if Mini-Me has any secret information!
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Black Snake Moan
A 2007 release, Black Snake Moan is a film the recreates the atmosphere of the Mississippi Blues Movement starting from an older novel and former song. The film reception was not at all fabulous among critics as some reproached it to have a messy plot, while others had overt critical attitudes over the sexualized violence that dominates the movie. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chrisitna Ricci and Justin Timberlake, Black Snake Moan reveals lots of African American issues, exposes drug abuse, bitterness and sexual addiction cases. The plot of the film is loosely retraced from a novel by George Eliot written in 1861, Silas Marner, while the soundtrack is some form of remake of the Blind Lemon Jefferson song created in the late 20s.
The actors performing in Black Snake Moan devoted such a great attention to this project that important parts of their lives suffered changes according to the requests of the script: thus, Samuel L. Jackson got to spend around six hours a day, for half a year to only learn to play blues guitar. Then, another relevant example here is the sickly look that Christina Ricci got by eating only food with low nutritional value and avoiding getting fully dressed just to understand her character in a more profound way. A controversy issued due to the misogynistic promotion of the film, which was considered pretty offensive to women.
Consequently, when we have to sum up the public success of Black Snake Moan, the film failed to rise up to the producers’ expectations. Yet, good critical appreciations were also formulated, but less intense than the aggression of the negative criticism. The reproach often directed towards the market film promotion was that it emphasized promiscuity and it targeted college boys audience instead of addressing wider public categories. Hence, Christina Ricci was one of the film actors who spoke against this form of advertising, claiming it unpardonable and without precedent in her film career.
The Black Snake Moan soundtrack album enjoyed a better public reception at the beginning of 2007. The songs feature several artists, with three tracks being performed by Samuel L. Jackson himself. There is a total of seventeen tracks included covering both classic and modern blues; the album registered great sale rates, as Blues fans were actually eager to get a new approach to their favorite music style. Critics also had a very positive attitude much better than the other critical appreciations passed on the film, Black Snake Moan.
Jim Carey's latest film
Jim Carrey's last comedy hit, 'Yes man' has gone straight to the top of the UK box office in its first weekend of release. The film is originally based on a popular book by an English writer named, Danny Wallace. The book is based on his own life and his decision to simply say 'Yes' to everything. The film took an incredible £2.3m over three days.
The top three best films of Christmas in the UK were also comprimised of Bedtime Stories from funny man Adam Sandler which managed to take £1.5m and Baz Luhrmann's epic, Australia took just over £1m. According to various critics from all over Hollywood, Australia was some what of a let down in terms of integrity. The idea was good however I do not believe that Nicole Kidman was up to the task as much as Hugh Jackman was. Personally, I think they are in two completley different leagues in terms of acting ability.
It is surprising how Jim Carey manages to always find some sort of niche for his own films. He surprises me as an actor as he can apply himself into so many different roles. He is arguably one of the most versatile actors of his generation. When you compare films such as 'Eternal Sunshine for the spotless mind' and 'Ace Ventura' it really doesn't seem as though it is the same actor doing it and that is what makes him special. I have seen the 'Yes man' film and it is really funny. Jim Carey plays an average man with an obsession of saying ‘no’ to people. After his friend takes him to a local rally about being positive, Jim Carey’s character is then compelled to say ‘Yes’ to every opportunity that comes up. It is a light hearted and funny film and I would recommend anyone to go and see it!
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Does my Plasma look big in this room?
There is one common challenge facing most of us today whether our tastes are traditional, modern or contemporary. How do you integrate a plasma or LCD flat screen television into your home’s interior design? One thing is for sure, very large, extremely bulky square and rectangular televisions are a thing of the past. Flats screens are here to stay, even those who haven't yet made the leap from old fashioned box sets will agree. That means the way we used to arrange a room around a television set is also antiquated, as are the TV stands and home entertainment centres that formerly played such a prominent part in a rooms décor.
With the shift from the traditional box television set to the slim Plasma or LCD screen comes a different set of considerations on how to display them. Fortunately, there are many options on the market, so you can not only put your new television anywhere you want in your home, but it can fit into any home's decor. TV stands for "new-age" televisions now come in a variety of styles, sizes, and looks. While glass stands often integrate well into many types of décor, such as modern, contemporary, and even traditional, a TV stand for a plasma or LCD flat screen can come in just about any material. Some interior designers feel they have to find a custom-made TV stand to compliment their home, however, a consumer need not look very far to find a stand that fits their needs. A clever consumer will quickly locate everything from ultra modern black and clear glass stands, to minimally obtrusive TV stands and wooden stands. The more one shops around, the sooner convinced they’ll be that the task of integrating their new LCD or plasma into any theme can be accomplished.
