Since I felt bad about posting those Kendall Jenner pictures earlier, I wanted to give you guys some you can actually enjoy without fear of incarceration. So here’s Emmy Rossum working a lollipop on the set of her new movie Comet . I have no clue what the movie’s about, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that Emmy’s rehearsing her big scene here, and it’s just gonna be 90 minutes of her and a lollipop. I’d be there opening day to see that on the big screen. Enjoy. » view all 12 photos Related Articles: Emmy Rossum Because She’s Pretty Cute Emmy Rossum’s Hotness Got Under My Radar Emmy Rossum’s Sexy Shopping Spree Emmy Rossum Is Not Showing Off Her Boobies Photos: WENN.com
Warner Bros. seems to have done it right with The Lego Movie . The idea of a Lego movie may sound ridiculous (is it just a kid making a really bad tower for 90 minutes?), but the excellent cast and fun story look very promising. See for yourself in the first Lego Movie trailer : The Lego Movie Trailer The film stars Chris Pratt as Emmet, a run-of-the-mill guy who is mistaken for the Master Builder, who must save the world. Will Ferrell stars as his nemesis, Lord Business, a man bent on gluing all the pieces of the universe together. Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, and Charlie Day also star. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wrote and directed the film, which comes out on February 7, 2014.
The recipe for a great superhero movie is quite elusive. How much of it should be canon? How much should be fresh? Is it personal or universal? Gritty or fantastical? For kids or adults? For fans or newcomers? A superhero movie is typically lauded or panned on these points, sometimes with the same decision paying off in one film while failing in another. Zack Snyder decided to do all of it. He did canon. He did fresh. He did personal and universal, gritty and fantastical, all of it. Man of Steel is essentially three entirely separate films, none of which feel fully realized. They can be described by the three identities of our main character: There’s the Kal-El film, the Clark Kent film, and the Superman film. The movie opens on Krypton; the Kal-El film. It’s a well developed Krypton—we get to see the world, the society, the people, the culture—but it feels remarkably goofy. By entering Krypton amidst a panic—their world is about to end, after all—we have no time to suspend our disbelief, or get acquainted with anything, or even feel like we’re watching a Superman movie. Instead, it feel like an 80s sci-fi B-movie. It’s set on another planet but it’s humans speaking English. It’s exactly like Earth except they wear silly costumes and their technology is a bit more advanced (and in that superfluous B-movie way, too). It’s here that we establish Michael Shannon as General Zod , who was engineered to ensure the survival of the species, no matter the cost. With the world ending, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van defy the law and have the first natural-born Kryptonian baby in ages. A big fight ensues, as little Kal-El is loaded into a space pod and shot towards Earth. Here’s where we start Movie #2, the Clark Kent film. The gritty, intimate exploration of a young boy’s alienation from society because he’s different. This is a compelling angle to take on Superman, and from the trailers, it seemed like Snyder’s entire film would maintain this tone, but it doesn’t. Admittedly, Snyder isn’t the best at pulling small-scale personal drama performances from his actors, but these sections looked absolutely beautiful. With a dull, grayed color palette and high contrast, Snyder connects us with Clark Kent’s existential ennui (who’da thunk I’d get to use that phrase in a Superhero Movie review?). The Clark Kent film cuts between Kent as a young man, wandering the Earth looking for purpose and identity while staying out of the limelight, and Kent as a child, learning about his powers and getting valuable life lessons from his father Jonathan, played by an on-point Kevin Costner. This is the section where we meet Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams. She’s a reporter for the Daily Planet on assignment in the arctic, where she crosses paths with the quiet Kent, whose working another in a series of manual labor jobs. When Lois accidentally sees something she shouldn’t, regarding Kent’s identity, she tries to spread the word of Kent’s existence, though she is met with skepticism and hostility from her boss and the public. But then, General Zod shows up again. Begin Movie #3, the Superman film. Zod and his army were frozen and shot into space, in a plot point that seems to lack much time or logic, and he has returned to snag Kal-El (or the Earth gets it!). This is the moment Kent has been waiting for! The moment he can define his identity! The creation of Superman is actually carried out convincingly, as each different “film” has its part to play in the identity of the main character, which is—in theory, at