It’s going on seven years since Brokeback Mountain brought cowboys and leading men out of the closet – even if they weren’t exactly gay. But still, man on man snogging sessions still make some headlines as was the case recently with 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin and actor Russell Brand who share make-out time in the forthcoming Rock of Ages . THR caught up with Baldwin following the film’s Hollywood premiere. The two actors’ characters spell out their love for each other via the REO Speedwagon song “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and top it all off with a smooch. “It’s not like Brokeback Mountain, it’s not two leading men who you are used to getting down with some gorgeous young girl,” Baldwin told THR. “It’s a little more chaste because I’m older (than Brand).” So perhaps Baldwin is brandishing the cougar-equivalent for the male-set? Baldwin of course didn’t think it was a big deal (and hey, is it really? Glamsters have been making out for decades haven’t they?) “We live in an age, and I’m being imprecise here, where half the country gets it, and the other half doesn’t,” noted Baldwin. “I live where men and women who want to get married—who gives a shit? No one gives it a thought. It’s like seeing women in power. Or like seeing African American CEOs. We’re in a fully realized age of equality in all things and it’s not surprising or new. But there is that other half for whom that is surprising and new.” It should be noted that Baldwin is once again going to be a married man (to a woman just for the record) but no word on what the next Ms. Baldwin (if she takes his name by and by) thinks. Baldwin added that the U.S. still holds hang-ups over the gay thing compared to its fellow first-worlders across the pond where same-sex relationships are just part of the day to day. “America is still a place where people are fighting these culture wars.” [Source: THR ]
Young Money gettin’ that Hollyweird gwap Nicki Minaj and Drake Hit The Big Screen In Ice Age 3 Nicki Minaj and Drake are set to hit the big screen for the first time in Ice Age 3. The YMCMB superstars have been cast as a pair of woolly mammoths named Hailey and Ethan respectively. Aubrey and Onika will be joined on screen by the likes of J.Lo, Queen Latifah, and singer/songwriter Ester Dean. Peep the trailer for the flick on the flipside.
Ridley Scott’s Prometheus opens stateside today, which means no more tiptoeing around spoilers for those who’ve seen it. ( Obviously, spoilers will follow. You’ve been warned. ) The number one complaint among folks who have now seen the highly anticipated Alien kinda-prequel? So. Many. Unanswered. Questions. So let’s jump right into the spoiler goo and get to deciding (and, hopefully, answering) the biggest question prompted by Scott’s gorgeous, murky space opus that is left yet unanswered. I’ll start: WHY? Why does pretty much anyone in Prometheus make any of the decisions they make? Like… – Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) with the helmet-taking off. Really, is sniffing (and contaminating) the alien world atmosphere on the planet you just landed on and know nothing about such a good idea? – Vickers (Charlize Theron), running in the one direction that will lead her to being squashed by a giant falling spaceship? – Millburn the dumb biologist (Rafe Spall), who just wants to reach out and make friends — even with the squishy alien penis-snakes? – Space crew guy, walking straight up to his recently deceased, re-animated fellow shipmate who has spider-crawled his way across a space desert to space-murder everyone? Most of these aren’t necessarily unanswered questions, just incredibly stupid decisions that inform and support the characters in facepalm-worthy strokes. Holloway is a risk-taker! Vickers is a sheltered, prideful ice queen with probably little field experience who would rather try to outrun death than roll, like her unassuming and practical brunette counterpart, out of its way! Crew guy is, well, a redshirt, for lack of a better term. Yes, yes. There are reasons to be found here, if not particularly great ones. The bigger questions have to do with two still-opaque entities: The Engineers and David, the increasingly creepy mayhem bot, Lawrence of Robotica. In the prologue we see one Engineer take a dose of black space goo and tumble, dead and transmorphing, into the water — thus presumably starting human life on Earth. So what is the goo? Prometheus builds a tech-driven world filled with great flying ships and alien holograms and C-section machines but is more concerned with ideas: Of creators and creation, of life and death cycling endlessly across the universe between humans and aliens, parents and offspring, scientists