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Vol. 14
No. 10
Pick Hits
At The Movies
College Road Trip
Melanie (Raven Symone) is eagerly looking forward to taking her
first big step towards independence when she plans a girls only road trip to
check out prospective universities. However, when her imposing police chief dad
(Martin Lawrence) insists on escorting her instead, she soon finds
her dream trip turning into a nightmare full of misfortune and turmoil. Dad
wants to assure total security and safety for his precious daughter, while
Melanie has a 17 year old's need to become a grown woman and have her own sense
of independence. Now, even as dad and daughter bicker, banter and careen from
one disaster to the next on their journey, they are about to discover that,
sometimes, going that extra mile to be together can forge a family bond so
strong it can withstand anything, even wild curves ahead.
On DVD
Into the Wild
Freshly graduated from college with a promising future,
22 year-old Christopher McCandless (Emile
Hirsch) instead walked out of his privileged life
and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened
to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into
an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher
McCandless a heroic adventurer or a naive idealist, a
rebellious 1990s Thoreau or another lost American son, a
fearless risk-taker or a tragic figure who wrestled with
the precarious balance between man and nature?
McCandless' quest took him from the wheat fields of
South Dakota to a renegade trip down the Colorado River
to the non-conformists' refuge of Slab City, California,
and beyond. Along the way, he encountered a series of
colorful characters at the very edges of American
society who shaped his understanding of life and whose
lives he, in turn, changed. In the end, he tested
himself by heading alone into the wilds of the great
North, where everything he had seen and learned and felt
came to a head in ways he never could have expected.
The Buzz..
The second
American Idol charity event is set for April 9, with a lineup that
includes Bono, Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus,
Fergie, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood.
Howie Mandel is packing his Deal or No Deal briefcase and
going abroad. The NBC game show will travel to South Africa, Estonia and
the Philippines, where American contestants will try to win money in that
country's version of the game, with its own host, models and unique rules (the
game has the same basic framework but allows for local variations). The three
two-hour episodes are scheduled to air in May sweeps.
Warner Bros. has apparently restarted its plans to bring the DC
Comics Justice League franchise to the big screen ASAP. According to
Variety, the studio still hopes to have the George Miller directed
Justice League film in theaters as a Summer 2009 tentpole even after the project
was delayed in the midst of the now-settled writers strike.
Matt Damon will reprise his role as Jason Bourne for
yet another installment of the popular Bourne series. Paul Greengrass, who
helmed Bournes two and three, will return to the director's chair for part four,
based on the book The Bourne Legacy. There are two other Bourne novels after
that, so don't be too surprised if Damon returns twice more after this.
Van Halen has postponed concerts this week as guitarist Eddie
Van Halen undergoes medical testing for an undisclosed condition.
 Cleveland
Brown, a favorite supporting character on FOX's Family Guy,
may soon be getting a spinoff on the network. Family Guy creator Seth
MacFarlane is developing and writing the tentatively titled Cleveland along
with writer-producer Mike Henry, who also voices the Cleveland character, and
Rich Appel.
Rihanna is shutting down rumors that fellow R&B singer Chris
Brown have been standing under her umbrella. After several pictures surfaced
of the R&B megastars getting close on a Caribbean vacation, RiRi denied what
looks like a very intimate relationship. She told the press over the weekend
that they're just friends, and, "For now I'm having fun being a single woman."
NBC's upcoming series Fear Itself will feature Superman and one of Mad
Men's women, and the directors of American Psycho, Re-Animator and three of the
Saw movies are on board as well. The show, a suspense and horror anthology a la
Showtime's Masters of Horror (and hailing from some of the same producers), is
slated to premiere later this year.
Sam Raimi is looking for a new leading lady for his return to
horror after Ellen Page exited Drag Me to Hell.
Production on Drag Me to Hell had been originally scheduled to start on March
17, but preproduction was stretching on longer than expected, forcing scheduling
conflicts with two other star vehicles for Page.
The phenomenon that is High School Musical is making its way to ABC.
The network is developing a competition series tied to the Disney Channel's
boffo movie franchise, which would feature contestants studying at a music
conservatory after being chosen for the final rounds.
The masterminds behind The CW's two most successful reality series will
collaborate on a new project for ABC. America's Next Top Model
co-creator/host Tyra Banks and Beauty and the Geek
executive producer Ashton Kutcher have joined forces for a new
unscripted show.
Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) will develop a feature film
adaptation of his sci-fi comic book series The Megas. Virgin
Comics published the series and will produce the film as well. The series is set
in a futuristic society in which "the American Revolution produced a monarchy,
not a democracy, and consists of a culture of aristocracy and commoners, not to
mention royal scandals." The story tells of agent James Madison and the
investigation of the murder-suicide of a princely member of the Mega aristocracy
and three prostitutes.
Walt Disney Pictures will do the third Step Up film
in 3D, tentatively titled Step Up 3D.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson will star in The Tooth Fairy,
a comedy being setup at 20th Century Fox. Shooting will
begin in August. Johnson will play an ordinary man who's brought in to try to
save the tooth fairy kingdom.
The Pussycat Dolls are down one member, Perez Hilton
reports. The celebrity blogger is reporting the redheaded Carmit
Bachar is quitting to pursue other projects. The group will not be replacing
Bachar. |
