While July has long been the expected month of the birth of Prince William and Kate Middelton’s baby, we now have he first report of an exact day: July 13. The UK Mail on Sunday quoted an unnamed friend saying “Some of their closest pals were at a barbecue hosted by a family friend of the Royals recently.” “Kate and William and their friends were all discussing the fact that Kate’s baby is due to be born on July 13. Everyone there was very excited.” If the baby cooperates, the birth would fall right in the middle of a four-day Coronation Festival marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation. It would also lose gambling addicts a lot of money. Kate Middleton due date betting has been heaviest in the first week of July, according to reports. As for the baby’s gender, you can bet on that too (although recent talk suggests they are having a boy ). What do you think they’re having, THGers? Boy! Girl! View Poll »
Two new Man of Steel TV spots have debuted. The spots show some new footage from the film, making it look grittier than ever. Take a look: TV Spot Man of Steel Man of Steel TV Spot Six Zack Snyder directs the Superman origin story, with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Christopher Meloni, and Laurence Fishburne also star. Man of Steel will premiere June 14.
Two new Man of Steel TV spots have debuted. The spots show some new footage from the film, making it look grittier than ever. Take a look: TV Spot Man of Steel Man of Steel TV Spot Six Zack Snyder directs the Superman origin story, with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Christopher Meloni, and Laurence Fishburne also star. Man of Steel will premiere June 14.
The box office has spoken! Jessica Chastain scored the top two weekend spots over Arnold Schwarzenegger ( The Last Stand ) and the double-whammy of Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe ( Broken City ) as the Guillermo del Toro -produced fantasy horror Mama scored a #1 debut with $28.1 million and Zero Dark Thirty stepped into second place. (Oscar rival Jennifer Lawrence didn’t come out so bad herself as Silver Linings Playbook expanded to #3 in wide release the same weekend she tenderly slammed her fellow Best Actress contenders on Saturday Night Live .) More power to the ladies! But where, oh where, did Arnold land in his big action comeback? Schwarzenegger’s breezy actioner The Last Stand showed a surprising lack of muscle over the MLK holiday weekend, raking in just $6.7 million over three days and calling into question the potency of the ex-Governator’s screen appeal as it shuffled into tenth place at the box office. Tenth place. Ouch. Broken City , Fox’s Wahlberg-Crowe mano-a-mano crime pic, also debuted to rather limp returns, with a $9.5 million estimated weekend take (numbers via Deadline ). But if Arnie’s box office cache was proven less brawny than expected, the Best Actress-nominated duo of Chastain and Lawrence reflected strong appeal for both Oscar contenders, both of whom notched Golden Globes wins last weekend. For Chastain’s part, the genre gamble that is the feral child-ghost mother pic Mama could have thrown a wrench into her awards campaign but paid off; it currently sits at a better-than-most-horror-pics 62 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes, but had some pundits wondering if Universal’s timing of the film’s release was part of a crafty plot to ruin the awards season momentum of her campaign for Sony’s Zero Dark Thirty . But audiences came for a double dose of Chastain in two very different roles — one in a prestige pic that underscored Chastain’s steely strength in a man’s world ( ZDT ), the other a genre pic built around an emotionally distant character gradually embracing her latent maternal instincts ( Mama ). Meanwhile, Silver Linings Playbook and its swelling Oscar momentum continues to be owned by Lawrence, whose audience appeal was solidified by SNL ‘s solid ratings Saturday night. With almost exactly a month left before Oscar ballots are due, this race is just starting to get good. Read more on the Oscars : After Golden Globes Win, Is ‘Argo’ The People’s Film? ‘Argo’ & ‘Les Misérables’ Take Top Movie Prizes At Golden Globes High Five! The Best GIFs Of The 2013 Golden Globes Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Academy Award nominations brought good news and bad news to one of my favorite movies of the year. Les Misérables eight nominations including Best Picture, Actor, for Hugh Jackman , and Supporting Actress, for Anne Hathaway . That ain’t chopped liver, but the highly publicized snubbing of its director Tom Hooper along with its absence in all-important bellwether categories like screenplay and editing means what was once considered a front runner is now a real long shot to actually win Oscar’s top prize. You have to go all the way back to 1931’s Grand Hotel to find a Best Picture winner that didn’t have at least one of those three nominations. In the face of those daunting stats, Les Misérables would be a shocking Best Picture winner, but if any movie deserves the upset , it’s this one. A certified box office hit domestically, it just opened to huge numbers over the weekend in England and looks to be a continuing international smash. “Do You Hear The People Sing? is not only