Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for December, 2010

Entertainment Update for December 27 and 28

Posted in Daily/Weekly Updates on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Hey All,

Happy Week between Christmas and New Years!! Yes, that’s a silly greeting; but it’s the best I could come up with. I hope that everyone had a terrific holiday weekend and that you are getting prepared for the New Year’s weekend.

There wasn’t much news yesterday so I decided to save what little I found yesterday, combining it with the news for today; but sadly, the news for today is just as minimal. Funny how there isn’t any news over the holidays, huh?

Anyway, here is the little I could find to share with all of you today:

TELEVISION

‘Falling Skies’: See the trailer for TNT’s new series

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The top 10 movies at the box office for the past holiday weekend are as follows courtesy of TV Guide:

1. Little Fockers – 48.3 million
2. True Grit – 36.8 million
3. Tron: Legacy – 20.1 million
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – 10.8 million
5. Yogi Bear – 8.8 million
6. The Fighter – 8.5 million
7. Gulliver’s Travels – 7.2 million
8. Black Swan – 6.6 million
9. Tangled – 6.5 million
10. The Tourist – 5.7 million

Over a year ago we heard that director Michael Mann (Public Enemies, Collateral) was developing a biopic of renowned war photographer Robert Capa, with a focus on his two-year romance with fellow photographer Gerda Taro during the Spanish Civil War. Simply called Capa, the story begins in Paris in 1935, where Capa, a refugee from Hungary, met Taro, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Now it sounds like Mann has found his two leads in some promising young talent as Total Film caught up with Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans) who revealed that she and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network and the upcoming Spider-Man reboot) are set to star in the biopic. (First Showing)

Teens Cast as Scorpius Malfoy & Severus Snape in Final ‘Harry Potter’ Movie

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Year-End Round-Up: Music Highlights for 2010

Posted in Messages, Music, Year End Round Up on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Music is an important part of my life, waking me up every morning, entertaining me throughout the work day and helping to set the tone in my favorite TV shows. Music is always the cornerstone to any theatrical release as well, moving along a particular scene and enhancing the overall story.

Music, obviously, comes in many different formats: pop, hip hop, rap, metal, country, classic rock, inspirational, R&B, Latin, dance and much more. Everyone has a favorite sound and the following artists and music moments are just some of the highlights from this past year:

Best Album – “The Resistance” by Muse

Best New Group (TIE) – Mumford & Sons and The Black Keys

Best Single by a Female Artist – “King of Anything” by Sara Barellies

Best Song Heard Within a TV Series – “Bloodstream” by Stateless (used in The Vampire Diaries)

Best Independent Album – “Christian Kane EP” by Christian Kane

Most Outrageous Performer – Lady Gaga

Worst Moment in Music – Justin Bieber winning 4 American Music Awards

Best Songs Used in TV Show Promotions (Tie) – “Animal” by Neon Trees and “Secrets” by One Republic

Best Group – Florence + the Machine (Album – “Lungs”)

Top Country Song – “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum

Hot Summer Song – “California Girls” by Katy Perry

Best F-You Song – “Forget You” by Cee-Lo Green

Best Single by a Duo or Group – “Hey Soul Sister” by Train

Best Single by a Male Artist (Tie) – “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars and “Whataya Want from Me” by Adam Lambert

Best TV Composer – Bear McCreary (Caprica, The Walking Dead, Eureka and Human Target)

Band That Is As Devoted to Their Fans as Their Fans Are To the Band – 30 Seconds to Mars

Best Duet Performed on TV – “Dream On” by Matthew Morrison and Neil Patrick Harris on Glee

The link can be found here.

Or you can listen to the whole song for “Dream On” here.

Best Live TV Musical Performance – Pink at the Grammy’s 2010 with “Glitter In The Air”

The link to the video can be found here.

Only Reason to Have Watched American Idol in 2010 – Orianthi Performing Live

The link to the video clip can be found here.

Best Cover Song Performed on Glee – “Teenage Dream” by Darren Criss

The link to the video clip can be found here.

What artists moved you the most this year? Which artists disappointed you or just made you cringe? What song could you listen to over and over again? Please share your thoughts and comments on the best and worst of the music world this year.

Read Full Post »

Year-End Round-Up: Movie Highlights of 2010

Posted in Messages, Movies, Year End Round Up on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Every year I do my best to see as many movies as I can; sometimes seeing 4 movies in a month, usually averaging about 35 movies in a year. As is always the case, some movies are better than others while some are simply just disappointments. One never really knows when walking into the movie theatre if that movie is going to be good or bad; you just take the chance and dive in.

