Hey, what’s with cats and horror ? By the end of the day, everyone in your office will be talking about the eye-popping (literally) werewolf-transformation scene from the Eli Roth -produced Netflix series Hemlock Grove . If you haven’t seen it, I’ve posted it below. Just make sure you’ve digested your lunch and that your boss isn’t watching. It’s that graphic. The Werewolf & The Cat Once you have watched it, ask yourself two questions: 1) Is this a one-way transformation? It sure looks like one. Or at some point do we get to see an equally grotesque wolf-to-human transformation. Now that would be novel. And 2) What purpose does the cat serve in this clip? Does it somehow help to soften the horror to come? If that’s the intent, then perhaps the cat should have gotten its cameo after the wide-eyed guy who watches the transformation drops the f-bomb. Watch this tweak of the classic chestburster scene from Alien to see how a little cat humor can take the edge off a really tense situation. The Purr-fect Alien Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Has The Host already entered its twilight as a potential film franchise? Stephenie Meyer has said she envisions her sci-fi follow-up to the blockbuster Twilight novel franchise, as a three-novel story arc , but the probability of those future books translating into a movie trilogy is looking iffy at best. A spokeswoman for The Host says information regarding the probability of a sequel “is not available at this time,” but the film’s dismal opening weekend does not bode well for a follow-up. The hordes who swarmed the film adaptations of Meyer’s Twilight saga apparently did not find a romance about a parasitic alien nearly as compelling because they did not show up at the cineplex last weekend. The Host ‘s Box Office Sales Were Dismal According to Box Office Mojo , The Host did $10.6 million its opening weekend, and as of April 2, it has made only $23.5 million worldwide — little more than half of its $40-million production budget. International box office results, which have become increasingly important, also lagged behind domestic. (In comparison, G.I. Joe: Retaliation , which is getting a sequel, has grossed almost $140 million worldwide at the box office as of April 2.) But that’s not the only factor that makes a sequel unlikely. At the Los Angeles premiere of The Host on March 19, Meyer told EW.com that she was still working on the second novel. (The movie’s director Andrew Niccol, who expressed interested in helming a sequel even cracked, “Show me the book, Stephenie….You shouldn’t be here. You should be home writing.” The Follow-Up Novel Isn’t Finished The longer Meyer takes to finish the book, the greater the likelihood that the already meager interest in the movie version of The Host — and any sequel it might spawn — will dissipate further, while the first film’s cast members, who’ve expressed an interest in doing a sequel, grow older and commit to other films. In other words, you have a better chance of contracting a tapeworm than seeing a sequel to The Host . [ Box Office Mojo , EW.com ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
It’s been referred to as the southern Jersey Shore , but there’s officially nothing funny any longer about Buckwild . Not after 21-year old star Shain Gandee was found dead in a truck today, his corpse discovered along with two others in a vehicle that was buried up to its windows in mud. In response to the incident – along with separate recent arrests for cast members Salwa Amin and Michael Burford in connection with drugs and drunk driving, respectively – Danny Jones has a message for MTV. “The show only enhances the negative stereotype the Kanawha Valley already has,” says the Mayor of Charleston, West Virginia. “I hope the show’s life is short.” It is believed that Gandee, his uncle and an unidentified woman all died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning , though the Sheriff’s Office is yet to issue a report. Just a few months ago, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin slammed the series as a “travesty” that makes money off shameful behavior; he urged MTV to cancel it even before it hit the air. Do you now agree? Should MTV cancel Buckwild? Yes, without question No, it entertains me View Poll »
Another day another epitome of a bad mother . Via NYDailyNews reports : A Florida mom shot her baby daughter dead near a public golf course before turning the handgun on herself, police reported. Jenna Porter, 22, gunned down three-year-old Scarlett and then committed suicide at Hilaman Golf Course, near Tallahassee, Tuesday evening. Their bodies were discovered by golfers who heard the gunfire. They called 911 and waited until deputies arrived. Leon County Sheriff’s Office said the mom and daughter lived in the nearby Whispering Woods Apartment Complex. The tragic news has left the usually quiet neighborhood in shock. Ray Parsons told CBS News, “It made me feel sad because she is lying on the ground and there’s nothing she could do for herself … and that’s kind of shocking.” Randria Walker, who also lives close by added, “I was in shock because it’s so quiet out here.” Preliminary autopsy results indicate the pair each died from a single gunshot wound to the head. So sad… R.I.P. to that poor baby girl. We wish her mom would have sought help before going to such extreme lengths.
