BOX OFFICE: Transformers at #1, Hurt Locker's Critical Acclaim, and more

Woa! $112 million! Unfreaking believable. I'll be adding to that load this Tuesday when I watch Shia, Megan, and the rest of the humans battle alongside the Transformers for what I hear is a kickass alien robot war. This 4th of July weekend could be a record breaker for both Michael Bay and the film industry in general. In other box office news, The Hurt Locker, an indie war drama starring Jeremy Renner ("The Unusuals") and Anthony Mackie (Notorious), opened in four theaters with rave reviews and a decent $144,000. This could mean big things for Renner, whose star is shining bright despite his minor accomplishments. Cameron Diaz's adaptation My Sister's Keeper didn't fare as well with the critics, but it came in at #5 with $12 mil. Considering people don't normally jump at the chance to see depressing dramas in the summer, that's not bad.

The Proposal stayed strong at #2, reaching $69 mil. It's amazing what Ryan Reynolds' naked body can do for Hollywood's pocket. The Hangover continues its reign at #3 with $247 mil after only a month. Year One isn't down for the count just yet. It may have slid to #6, but it's managed a hearty $32 mil in two weeks. Not bad for such an odd premise. Several films retired from the top 10 this weekend: Land of the Lost with $49 mil, Terminator Salvation with $323 mil, and Imagine That with $14 mil. Away We Go, however, moved into the top 10, grossing $4 mil.

This 4th of July weekend, the adults can go watch the crime thriller Public Enemies, drop the kids off to see the animated Ice Age sequel, and occupy the teenagers with Nia Vardalos's (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) romantic indie I Hate Valentine's Day.

TRAILER: Ashton Kutcher's "Spread"

I could've sworn Ashton Kutcher was done with the mid-20s slacker roles, but I guess he decided to squeeze one more in before he was too old to. In the indie rom-com Spread, he plays a bedhopping playboy with a loaded sugar mama (Anne Heche). He can have any girl he wants, buy anything he wants, and do anything he wants...except when it comes to a beautiful diner waitress who refuses to take his shit. If he's the poker champion of Nevada, then she's the poker champion of the world. He can never call her bluff and the girl's got game for days. She has him waiting at the phone for a callback. Whipped!!

You've probably already seen the manwhore-turned-monogamous bit more than once (i.e. Good Luck Chuck, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, etc.), but this film stars the criminally under-utilized Sebastian Stan ("Kings") and the sultry seductress Margarita Levieva (Adventureland), so it's at least worth the rental fee.

TRAILERS: Zombieland & The Stepfather

Ok, there's scary and then there's hahahaha that was scary. Zombieland is the latter. Starring Woody Harrelson (which is funny in and of itself), Jesse Eisenberg (Adventurland...yet another land he ventures to), Emma Stone (The House Bunny), Abigail Breslin (yeah, you read that right, Little Miss freaking Sunshine), Amber Heard (Never Back Down), and Bill Murray. Alright so, prepare for some gore that's even bloodier than Resident Evil, but also prepare to crack a smile a la Sean of the Dead, because this plot is off-the-charts bizarre: Apparently, this gang of misfits have to fend off a world overrun by zombies.



Remember the differentiation I made above, well The Stepfather is the former. But it's even worse, because it advertises itself as a thriller about a young guy who suspects his mom's new husband to be a well-known serial killer, but then smacks you with enough horror scenes to make you cringe and flinch in your seat. Penn Badgely (Dan on "Gossip Girl") and Dylan Walsh ("Nip/Tuck") go head-to-head, while Amber Heard (oh my god, will she go away already) nearly loses hers:

FILM: Proposal at #1, Casting New Stooge, & Lance Armstrong Biopic

The Proposal was genuinely hilarious, so I totally understand why it stole the #1 spot with $34 mil. The comedy was a solid B+, from Sandra Bullock's hilarious performance of "Get Low" to the disturbingly funny addition of Oscar Nunez (Oscar from "The Office") as the Alaskan town's token minority. Bullock and Ryan Reynolds' chemistry was also a B+, but the ultimate romantic climax was more like a B-. They weren't really going for grand gestures, but maybe they should've. Together they successfully bumped the testosterone-filled Hangover out of the top spot to #2 with $153 mil, and the heartwarming Up to #3 with $224 mil. Meanwhile, Jack Black and Michael Cera's Year One debuted at #4 with a solid $20 mil. It was a whole lot funnier than I thought it was going to be for a caveman comedy that slowly morphs into a biblical tale.

Rounding out the top 10 are The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 at #5 with a disappointing $43 mil (considering it took $100 mil to make), the mildly funny Night at the Museum 2 at #6 with $332 mil worldwide, Star Trek at #7 with $358 mil worldwide, Land of the Lost at #8 with an embarrassing $44 mil, Eddie Murphy's continued failure Imagine That at #9 with $11 mil, and Terminator Salvation at #10 with $284 mil worldwide. Angels & Demons and Drag Me to Hell retired from the top 10 with $445 mil worldwide and $39 mil, respectively. Next weekend, Transformers will annihilate the box office. lol

In other film news:
• Jim Carrey and Benicio del Toro will have to find another actor to fulfill their trio for the comedy revival of The Three Stooges, since Sean Penn is taking a break from acting to work on his marriage. Who should replace him?

• A Lance Armstrong biopic is in the works and they're starting to cast the lead. Since it'll cover his first tour when he was 21, they've nixed Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon. I think Garrett Hedlund might be an interesting option. He started off pretty well with Troy and Friday Night Lights, and then faltered a little when he appeared in Four Brothers, Eragon, Georgia Rule, and Death Sentence. But he scored the lead in the remake TRON 2.0, so clearly someone thinks he's bankable.