The movies for which I enjoyed the most this year included The Blind Side, Letters to Juliet, Prince of Persia, Easy A, Flipped, Tangled and Secretariat. And, I must say that The Tourist and Tron Legacy, both of them, were actually much better than I thought they would be.

Some of the bigger movies to grace the box office screen this year included The A-Team, Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. On the other spectrum of things, some of the movies that I saw that were less than stellar included: Did You Hear About the Morgans?, When In Rome, The Last Airbender and The Expendables.

But rather than let my opinions sway anyone, here are the top 10 movies according to ticket sales for the year:

1. Toy Story 3
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Iron Man 2
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
5. Inception
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (Part 1)
7. Despicable Me
8. Shrek Forever After
9. How to Train Your Dragon
10. The Karate Kid

On the opposite spectrum there were some bad or simply terrible movies that were released this year and while the following is not based on any published list or on box office results or even critics’ reviews; they are simply my picks for the worst films of the year. They appear in alphabetical order:

Cop Out
Death at a Funeral
Dinner for Schmucks
Due Date
Furry Vengeance
Get Him to the Greek
Grown Ups
Hot Tub Time Machine
Jack Ass 3D
Killers
Lottery Ticket
MacGruber
Marmaduke
The Back-Up Plan
The Dilemma
The Other Ones
The Spy Next Door
The Tooth Fairy
Yogi Bear

And, just like last year I made up some special categories that capture just some of the best and worst from the 2010 box office:

Most Moving Movie of the Year – Secretariat
Breakout Star – Rebecca Hall from The Town
Movie Actress of the Year – Emma Stone (Easy A)
Movie Actor of the Year – Jeff Bridges (Tron Legacy and True Grit)
Movies That More People Should Have Seen – TIE: The Losers and Prince of Persia
Movie That Would Have Been Better Without All the Violence – Takers
Movie That Was Simply Too Violent – The Expendables
Best Summer Movie – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Movie Most Likely To Win An Oscar – The King’s Speech
Best Animated Film – Tangled
Best Coming of Age Film – Flipped
Romantic Comedy Movie That Was Neither Romantic Nor Comedic – When In Rome
Best Special Effects in a Movie that Was (Sadly) Boring – The Last Airbenders
Most Underused Actress in a Film – Charisma Carpenter in The Expendables
Best Independent Film – Nowhere Boy
Go-To Movie Co-Star – Betty White
Best Documentary – Waiting for Superman
Movie That Didn’t Turn Out to Be What It Seemed – Never Let Me Go
Most Fun I Had at the Movies – TIE: Easy A and Tangled
Best ‘Go To’ Guy in a Film – Stanley Tucci
Movie That Was Way Better Than The Reviewers Claimed – Burlesque
What a REAL Romantic Comedy Should Be – Letters to Juliet

What movies did you most enjoy seeing this year? Which movies were disappointments to you? Please share your thoughts and comments.

Read Full Post »

Fall TV Final Week of 2010: Monday Ratings

Posted in Ratings, Television on December 28, 2010| 1 Comment »

The week between Christmas and New Years always contains a lot of repeats and last night’s programming was no different.
Here are how the dramas that aired on Monday night fared in the overall ratings war:

8 PM Shows:
House (FOX) [repeat] – 4 million
Chuck (NBC) [repeat] [hour 1] – 3.3 million
90210 (The CW) [repeat] – 990,000

9 PM Show:
Lie to Me (FOX) [repeat] – 3 million
Chuck (NBC) [repeat] [hour 2] – 2.6 million
Gossip Girl (The CW) [repeat] – 762,000

10 PM Shows:
Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) [repeat] – 7.7 million
Chuck (NBC) [repeat] [hour 3] – 5.7 million
Castle (ABC) [repeat] – 2.3 million

What did you watch last night? Please share.