and their inventions. All children want to see their parents dead, according to David, who seems to be counting himself in that equation. What is the goo, then? Is it the proto-material of a xenomorph? How does it work, exactly? Why would anyone feed it to the cute Tom Hardy-looking guy? And who created the Engineers, anyway? Does it even matter when the real question is asking why we create, and in the process, destroy? The brilliance of Prometheus ‘s stubborn insistence on not feeding us the answers is that they’re not really important in the grand scheme of things, unless you require your movies to make sense. You know what else refuses to share vital information, instead choosing to provoke and see what happens? David. David, who has spent years in space flight amassing the breadth of human knowledge and yet cannot feel (or can he?), who has the answers — or, at least, the instructions the Engineers have written in their mystery language on the sides of their sweaty weapons of mass destruction like how-to manuals — and yet can’t understand why it is that Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw MUST understand. David, played marvelously by Michael Fassbender, remains the biggest mystery . He’s tasked with one directive: Help Weyland find a way to live forever. You could build a strong case that everything David does is indeed in service of this goal. Weyland’s mistake is in trusting a machine that doesn’t think in human terms, but in practical ones; if there’s no alien magic out there to Benjamin Button old man Weyland back into handsome, young Guy Pearce, David finds another way to help his master live forever: Through his legacy, by altering the course of human history (gladly, it seems) via one or two devious deceptions. Consider the legacy of the man at the center of David’s favorite film, as seen in Prometheus ‘s sublime opening sequence. T.E. Lawrence was born in 1888, helped upset order in the Arab world in 1916, was immortalized on celluloid in 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia , and then, years later in the world of Prometheus , inspired an android to not only imitate his blond coif but instigate the beginnings of the Alien universe in 2093. Lawrence is really the key to understanding David; in helping Weyland achieve his immortality by way of launching the destruction of humanity, David is immortalizing himself, and a part of me thinks that a part of him yearns to express this measure of often foolhardy human emotion. Or maybe he’s just designed to be a close, but not close enough, imitation of the humans who built him? The more I think of David as a stand-in for Prometheus the movie at large, the less I care that Idris Elba figured out in five minutes what the Engineers were up to on this rinky dink planet, or that we’ll never know what David whispered to the last remaining Engineer, a la ScarJo and Bill Murray in Lost in Translation . Those quibbles seem minor given the vast provocations the film leaves behind. To an aggravatingly obvious extent, the gaping abyss of understanding that Prometheus leaves puts us, the viewer, in the position of Shaw — still searching, desperately, for answers, with only a soulless computer brain as her guide. We are Shaw, and maybe the internet is our David, offering knowledge and spoilers at our fingertips but, unless Ridley Scott and writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof hop on a Reddit AMA session, no ready answers and plenty to be wary of. Big things come in small packages, and that goes for space goo, blond robots, and universe-expanding ideas. So, all that said, what unsolved mysteries irked you the most in Prometheus ? Sound off in the spoiler-friendly comments below and let’s figure this sucker out. — Our colleagues at (PMC-owned) Beyond the Trailer pose a relevant question: “Is Prometheus an intellectual sci-fi thriller, or a pseudo-intellectual sci-fi thriller?” See what other real folks say in their impromptu exit poll. 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File under WTF, Out of Left Field, and Most Probably Not Happening, Like Ever: According to Deadline , rumor has it that Angelina Jolie , coming off of her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey , has been in the unofficial running to join the 50 Shades of Grey adaptation — not as Mrs. Robinson, not as some kinky bondage-enthusiast, but as… director. Mike Fleming reports from the floor of the rumor mill: “I’ve heard rumors about the possibility of Angelina Jolie having a conversation or two about directing it… The studio says that no discussions have been had, but they note that if she was interested, that the studio would be also. They loved her directorial debut, In The Land Of Blood And Honey .” I’m not sure what about Blood and Honey would suggest that Jolie is a great pick to direct the steamy erotica adaptation, though she has won “honors” in various men’s magazines for being the Sexiest Woman Alive, and those things ought to count for something. In any case, Fleming says, Jolie’s busy. “I’m told she’s completely focused on her next film, Maleficent , at Disney and isn’t entertaining other offers at this moment.” So maybe the Jolie train has already come and gone. Assuming so, which director would you like to see tackle 50 Shades of Grey ? I’ll start with a few: Adrian Lyne (via Deadline commenters). Just Jaeckin. John Waters. Go! [ Deadline ]