VDEO: Lily Allen's "Fuck You"

Lily always pushes the limits just enough to amuse and not offend--well, me anyway. This was one of the tracks off her latest release that I really liked...and not just because she curses. It's just kind of funny how dainty the song sounds despite its explicit content. The video isn't what I expected, which makes it even better. It's like every time she distorts someone or something, it's her own way of saying f*ck you to them. It's also a fun use of something playful photographers do when they're crushing objects in their lens between two fingers. Light and airy with a side of f*ck you.

TV NEWS: Heigl & Knight's Departure from "Grey's"?, Haley's Sister on "One Tree Hill," and more

• Shantel VanSanten has been cast as Haley's sister on "One Tree Hill." The newcomer is already set to make her official debut this August in the teen thriller The Final Destination. Also joining the cast, or rather returning, is Danneel Harris (Rachel), who ventured off into feature films like Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and Fired Up.

• It's official Katherine Heigl is staying on "Grey's Anatomy," which means Izzie will live. Meanwhile, T.R. Knight has decided to move on to Broadway. But that doesn't mean that George is dead. Since his face was butchered in the accident, there's a chance a new actor will take on the role. I hope they make sure that this new guy mimics Knight's mannerism otherwise it'll just seem like a stranger.

• My prediction of Ethan being the victim of Annie's hit-and-run must be off, because word is they'll explain Dustin Milligan's absence by saying that he decided to stay in Montana with his father. Sooooo...I wonder who she hit.

• Brian Austin Green, who managed to reinvigorate "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" before it was canceled, signed on for an arc on "Smallville" as the villain Metallo. The bad boy will be powered by kryptonite and bringing mayhem to Metropolis, while posing as a reporter at the Daily Planet. Oooh, I wonder if he'll flirt with Lois.

VIDEO: Pink's "Funhouse"

I'm always a fan of Pink's innovative ways to express herself visually. This video--for a song I wasn't even fond of--didn't disappoint. I was particularly impressed with the way her hair was slightly black to emphasize the burnt atmosphere. Oh, and the cameo (I think) of Tony Kanal from No Doubt didn't hurt either.

BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO: Twilight's New Moon

You get to actually see him shoot the scene in the teaser trailer where he jumps over the porch railing and runs before turning into the wolf. He really could've broken his foot so many times in that take. lol

ALBUM REVIEW: Parachute's "Losing Sleep"

AOL New Music featured the indie pop band Parachute, so I gave their debut album Losing Sleep a shot. The band sounds like a lovely cross between Adam Levine and Gavin DeGraw. They recently released their catchy first single "She is Love" and followed it up with "Under Control." The first reminds me of Plain White T's, and the second sounds a lot like if Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz were lead singers of a band—melodic and passionate.


"She (For Liz)" is also a great track:


My favorite is the beautifully solemn "The Mess I Made" that sounds like a heartbreaking plea for a second chance:

TRAILER: Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island"

As usual with a Martin Scorsese + Leonardo DiCaprio collaboration, we're thrust into a period piece filled with suspense and intrigue. In this mystery thriller set in 1954, DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo play U.S. Marshalls investigating a missing mental patient (Emily Mortimer from Lars and the Real Girl) on Shutter Island. But once they infiltrate the estate, they start to uncover the secrets of the hospital. I think the fact that Ben Kingsley runs the hospital is cause for suspicion alone. Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) plays DiCpario deceased wife and Jackie Earle Haley (The Watchmen) plays a wild patient. Dennis Lehane, who wrote the novel the film is based on, also wrote Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River. The trailer is soooooo creepy.

TV NEWS: New Characters on "The Mentalist," "Fringe," "Heroes," "One Tree Hill," and more

Check out the new characters on some of your favorite shows:

• Robert Buckley ("Lipstick Jungle") scored a new gig on "One Tree Hill" after having bum luck with the recently canceled "Privileged." He'll try his hat at a role that doesn't only require him to be smolderingly sexy. Instead he'll play Clayton, a brash young sports agent who represents Nathan. He becomes a "close friend, ally, business partner and advisor to him while also enjoying the spoils that come from being a wealthy, handsome single guy." With all the ladies paired off in the series, the only possible hook-up option would be Haylie's little sister who's moving back to Tree Hill. This could get interesting. Finally, some fresh faces.

• Ray Park (Toad in X-Men) and Deanne Bray (Canadian series "Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye") are joining "Heroes" next season.

• Next season, there'll be a new character on "The Mentalist." Agent Sam Glenn joins them to head up the division handling the Red John investigation. Unfortunately, he's the only one who doesn't find Peter Jane amusing. He's also Lisbon's onetime mentor and ex-lover. Finally, Jane will have some competition.

• Now that Kirk Acevedo's character Charlie has been cut from "Fringe," they're looking for a new female agent to replace him. Naturally, how else will they stir up some sexual tension between Olivia and Peter if not by adding some competition?

• For those of you who love "Bones," you won't believe what I'm hearing. According to the exec producer, "Booth's problem isn't remembering who Brennan is, it's remembering which Brennan she is." Apparently, he might be mistaking her for his wife, which is what she played in the alternate universe season finale episode. Technically, that makes her a new character...to him at least. lol

TRAILER: The Time Traveler's Wife

Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) adapted Audrey Niffenegger's novel, who sure does have a knack for bringing people to tears. The book is about the love between a librarian (Eric Bana from Star Trek) who travels involuntarily through time due to a genetic disorder, and an artist (Rachel McAdams from The Notebook) who spends her entire life waiting for him to appear to her. He only travels to points in time where she exists, whether she is ten years old or forty. My favorite part of the trailer is when she says that ever since the first time he introduces himself to her, she's been waiting for him to appear. While he does spend every moment with her, it's not in sequential order. So when she needs him, like at their wedding and the day their child is born, it's hard for him to guarantee he'll be there. Heartbreaking.