least—the main struggle of the film. And while the Superman movie is equally as beautiful as the Clark Kent movie—the action sequences are honestly stunning—the blockbuster action flick just doesn’t fit with the tone that we’d been dealing with for the past 45 minutes. All three worlds coalesce in the final act of the film, causing a jumble of beautifully frenetic fight scenes, totally silly Kryptonian mythology, and a “realistic earth” that is unnaturally unburdened by the craziness that has beset them. What it amounts to is an unfocused jumble that fails to capture the audience at any turn. There are surely compelling bits in Man of Steel (none of them are in the “Kal-El movie” though), but as a unified piece of filmmaking, it doesn’t work. One thing is for sure, though: Zack Snyder has a real sense of visual style, and it actually serves the story in a welcome way. To cap it off, Snyder introduces a fourth element, the childish comic-book influence, in a bit that feels epically out of place. Man of Steel does not feel like stereotypical Superman, which is not necessarily a problem. The problem is, it doesn’t have any clear idea what it’s trying to be. RATING: 2.5/5
Yay for the little guy . Interns Win Lawsuit Against 20th Century Fox According to Raw Story Two interns who completed unpaid work on the Oscar-winning film Black Swan have won a landmark case against the studio behind the movie, 20th Century Fox. Alexander Footman and Eric Glatt had complained they were made to undertake menial work with little or no educational value that ought to have been carried out by paid employees. US law makes it clear that unpaid interns must gain educational benefit from their work experience and cannot be used to replace regular paid workers. Federal judge William Pauley ruled yesterday that Footman and Glatt were in fact “employees” of studio offshoot Fox Searchlight, which oversaw production of Black Swan, meaning they were entitled to legal protection under minimum wage and overtime laws. The judge also dismissed suggestions by Fox that the interns were working for Darren Aronofsky’s production company, rather than directly for the studio. Finally, Judge Pauley confirmed he would certify a class action that will explore internships throughout the corporate departments at Fox. “Considering the totality of the circumstances, Glatt and Footman were classified improperly as unpaid interns and are ‘employees’ covered by the FLSA and NYLL,” said the judge, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “They worked as paid employees work, providing an immediate advantage to their employer and performed low-level tasks not requiring specialised training. The benefits they may have received – such as the knowledge of how a production or accounting office functions or references for future jobs – are the results of simply having worked as any other employee works, not of internships designed to be uniquely educational to the interns and of little utility to the employer. “They received nothing approximating the education they would receive in an academic setting or vocational school. This is a far cry from [the supreme court’s decision in] Walling, where trainees impeded the regular business of the employer, worked only in their own interest and provided no advantage to the employer. Glatt and Footman do not fall within the narrow ‘trainee’ exception to the FLSA’s broad coverage.” However, another intern who worked on the Fox film 500 Days of Summer was stymied in her attempts to sue. Judge Pauley accepted the studio’s assertion that Kanene Gratts’ claims were time-barred. Fox said it would fight to overturn the ruling. “We are very disappointed with the court’s rulings,” the studio said in a statement. “We believe they are erroneous, and will seek to have them reversed by the second circuit as quickly as possible.” The studio had previously said it changed its guidelines in July 2010 to ensure that all interns are paid at least $8 an hour. Black Swan earned more than $300m (£191m) at the global box office and won the best actress Oscar for its star Natalie Portman in 2011. For anyone who has ever had a crappy unpaid internship, this is a victory.
Comedy trailers are hard to pull off. The temptation is to spoil all the jokes, but really, they should just show you how fun the movie looks. In a World looks fun. Good job, trailer editor! Watch the In a World trailer below: In a World Trailer Lake Bell, who also wrote and directed, stars as Carol, a voice coach whose father as a famous voiceover guy. When Carol attempts to break into the world of movie trailer voiceovers herself, she butts up against decades of preconceptions about what those voiceovers should sound like. It’s an interesting, straightforward premise, with enough comedic talent on board to make it promising. That comedic talent includes: Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Nick Offerman, Geena Davis, and Jeff Garlin. In a World hits limited theaters on August 9.
