5 posts tagged “tv”
Sometimes (read: always) I wish I lived in an area where there was more happening instead of basically nothing--meaning, I wish I lived in a city, so I could just hop a train somewhere cool. I mean, yeah, being in Jersey, I can basically do that anyway, but that's not my point. My point is, I want what I don't have, not what I could have if I tried a little harder. Anyway, things:
Over at the Editing Room, they've got the abridged script for the Dark Knight, and it's not bad, but it's got a bristling comments section going for it. I was lured in and contributed some of my office-addled insights, like this gem:
Lastly, as this thread seems to be devolving, there is a difference between rating a movie, and rating the experience of watching it. I the TDK is pretty darn entertaining as a movie, in the theater, that I sat there and watched (twice). As soon as I left the theater the first time, I was able to point out flaws, but when I went back to watch, I could care less about the flaws, because I was having a good time, because that’s what the movie is: a good time. It gets a lot of gas for dealing with psychological issues, and for being almost unrelentingly somber, and I think that’s why it gets a pass with so many people: it’s okay that it’s imperfect because it seems to mean well. It treats the comic with respect and blahblah…
So, yeah. In Rod’s review/script for GVS’s Psycho remake, he points out that there is a lot that isn’t entirely awesome about the movie because it wasn’t so awesome in the original. But Psycho transcend’s the criticism beause it upped the ante at the time and people have been ripping it off ever since. That is the case here, sort of, at least according to the media, so that’s TDK’s burden and is why it’s probably so easy to get excited about, and so easy to hate as well. RANT!
OMG I'm so fucking insightful!
The Hollywood Reporter also has a story about the Dark Knight (because it's fun to talk about), and along with it, they've got a sampling of the hefty bundles of millions it's gotten for everyone's favorite charity case, Warner Brothers:
$871.5 million
Worldwide boxoffice cume$489.4 million
Domestic boxoffice cume
(second highest ever)$158.4 million
Opening weekend (best ever)$49.8 million
Worldwide Imax gross (highest ever)34%
Percentage of Imax viewers seeing the film for at least the second time18
Days to reach the $400 million domestic benchmark (fastest ever)
Sources: Nielsen EDI, Imax Corp. and THR research; figures as of Sunday night
I'm so happy for them! Next and last, Aaron Sorkin, the mushroom-enthusiast and West Wing show creator, is putting his considerable, mind-bending talents toward the feat of writing a Facebook movie. Sigh. Look, what I'm posting are reasons to drink this weekend. Says THR:
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg while studying at Harvard along with pals Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. At first, membership was restricted to Harvard students, then expanded to all Ivy League schools before going on to open up for all universities and high schools in Canada and the U.S. The site now has more than 100 million users worldwide.
Despite offers in the billions of dollars, Zuckerberg has steadfastly remained independent.
Endeavor-repped Sorkin last wrote "Charlie Wilson's War," while Rudin has "Revolutionary Road," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and the film adaptation of the Broadway play "Doubt" coming out this fall.
"I feel about this introduction the way I felt about 'Sophie's Choice': It could have been funnier," Sorkin finished.
Whatever, Aaron. Lastly lastly, your boy Mike Phelps is gonna host SNL. Later daaaaays!!!
Since I don't watch a lot of TV, but have the Olympic bug this year, it's been kind of tough going as far as actually being able to watch them. I spent a good deal of my time in front of a computer, and so the fact that the Olympics can largely be viewed online would seem like a good thing. Except that it's not, because I, like a lot of people, want to watch the swimming events, among others, but NBC is to good to let me watch that shit online, so I have to watch it on the telly, except my TV gets shit reception of NBC. So I'm forced to read about it and look at pictures, like the poor person I am. (I tried a youtube hack [or did I? i didn't] that bypass Universal's rules so that I could watch the games there, but they figured that shit out and cut me off [sad face]).
Anyway, here are the top five countries at this point, courtesy of NBC, who should just let me watch the Olympics online, 'cause it's not like the online videos don't also have commercials (who watches TV anymore anyway, jesus!) [NBC] (picture via NYT).
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| COUNTRY | MEDALISTS | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | |
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China | see names | 8 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
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United States | see names | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
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South Korea | see names | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
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Italy | see names | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
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Russia | see names | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Deadspin writes a lot about this stuff too, better than I ever will. Actually watching the events in real-time probably helps, but I'm at work, and thus am not required to think too much about that.
Kind of left-field news, as actor/comic Bernie Mac died today at the age of fifty (which is young). I assume most people know him from the Ocean's movies, but I suppose some may know him from the Original Kings of Comedy (where he was arguably the funniest [lord knows it wasn't DL Hughley]), his television show, or various movie roles (he shows up in Transformers to briefly steal a scene before the robots take over). He died of complications from pneumonia. Sad. [via the always reliable Variety]
UPDATE: Oddly, I spent a good amount of time coming up with an image for this post that was neither saccharine or disrespectful and lo! Gawker has used the same image. I'm not changing it though. They technically had it first but, like, I didn't know that, so...
I know a lot of people who love the show Scrubs, like, a lot. Admittedly, it took me a while to even be willing to watch the show unless someone else had the remote (it took me until a few days ago, that is). I know a dude who has every season on DVD that one can legally purchase on DVD. I mean, I get it, it's funny. I'm one of those weird people who you meet every so often that may seem semi-normal at first, but then, get them drunk, and they let spill, in the dark corners of some loud bar, that they secretly only think Garden State was an ok movie, and that Zach Braff's face makes them want to stab things. Scrubs might become more for me in the next few years. Pssst, Hollywood Reporter:
"Scrubs," produced by ABC Studios, is set to premiere midseason. Some have suspected it will be the show's final season, and star Zach Braff in particular says he's likely headed for an exit.
"My sense is this is my last year," Braff said.
Yet Lawrence and ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson indicated there might be a way to keep the comedy going with new cast members, a la NBC's revolving-door medical drama "ER."
See? I think this could probably work, especially if Braff is not one of the writers beyond reworking his own dialogue.
I didn't get into Seinfeld until it didn't matter anymore, and I didn't know who Larry David was until I had a shitty New Years' Eve and ended up in my bedroom at 1am, looking for something to watch, wasted after the bar (not a habit, it's not a big deal) and Curb was on. I laughed my ass off and started writing some shit, and it wasn't a wasted of a night because I walked out of it with two things I would keep with me. Awesome, right! Anyway! It's had several seasons, and will have at least another. Yahoo News:
Larry David is bringing back "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for a seventh season, HBO said on Thursday.
The premium cable network hopes the latest installment of the edgy comedy series will premiere at the beginning of 2009, marking a gap of more than a year since the sixth season ended in November 2007.
That's good news, assholes! (I'm one too, so I can say that). XOXO
Full (short) article here.