the stirring anthem from Hooper’s adaptation, it’s an apt metaphor for the impact of a revolutionary film about revolutionary spirit. Hooper took great risks in the telling of Les Misérables — and he succeeds. Twenty-seven years in development, the film looked like it might never be made when The King’s Speech director came up with the novel idea of shooting the cast’s musical performances live instead of taking the usual movie-musical tack of pre-recording the songs and dubbing them in later. Without that artificial technique hampering the actors, Hooper and the creative team from the original musical — Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schoenberg and Herbert Kretzmer — along with the adaptation’s screenwriter, William Nicholson, found a way to meld the dramatic impact of Victor Hugo’s classic, gritty novel with the theatricality of the beloved stage production for a movie musical experience that hasn’t been seen on the big screen in years. Emotion is at the core of this remarkably entertaining and powerful film. Jackman , with his considerable musical chops, was the obvious choice to play petty-criminal-made-good Jean Valjean, and he delivers even in the difficult two-and-a-half-octave range the role requires. Although Russell Crowe can’t match his co-star in the singing department, he still scores as a potent Javert. Hathaway breaks hearts as the doomed Fantine, as does Samantha Barks in the role of Eponine. And though Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Cosette is not so dramatically challenging, she still manages to shine in the role. That said, it’s Eddie Redmayne , as Marius, who threatens to steal the whole show with an impassioned performance that heralds the arrival of a major new movie star. Hooper’s aesthetic choice to shoot the emotional moments in unrelenting close up is a good one, and this is a musical that even those who hate musicals should find satisfying in its dramatic pull and remarkable ability to move us. Oscar, are you listening? RELATED: Review: Les Misérables’ Hits High Notes, But Also Skitters Follow Pete Hammond on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Mark Wahlberg jumps back into action as an ex-cop out for justice in this week’s Broken City , which sees him face off against none other than Russell Crowe as a crooked politician Crowe describes as “part Queens, and part Wall Street.” After the jump, watch as Wahlberg talks up the Allen Hughes-helmed potboiler, what brings him back to the gritty action well time and time again, and the big-screen face-off with Crowe that was 15 years in the making. Synopsis: In a broken city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) seeks redemption – and revenge – after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure, the mayor (Russell Crowe). Billy’s relentless pursuit of justice, matched only by his streetwise toughness, makes him an unstoppable force – and the mayor’s worst nightmare . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Direction Tom ‘Hooper wanted it raw and real,’ Crowe said of Twitter criticism of the film. By Jocelyn Vena Adam Lambert and Russell Crowe Photo: Getty Images
We suppose this makes sense. To many men around the nation, Kim Kardashian pregnant makes them think of Kim Kardashian nude , which is terrific news for Vivid Entertainment: The adult film company tells TMZ that sales of Kim K. Superstar have sky-rocketed since Kanye West broke the Kim Kardashian baby news on Sunday, asn-demand purchases of the video have increased by EIGHTY PERCENT this week. Kim Kardashian Sex Tape Footage For whatever reason, Vivid adds that sales of the sex tape with Ray J have been steadily rising ever since Kanye started dating Kim a few months ago. Can you imagine what will happen once Kardashian actually has the child?!? Apparently being reminded in any way about Kim’s vagina makes folks want to see it in action.
Emio Tomeoni, a Kansas City dad, shot an amazing time lapse video to show his wife, Stephanie Ramos what goes on at home while she’s at work. The short answer: A ton of fun with 21-month-old Xavier! Dad-Toddler Time Lapse The video condenses their afternoon into four minutes. In typical toddler fashion, what begins with a clean living room quickly devolves into utter chaos. Diapers, toys, bongos, food … this day had everything! Mom, you really missed out.
From breaking a bone to breaking major news, it’s been a busy week for Kris Allen. The American Idol Season 8 champion was hospitalized yesterday after a car accident, as the singer’s mother Tweeted a photo of her son in traction, including with it the following caption: “From Kris: he’s in a lot of pain, arm broke, may not play guitar for a while. Prayers welcome please! #headoncollision.” Allen is due for surgery today, but the artist’s mind may be elsewhere. He took to Twitter himself later in the evening and added: “Thank you @ford for equipping me with a car that kept my whole family @katyallen @ZorroPup and the little one we have on the way safe.” Wait… what?!? Clarified Allen: “Yes I got in a really bad wreck tonight and yes I’m having a lil baby. #gonnabeadaddy.” Hooray! We send our congratulations to Kris and we wish his arm a quick healing. It’s gonna be holding a newborn at some point in the next few months.
