TV: New season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Joss Whedon is co-writing an additional season (the 8th) of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the cult sci fi teen drama that made Sarah Michelle Gellar's career. But he won't be needing Gellar's help, since the season will be a comic book series to be released by Dark Horse Comics. Whedon tried to do a spin off comic that focused on Buffy's successor in the 24th century, but it didn't pan out. The new comic will feature the team of slayers that the show ended with and Dawn, Buffy's sister, will provide a little teen angst. So if you're desperate for some Buffy-loving, phone your nearest comic book store every single day till it comes out.

TV: New ABC Pilot

Traveler (ABC)

It's a new pilot that has touches of "Prison Break"--because the two main characters, Jay (Matthew Bomer, "Tru Calling") and Tyler (Logan Marshall-Green, "The O.C.") Are fugitives framed for a terrorist bombing at a museum--and a little "Smallville"-best-friend-betrayal thrown in. It turns out Will (Aaron Stanford, X-Men: The Last Stand), the third amigo to round out the trio, meticulously planned out his betrayal over a two year period. My interest was peaked the moment I read that when Jay and Tyler planned to approach the police with a picture of their missing friend who would give them an alibi, they realized he wasn't visible in any of them.

FILM: Newest Trailers

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HOT FUZZ

You may remember these boys from Sean of the Dead. They tend to mesh comedy with other genres that wouldn't normally have a strong comedic foundation--first horror and now action. You can trust that they'll be a lot funnier than your average Die Hard or Rush Hour one liner.
RELEASE DATE: June 1st


BLADES OF GLORY

Starring in his third comedy-revolving-around-a-profession, Will Ferrell puts away his anchorman suit and parks his Talladega race car to ice skate with the hottest blond he could get his hands on...John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). Joining the ridiculous, homo-erotic shenanigans are SNL's Amy Poehler and Arrested Development's Will Arnett.
RELEASE DATE: March 30th


MEET THE ROBINSONS

Okay so this is an animated film and it isn't as awesome as the last animated film I loved, The Incredibles. BUT, I guarantee if you watch the last ten seconds of this trailer you will laugh really really really hard. (Maybe I played it up too much.)
RELEASE DATE: March 30th


THE REAPING

If you're into religious horror/action films (eg. The Exorcist, The Omen, Constantine, The Order, etc.), then get ready for a film that's a cross between Armageddon and a Christian/Catholic's worst nightmare. And if you're the kind of person who watches horror movies just to chuckle for a couple of hours, then head to the theaters to watch Hilary Swank practice her scared and shocked face, and see if you can tell the difference.

RELEASE DATE: March 30th

FILM: Rumor Mill

In his second venture as a screenwriter, Luke Wilson plans on writing a comedy for him and Martin Lawrence to star in. Apparently, he had so much fun with Lawrence in Blue Streak that he wants to recreate the mayhem. But before he can delve into that, he'll have to promote four movies this year: the romantic comedic thriller You Kill Me with Marisa Tomei; the snuff film thriller Vacancy with Kate Beckinsale; the romantic comedy Blonde Ambition with Jessica Simpson; and a comedy with the weirdest plot I've heard yet called Barry Munday about a guy that "wakes up after being attacked to realize that he's missing his family jewels. To make matters worse, he learns he's facing a paternity lawsuit filed by a woman he can't remember having sex with."

Todd Phillips, a director worshipped by college frat boys for his epic comedy Old School, has long been rumored to be developing the sequel, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in tote. It'll be dubbed Old School Dos and is ambitiously slated for release this year. Phillips is also working on a film about male infidelity called Men.

A rumor recently confirmed is action film director Michael Bay's dream to remake Alfred Hitchocock's The Birds that has finally been realized. Get ready for the rampage of actresses dying to play the female lead, and respected male actors humiliating themselves for the the male role. With Bay's track record, he'll probably add exploding birds just for effect.





Speaking of unlikely pairings, Brad Pitt is set to produce a drama starring none other than Billy Bob Thornton. Peace Like a River is a drama about "a family [that] faces off against thugs who have taken over their neighborhood." Who knows what the situation will bring. Maybe Thornton and Pitt's kids will have a little play date...that will involve extreme awkwardness when Maddox calls him dad.

