One of the documentaries to get the most attention at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival has been Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, directed by Rodman Flender, which chronicles the days after the comedian left NBC and created the ‘Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television’ tour that traveled cross-country as a comedy/music revue. Now the 88-minute film, which premiered Sunday night, has been… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 15/03/2011 09:43 Number of articles : 2
Some say the movie chronicling Conan’s ouster from NBC is funnier than his show. By Eric Ditzian Conan O’Brien Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Four months removed from the debut of his TBS late-night show, Conan O’Brien swept into the South by Southwest film festival over the weekend, a bit reluctantly, to promote a documentary cataloguing the fallout from his “Tonight Show” firing and his subsequent creative resurrection via a live comedy tour. Called “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop,” the doc begins by recapping his NBC ouster and follows the comedian and his team as they come up with the comedy tour idea, build it from the ground up and then head out on the road. O’Brien has already largely moved on from these sordid events, but for one evening, he was compelled to relive the juicy late-night scandal and his reaction to it, which was not always as high-minded as he might have hoped. A few reviews, as well as O’Brien’s own comments about the project, have already hit the Web, so read on for some early insight into “Can’t Stop.” The Overview “What starts out as a sanity-restoring make-work project evolves into a highly entertaining cross-country extravaganza during the course of ‘Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop,’ an up-close account of the former ‘Tonight Show’ host’s two-month, 32-city comedy-and-music variety-show tour shortly after he parted ways with NBC in 2010. But the biggest laughs and most intriguing revelations are provided offstage in this slickly produced documentary, as O’Brien — often pushing himself to the point of exhaustion before, during and after performances — plays for keeps while playing for laughs.” — Joe Leydon, Variety The Laughs “Conan O’Brien should take some satisfaction in the thought that Jay Leno will never earn as much laughter in half an hour as he and his crew does in the first third of ‘Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop.’ To be fair, O’Brien’s TV talk show was rarely if ever this full-tilt hilarious, either, which might have something to do with why he seems to have so many more supporters than the program had viewers. But ‘Can’t Stop’ is as entertaining as any showbiz doc in recent memory and could draw a nice audience of Team Coco followers in a limited theatrical release.” — John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter Conan, In His Own Words, Part I “I personally have trouble watching it because it’s a time in my life that I don’t like to go back to. I’m happy where I am now. I don’t really need to go back to it. But I made a commitment.” — O’Brien, in an Associated Press interview Conan, In His Own Words, Part II “I’ve done thousands of hours of television, and they get a sense of you, but you’re really only on TV for an hour, and this is seeing these other sides of me. It’s funny, because my staff, they saw this and they said, ‘Oh, we get to see a little bit of Mean Conan.’ And they said, ‘Mean Conan, he’s our favorite, he’s the funniest Conan.’ Which is weird. There’s a way in which, after our meetings sometimes, I’ll talk about the show and I’ll just go on these long riffs, which are over-the-top, sarcastic about everything, and people will be laughing really hard while I’m saying negative things about the show. I’m really hard on myself, I get very dark. I tease people constantly. I physically fight my writers, and they fight me back. And so it’s this gear I have that I’ve used sometimes on television but really hardly at all. There’s all of this stuff there that I think, well, if not now, when? Might as well let people know he exists.” — Conan O’Brien, in a New York Times interview
Band will headline four three-day festivals this summer, beginning in Atlantic City in June. By Aly Semigran Photo: 2011 Kevin Mazur/ GETTY For many, the Dave Matthews Band is summer. So, after a 20-year kinship with the band on the road, what exactly would a DMB-less summer look like for devoted fans? Lucky for “Dave heads,” they’ll no longer have to ponder that prospect. In 2010 the band announced they would be taking a hiatus from touring in 2011, but in the months that followed, an announcement was made that the multifaceted group — which includes Dave Matthews, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard and Boyd Tinsley, as well as Rashawn Ross, Tim Reynolds and Jeff Coffin (who stepped in after the death of founding member LeRoi Moore) — would be headlining a four-stop, multi-act Caravan festival from June to September. On February 22, members of DMB’s fan club, the Warehouse, received a cryptic “save the date” e-mail informing them that from June 24 to June 26 Dave and co. would be in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region and from July 8 to July 10 they’d be in the Midwest. The e-mail also alerted fans that the band would bring the tour out in August and September, but no locations or dates have been listed. Now fans can start making some concrete plans, as details for the first part of the festival have officially been announced. From June 24 to June 26, the Dave Matthews Band will headline three shows at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In addition to closing sets from the band each evening, as well as an acoustic