The Ridley Scott-directed Sci-Fi thriller awaits its U.S. bow this weekend and momentum appears to be on its side. Across the Atlantic where audiences have already flocked to see the movie, Twentieth Century Fox is already cashing in, with a £6.24M gross last weekend, which translates to just over $9.7M. That figure outshines any of the Alien movies, according to The Guardian which reported the figures. Of course anyone with a television in the English-speaking world and beyond knew last weekend was Britain’s Diamond Jubilee extravaganza and the government tacked on two bank holidays Monday and Tuesday so crowds could join in on the festivities. And while they did, some clearly took a break for some big screen good times because Prometheus tacked on an additional £3.68M ($5.73M) those days, making the pic bigger than the total gross across the pond than any of the Alien movies, according to The Guardian. The longer term impact is challenging to determine since prequels and sequels tend to muster fans to head to the theaters in bigger droves than a film first out of the gate. But for comparisons sake, Gladiator opened in May 2000 with £3.56M ($5.54M) and eventually tallied £31.2M ($48.56M), though Robin Hood opened with £5.75M ($8.95M) but it eventually totaled only £15.6M ($24.28M).
After riding train after train and whatnot , Denzel Washington is back navigating giant hunks of careening metal in Robert Zemeckis ‘s Flight , which marks the director’s return to live-action filmmaking after a decade spent trying (in vain, IMO) to conquer the uncanny valley. So how well do director and star succeed in piquing your interest in a movie about an airline pilot (Washington) who saves a plane full of passengers only to have his heroism — and drinking habits — come under scrutiny in the aftermath? Below, watch the first trailer for Flight , which boasts a stellar cast surrounding Washington that includes Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, and Melissa Leo. It’s not all that revealing, which is a good thing in this age of spoiler-happy marketing, though there’s potential for some big unknown twist to rock us to our core in the last act. So what’s there to look forward to? Washington as a normal dude trying to figure it out, I suppose — or as a hero hiding some dark secret, which would be more interesting — and, of course, the sight of Denzel rolling a freaking airplane on top of some houses , or whatever. That should be enough for me. And yet… I’m just lukewarm on Flight . Is there any reason to see it besides the fact that it’s Denzel being Denzel and Zemeckis maybe-recapturing the knack for storytelling on display in his best live-action hits? Head to Apple for the trailer premiere. Then again, I am about to get on a flight tomorrow morning, so forgive me if I’m not too juiced for a movie about the one airplane that falls apart in the sky for no good reason. Flight synopsis: In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault, and what really happened on that plane? Flight is in theaters November 2. [via Apple ]
After riding train after train and whatnot , Denzel Washington is back navigating giant hunks of careening metal in Robert Zemeckis ‘s Flight , which marks the director’s return to live-action filmmaking after a decade spent trying (in vain, IMO) to conquer the uncanny valley. So how well do director and star succeed in piquing your interest in a movie about an airline pilot (Washington) who saves a plane full of passengers only to have his heroism — and drinking habits — come under scrutiny in the aftermath? Below, watch the first trailer for Flight , which boasts a stellar cast surrounding Washington that includes Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, and Melissa Leo. It’s not all that revealing, which is a good thing in this age of spoiler-happy marketing, though there’s potential for some big unknown twist to rock us to our core in the last act. So what’s there to look forward to? Washington as a normal dude trying to figure it out, I suppose — or as a hero