TV: Shows dropping like flies

So Marissa not only died, but she killed "The O.C." And I'm convinced she's the reason TV shows are dropping like flies.

Rumors have started this week that TRL will be cancelled after 10 years on the air due to low ratings and a lack of fan interest. [Let's shed a silent tear for Vanessa Minnillo. She'll now have to depend on Nick Lachey's dwindiling income.]

Even NBC is going so far as axing one of their soap opears, "Passions." Granted, it's a ridiculous melodrama, but it's not as if people watch soap operas for the culture. To replace it, they're just going to add another hour to the "Today" show. Seriously? Who wakes up that early to watch television?

Kristen Bell is taking no chances on “Veronica Mars” being picked up on the CW Fall 2007 lineup. She’s laying down groundwork. She just finished voicing a character for an animated film called Flatland: "When a young girl named "Hex" decides to "think outside the box" (in a world where such thought is forbidden), her life becomes in danger and it is up to her grandfather to save her life." And in the flesh, she just filmed Fanboy, a movie that proves the force hasn’t died off just yet. "Four guys from the Midwest [who] drive across the country to honor the wish of their dying friend: to watch ‘Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace’ at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch before the movie's worldwide release.” Bell's costars are Sam Huntington (Jimmy Olsen of Superman Returns), Chris Marquette (the little brother in Just Friends), Dan Fogler, and Jay Baruchel (“Just Legal”). Hopefully the CW won't get trigger happy.

FILM: drama, drama, drama

Have your pick of the upcoming dramas:

Martin Scorsese kidnapped Leonardo DiCaprio. He's presently under contract to produce and star in their 4th film together, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Seems DiCaprio is giving that good old Oscar try.

Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine) will be starring in Evening, a drama about “the objectification of women and…how we’re affected by the images that are thrown at us daily.”

Halle Berry and her costar Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) have just wrapped up Things We Lost in the Fire, a drama about "A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss."

Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo are presently filming Revelation Road with director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda). In the drama, the duo play dads facing serious issues after Phoenix’s child is killed by Ruffalo in a hit-and-run. Ruffalo will also be in The Brass Wall playing an undercover detective infiltrating the Luchese family--seems Hollywood is digging The Departed plot and just might run it into the ground.


Nicholas Cage will be grooming 50 Cent Million Dollar Baby style in the boxing drama, The Dance for 2008 release. It's “a dramatization of the life of one-time champion prize fighter Billy "The Kid" Roth, who has volunteered as a boxing coach for over 40 years in the prisons of Louisiana.”


Victor Rasuk ("Lords of Dogtown") will appear in the drama Reggaeton this year with R&B singer Omarion. It's a film about "A young man from the South Bronx dreams of making it as a rapper, until a run-in with local thugs forces him to hide in Puerto Rico with the father he never knew."

ranDOM: Dubai to Afghanistan

Dubai just might be the new hot spot. Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) was randomly photographed at the Dubai International Film Festival. And just three weeks ago, Variety reported that MTV was setting up shop.

"Viacom's MTV has inked a deal with Dubai-based startup Arabian Television Network to create a version of MTV in Arabic for youth audiences in the Middle East. Viacom had been looking for a partner to launch the free-to-air channel, MTV Arabiya, which will broadcast a mix of music videos, MTV programming and locally produced shows."

In the vain of CSI's need to have a unit in every big city, it's only natural that MTV would attempt to stretch as far as Afghanistan, where they'll report on the music scene of the downtrodden, blood splattered, somber streets.

Then again, the idea of American commercialization in the Middle East isn't that farfetched. Coke opened a bottling plant in Afghanistan in 2005 after countless comedians joked that after the U.S. invaded Iraq, the first thing we’d do—in the astronaut fashion of staking claim on the moon by striking a flag into it’s soil—is erect a Starbucks, McDonald’s, and sell Coca Cola like crazy. Mission accomplished. Bring back the troops!

FASHION: Golden Globes 2007

Gracing the Golden Globes 2007 red carpet were many female stars dressed in white, the trend of the night. But not a very flattering one. Here are my picks for Best and Worst Dressed.