FILM: Julia Roberts & Javier Bardem, Y: The Last Man's Lead, and more

• Julia Roberts may not have successfully returned to the big screen with Clive Owen as her romantic counterpart in Duplicity, but she'll surely have women flocking to the theaters when she stars opposite Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men and Vicky Christina Barcelona) in the adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It's the story of a newly divorced woman who goes on a journey to rediscover herself and falls in love in the process. Way to make a comeback.

• First everyone was drooling over Paul Rudd, and presently they're falling all over themselves for Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), but there's an ever mounting following for Neil Patrick Harris. It started with his self-mockery in Harold & Kumar, escalated to his comical douche-baggery in "How I Met Your Mother," and then hits its peak with his impressive hosting skills of the Tony's. Now he's been tapped for two new films. First off, there's the indie comedy The Best and the Brightest, where he'll play the husband of a woman (Bonnie Somerville from "Cashmere Mafia") who feels out of place in the world of Upper East Side private school moms after moving there from Delaware. Amy Sedaris also stars. Then he'll play a blind tutor to Alex Pettyfer (Stormbreaker) in the teen rom-com about an obnoxious kid who's cursed to be hideous by a scorned ex (Mary-Kate Olsen).

• According to a recent interview, Shia Labeouf has officially refused the lead role in D.J. Caruso's (Disturbia and Eagle Eye) lastest project, the comic adaptation of Y: The Last Man. He claims that the role is too similar to his character in Transformers, and he doesn't want to do a repeat performance. "It seems like [I'd play] the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation again." The story is about "a young man and his monkey who're the lone survivors of a plague that wipes out all males on the planet." That, to me at least, does not sound similar. But I guess I should pat him on the back for trying something new, heading away from action movies to more serious roles like the Wall Street sequel dubbed Money Never Sleeps. That said, who should play the last man on Earth? Currently, Anton Yelchin (Star Trek and Terminator Salvation), Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), Chris Pine (Star Trek), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), and Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) are having a very good year. Yelchin might look too young for the role and Cooper too old. Since Worthington already has heroic roles in Avatar and Clash of the Titans, and since Quinto is sort of a peculiar actor to fit into cookie-cutter parts, my vote is for Pine. We'll see.

• Maybe Michael Angarano (The Forbidden Kingdom and Lords of Dogtown) will finally get his big break when he stars as Jesse Eisenberg's (Adventureland) best friend in the comedy Ceremony. Eisbenberg will play a love-struck, young man who falls for an older woman who's getting married. Together they try to break up her wedding to a British hottie. Angarano has had plenty of opportunities to shine, but someone or something always blocks his rise to stardom. Let's hope proximity to the latest indie star gets him more substantial roles.

• Taylor Kitsch just landed his first lead role. He'll be starring in the sci-fi action film John Carter of Mars as "a civil war veteran who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars, where his involvement with warring races of the dying planet force him to rediscover his humanity." Producers also considered Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") and Josh Duhamel ("Las Vegas"). What's even more fantastic is that Andrew Stanton, creator of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, is directing. Also cast is Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), who'll play the heir to the throne of Mars' Helium kingdom.

• Masi Oka (Hiro from "Heroes") sold his script for The Defenders. It's about a group of teenage gamers who have to shed their anonymity to go on a real adventure.

• Normally, I hate swan stories where a fat girl gets skinny and suddenly becomes loved by everyone, but the thriller Beautiful Girl isn't your average makeover tale. It's about "a shy but brainy high school girl who returns for senior year after having slimmed down six dress sizes. She finds herself flirting with the handsome English lit teacher, but the mutual crush turns deadly when the teacher's obsession with the student compels him to exact maniacal revenge on everyone who was cruel to her." That's...different. lol

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D."

I first fell in love with the Black Eyed Peas when their third album Monkey Business hit stores in 2005. Rarely do I purchase albums, but that record was a must-have. Four years later, after Fergie's surprising solo success, the BEPs reunite and birth a new sound. Influenced by the Euro clubs, the Peas have dove deep into techno hip hop. The first example of this reincarnation was the hit single, "Boom Boom Pow." I fell in love with it immediately. The beats and the lyrics were ridiculous, and I couldn't wait till it hit iTunes. I wasn't as enthusiastic about their second single, "I Gotta Feeling," which was pretty lame. So naturally, I wondered what the rest of the album would sound like. Techno isn't exactly a mainstream genre, so I was worried their first single would be the only viable track. While I didn't love everything they had to offer, I did like these tracks:

Techno Pop: "Rock That Body"

The first 20 seconds are a little dizzying because of the trance sounds, but once it starts to sample Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's "I Wanna Rock Right Now," you know you're about to dance your butt off.

Slow Jam Techno: "Alive"

If you're in the mood for a slow jam techno-style, then this track could get you swaying on the dance floor in no time.

Reggae Techno: "Electric City"

Yet another example of will.i.am's impressive production skills. Not to mention, this album proves how malleable Fergie's vocals can be. Ever since I heard her in the upcoming fall musical Nine singing Broadway tunes, I realized that maybe pop music isn't her only forte.

Techno Semi-Salsa: "Showdown"

As party songs go, this aint half bad. It's ill-advised to listen to this at work. You'll be bouncing in your chair like you've been transported to a club. I can see an entire dance routine being constructed for this song.

While Wikipedia does have "Alive" as one of the tracks that's going to be a single, unfortunately, the 80s tinged "Meet Me Half Way" and the repetitive techno hip hop track (that might grow on me) "Imma Be" are the other two slated for release.

FILM REVIEW: Away We Go

Last year, I saw Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist with no expectations. I figured it was just another teen movie that I'd find remotely amusing. I left the theater with a feeling of inspiration--inspired to love, to take a chance, to go out into the night and spend countless hours really getting to know someone and bonding over a common passion.