Left Eye’s younger sister Reigndrop responds to Lil Mama being cast to play her sister and the family being left in the dark about the TLC biopic Family Of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Says They Aren’t Involved In TLC Biopic The fans and the general public might be excited about the TLC biopic that’s currently in the works , but there’s one pretty important group of people who aren’t quite on that bandwagon: the family of late TLC group member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Left Eye’s younger sister Reigndrop Lopes recently sat down with Mara of 4UMF for a quick chat, where she revealed that the family has not been in the loop about anything regarding the biopic since giving their permission to tell Lisa’s story. Check out a few interview excerpts below: On whether or not the family has been involved with the movie: “No, we’re not involved in anything actually dealing with TLC. We would love to be involved, but it’s just not the case. The movie, yeah we knew about it ’cause we had to sign off on it, but we still have nothing to do with the movie, and I don’t know the release date or the premiere date. We didn’t even know when they were shooting. The only way I found out was because a friend of mine was cast as an extra and flew down here, and I happened to go up there with her. We didn’t know anything at all. The only way I can kind of feel is just disappointed and hurt. I can’t point the finger at anyone ’cause I don’t know whose decisions these are. It could be a collective decision, it could be one person, I have no idea. “She [their mother] was hurt, she was pissed off, and hurt more than anything, but it’s like what can we do? Legally, I don’t think we can do anything, but it’s just more morally, why wouldn’t you involve the family? We’re right here in Atlanta, and we’re open to being involved. And when you don’t reach out, it makes you wonder why, question why. We don’t know why. On rumors of a TLC tour and the family’s thoughts on a Left Eye hologram being used: “I didn’t really know about the tour until you mentioned it. I knew about a couple of dates, Japan and PA, but I really didn’t know about a tour, I didn’t know about the album, you pretty much just mentioned it.” “Actually, I actually thought of the [hologram] idea doing that even well before 2Pac’s, but I didn’t know if it actually could be done. And then when I saw 2Pac’s, then I was like, okay, well they can do it. I would definitely be okay with it. I don’t how my mom..she mentioned it, and when she mentioned it, she seemed okay with it. From the fans, I hear both sides. I hear fans that would embrace it, and other fans say no, it’s too real. But, that’s saying that now, when I see it, that’s another story. The thing is, I know the kind of stuff Lisa was into, and that’s something Lisa would have loved, a hologram. So that’s what I think about too.” Wow. Sounds like Left Eye’s family all but signed away their rights to be involved when they signed off on the movie. Wonder why they’re being kept in the dark? Hit the flip to hear Reigndrop and her family’s reaction to Lil Mama being chosen to play Left Eye in the biopic , what Left Eye’s relationship was like with her group members just before she passed and whether or not the family still supports T-Boz and Chilli today. Continue reading →
Left Eye’s younger sister Reigndrop responds to Lil Mama being cast to play her sister and the family being left in the dark about the TLC biopic Family Of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Says They Aren’t Involved In TLC Biopic The fans and the general public might be excited about the TLC biopic that’s currently in the works , but there’s one pretty important group of people who aren’t quite on that bandwagon: the family of late TLC group member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Left Eye’s younger sister Reigndrop Lopes recently sat down with Mara of 4UMF for a quick chat, where she revealed that the family has not been in the loop about anything regarding the biopic since giving their permission to tell Lisa’s story. Check out a few interview excerpts below: On whether or not the family has been involved with the movie: “No, we’re not involved in anything actually dealing with TLC. We would love to be involved, but it’s just not the case. The movie, yeah we knew about it ’cause we had to sign off on it, but we still have nothing to do with the movie, and I don’t know the release date or the premiere date. We didn’t even know when they were shooting. The only way I found out was because a friend of mine was cast as an extra and flew down here, and I happened to go up there with her. We didn’t know anything at all. The only way I can kind of feel is just disappointed and hurt. I can’t point the finger at anyone ’cause I don’t know whose decisions these are. It could be a collective decision, it could be one person, I have no idea. “She [their mother] was hurt, she was pissed off, and hurt more than anything, but it’s like what can we do? Legally, I don’t think we can do anything, but it’s just more morally, why wouldn’t you involve the family? We’re right here in Atlanta, and we’re open to being involved. And when you don’t reach out, it makes you wonder why, question why. We don’t know why. On rumors of a TLC tour and the family’s thoughts on a Left Eye hologram being used: “I didn’t really know about the tour until you mentioned it. I knew about a couple of dates, Japan and PA, but I really