Read Full Post »

Year-End Round-Up: Best and Worst of TV

Posted in Messages, Television, Year End Round Up on December 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

Most critics, and even bloggers, create their own categories of the best and worst (with a strong emphasis on the best) in the TV season each year. The list that follows displays the characters, actors, actresses and series that stood out to me over the past year in TV. I hope you find some of your favorites included below. They appear in no particular order:

Favorite TV Sidekick – Mozzie on White Collar
Cutest Would-Be TV Couple – Castle and Beckett on Castle
New Show That Should Have Been Better Than It Was – TIE: The Event and Undercovers
Worst Performance by a New Show – Lone Star
Best Guest Star, Actor – Mark Shepherd
Best New Show, Cable – Tower Prep
Most Overlooked Summer Series – Unnatural History
Favorite New Sci-Fi Series AND Where the Heck Did That Scene Come From (or Most Unexpected Season Finale) – Haven
Most Anticipated Upcoming TV Movie/Mini-Series – Neverland on Syfy (to air in 2011)
Best Summer Surprise – TIE: Covert Affairs and The Glades
Best TV Imports – TIE: Sherlock on PBS and Luther on BBC America
Best TV Guilty Pleasure – Pretty Little Liars
Favorite New TV Character – Auggie on Covert Affairs
Favorite New Hunk – Kris Holden-Ried on Lost Girl
Best TV Guest Star – Mark Sheppard
Show with the Most-Dedicated Fans – Supernatural
Prettiest Newcomer – Maggie Q on Nikita
Sexiest TV Siblings – Stefan and Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries
Biggest TV Nerd – Douglas Fargo on Eureka
Best New Fall TV, Drama – Nikita
Best New Fall TV, Comedy – Raising Hope
Best Guilty Pleasure from Canada – Lost Girl
Don’t Mess With This Doppelganger – Katherine on The Vampire Diaries
TV Show That Didn’t Deserve Cancellation (Yet) – TIE: Stargate Universe, Caprica and Unnatural History
Most Under-Used Recurring Character – Zane Donovan on Eureka (Niall Matter)
Sweetest Celebrity on Twitter – David Blue
Most Mysterious Recurring Character – River Song on Doctor Who
Best New Australian Import – Matt Passmore on The Glades
Most Captivating Villain on TV – Alice Morgan on Luther
TV Shows with the Coolest Intros – Caprica, Human Target and Pretty Little Liars
Most Compelling Woman with a Big Secret – Cathy Jamison on The Big C
Most Intriguing New Character in a New Show – The Watcher on No Ordinary Family (Josh Stewart)
Best Supporting Cast in a Drama – Caroline, Matt, Tyler and Jeremy on The Vampire Diaries
Most Anticipated Mid-Season Return – Being Erica on SOAPnet
Most Anticipated Mid-Season Premiere – Fairly Legal on USA Network
Best Techno Wizard – Claudia Donovan on Warehouse 13
TV Character That Should Be Seen More Often – Joshua Donovan on Warehouse 13
TV Character Who Gets the BEST Lines – Ksenia Solo on Lost Girl
Favorite TV Dad – Rick Castle on Castle
Most Unsatisfying or Satisfying Ending to a Series (depending on your take of the finale) – Lost
Mom Who Deserves to Be Treated Better – Sheriff Liz Forbes on The Vampire Diaries
Best Pseudo Father-Daughter on TV – Claudia and Artie on Warehouse 13
What the Hell Happened To These Shows – Glee and True Blood
Most Kick Ass Mom – Maddie Weston on Burn Notice
No Sophomore Slump Here – The Vampire Diaries
Risky Business Award – Life Unexpected [for yet another student-teacher secret affair]
Best Directing By a Lead Actor – Jensen Ackles [for the episode of Supernatural focusing on Bobby]
Long-Running Series That is Having a Stellar Final Season – Smallville

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these selections and, even more so, learning some of your best and worst of TV in 2010.

Read Full Post »

TV Recommendations: Tuesday, December 28

Posted in Television, TV Calendar on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the fall season, reairs of cable series, a movie or a special, here are some suggestions:

6 PM
Back to the Future movie on AMC
Casino Royale movie on Syfy

7 PM
Tower Prep on Cartoon Network (Part 1 of Finale)
Marley & Me movie on HBO Family

8 PM
NCIS on CBS (reair)
Glee on FOX (reair)
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year classic on CBS
Tower Prep on Cartoon (Part 2 of Finale)
Eloise at the Plaza movie on Disney
Debbie Macomber’s Call Me Mrs. Miracle move on Hallmark
Leap Year movie on HBO2

8:30 PM
Back to the Future Part II movie on AMC

9 PM
No Ordinary Family on ABC (reair)
Life Unexpected on The CW (reair)
Sixteen Candles movie on Lifetime
Serenity movie on Syfy

9:50 PM
St. Elmo’s Fire movie on Encore

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

My Observations on the World of Entertainment for 2010

Posted in Books, Convention/Event, Messages, Movies, Television, Year End Round Up on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Hey All,

I have been doing these year-end round-ups for well over 5 years now and much like critics and bloggers, who make their best of and worst of for the television season, I compile my lists in much the same way. The difference with my lists is that I don’t just cover television. I focus on a wide range of categories such as ratings, movies, events and much more. Of course, since I am primarily a couch potato at heart, I cover a lot of television for both of the TV seasons from this calendar year (2009-2010 and 2010-2011).