This year, I went to see Away We Go with only one goal: revel in two hours of John Krasinski's ("The Office") presence. I left feeling envious of Burt (Krasinski) and Verona's (Maya Rudolph from "SNL") love, which seemed to have no discernible beginning and no forseeable end. They traveled the states searching for a place they could call home, a place to begin their family. What they found wasn't just new surroundings but an array of family settings. There was the hippie lifestyle of communal beds and toddler breastfeeding, the white trash lifestyle of over-criticizing your kids and considering "a day at the dog track" family-time, the mixed household of adopted children as a result of infertility, and the single dad who was abandoned by his wife. Exploring all of their options and evaluating the different lifestyles they could adapt into their own new family leads to an interesting ending.

Verona maintained that she would never marry Burt. She didn't want to have a ceremony that her deceased parents couldn't attend. They agreed to be committed to each other in every other way, and so they would have the modern lifestyle of an unwed, mixed-race family. But after being exposed to:
• an obsessive mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal from The Dark Knight) who refused to use a stroller because "pushing" her child away from her was against her hippie-loving beliefs,
• a negligent mother (Allison Janney from "The West Wing") who finds fault in everything her children do and in what they look like,
• a big-hearted mom (Melanie Lynskey from "Two and a Half Men") who must suffer through countless miscarriages while the undeserving birth children effortlessly,
• and a selfish mother who would abandon her daughter,
the most important aspect of their relationship was a promise--not just to love each other as marriage vows tend to verbalize but--to be the best parents they could be, to not overthink their upbringing and indoctrinate them into rigid beliefs, to not crush their spirits and inflate their insecurities, and to never ever take them for granted. They essentially made their own vows and had an impromptu, unofficial, but undeniably romantic, commitment ceremony. The best love stories are the ones you envy, the ones you aspire to have one day, and director Sam Mendes (American Beauty and Jarhead) succeeded in grounding us in reality, while providing a healthy dose of fantasy and hope.

This is normally the part where I name all of my favorite moments, but if I did, I'd be reciting the entire film. lol Just watch it. It'll have you laughing, crying, and envying in no time.

TV REVIEW: USA's "Royal Pains"

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this series. I figured I already have my fill of the rich and vapid with "Gossip Girl," and there was no new take on the wealthy elite that I was interested in exploring. Plus, I rarely take to medical shows, unless they're filled with personal drama acted out by super attractive people, like on "Grey's Anatomy." However, it wasn't bad.

The series is about Hank (Mark Feuerstein), a dedicated, up-and-coming doctor, who gets fired because he elected to save a young basketball player he found in the street instead of a hospital trustee. When they blacklist him and destroy his credibility, he goes into a deep depression. His opportunistic fiancee (Pascale Hutton from "Flashpoint") dumps him once he goes broke, and his younger, optimistic brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo from "Joey") swoops in to cheer him up. His little brother's idea of a fun time? Crashing parties in the Hamptons. The reason Hank reluctantly goes with him? Netflix suspended his account and he ran out of beer. As luck would have it, the Hamptons is the perfect place for him to reinvent himself. After saving a socialite with a severe allergic reaction, he's hired as a freelance doctor to be at the beck-and-call of every rich person in the neighborhood. I'm not quite sure how long the series can make "tending to the wealthy" interesting, but much like "Psych," it keeps you entertained comically so as to distract from the lack of interesting plot developments.

While I could've done without a socialite (Tamara Feldman from "Gossip Girl") developing Nightengale's syndrome and falling in love with Hank, I do like what looked to be the addition of the spunky, rich kid Tucker (Ezra Miller from "Californication"), as well as an overview of the types of cases he'd be dealing with, from car accident injuries to plastic surgery mishaps. Tucker had this funny line where he says, "Don't punk the crackberry, she'll light your ass up like a Christmas tree." It was so random and uncharacteristic that it made me crack up.

But there are a few things I would change:
1) The Russian benefactor Boris (Campbell Scott from "Six Degrees"), who commissioned him to be the new on-call "concierge" for the East Hamptons (cause apparently West Hamptons is Worst Hamptons--lame), is kind of cheesy, and not in the least bit intimidating. He's dismissive and over-confident, but not intimidating. And I'm assuming at some point he's going to order him to do something unethical or illegal, and I need to believe there'll be serious consequences.

2) Jill (Jill Flint from "Six Degrees"), the head of the town's death trap hospital, seemed very relaxed in the pilot for someone who is an administrator at a hospital no one respects. Ok, so maybe she's not caught up in the rep hype, but she should've be concerned that people would rather die than go to her hospital. Also, since they made her so agreeable and interested in him, there really isn't much of a "chase." He seems pretty confident that he'll score her, unless of course a guy--hopefully not the Russian--gets in his way.

3) His assistant Divya (newcomer Reshma Shetty) is...I can't even put my finger on it. I mean, she's helpful and well equipped, but they need to fully commit her character to either being quirky or serious. "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" has a perfect example of how you would balance that type of personality, but she seems indecisive. However, it does seem like she's hiding a secret from them and her parents, so we'll see where that leads.

Now, here are few things I hope doesn't happen:

1) The prodigal girlfriend returns: She was a social climbing leech and if she should ever return, it should only be to wallow in self pity after realizing that real fiancees stand by their future betrothed and support them. I don't want to see some lame plotline about how she wants him back and plans to compete against Jill for him.

2) I don't ever want to see that pathetic Nightengale girl again. No matter what series she's been in, Tamara has always played an unbearable nuisance.

So far the series is like "Privileged" had a baby, by stealing sperm from Michael in "Burn Notice" and implanting it into "Private Practice" as a surrogate. Why not add it to your summer TV schedule.

MUSIC: Jay-Z's "Death of Autotune"

Are you tired of the autotune effect that is often manipulated by T-Pain, Akon, Sean Kingston and most recently Kanye?

