day 2.277

go the distance with going the distance

i wasn't sure what to expect from going the distance. would it be the typical sappy sweet drew barrymore movie? or would it live up to the previews and deliver comedy gold. it definitely delivered the comedy gold and just enough sappy sweetness. the story focuses on erin (barrymore), a would-be journalist trying to make it in a faltering industry. when erin meets garret (justin long), a relationship-weary record label employee, just a few weeks before leaving her summer in new york to return to california, both their worlds are turned upside down. after a whirlwind month of love in new york, the couple face the challenge of keeping the passion and relationship alive over the next year and beyond. the film mixes romantic comedy with the tongue-in-cheek and gross-out humor of judd apatow films (even though he's not involved). christina applegate and jason sudeikis stand out in supporting roles and bring some of the film's best comedic moments. i definitely suggest checking going the distance out, especially when you still have two days to be lazy at the movies this weekend.

day 2.200

oz gets gleeked

it looks like the wizard of oz is getting a glee-ful twist. an all new animated sequel is in the works for the classic story and lead character dorothy gale is getting a modern makeover. the character judy garland made famous will be voiced by lea michele, aka glee's rachel in dorothy of oz. the story will follow dorothy as she returns to oz the day after she gets home to kansas. after finding her little kansas town completely different from when she left it, she returns to oz in hopes of finding a way of setting things right back in the real world. problem is she gets to oz and - guess what? - it's a hot mess too. classic characters the scarecrow, the tin man and the (now formerly cowardly) lion are all back, this time voiced by dan aykrod, kelsey grammar and jim belushi, respectively. sounds like a pretty good cast. martin short will voice the film's new villian, the jester. the movie will feature a bunch of new music, too. if it didn't, that would be a big waste of lea. the film isn't set to come out until sometime in 2011 or 2012, but it sounds like it's a good attempt at updating a classic. but it could also be, like its settings, a hot mess. this is only one of five or so projects in the works as oz updates. the other big project is being worked on at drew barrymore's production company (flower films) and would follow dorothy's granddaughter's journey through the emerald city.

oh and i realized today i've been mis-numbering my posts for a while now. don't know how that happened.

day 242

barrymore's whip it
drew barrymore forays her career into directing with this comedy starring juno's ellen page. the film follows fish-out-of-water bliss (page) as she discovers she can "whip it" as one of the stars of a local roller derby league. cue lesbian jokes...now. from the looks of the trailer, the film looks pretty damn good - both in terms of writing and casting as well as cinematography and art director, which drew was in charge of. makes you think drew probably could have helmed at least one of the twilight flicks; maybe she'll take over the 4th and final (and allegedly most challenging piece) breaking dawn? with a cast including juliette lewis, kristin wiig, eve, and barrymore herself, i'm thinking the movie will do pretty well - maybe along the lines of a sleeper hit like juno or little miss sunshine? i hope so. the only problem facing the film is its october release - post summer and pre winter, that's kind of where movies go to die. most audience are too occupied with work/school/their television to make it to the theater. but, who knows? it could be the star of turkey season. the movie is adapted from a teen novel, derby girl, by the book's author - shauna cross - so the material should at least be true to form (ie if you've read the book, it shouldn't disappoint, though i don't know of anymore who has read the book). check out the trailer abovbe and see for yourself. i'm excited.

day 115

aniston without a man-istan

it looks like one of hollywood's cougar couples has called it quits.  john mayer reportedly gave jennifer aniston the boot after she returned to lalaland from a european promotional tour for marley and me.  the couple has apparently been fighting recently and just decided the relationship wasn't the right thing right now.  this is quite the surprise to fans and friends alike - the couple just made their coming out at february's oscar ceremony, which happened to be the anniversary of their meeting.  this is the second break-up for the couple. mayer held an impromptu press conference outside his gym in august of last year explaining he ended the relationship because he didn't want to waste someone's time.  i wonder if it's the same reason this time?  aniston is said to be happy to move on with her life.  it seems like all of aniston's exes move on really quickly - brad moved right onto angelina, vince vaughn recently got engaged...i wouldn't be surprised if john was on to someone new in the next month or so.  hopefully jen  is able to find someone soon - her love life has never been very stable.  

barrymore won't be eclipsed

the creative minds behind the twilight series have decided not to hire actress-turned producer/director drew barrymore as the director for the franchise's third flick, eclipse.  instead, the pic will be helmed by spanish horror director juan antonio bayona.  bayona has yet to do an english language flick - eclipse will be his second attempt at an english debut.  is this a good idea?  a man who has never worked in english directing one of the biggest movies of 2010?  i guess his aesthetic is horror and twilight's look and feel is pretty dark, so it could be a good match.  the thing i don't understand is why not just ask catherine hardwicke back?  she would have had plenty of time to work everything out for the third film and then new moon's director, chris weitz, could helm the fourth.  i guess they just want it to be a big mess.  maybe this means drew is being considered for the fourth installment.  that would be interesting to see - stephanie mayer, the series' author, said the book will be extremely difficult to adapt to the screen and she doesn't see how it will be feasible.  if tween girls are still out there - which i know they will be - a fourth film is inevitable.  i wouldn't be surprised if twilight got the harry potter treatment, either, with the fourth book being split into at least 2 films.  eclipse is set to his theaters in june of 2010.  