didn’t know about a tour, I didn’t know about the album, you pretty much just mentioned it.” “Actually, I actually thought of the [hologram] idea doing that even well before 2Pac’s, but I didn’t know if it actually could be done. And then when I saw 2Pac’s, then I was like, okay, well they can do it. I would definitely be okay with it. I don’t how my mom..she mentioned it, and when she mentioned it, she seemed okay with it. From the fans, I hear both sides. I hear fans that would embrace it, and other fans say no, it’s too real. But, that’s saying that now, when I see it, that’s another story. The thing is, I know the kind of stuff Lisa was into, and that’s something Lisa would have loved, a hologram. So that’s what I think about too.” Wow. Sounds like Left Eye’s family all but signed away their rights to be involved when they signed off on the movie. Wonder why they’re being kept in the dark? Hit the flip to hear Reigndrop and her family’s reaction to Lil Mama being chosen to play Left Eye in the biopic , what Left Eye’s relationship was like with her group members just before she passed and whether or not the family still supports T-Boz and Chilli today. Continue reading →
Television Critics Association members around the country have spoken. Nominations are out for the 2013 TCA Awards, with some usual suspects (Bryan Cranston, Game of Thrones ) leading the way, but some fresh and talented faces (Matthew Rhys, Tatiana Maslany) also receiving the recognition they deserve. Scroll down for a full list of nominees for a ceremony that will take place on August 3. Individual Achievement in Drama Bryan Cranston, ” Breaking Bad ” Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel” Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black” Monica Potter, “Parenthood” Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” Individual Achivement in Comedy Louis C.K., “Louie” Lena Dunham, “Girls” Jake Johnson, “New Girl” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation” Outstanding Achievement in Drama “The Americans,” FX “Breaking Bad,” AMC “Game of Thrones,” HBO “Homeland,” Showtime “Mad Men,” AMC Outstanding Achievement in Comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS “Louie,” FX “New Girl,” FOX “Parks and Recreation,” NBC “Veep,” HBO Outstanding Movie, Miniseries or Special “American Horror Story: Asylum,” FX “Behind the Candelabra,” HBO “Downton Abbey,” PBS “Rectify,” Sundance Channel “Top of the Lake,” Sundance Channel News and Information “Anderson Cooper 360,” CNN “Central Park Five,” PBS “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central “Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC “60 Minutes,” CBS Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming “The Amazing Race,” CBS “The Glee Project,” Oxygen “Shark Tank,” ABC “Survivor,” CBS “The Voice,” NBC Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming “Adventure Time,” Cartoon Network “Bunheads,” ABC Family “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” PBS “Sesame Street,” PBS “Switched at Birth,” ABC Family New Program “The Americans,” FX “Elementary,” CBS “House of Cards,” Netflix “The Mindy Project,” FOX “Orphan Black,” BBC America Career Achievement Award James L. Brooks James Burrows Jay Leno William Shatner Barbara Walters The Heritage Award “All in the Family” “Lost” “Saturday Night Live” “Star Trek” “Twin Peaks” Program of the Year “The Americans,” FX “Breaking Bad,” AMC “Game of Thrones,” HBO “House of Cards,” Netflix ” The Walking Dead ,” AMC
Johnny Depp hits the half-century mark today. One of Hollywood’s favorite actors for years, the Kentucky native is showing no signs of slowing down as he enters his sixth decade on this ninth of June. A critical and fan favorite, he was 2012’s highest-paid actor while winning Best Actor at the Golden Globes for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . He also claimed the SAG Award for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , and can be seen this summer with Armie Hammer in The Lone Ranger . Not bad for a 50-year-old. He’s also reportedly dating Amber Heard , his gorgeous Rum Diary co-star, after both thespians ended their respective, long-term relationships last year. Between Depp, Brad Pitt (49), Tom Cruise (50) and George Clooney (52), it’s looks like 50 is the new 30 for Hollywood leading men these days. Happy birthday Johnny!
Legal advocate Erin Brockovich (now Erin Brockovich-Ellis) needs a lawyer of her own after being arrested while boating on Lake Mead near Las Vegas. She was booked Friday night and posted $1,000 bail. A game warden who saw Erin Brockovich-Ellis having trouble docking a boat on her own offered her assistance, and then noticed she had slurred speech. “She was obviously struggling … and if you’ve had any experience, it’s a simple enough operation,” said Edwin Lyngar of the Nevada Department of Widlife. A field sobriety test showed Brockovich-Ellis was “significantly” over the .08 percent legal threshold for operating a boat, says Lyngar, and she was arrested. We imagine her boat party went something like this … SNL Digital Short: I’m On A Boat We’re kidding. But still, that video is hilarious. Brockovich rose to fame when, despite having no legal training, she helped construct a winning class action lawsuit against the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Now 52, her unlikely crusade against the utility giant was depicted in 2000 in the movie Erin Brockovich . Julia Roberts won an Emmy for the lead role.