But, before I delve into all the sections of this year’s round-up, I have to share a few selfish goals for which I set for myself this year. Each year I aim to read at least 30 books, see at least 30 movies, attend as many television-related events as I can afford and am able to fit into my schedule and, of course, watch approximately 25 hours (if not more) of programming each week.

BOOKS: In terms of reading 30 books this year, I got through about 25 this year, including a number of Jane Austen themed books (all of which were very fun reads), a Nora Roberts trilogy as well as a Jeaniene Frost trilogy and “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (among others). I know that reading an actual paperback book seems to be a lost art now-a-days especially with Kindles all the rage, but it is a worthwhile hobby.

MOVIES: In this year’s round-up, I have an entire section devoted to the movies that were released this year; but again, I’m being a bit selfish in saying that I surpassed my goal by being able to see 35 movies by the end of the year.

EVENTS: I have lived in California now for over 10 years (I still can’t believe that it has been that long) and have been very fortunate to attend a lot of amazing TV-related events over that time. This year, like many years before, I attended a lot of events at the Paley Center for Media, including their annual Paley Fest. This year I was in the audience for the following Paley Fest events: Lost, NCIS, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward and Glee. The other Paley Center panels for which I was able to attend this year included the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother, Castle, White Collar, Psych, Lone Star, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, the Hart to Hart Reunion and a 2nd Psych panel that this time also featured some of the cast of Twin Peaks, who were making a special appearance in an episode of Psych as well as the Paley Center’s annual Fall Preview Parties.

As usual, I also attended Comic Con in July, the annual UCLA Book Fair in April as well as a Supernatural convention coordinated by Creation Entertainment in March. In addition, I attended some new events like the Writer’s Guild Salute to Melissa Rosenberg, the writer of the Twilight movie franchise; a Drop Dead Diva season premiere event and an appearance by the cast of Pretty Little Liars, which included a reading by the book’s author Sara Shepard and a special screening of the mid-season premiere of Caprica.

But now, without further ado, here are my highlights for 2010 (UPDATE: one new section will be posted each hour until lunch time over the course of the next few days). I do apologize in advance for any omissions, spelling errors or oversights I may have made, but I don’t apologize for any of the choices I have made.

One last thing: Please let me know what you thought of the past year in entertainment and any thoughts you have on my year-end round-up, as I would love to hear your thoughts.

Read Full Post »

Fall TV Week Fourteen: Sunday Ratings

Posted in Ratings, Television on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Sunday night programming in the fall is typically filled with movies, animation, reality, news programs and sports. Add into the mix that it was a holiday weekend, and that means repeats of any dramas that would air. Such is the case for last night’s programming, but here is how the dramas that aired fared in the overall ratings:

9 PM Show:
CSI: Miami (CBS) [repeat] – 6.9 million

10 PM Shows:
The Mentalist (CBS) [repeat] – 7.3 million
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) [repeat] – 3.8 million

What did you watch last night? Please share.

Read Full Post »

TV Recommendations: Monday, December 27

Posted in Television, TV Calendar on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the fall season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:

6 PM
Back to the Future movie on AMC

7 PM
The Time Traveler’s Wife movie on More Max

8 PM
Chuck on NBC (reair)
The Closer on TNT (reair)
NCIS on USA Network (reair)
An Old-Fashioned Christmas movie on Hallmark
Avatar movie on HBO2

8:30 PM
Back to the Future Part II movie on AMC

9 PM
Chuck on NBC (reair)
The Closer on TNT (NEW)
Nora Roberts’ Angel Falls movie on Lifetime
Independence Day movie on TV Land

10 PM
Chuck on NBC (reair)
Christmas in Canaan movie on Hallmark

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Fall TV Week Fourteen: Friday Ratings

Posted in Ratings, Television on December 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Again, there were plenty of repeats for the big holiday and here is how the dramas that aired on Christmas Day fared in the overall ratings war:

8 PM Shows:
CSI (CBS) [repeat] – 5 million
Smallville (The CW) [repeat] – 1.1 million

9 PM Shows:
CSI: NY (CBS) [repeat] – 5 million
Supernatural (The CW) [repeat] – 1.1 million

10 PM Show:
Blue Bloods (CBS) [repeat] – 5.9 million

What did you watch last night? Please share.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »