KB: 360 (11.12.08)
TV
In case you haven’t heard, Top Chef Season 5 starts tonight. Look for the Foo Fighters to make an appearance later this season.
A Dexter copycat murder. For real.
In the good news/bad news department: Scrubs returns for an eighth season, takes Pushing Daisies’ time slot.
USA Today has a good write-up on Fringe.
Also from USA Today, the troubles with this year’s fall TV season, which has kinda sucked. Only two new shows have really made it, The Mentalist and the aforementioned Fringe. I think the networks were hoping their strike-shortened premieres from last year could hold steady (Chuck, Eli Stone, Sarah Conner, Pushing Daisies, Life, etc.). This has not been the case. I caught “My Own Worst Enemy” last night. That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back.
Fox is pushing the Family Guy spin-off, The Cleveland Show, to 2009.
An advance review of 24: Redemption (warning: spoilers). It sounds so good that BTD Greg and Supergenius are both going to watch it, together. Actually it doesn’t sound too promising, but they’ll still be watching, TV-cred be damned.
Movies
Remake alert! The Karate Kid starring Will Smith’s son.
Sequel Alert! The Thomas Crown Affair 2.
Many years ago, my wife dragged me to Moulin Rouge. It took me a long time to forgive both her and Baz Luhrmann for that experience. Anyway, for Luhrmann’s new pic, Austrailia, he was forced by the studio to alter the ending to make it more American happier.
Watchmen director Zack Snyder confesses he did indeed change the original ending. “The fans, god love ‘em, they’re all up in arms about the squid. What they should be up in arms about are things like shooting the pregnant woman, ‘God is real and he’s American’, whether THAT’s in the movie. That’s my point of view, maybe I’m crazy.”
Here’s my question regarding the above. Don’t we want the movie version of books/comics to be a little different? It’s like going to a concert and wanting to hear the band play the songs exactly how they sound on the CD. That’s boring. I want a director to take a chance and do some reinventing. Am I wrong?
McG, currently working on the latest Terminator movie, is linked to the new Wonder Woman movie.
A good column advocating The Dark Knight for Best Picture. Interesting tidbit from the column, “only 16 of the last 50 Best Picture nominees have taken place in the present.”
It seems as though The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an early favorite to do some Oscar damage. The film is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. It is directed by…David Fincher? The trailer can be seen here.
Music
Can you guess these REM song titles based on the intros?
Posted on November 12, 2008, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 29 Comments.
Steve Evans
RJH
Scott B.
John C.
Susan M
Aaron Brown
ninemoons
arandomjohn
kulturblogadmin
Kyle M
Brad
KulturBlogGuest
MCQ
Wm
Rebecca
Ivan
Geoff J
btdgreg
Clark Goble
Aaron R.
Tim J
I love Fitzgerald.
That’s too bad about the ending of Australia. I hate it when everyone thinks all movies should have happy endings. Big peeve.
Still in denial about Pushing Daisies.
Pushing Daisies gone? NOOOooooooooo! (Slow motion leap through the air, taking metaphorical scheduling bullet.)
It’s the only thing my wife and I watch together. Along with Chuck.
Well, Pushing Daisies hasn’t been officially cancelled, but it’s looking less and less hopeful.
On Watchmen,
You’d hope there is a difference. They are two different mediums and the way you present a movie is different than the way you present a graphic novel.
I think Tyra Banks should play Wonder Woman.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who couldn’t stand Moulin Rouge. I actually turned it off without finishing it.
Zack! Damn you to heck.
I’ve lost friendships over my disdain for Moulin Rouge. I was at a dinner party and a friend said that Moulin Rouge was one of the top five movies of all time. I told her that she should see more movies, and that it wasn’t even one of the top five musicals of all time. It went downhill quickly from there.
Brian, Tim and Susan, you are not my friends anymore.
Eric’s campy side finally comes out!
It doesn’t mater what they use at the ending, it matters who is involved and who triggers it. It could be a giant banana creme pie for all I care.
Just when I thought I couldn’t like Top Chef more.
Luhrmann still isn’t done with Australia, btw. Also per Baz, Tim is full of crap.
Hey, don’t kill the messenger. Blame The Guardian.
So, is this a bad place to reveal I have Baz’s Red Curtain trilogy box set on DVD and that I really, really enjoy his movies?
“I’ve lost friendships over my disdain for Moulin Rouge.”
I’ve didn’t lost any friendships over my contempt for Moulin Rouge. But I did lose a friend over my disdain for Velvet Goldmine. (the biggest load of twaddle I’ve ever set my poor eyes on.) I relived the conversation over and over for a number of days.
re: Watchmen. Zack Snyder isn’t high on my list of directors I feel grand about reworking strong material. ~
In Zack’s defense he did say it was changed in the script he was given. So technically it wasn’t him changing it. And on issues like that the Producers have a ton of control.
I’m glad I hadn’t seen Moulin Rouge when it first came out and all my coworkers were gushing over it. I didn’t see it until a couple years later.
I did however have to listen to the soundtrack repeatedly.
Holding hands?
On Moulin Rouge, I think it’s a male/female thing. I know a lot of women (including my wife) who loved it. I know very few men who even found it watchable.
I only watch Moulin Rouge to hear Ewan McGregor sing “Your Song.”
Random reactions:
* The Dexter article was interesting for the statement from the producers that they have consciously attempted not to glorify Dexter, but to remind the viewers that he’s a monster. I believe we discussed this a while back on KB.
* Scrubs is tired and worn. The show hasn’t been good in at least two seasons and is basically in plot recycle mode. Pushing Daisies, on the other hand, still has a lot left to give. In the end, I think Pushing Daisies high production values might be what is doing it in–it’s just too expensive for a show that doesn’t pull in very good ratings. I love Pushing Daisies, but it’s days are numbered and I doubt Ned’s magic touch can bring it back.
* I still think Fringe is one of the best things on TV right now. Maybe that’s because I can happily overlook things like being able to genetically map the DNA of an unknown biosynthetic parasite in a matter of minutes.
* 24: not going to do it. Not. Going. To. Happen.
* I really liked Watchmen, but wasn’t crazy about the ending. I think it could be improved. Snyder’s up against a bunch of ultra-orthodox comic book fanboys on this one though, and that’s the movie’s core audience.
* I think Wonder Woman would have been better off with Joss Whedon at the helm, as it was once going to be. I’m not sure who is qualified to play the title role.
Also:
I like Baz Luhrmann. I think it’s maybe because I’m always willing to give auteurs a lot of slack. Austrailia could be pretty good.
I had to double check and see that Luhrmann wasn’t responsible for Velvet Goldmine. No, that was Todd Haynes, which makes sense. I had some major problems with that movie, and I’ve also taken some grief for saying so.
Buh bye My Own Worst Enemy. I’m glad I didn’t bother checking it out.
threadjack:
There really needs to be a top 5 bond movie post.
Make it so.
Perhaps we should wait until enough people have seen Solace?
#17 MCQ –
do I have to turn in my man card now?
Pushing Daisies is dead. I can’t believe they killed it in preference to an overly expensive crappy show like Heroes who’s ratings keep dropping.
PD is on ABC. Heroes is NBC. And I think Heroes will get to finish out the season but won’t be renewed for next.
Is anyone watchign Live on Mars?
I hate
. It gave me a terrible headache.
Moulin Rouge started out great, it was crazy, frenetic, and unconventional. Then about 30 minutes in it ran out of energy. Perhaps they started to run out of money, but became much more conventional as it went on. It could have been something unique and spectacular.
I gave up on Life on Mars after about the third episode. No really likable characters.