WORST Dressed

A lot of blogs have compared Cameron Diaz's ensemble to that of Bjork's previous monstrosities. I don't know if it's the tutu ruffles or the one-arm strap or the fact that she shouldn't look like a swan, but this looks ridiculous.

Jessica Biel usually looks hot, as noticed by every male magazine in America from the sleazy ones like Maxim to the respected ones like Esquire. Lately, however, she's taken to not show off her bum so much (and overshadow J.Lo's), but to dress as though her curves are non-existent. That isn't the problem with this dress. It's the fact that she looks like a disco ball that makes her look wildly unattractive.


Emily Blunt, the thorn in Anne Hathaway's side in Devil Wears Prada, has truly impressed Hollywood (as did every other British actor who won last night). But that doesn't make up for this confusing creation. It looks like there are curtain drapes underneath her mini. Maybe it'd look better in a different color.

Always superbly dressed on "Ugly Betty," Becki Newton suprisingly underwhelmed in this bland, hunter green gown meant for a bridesmaid.

Evangeline Lily from "Lost" chose a geometrically challenged dress that would probably look better if it were comprised of two shades of the same color, instead of purplish pink and yellowish gold.

I have to admit Jennifer Love Hewitt's gown did look much better on camera, but as a still image, the reflective lower half just looks tacky.

Naomi Watts always looks beautiful, but this just isn't her color or shape or anything.

BEST dressed

Best Design

Aside from Sienna Miller's humidity-affected hairstyle--and the fact that it seemed weird that she was there in the first place--her dress was the most beautiful design of all the ones to hit the carpet, adding something special to the all-white trend.

Most Daring
Ali Larter had the lowest neckline that I saw on the carpet, and managed to pull it off without seeming slutty--which is difficult for an actress who always gets hired to play the hot girl. This was also a more interesting cut than all of the strapless, all-white gowns that littered the red carpet.

Best Accessories

Although, Salma Hayek's hair-do was uninspired, the Greek-like, all-white ensemble she wore was almost as mesmerizing as the huge accessories that made it pop (as if you didn't notice).

Most Improved

Nicollette Sheridan never really seems to make it on anyone's Best Dressed list for any award show. But with what seems like a cross between a wedding dress and a prom dress, she has improved tremendously.

Best use of Color

Felicity Huffman wasn't the only to wear dark green last night, but she was the one who wore it best in an empire waist, billowing, silk gown.

Best Simplicity

Many of the stars were shooting for simplicity when they chose to wear white, forgetting that black pulls the same trick. Katherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy" was simply elegant in this gothic gown ripped from the 40s.

FILM: Angels & Demons &...Wonder Woman

Tom Hanks impressed Hollywood with his lead role in the adaptation for the critically acclaimed The Da Vinci Code. But, it seems Hanks is simply making his way down The New York Times Best Seller list. He's presently in talks to be the lead in Angels and Demons, a novel about a man's "brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the world's most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered." Since the film has the same theme or appeal as The Da Vinci Code, it seems kind of redundant to put Hanks in the lead once more. Aren't there any other actors available in Hollywood?

Changing it up a bit, going from the CW's teen drama "One Tree Hill," to the horror film The Hitcher, Sophia Bush is possibly up for a role that could make or break her career Brandon Routh-style as the one and only Wonder Woman. Producers have been searching through the A to D list when it comes to finding the right face. They've toyed with the idea of hiring a Hispanic siren, Jennifer Lopez, to an American beau, Jessica Biel, to even a British action star, Kate Beckinsale. As of right now, the possibility of her snagging the part depends on her appeal to the masses, her availability, considering her 9 to 5 on the CW, and most importantly--now that the word has spread--whether or not fans who frequent Comic Con approve.

FILM: Jet vs. Jackie

It's official!

Jet Li, 43, and Jackie Chan, 52, are going to face off in 2008 in a presently untitled action film "Loosly based on the Chinese legend of the monkey king and his quest to achieve immortality." Li plays both the monkey king and a silent monk, and it is presumed that Chan will be his adversary as a monk.

Who do you think will win?

Jet OR Jackie