Well, apparently Jay-Z has had enough and he's released a track called "D.O.A.," which stands for Death of Autotune. He raps over a big band orchestra to emphasize the importance of constructing diverse beats in the studio. Check out the intro:

"This is anti-autotune / death of the ringtone / this aint for iTunes / this aint for sing-alongs / this is Sinatra at the opera..."

He goes on to complain about commercialism:

"I know we facing a recession / but the music ya'll making / going to make it the Great Depression."

And he even harps on half-assed rappers:

"You rappers singing too much / get back to rap / you T-Paining too much"

The truth though is that the trumpet sounds like it's being murdered. The lyrics might be substantially impressive, but I think it needs a better backbeat. What do you think?

FILM REVIEW: Terminator Salvation

Here are five points on the trilogy reboot:



1 | Casting:
• Sam Worthington: You know there's a lot of buzz going around about Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) and I just don't get it, but there's no doubt in my mind that Worthington is meant for the big leagues. Many would assume that Christian Bale requested Worthington so that he would be the biggest star on set, but as director McG reveals in EW, the person who played Marcus Wright needed to be a mysterious unknown. Mission accomplished. The 32-year-old Australian has the deep, gruff voice of a rebel warrior and the face of an unassuming vagabond, but once the emotion starts spilling through his facade, he becomes mesmerizing. I look forward to seeing him in James Cameron's Avatar and the mythological epic Clash of the Titans.
• Anton Yelchin (Charlie Bartlett and Star Trek): The 20-year-old did a great job of emitting the kind of hope and bravado that we'd eventually see in an older Kyle Reese. I've been smitten with his acting skills since I saw Charlie Bartlett and my admiration for him has only increased since I've seen him in this film and in Star Trek. I have high hopes for his future.
• Christian Bale: When you think leader of a revolution, you think Christian Bale. That is after all what the new Batman saga is all about--inspiring others to fight against the evils of the night. He was hardly used to his full potential in the film though, so hopefully he'll have more to do in the next one.

2 | The role of Marcus Wright as the protector of Kyle Reese and the savior of John Connor is incredible. James Cameron waited for the second film to illustrate a machine's humanity, but McG presented not only the possibility of enhanced Artificial Intelligence as feeling-breathing-thinking entities, but also the reality of heartless and mechanical humans. It was a poetic role reversal that needed to be emphasized for this future world to feel like it could exist.

3 | The action--pardon, the McG action--as always was a sight to be seen. I don't care what anyone says, McG always has incredible action. Always. So I wasn't in the least bit surprised when I got exactly what I paid for. My favorite gadget had to be the motorcycle-type drones. And my favorite suspense-fueled action scene had to be the car chase in the beginning, where Marcus and Kyle have to fight off drones, an air strike, and a giant Terminator.

4 | The Little Touches: I appreciated the part...
• ...where Marcus gets punched. He processes the hit, pauses, and then slowly moves his head back, seemingly unaffected, in great Terminator fashion. Chills.
• ...when Kyle tells Marcus: "Come with me if you want to live," which is the line the Terminator says in T2 to John's mother.
• ...when John asks his wife to tell his soldiers the infamous line, "I'll be back."
• ...when Arnold Schwarzenegger's head pasted on a body builder's massive torso bursts onto the scene, mute and ready for action.

5 | Gripes:
• No offense to Moon Bloodgood, who is sufficiently hot, but I probably would've picked a different actress. Someone with a little more bite. You know, someone with Angelina Jolie's intensity and sex appeal.
• I don't quite understand how [SPOILER] Marcus walked through a magnetic mine field and got blown to bits, and Blair still didn't realize he was metal.
• I'm not quite sure why John didn't react when he saw Arnold's face. He just seemed frightened. There was no flicker of recognition.
• I wish they would've had John say the words--in Star Wars reversal--"I am your son." I guess they could save the formal introductions for the next film.
• The way that Bale blew his role out of proportion, putting so much importance in it, and the fact that not only did Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) but Paul Haggis (Crash) do a treatment on the script, disappointed me. The story and the content was well structured, but the dialogue was below par. I wasn't exactly expecting Saving Private Ryan-type dramatics, but with those two writers on board, you'd expect something a little more epic. I mean, it's the official beginning of the Resistance, I should get chills.

BUZZ: New Villain on "Heroes," Pine & Denzel, Rudd & Nicholson, and more

• Thank God! The new "Heroes" villain has been revealed and it won't be Ali Larter (Obsessed). No, they've tapped a professional menace to society, Prison Break's T-Bag Robert Knepper. He'll be known as Carnival Barker, a charismatic evildoer with a twisted sense of humor, who crosses paths with each hero much like Jacob did in the season finale of "Lost." I don't think he'll have as great of an effect on their lives, but he'll definitely make an impression. In other "Heroes" casting news, Claire gets two college roommates, played by Madeline Zima ("Californication" and "The Nanny") and Rachel Melvin (Chelsea on "Days of Our Lives"). Melvin might become a season regular since her character shares a connection with Claire--most likely supernatural in nature.

• What is with Denzel Washington's sudden fascination with trains? Is it an old person fetish? Next weekend, he'll star opposite John Travolta in The Taking Pelham 1 2 3, a train-related action thriller, and in 2011, we'll see him in a train-related action drama called Unstoppable with Star Trek's Chris Pine. Instead of facing off against a vengeful enemy, this time he'll team up with a rookie conductor to stop a runaway train overloaded with explosive liquids and poisonous gas.

• Christopher Gorham (Henry on "Ugly Betty") is finally getting some big screen face-time after almost 10 years of series hopping: "Popular," "Felicity," "Jake 2.0," "Harper's Island," etc. He'll play a struggling novelist to who has to compete against a successful ad exec (Michael Landes from Possession) for the heart of beautiful woman on the hunt for Mr. Right. The bigger news, I suppose, is that Alyssa Milano is playing the beautiful woman. She hasn't lead a successful film since...ever.