hiding some dark secret, which would be more interesting — and, of course, the sight of Denzel rolling a freaking airplane on top of some houses , or whatever. That should be enough for me. And yet… I’m just lukewarm on Flight . Is there any reason to see it besides the fact that it’s Denzel being Denzel and Zemeckis maybe-recapturing the knack for storytelling on display in his best live-action hits? Head to Apple for the trailer premiere. Then again, I am about to get on a flight tomorrow morning, so forgive me if I’m not too juiced for a movie about the one airplane that falls apart in the sky for no good reason. Flight synopsis: In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault, and what really happened on that plane? Flight is in theaters November 2. [via Apple ]
After riding train after train and whatnot , Denzel Washington is back navigating giant hunks of careening metal in Robert Zemeckis ‘s Flight , which marks the director’s return to live-action filmmaking after a decade spent trying (in vain, IMO) to conquer the uncanny valley. So how well do director and star succeed in piquing your interest in a movie about an airline pilot (Washington) who saves a plane full of passengers only to have his heroism — and drinking habits — come under scrutiny in the aftermath? Below, watch the first trailer for Flight , which boasts a stellar cast surrounding Washington that includes Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, and Melissa Leo. It’s not all that revealing, which is a good thing in this age of spoiler-happy marketing, though there’s potential for some big unknown twist to rock us to our core in the last act. So what’s there to look forward to? Washington as a normal dude trying to figure it out, I suppose — or as a hero hiding some dark secret, which would be more interesting — and, of course, the sight of Denzel rolling a freaking airplane on top of some houses , or whatever. That should be enough for me. And yet… I’m just lukewarm on Flight . Is there any reason to see it besides the fact that it’s Denzel being Denzel and Zemeckis maybe-recapturing the knack for storytelling on display in his best live-action hits? Head to Apple for the trailer premiere. Then again, I am about to get on a flight tomorrow morning, so forgive me if I’m not too juiced for a movie about the one airplane that falls apart in the sky for no good reason. Flight synopsis: In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault, and what really happened on that plane? Flight is in theaters November 2. [via Apple ]
The almost-reigning king of Twitter, Justin Bieber , has a special tweet to share about Mark Wahlberg. No, it wasn't birthday wishes (though Mark's b-day was yesterday), but it's about his new movie, “Ted.” And charity. Yes … See the original post: MTV Act Blog – Sweet Tweet: Justin Bieber Wants to Help Mark …
Oh, this should be GOOD! ESPN Features Documentary “Broke” About Athletes That Have Ruined Their Lives According to BlackSportsOnline All rookies in every sport should be required to see this documentary. “Broke,” a ESPN documentary directed by Billy Corben, is a part of ESPN “30 for 30 Vol. II” which is scheduled to be released in October. The documentary “digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carries them to victory on the field and ruin off it.” It features retired stars like Keith McCants, Bernie Kosar, Leon Searcy and Andre Rison, as well as commentary from Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, Bart Scott of the New York Jets and many others. Below is a synopsis of the documentary. According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. For 78 percent of NFL players, it takes only three years. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical problems, and naturally prone to showing off, most pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life. Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Jamal Mashburn, Bernie Kosar, and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carries them to victory on the field and ruin off it. With athletes like Terrell Owens claiming to be broke and former NFL running back Jamal Lewis in court today for a bankruptcy court hearing, this documentary should be a lesson for newly professional athletes on how to manage their money properly. You don’t want to be another Andre Rison, who declared bankruptcy in 2007 and was indicted by a federal grand jury last year for failure to pay child support charges. Or Keith McCants, who confessed in a 2011 interview that he wished he “never had any money.” It’s a sad state of affairs with a lot of these pro athletes, but with so many of these guys losing their money, families, even their lives, this will be must see TV.