The popularity of plasma and LCD TVs stems from their amazing quality of picture and space saving design. Still, as it can cause logistical problems for viewing in oddly shaped rooms it can be a challenge to fit them into certain places. Because of their weight and large size, it's logical to believe that viewing flat screen televisions in certain rooms will cause a problem but on the contrary, by utilising wall mounts, brackets and TV stands there is no problem at all. Wall mounts for LCD and plasma TVs are becoming more and more prevalent, as they offer a clean, unobtrusive look, countless options for viewing angles, and are relatively neutral in terms of design. So with wall mounts your home décor is minimally affected. Plasma and LCD TV wall mounts often are adjustable, come available in motorised versions that operate quietly and smoothly, and hold your expensive television just as securely as any TV stand or trolley. If you want to be really different you can even try a ceiling mount for your flat screen TV.
Whichever you choose, be it a glass TV stand, wooden stand, trolley, or any number of wall mounts on the market, your plasma and LCD will be enjoyed best if it compliments the look of your home. Technology can be a little frightening sometimes so don't settle until you are totally happy with your new TV/Entertainment display.
Review of Black Snake Moan
A 2007 release, Black Snake Moan is a film the recreates the atmosphere of the Mississippi Blues Movement starting from an older novel and former song. The film reception was not at all fabulous among critics as some rejected it for dealing with a messy plot, while others had overt critical attitudes over the sexualized violence that characterizes the movie. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chrisitna Ricci and Justin Timberlake, Black Snake Moan reveals lots of African American issues, exposes drug abuse, bitterness and sexual addiction cases. At the origin of the film lies a novel by George Eliot written in 1861, Silas Marner, while the soundtrack is some form of remake of the Blind Lemon Jefferson song created in the late 20s. auto insurance online quote
The actors performing in Black Snake Moan devoted such a great attention to this project that important parts of their lives had to get adapted to the demands of the script: thus, Samuel L. Jackson had to study around six hours a day, for half a year to get the right skills to play blues guitar. Then, another relevant example here is the sickly look that Christina Ricci got by having only food poor in nutrients and walking about almost naked just to get into the character’s skin better. A controversy issued due to the partisan marketing of the film, which was labeled as pretty offensive to women. auto insurance quote
All in all, when it comes to the reception of Black Snake Moan, the film was not by far the hit everyone expected. Yet, positive reviews were also passed, but more reserved than the bitterness of the negative criticism. The main problem identified in the promotional campaign for the film advertising was that it emphasized promiscuity and it targeted college boys audience instead of aiming at more complex public categories. Hence, Christina Ricci was one of the film cast members who spoke against this form of advertising, claiming it unpardonable and without precedent in her film career.
The Black Snake Moan soundtrack album enjoyed a better public reception at the beginning of 2007. The songs feature several artists, with three tracks being performed by Samuel L. Jackson himself. The album includes a total of seventeen tracks covering both classic and modern blues; the compilation sold pretty well, as Blues fans got enthusiastic towards a new approach to their favorite music style. Critics also had a very positive attitude much better than the other critical opinions passed on the film, Black Snake Moan. car insurance quote
Home Theater Seating: Important Pieces
A home theater is a great room to have in the home. If you have kids, you can all hang out there and watch their favorite cartoon movies, and if not you can still hang out with all your family and friends and watch flicks. You get the same thrills and excitement as when you go to the movies, only without having to feel uncomfortable and not be able to talk. Specially if you are choosing one of the best home theater system for your home.
When you have your own home theater room in your house, you can just relax and whether you are sitting watching a romantic movie with your partner or have a whole group of people joining you, the fun will be endless.
Home Theater Seating: Furnishings
Now once you have the home theater room going, you are going to need to make sure that you have all the right home theater seating. There is even discount home theater seating available so you won’t ever have to worry about spending a fortune just to get the pieces that you need.
The first step for you here will be deciding just what home theater seating pieces you would like to include, as there are various pieces that you can choose from. The recliner is perhaps the most important of all. Whether you just have one or two or several lined up together, this is the most relaxing, comfortable seating style for home theater seating.
Another valuable piece for home theater seating is the couch. Not all people like to have this in their home theater room, but it is great for cozying up on and just relaxing with the kids. Maybe you are not even watching a movie but instead Sunday morning cartoons and just being lazy and enjoying each other’s company, a couch will be really great.
No matter what pieces you decide on for your home theater seating, there is one basic rule that you should stick to, which applies to basically any other room in the home as well, and that is to make sure that the pieces all mesh well together. For instance if you decide to get the recliner in a leather, you should get all the other pieces in leather material as well.
With these few tips, you will be able to decorate your home theater room just the way you want to, and have a room in your home that you can always head to and know you can just sit back and relax.