set featuring Matthews and Reynolds, concertgoers will see scheduled performers David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, the Flaming Lips, O.A.R., Damian Marley, Bassnectar, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee, Thievery Corporation, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Warren Haynes Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Guster, Lotus, Rebelution, Fitz and the Tantrums, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lisa Hannigan, Punch Brothers, From Good Homes, Delta Spirit, Big Gigantic, Alberta Cross, Mariachi El Bronx, TR3, Vusi Mahlasela, the Budos Band and Bobby Long. Tickets, which will only be available as three-day passes, go on sale to the general public Friday, March 25, at 10 a.m. However, members of the Warehouse will get the option of making ticket requests from Monday, March 14, to Monday, March 21, and Citi Card members will have access to pre-sale tickets on Monday, March 21. Will you be attending the Dave Matthews Band’s Caravan festival this summer? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews
Reality star premieres ‘Jam (Turn It Up)’ on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show. Kim Kardashian Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/ Getty Images Kim Kardashian wants her fans to “turn it up.” Her new single made its world premiere on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show on Wednesday (March 2). The track called “Jam (Turn It Up)” hit the airwaves with one mission: to make people dance. The song is a loopy, Auto-Tuned, club-banging party jam about, well, club life. It was produced by The-Dream. “And they playin’ my jam/ They playin’ my jam/ Turn it up, turn it up (DJ)/ Turn it up, so I can rock the night away (away),” she sings on the bouncy chorus. She then goes on to sing sexy phrases like “Ima burn it out tonight, it’s goin’ down/ By live via satellite/ And all I see is angels in my eyes/ Buzz got me way up in the sky/ Maybach in the front (the front)/ Pick out any boy that I want (I want)/ DJ here I am/ Feeling good, feeling great, just got paid.” On the song’s bridge, Kim describes club scenes with “Girls in the building/ Fellas in the club/ Boys spending money/ Girls looking good/ I’m on the floor, living my life/ Feeling so good, feeling so right/ Got my hands up/ Celebrate like it’s my birthday/ Five more shots of tequila/ I’m thirsty/ Feeling so good, I’m feeling so great/ Tonight.” “It’s a fun dance song,” Kim told Seacrest, going on to describe the response it got in Las Vegas . “We played it in Tao in Vegas and the whole crowd was singing along in the end.” When asked about plans for an album, she said, “Absolutely nothing. Just have fun. It’s all in fun.” She even tweeted about the radio debut of her song, which will be featured on her show “Kourtney and Kim Take Manhattan” on Sunday. “The song will go up on itunes, proceeds going to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,” she wrote. “This was just a fun new experience! I am so glad I went for it! And the proceeds to JAM are being donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.” Related Photos The Evolution Of: Kim Kardashian
The 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards will air live on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU on March 16 at midnight. By James Montgomery Donald Glover Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images He’s already taken the community college world by storm, and now Donald Glover is looking to conquer the mtvU Woodie Awards as the show’s first-ever host. Glover, best known for his portrayal of a college student on NBC’s “Community,” has just been tapped to serve as master of ceremonies for the seventh-annual Woodies, which will air live on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU on Wednesday, March 16, at midnight, from the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Glover seems the perfect man for the job. After all, the Woodies are the only awards show where the winners are determined by college students, and Glover is definitely psyched about the opportunity. “I’m really excited to be hosting the Woodies, (insert joke about award sounding like a penis),” he wrote in a statement. Glover is just the latest name to be announced for the 2011 Woodies, joining a list of performers — Wiz Khalifa, Odd Future, Sleigh Bells and more — and nominees (a list that includes everyone from Kanye West and Yelawolf to Mumford & Sons and the Arcade Fire ) that showcase not only the Woodies’ eclectic tastes, but those of its viewers, too. Eminem prot
Sleigh Bells, Two Door Cinema club also take the stage air when the show airs live on March 16 at midnight. By James Montgomery Wiz Khalifa Photo: Al Pereira/ WireImage On Tuesday (March 1), Wiz Khalifa, Sleigh Bells and Two Door Cinema Club were announced as performers at the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards , set to air live on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU from the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 16, at midnight (ET/PT). Wiz, Sleigh Bells and Two Door Cinema Club are also up for awards at the seventh-annual show — Wiz is in the running for Woodie of the Year, given to the year’s best artist, and Sleigh Bells and TDCC are facing off against each other in the Breaking Woodie category, given to the year’s best breakout act. But you don’t have to be an actual nominee to perform, as evidenced by the fourth act confirmed to take the stage: insane L.A. rap collective Odd Future , who will most certainly keep the censors on their toes. The Woodies also announced the first wave of presenters for the 2011 show: Matt and Kim, Lupe Fiasco, Dev, Chiddy Bang, emerging Eminem prot