britney finally "seeks amy"

britney spears has finally released her much anticipated music video for her next single "if u seek amy."  the song is sure to be a major radio hit, but the video is a bit of a disappointment.  it seems like it was filmed in one day and there are literally no set changes - the whole thing takes place inside a house.  it's simplicity reminds me of her "piece of me" video.  check out the new video above and tell me your thoughts.  i think it's really funny that brit's team decided to poke fun at the fox news reporter who was so up in arms over the controversial lyrics to bookend the vid.  it just seems like the video was rushed without a real concept - and there is almost no dancing - just simple movements and hand gestures.  

day 102

drew to eclipse third twilight?

drew barrymore is in talks to direct the third movie in the twilight film franchise, eclipse.  the first film was directed by catherine hardwicke and the second - which goes into production in just a few short weeks - is being helmed by chris weitz.  drew has long been interested in directing, with her production company, flower films, becoming a powerhouse in hollywood after the charlie's angels flicks.  drew recently wrapped production on her directorial debut, whip it!, a comedy set in the fast paced world of roller derbies and starring juno's ellen page.  so why 3 directors for 3 films?  hardwicke pulled out of the second installment when summit entertainment, the studio behind the movies, wanted a tighter production schedule that hardwicke believed would hurt the quality of the film.  and weitz won't be returning to the third because he'll still be working on post-production on the second film. yes, the third film will be coming out in spring 2010, meaning filming needs to take place this fall, even before the second film will be released in theaters.  summit knows that twilight is a bankable series but they don't know how long the interest in the vampire themed epic will last.  it will be interesting to see the production value of the newest movie as compared to the first and so on.  and as for drew? i would want to at least see whip it! before i made the decision.  the only good thing is that she is a hollywood veteran and knows how the make and publicize big blockbusters.  she'll probably be a fun addition to the creative forces behind the series, too.  no official word has been released from either camps but, if drew is selected, the announcement will probably be made this summer. 

more gossip about gossip

the news just keeps piling up for the cw's gossip girl.  it has now been confirmed by fellow cast member krysten ritter that brittany snow will be going back to blonde to take on the role of lily van der woodsen (nee rhodes) in the tentatively titled lily (though that's sure to change - it screams felicity or other drama-in-a-can).  producers made the official decision last night right before krysten walked the carpet to promote her current show, breaking bad.  the show will focus on britanny and krysten's characters (lily and carol), two sisters living in la la land during the punk-infused era of the 80s.  and as for the show that birthed lily? gwen stefani and the group that launched her career, no doubt, will be taking to the upper east side in one of this season's last episodes right before their spring/summer tour launches in may.  that's sure to draw ratings to the show, right?  this should all be very interesting.  the cw is really putting all their creative juices into keeping gossip girl as their flagship show, which is a rarity for a network when a show doesn't really pull in big numbers.  it also looks like 90210 will be back in the fall to help usher in the melrose place relaunch, alongside dramas smallville and supernatural.  

day 68

sequels, sequels everywhere

some of the most successful movies are headed back to the big screen (or to your local video store) is some form or the other in the next couple of months.  one of the most popular, money-making film franchises of late, charlie's angels, is said to be headed for a third installment, according to its star and producer, drew barrymore.  barrymore's flower films production partner (and jimmy fallon's wife) nancy juvonen has also fueled the rumers, saying the new film is "rising to the surface." a charlie's angels film hasn't hit the megaplex since 2003's full throttle, meaning it's definitely time for another.  if a third movie does come into fruition, there are some creative changes in store.  first up would be the introduction of a new, fourth angel (most likely a younger angel that could - in the future - be a lead into a continuation of the franchise) as well as new villain, which barrymore and juvonen will most likely be a new, male villain (the second film turned to femme fatal demi moore).  and, of course, a new bosley is in order, for two reasons.  each of the first two movies featured a different bosley - bill murray in the first and bernie mac in the second - so it just makes sense to go with another actor.  plus, mac has since passed away.  the film would most likely make its debut sometime in 2010.  mean girls is also up for the sequel treatment, as part of paramount picture's attempt at creating an american pie or bring it on straight-to-dvd franchise.  paramount has already released the first in its line of films like this, with this year's without a paddle: nature's calling, with plans for a naked gun sequel in the works, as well.  the mean girls sequel, which is not being penned (nor does it have any affiliation with) tina fey, probably won't feature any of the original cast.  the writer's of freaky friday and confessions of a teenage drama queen (ironically two lindsay lohan movies) have come together to create an all new film that will most likely focus on the "junior plastics" introduced at the end of the first film, who would now be well into their high school years.  i don't know how i feel about someone ruining one of the best teen films of today, but only time will tell how it all turns out.

csi - cancellation zone?

last week marked the departure of one of csi's original cast members, william peterson, who played dr. gil grissom.  now that it has been over a week since the character's exit, ratings are starting to trickle in for the grissom-less show...and things are not looking good.  ratings dipped over 10% from the season's average, and over 25% from last week's grissom goodbye.  now, it has only been a week (and ratings are fickle), but if the ratings continue to decrease, cbs may have to reevaluate how much they value the original show in their most successful franchise.  can the csi franchise, which includes miami and new york, continue if the las vegas version ends? the only other show like this out there is law and order, and the original series is still going (eventhough rumors have circulated that the show will end sometime soon), so these sort of waters have not been tested.  

that's it for today kiddos.