Robbie Williams to appear on x-factor for next year
Simon Cowell is rumoured to be making big plans to try and get Robbie Williams to be a judge on next year’s x-factor. It has been claimed that the current presenter on the show, Dannii Minogue may be booted off the show after a furious back stage brawl with fellow judge, Louis Walsh. Danni Minogue admitted earlier this week that she felt distressed and upset when Louis Walsh accused her of stealing his song choice for his band, JLS for her contestant Rachel Hylton. None of these acts actually won the competition in the end but the argument has fuelled hatred that is still going strong between the two judges. Dannii Minogue was also displeased at the fact that the new judge, Cheryl Cole took her seat next to lead judge, Simon Cowell and has also looked into rumours that Cheryl Cole is actually getting paid more than she is.
Yet, Minogue has denied reports that she is leaving the popular TV competition. She has stated that the producers have told her she is staying on the show for next year and that nothing else has been discussed. However a spokesman for the X-Factor show has said that no decisions had been made about who is staying in the competition and that it is all just speculation. Personally, I think it is quite exciting that Robbie Williams might be a judge on the show however I would only think that is mere speculation at the moment. Addititionally, you have to ask yourself what it will do for the credibility of Robbie Williams’ career as the x-factor is exactly the most highly thought of event within the music industry. Liam Gallagher from the British band, Oasis has openly said that the x-factor is a sham and puts false hopes in people minds who are considering getting involved with the music industry. ‘It makes people think that getting into the music industry is just as easy as getting any other job’.
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Best Christmas Movies for 2008
If you’re looking for a movie to get yourself or your family into the holiday spirit, these are 10 guaranteed top picks when it comes to Christmas Movies:
10 – A Christmas Carol (1999) starring Patrick Stewart
Based on Charles Dickens’ novel, A Christmas Carol tells the tale of a grumpy broker named Ebeneezer Scrooge, who’s only emotion towards the Holiday season is “Bam-Humbug!” His miserable, cold attitude is reversed when three ghosts visit him and warn him of his impending lonely death. Can Ebeneezer change his substandard ways in time to celebrate Christmas the right way?
9 – Elf (2003)
I’m not usually a Will Ferrell fan, to be quite frank, I find him and his characters annoying. I actually saw this film for the first time this year, at a friend’s house. I was surprised to find myself laughing at “Buddy’s” antics, and also a little touched to see how his childlike enthusiasm worked magic on the others around him. Besides, it actually is fun to watch a really tall guy wearing a ridiculous looking green suit and tights running around New York City. I guess I’ll have to make an exception and let Elf schmaltz into my holidays from now on, although it’s not really one to share with younger kids.
8 – The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington, the “Pumpkin King” of Halloween Town, is bored and sets out to find something new to do. When he stumbles into Christmas Town, Jack decides to recreate Christmas in Halloween style, with ghouls, goblins, and a coffin “sleigh”, drawn by skeletal reindeer. Jack also assumes the duties of Santa Claus to deliver toys across the world, with unusual consequences.
7 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Number seven is truly a classic Christmas comedy. The Griswold family struggles to have an old-fashioned Christmas. With crazy Christmas lights, Cousin Eddie, and squirrels hiding in trees, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation will keep you laughing all night long.
6 – Bad Santa (2003) starring Billy Bob Thornton
Do I really want to admit I like this film? Thornton’s character has a dubious plan to rob a department store by dressing like Santa. He then proceeds on a crazy spree including getting drunk, beating up little kids, and cursing throughout. It may not sound like it, but there is a goodwill message hidden somewhere within. Yeah, this is not a family film – but it is pretty funny.
5 – Scrooged (1988)
Movie number five is a twist on A Christmas Carol. Administrator of a U.S. television station, Frank Cross didn’t really have a great childhood so his appreciation of Christmas is quiescent. His station is planning on playing a live adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Three ghosts attempt to help Frank change his ways.
4 – The Santa Clause (1994)
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is reading his son Charlie a Christmas story one night when he hears something on the roof. After frightening Santa to death, Scott must take over as the new Santa. Charlie likes the fact his dad is Santa, but Scott doesn’t believe it — until his hair turns white and he puts on a couple pounds. Can Scott keep his new secret from his unsuspecting family?
3 – Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A kind, bearded old man is put on trial for calling himself Kris Kringle and believing that he is the real Santa. A holiday blockbuster that appeals to the believer in all of us.
2 – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Baily spent his entire life supporting the dreams of his town. When George contemplates suicide, he ends up saving his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence shows George that he really has made a difference in the town. Is it enough to save George’s life?
…This leads us to the number one Christmas movie to watch in 2008…
1 – A Christmas Story (1983)
“You’ll shoot your eye out!” Ralphie’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun, and the aunt who thinks he’s “a perpetual four” are something we can all relate to. I find something funnier every year as I get older, layers of both irony and that child-like hopefulness tied up inextricably together, as well as the remembered frustrations of childhood. (Let’s just say I sympathize deeply with the kid brother in the snowsuit.) Jean Shepherd’s writing is transferred nicely to film, his voice comes through in Ralphie’s hopes and daydreams beautifully.
So, sit down, grab your favorite holiday treat, and settle in for a long winter’s night. I hope these films bring a little joy to you and yours this year – Merry Christmas!
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