• Paul Rudd's appeal is so magical that he can even get 72-year-old Jack Nicholson to return to the big screen for his first rom-com in six years. Nicholson will play Rudd's dad, while Rudd tussles with Owen Wilson for Reese Witherspoon's affections. Sounds like a ball of laughs.

FILM: Hirsch as Hamlet, Labeouf & Bardem, Olsen & Hudgens, and more

Here are a list of upcoming adaptations, remakes, and sequels:

• Director Robert Luketic (21) has taken over the Barbarella remake in light of the fact that Robert Rodriguez and his leading lady/lover Rose McGowan were practically fired. Now the question is who will play the buxom blonde. My vote is for Scarlett Johansson or Christina Hendricks (Joan on "Mad Men"). But if someone gets Jessica Simpson some more acting lessons, I might consider her for the role.

• Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has become the new go-to African American female. She's been tapped to play Jaden Smith's mom in The Karate Kid remake, which has been dubbed Kung Fu Kid. A few other projects she has in the works are: the drama Hurricane Season with Forest Whitaker, the comedy Peep World with Sarah Silverman and Rainn Wilson ("The Office"), the Tyler Perry comedy I Can Do Bad All by Myself, the crime drama Once Fallen with Ed Harris (A History of Violence), and the star-studded rom-com Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell.

• Amanda Bynes just might be getting some interesting material to work with for once. Her next film is the teen comedy Easy A, where she'll actually tread some new territory by playing the Queen B. Emma Stone (The House Bunny and The Rocker) stars as "a high school student who is victimized by a false rumor that she lost her virginity, until she exploits the rumor mill for her own benefit, pitting puritanical students and teachers against their liberal counterparts, and becomes wildly popular." It's supposed to be a modernization of the Scarlett Letter, however, I'm sure if the author had written it like this, students would actually read it. Also starring are Penn Badgley ("Gossip Girl"), Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci, and Cam Gigandet (Twilight). Fingers crossed that Badgely plays the douche and Gigandet plays the sweet guy in the spirit of Bynes's image remodeling.

• In another contemporary adaptation, Emile Hirsch is set to play a modern day Hamlet. I was never assigned (or inclined) to read that classic, but apparently it's about "a young man burdened with the decision of whether to take revenge on his father's killer (his own uncle)." Woa! It'll be interesting to see what Hirsch does with the role, but even more interesting to see if director Catherine Hardwicke can redeem herself and return to her Thirteen days of reverence, which were tainted by the below par results of Twilight. Hopefully, screenwriter Ron Nyswaner's (Philadelphia) involvement will elevate its credibility.

• When I first heard that they were remaking 1983's Valley Girl, a teen comedy about a punk who goes to the prom with a popular girl, the first thing I thought of was: dream casting? Think about it. It's an opportunity to combine two actors who wouldn't normally star in the same movie together. Let's see? They have to be relatively similar in age, so...if they cast older I'd say the grossly underrated Martin Starr (Adventureland) and Brittany Snow (Finding Amanda and John Tucker Must Die). But if they were shooting for seemingly age-appropriate, I'd say Ashley Tisdale or Hayden Panettierre and...*gasp* Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) or Ed Westwick ("Gossip Girl"), or Josh Peck (The Wackness), or...any suggestions?

• If I were Shia Labeouf, I'd be terrified. He's set to star opposite Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) in the Wall Street sequel. Forget the fact that Michael Douglas is reprising his role as the infamous Gordon Gekko, Labeouf, who plays a young trader engaged to his daughter, has to hold his own against Bardem's looming figure. Bardem will play a hedge fund manager who may have "inspired" Labeouf's mentor to commit suicide. Again, I would be afraid if I were him. The film will take place in the second half of 2008, when the effects of the recession were barely visible, but plainly foreseable. Could be interesting.

• One Olsen has sworn off acting all together, while the other signed on for a film starring Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical). Hmm, which is the smarter Olsen? Mary-Kate will play a girl who puts a curse on an egomaniac (Alex Pettyfer of Stormbreaker) in the teen remodeling of Beauty and the Beast dubbed Beastly. The curse transforms him into everything he despises. It should be quite the spectacle.

VIDEO: Exclusive Clip of "Brothers Bloom"

Watch the first 6 minutes of Brothers Bloom. If you loved "Pushing Daisies," you'll love this kooky, con film starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, and Rachel Weisz.

MUSIC: How 15 Bands Got Their Names

Did you know that Green Day's name is a reference to smoking Mary Jay all day long? I did not put that together. Find out how the rest of these bands got their names on SloshSpot.com:

• The Killers
• Death Cab for Cutie
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• The Shins
• Linkin Park
• Queen
• MGMT
• Interpol
• Green Jelly
• Muse
• Blue Oyster Cult
• Band of Horses
• Butthole Surfers
• Murder by Death

FILM CLIP: G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

While I still think it's pretty awkward looking, actionwise, I have to admit this scene is pretty sick:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

TRAILER: Twilight: New Moon

The debut of the New Moon trailer was even more major than the MTV Movie Awards last night. My main interest was in what the wolves would look like and...not bad. I forgot that they aren't werewolves so they're actually going to look like wolves. It made me slightly disappointed, but since there was a shot of the beefed up Jacob I was appeased. I mean, for continuity purposes not because I'm hot for teenagers. lol

See for yourself:

BUZZ: MTV Movie Award Winners & Weekend Box Office (5/29)

I was going to do an overview of the MTV Movie Awards, but after seeing that Twilight and High School Musical 3 were the big winners, I lost all respect for it. lol On what planet does Catherine Hardwicke deserve a Best Movie Award over Slumdog Millionaire and Dark Knight? Kristen Stewart for Best Female Performance? Really? The sputtering, nervous tick, and spontaneous bursts of psychotic fear--that was the best performance? She managed to beat: Angelina Jolie (Wanted), Anne Hathaway (Bride Wars), Kate Winslet (The Reader), and Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Really? Alright, maybe it's plausible that every teenager that voted would create this Twilight landslide. They are a rabid fan base. However, I'm still a little skeptical and I wouldn't be surprised if the award show is just a marketing tool and they bought all of those awards. Either way, it's un-f*cking believable.