‘The Fighter’ stars poised for supporting actor and actress wins Sunday. By Eric Ditzian Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in “The Fighter” Photo: Relativity Media At one point during this latest awards season, there wouldn’t have been much to preview in the best supporting actor and actress Oscar categories. Two co-stars from “The Fighter,” Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, appeared to have assured themselves of easy victories on Hollywood’s biggest night. But Oscar momentum — or, depending on how one views these things, industry conventional wisdom — interrupted any early coronations and have injected some intrigue into the categories ahead of Sunday night’s ceremony. Bale and Leo, for far different reasons, now face competition of varying degrees, though we have a feeling each will end up triumphant by evening’s end. Best Actress in a Supporting Role In a field crowded with former nominees and current breakout talents, Leo established herself as the frontrunner based on her turn as Alice Ward, the wild-eyed mother and boxing manager of her two sons. She rolled to victory at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. All the while, Leo presented herself as decidedly above the fray. At the Sundance Film Festival last month, just a day before the Oscar noms were to be announced, Leo told MTV News that she truly had no vested interest in awards-season mumbo-jumbo. Based on years of disconnecting from a role after an audition or the conclusion of a job, the 50-year-old actress said she’d already moved on from her work on “The Fighter.” Then a funny thing happened: Leo got the Oscar nom and took out a series of ads in the Hollywood trades featuring herself in a glamorous, glossy photo labeled simply, “Consider.” To observers, the ad was, at best, bad manners and, at worst, grounds to suffer a humiliating Academy Awards defeat. Other, cooler-headed Oscar-watchers defended the actress, who’d been unable to book late-night talk-show interviews and magazine covers, as standing up for herself and her performance. Whatever the case, there is no doubt that Leo wants to win the Oscar — bad . Will she? Hailee Steinfeld, the 14-year-old phenom many think should have landed in the leading actress category, went boot heel to boot heel with Jeff Bridges in “True Grit,” and represents Leo’s strongest competitor. Nor should we count out anything connected with “The King’s Speech,” which seems to be peaking at just the right time; Helena Bonham Carter has got to be considered a dark horse. Come Oscar night, however, we have a feeling Leo’s track record — she was a leading actress nominee in 2008 for “Frozen River” — will trump Steinfeld’s precociousness and, by besting Bonham Carter, assure “King’s Speech” won’t dominate the show. Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sorry, Jeremy Renner. Too bad, John Hawkes. Feel free to play again next year, Mark Ruffalo. All these gentleman — especially Renner as an unhinged bank robber in “The Town,” if you ask us — turned in laudable performances, but those turns came during a year that Bale straight up committed . The 37-year-old Welshman shed pounds and dominated the screen as sallow-eyed ex-boxer and sometimes-crack-addict Dicky Eklund. Bale went on, early and often, to rule awards season. We’d suggest there’s simply no way Bale can loose on Oscar night, but let us at least propose some mitigating factors: “King’s Speech” is riding one hell of a winning streak, and Geoffrey Rush nabbed the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award earlier this month. Plus, Rush is a four-time nominee and one-time winner (for “Shine” in 1996). But those are all fairly thin arguments. How about some counter-facts? Oscar blogger Scott Feinberg points out that only once in history has an actor won best supporting actor at the Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes and SAGs, yet failed to win the Oscar. Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls”? Ouch! What’s more, leading actor and supporting actor rarely go to men in the same film: It’s only happened once in the past 50 years (Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both won for “Mystic River” in 2003). So, if we accept that Colin Firth is a lock to win leading actor for “King’s Speech,” that means Rush is out of luck. Let’s just hope Bale’s Oscar acceptance speech goes smoother than his SAG one , in which Eklund apparently crashed the stage, leaving a surprised Bale to exclaim, “Dicky! All right! This is the original quacker right here!” Share your Oscar-night predictions in the comments section below! Related Photos 2011 Academy Award Nominees
There are just two days of screenings left at the Berlinale — the prizes are awarded on Sunday — but today is my last day at the festival, my day of reckoning. This is the point at which I look back on everything I’ve seen and, more wrenchingly, tote up everything I wanted to see but missed. While I’ve tried to chase down most of the films screening in competition here, day by day my colleagues have been feeding me recommendations from the Panorama and Forum sections of the festival, which showcase films that generally have smaller budgets and take larger risks. I didn’t get to see many of those pictures, and that’s where my deepest regret lies.
Pedestrians read riddles written on lantern decorations for the upcoming Yuan Xiao Jie(Lantern Festival) outside a shopping mall in central Beijing, February 14, 2011. The lantern festival marks the last day of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and falls on February 17 this year. The Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Festival (simplified Chinese: 元宵节; traditional Chinese: 元宵節; pinyin: Yuánxiāojié) or Shang Yuan Festival (simplified Chinese: 上元节; traditional Chinese: 上元節; pinyin: Shàngyuánjié)