As for the weekend box office, I think it's needless to say that so far Up is set for the Animated Oscar. I thought it was hilarious when I got a sneak peak at this year's NYC Comic Con, and I can't wait to see it. Apparently, the feeling was mutual among the critics and the multitude that helped it amass $68 mil in it's first weekend. In taking the #1 spot, it put the Night at the Museum sequel at #2 with a whopping $105 mil in its second week. Drag Me to Hell, the sole horror flick in the top 10, debuted this weekend at #3 with a meager $16.6 mil. The critics loved Sam Raimi's (Spiderman) mixture of suspense and humor, but perhaps Alison Lohman (Flicka) and Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard) weren't big enough draws. Terminator Salvation took a bit of a hit, dropping to #4 in its second week and only reaching $90 mil, which is hardly a bite out of its $200 mil budget. Hopefully, it'll break even before another blockbuster hits theaters. Star Trek, on the other hand, has been in theaters for a month now. It sits at #5 with $301 mil worldwide, and looks to be ready for a sequel due to critics' approval.

Angels and Demons steadies itself at #6 after three weeks with a $104 mil. Fans of the first film and critics weren't as bowled over by the sequel as expected. There's much less scandal surrounding it, which can't be good for the $150 mil budget. Unsurprisingly, Dance Flick has only grossed $19 mil in its second week and has already dropped to #7. Meanwhile, another X-Men: Wolverine is sure to be greenlit now that its made $316 mil worldwide in its 5th week despite critics' disapproval. And even I wasn't interested in yet another Matthew McConaughey rom-com, so it wasn't a bit surprising that Ghosts of Girlfriends Past only grossed about $50 mil during its stint in the top 10. Its meager success can be attributed to the fact that it's the only rom-com in theaters at the moment. The big surprise hit of the Spring-to-Summer season was definitely Obsessed. Even though the critics agreed with me in dubbing it crap, it rounds out the top 10, leaving with a respectable $67 mil after 6 weeks. Exiting the top 10 were 17 Again with $97 mil and Monsters vs. Aliens with $346 mil worldwide.

This weekend, Up and Night at the Museum will go toe-to-toe with Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost, the much-talked about Hangover will add a little adult humor to the top 10, and the indie dramedies Away We Go and My Life in Ruins will give chick-flick lovers a few more options.

TV: CW Finales:"90210," "Gossip Girl," "One Tree Hill," "Reaper," "Smallville"

"90210"
Um, Annie killed someone. She. Killed. Someone. Peer pressure at its worst ladies and gentleman. At the beginning of the episode, Annie was trying to prove she was a good person to Liam, so she accepted a geek's invitation to prom. Liam later trusts Naomi with his entire backstory and she was so touched that she told her sister Jen all about it. When Principal Wilson overheard the location of the prom after-party, everyone thought Annie told him, and when the geek realized it was a pity date, he lied and confirmed it. So Naomi offered her newly purchased home as the new location of the after-party. Jen didn't want teenagers trashing her valuables, but Naomi paid for all of it, so she couldn't object. Instead, she tricked Liam into having sex with her by telling him that his life story was making the rounds all over school, and failing to inform him that she was Naomi's sister. After discovering Liam getting redressed, both he and Jen let Naomi believe that he slept with Annie. So once Annie got back from walking a drunk girl home, Naomi yelled at her in front of the whole party and everyone turned on her, throwing drinks and taunting her. So she grabbed a bottle of Vodka and called the police on her way to her car. The sun comes up, she's half way through the bottle, and her instincts after hitting a large object on a deserted road are to drive around it. Genius. This'll probably eat her up all next season, especially since Dustin Milligan, who plays Ethan, needed a way to exit the series. Ethan was probably out wandering the streets after kissing Silver and professing his random love for her right in front of Dixon, which means she killed her ex-boyfriend...or put him in a coma. Best of all, Liam's stepdad sent him to a wellness center that's basically rich people's juvy, so he won't get the chance to tell Naomi that he slept with her sister and not Annie, so she'll be all alone. This is the part where I could make some tired Kansas-Wizard of Oz reference, but instead I'll just say, "Welcome to LA bitch!!" In other gossip, Adriana had her baby and reluctantly gave it away, Kelly apparently has a crush on Principal Wilson, and it turns out Jen is married.

"Gossip Girl"
So many let-downs. First off, right off the bat, what was up with that anti-climatic, over-due and barely romantic reconciliation between Chuck and Blair? Really? Months and months of sexual tension, backstabbing, double-crosses, and manipulation, and all I get is a few gifts and the hardly audible I love you's in between kisses. Really? Then there was that completely unsatifying plot to unveil Gossip Girl lead by Serena. Since when has she ever been the mastermind behind anything? Oh and how about Jenny's last ditch effort to become Queen in order to free her and Eric from the reign of the next bitch-in-waiting? Juiciest gossip by midnight? I knew someone was just going to end up blackmailing those whores since Jenny already got the dirt on them months ago. I did, however, somewhat appreciate GG's fake-out--when she invited everyone to the bar and texted that they were GG, because they were the ones giving her the gossip. It's true. It's strictly supply and demand. It's not like she goes out there and does undercover investigations...that we know of. That was a pleasant surprise. Nate realizing that he was only highered in the deputy mayor's office because he was hot and she was a cougar wasn't. Nor was it pleasant when he decided that he'd beg Vanessa to let him join her on her backpacking trip just as friends. He's sooo fickle. One minute he's White House-bound and the next he's a free-spirited, globe-trotter. However, it did provide a nice, subtle intro of Dan's secret step-brother Scott, who tried to save Vanessa from having to awkwardly say no by pretending to be the guy she was going with. Even though he was unsuccessful and she ultimately agreed anyway, I'm excited about where his storyline is going. I'm also a bit interested in Serena's search for her dad with Carter Baizen's assistance. That spells trouble with a capital GG. The other draw for next season, of course, is the NYU roster. Not only are Dan and Blair going there next year, but so are Vanessa and--wait for it--Georgina!!! The reincarnated bitch signed up to be Blair's roommate. Can't. Freaking. Wait. However, I'm a little bummed that Michelle Tratchenberg was cast in a medical drama for this Fall, so she'll only be on GG for 3 episodes. But there's enough scandal to occupy us, so she won't be too missed.
My favorite parts of the finale had to be:
1) GG's summary of their post-graduation status: "Nate Archibald = Class whore." So true. "Dan Humphrey = The Ultimate Insider." Didn't get what that meant at first, but it's hardly that insulting. "Chuck Bass = Coward." Ouch! But accurate when it comes to love. "Blair Waldorf = Weakling." Double ouch! "Serena van der Woodsen = Officially Irrelevant." Not to mention, rather boring.
2) I kind of wanted to deck the screen when Blair said NYU was a "glorified state school." She's so lucky she's fictional.
3) I though Blair's framing of Serena's mug shot was a nice touch. Everyone should have one. lol
4) A nice insidery line that slipped by a lot of my friends was spoken when Blair pretty much crowned Jenny and disregarded the other girls' vote for some random girl I don't care to see again. She told the insignificant twit to move down on the couch to make way for Jenny ,and when she slid over a few inches, Blair said, "Not enough." It's a throw back to her awesome step dad and I loved it.

"One Tree Hill"
Well, the news has spread already that the actors that play Peyton and Lucas didn't sign on for another season. There are already plans to replace them with two new characters--one of which is Skills' new girlfriend (Allison Munn from "What I Like About You") and hopefully the other is Brooke's Julian. No worries though, the season was nicely tied up. Peyton survived giving birth to her new daughter Sawyer Brooke Scott. Nathan got into the NBA. He told his dad when he was on his way to visit Whitey, who had just told Dan that maybe he's still alive in order to seek redemption. Brooke's mom gave her back the company and intended on leaving town, but Brooke hired her as the New York manager. And with a little nudge from her mom, she went to Cali and finally swept Julian off his feet. Milli moved back to Tree Hill to be with Mouth. Mia promised to stay faithful to Chase while on tour. All is well in Tree Hill. It would actually be the perfect series finale, but apparently there'll be another season. I vote for another time jump. This time ten years should go by and we should see an older Jamie, Sawyer, Lily (Lucas' little sister), and any other kid that happens to fall out of the woodworks. I think the show did best when it focused on teen angst instead of the monotony of settling down. I mean, just imagine what little Jamie will turn out like now that his dad is a famous NBA star and his mom intends on pursuing her music career. Imagine what a female Lucas and a Lucas-Peyton mixture with the middle name Brooke would be like. They could be bonafied hell-raisers.

"Reaper"
There's been talk of cancellation so it kind of left us hanging. However, I liked that the scenario was altered. It ended with not one but two soulless, demon-catching humans. Andi did a brave thing by putting up her soul as collateral for Sam's game of wits against the Devil. Granted, it was Quarters, but at least he was genuinely good at it. I couldn't tell though if that was the Devil's doing and Sam was just being manipulated for his own pleasure...I just don't get how much power the Devil has. Is he all-seeing and all-knowing like God? Because if he is, then there's no point in plotting against him. However, their angel friend Steve broke Sam's hand before he could win the game, and later explained that it was because he was told that it was for the best. That could mean anything. God could think that having Sam, a good person, work for the Devil is an advantage. Or--and this is the far-fetched theory that I've been toying with--the Devil isn't the Devil. I mean, he broke the shot glass when he was losing, making Sam have to go get another one and giving Steve the opportunity to break his hand. That could be a coincidence or it could've been a plot to win. You could think of it as the Devil manipulating Steve or you could imagine that maybe Sam is being groomed for a position in the war between good and evil, but it isn't on the side he thinks. Maybe this apparation that appears to him, calling himself the Devil, isn't actually the Devil, and maybe he only pretends to be because it's the only way to mold Sam into the Reaper that he needs to become. We'll never know though since there's no promise of a 2-hr movie wrap-up or anything of the satisfying sort. Bummer.

"Smallville"
I feel like I've been waiting for the Clark+Lois story to begin for like ever! And now she's been transported to the future. What does that mean? If Clark tells everyone who he is at some point, won't she learn his identity there? *Sigh* Then there's the whole Jimmy Olson dies plot point, which pissed me off. Granted, this Jimmy was sort of a loose cannon with addiction issues, but it wasn't until he died that I realized Jimmy is supposed to be much younger than Clark and Lois. So when I saw Jimmy's little brother at the funeral with his camera, I realized that that would be the future Jimmy Olson. Nice. I still can't believe that even after Doomsday was purged of the alien demon, he still killed Jimmy in a jealous rage, but I did appreciate them redeeming Jimmy before he died. The whole drug addiction scenario was hard to swallow at first and the fact that he risked his life for Chloe again and gave her the watchtower that would be her organization's base made up for it. One aspect of the finale that I could've done without though was Oliver's sudden animosity towards Clark. He wanted to kill Doomsday even though he had a human side and Clark couldn't do it, so because the human side eventually killed Jimmy, Oliver blames Clark. Totally uncalled for. Unfortunately, while they were busy burrying both a hero and a villain, Tess had awoken yet another alien enemy they'll have to fend off next season: Zod, the father of Davis and the warlord that contributed to the destruction of Krypton.