Kimora Lee Simmons is opening up about life after her split with Djimon and her “fabulous” life… In an interview with Daily Mail Kimora runs her mouth about pretty much everything. Peep the quotes: On Her Big Personality And Career: Kimora Lee Simmons could never be described as a woman who does things by halves. Big hair, big heels, big attitude: as she herself says, ‘I have a really big mouth, I have a lot of opinions and I will be heard.’ It’s a tactic which has propelled her from being the only child of a single mother growing up in St Louis, Missouri, to becoming a Chanel runway model at 13, girlfriend (and subsequent wife) of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons at 17 and now president and creative director of the online fashion website, JustFab. As she herself explains: ‘I’m very determined, honest, open and definitely very energetic. I expect a lot as a boss and I’m very demanding, but I ask that of myself too.’ ‘After Life in the Fab Lane [Kimora’s previous show] which had sprinklings of my family life in it, I really wanted to show the workings of an office and how a team works together to build a brand,’ she says, altogether softer and more quiet than her on-screen persona. ‘It’s like The Office,’ she says, referring to the Ricky Gervais-inspired series, ‘but a lot more organized.’ On Her Weight: Part of her appeal to women lies in her self-confidence and her positive body image (admittedly not difficult to muster when you’re as striking as she is), ‘but I’ve faced rejection time and time again and I’ve been lots of different sizes,’ she says. ‘I’ve had times when I’ve been much bigger and much smaller so that you could see my ribs and I look back at some pictures and it was awful to me. But it’s all OK because I’m comfortable with myself now. It’s about being healthy and active and having a crazy schedule and running after my three kids, so I probably eat very sporadically – lots of smaller meals and snacks. It’s just about having an active lifestyle.’ On Fabulosity: It has spawned books (Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It) and perfumes (Baby Phat Fabulosity) and, says Kimora, ‘I came up with that phrase many years ago and people just seem to love it. It’s about knowing that we come with so much that is already fabulous but knowing also that we can always improve and be better. ‘It’s not about how skinny you are or how much money or how many diamonds you have – that’s the fluff that people sometimes look at as being the main thing. It’s about understanding that the things that make you fabulous are all inside of you.’ On Her Childhood: Growing up an only child in Missouri, Kimora was still a young girl when her parents separated, leaving her mother, Joanne Perkins, to raise her alone. ‘A lot of my ideals come from my mom,’ she says, ‘and seeing what she sacrificed for me and how hard she worked definitely shaped me.’ Did her mother constantly tell her she was fabulous? ‘Well, I think people used different words for it back then!’ Kimora laughs. ‘But she was definitely the prototype of strong womanhood for me and it’s where I get a lot of my determination from.’ Her exotic ancestry (Kimora is of Korean, Japanese and African-American descent) meant that growing up in the Midwest in the mid-Seventies and Eighties presented its own particular set of problems. ‘I was bullied and picked on because I was so different to everyone else,’ she says, ‘and I definitely didn’t believe or even know I was fabulous back then. But those hard times made me everything I am today. It’s all water under the bridge now, but being bullied and going through adversity definitely made me stronger.’ To improve Kimora’s confidence, her mother enrolled her in a modelling class when she was ten years old and after embarking on her modelling career at the age of 13, Kimora was chosen by Karl Lagerfeld to model for Chanel, where she went on to walk the runways of Paris, Milan and New York. ‘That was a real turning point for me,’ admits Kimora, ‘because everything that people considered weird about me before, well, suddenly Karl Lagerfeld said it was OK. He’s one of the biggest names in fashion, so all of a sudden it gave me a validity and introduced me to a whole other world.’ On Her Relationships: By the time she had turned 17, Kimora had already caught the eye of Russell Simmons, co-founder of the Def Jam label as well as creator of the Phat Farm clothing line (Kimora is former creative director and co-founder of its subsidiary, Baby Phat). She married him at 23 and though the couple separated in 2006, Simmons occasionally pops up in Kimora’s various TV shows with their two daughters Ming, now 13, and Aoki, ten. Kimora subsequently went on to marry actor Djimon Hounsou (best known for his roles in Blood Diamond and Amistad) and although they have a three-year-old son Kenzo, the couple separated at the end of last year. She deftly sidesteps the reasons as to why her five-year union with Hounsou didn’t last, but says: ‘Relationships do change throughout the course of your life and I always think in terms of relationships changing and evolving rather than starting and stopping. ‘Kids never go away from your life and if you’ve been married, that person probably never goes away either. You never get rid of anyone and,’ she laughs, ‘they never really get rid of you!’ Although she says she is on friendly terms with her ex-husbands, she admits: ‘Gosh, it’s not always so easy, but I try to do everything from the viewpoint of what’s best for my kids. I have three kids and two great dads and it’s not always easy, but you have to try to be a little selfless and we manage just fine.’ On Dating: Though Kimora was recently linked with heavyweight boxer Malik ‘King’ Scott, she says now: ‘I’m not with anyone at the moment – it’s just my kids and their two dads I guess’ and one wonders whether all that rampant fabulosity might not be a touch intimidating for some men. ‘Well, I think they are sometimes [intimidated],’ she admits, ‘but men are intimidated by a lot of things, you know, such as jobs and bit of determination. They have a lot of insecurities about who we are, what we have, what we look like, what we’ve accomplished and what we’re capable of because we’re fabulous and capable of doing so much and juggling so much every day. ‘People might be mad I’m saying this, but [men] do have a lot of hang-ups. But that shouldn’t deter you ladies from being great! You don’t have to dumb down – you just have to find a clever, good, secure man. I’ve found a couple – I’ve been lucky – but it’s probably hard for everybody to find that true love of a good man.’ On Growing Up Too Fast: ‘Oh my gosh, I did,’ she exclaims. ‘I was modelling at ten, I married very young and I’ve done everything pretty early. I always joke that I’ve had several midlife crises already! I’ve definitely made mistakes along the way,’ she admits, ‘but I’ve got a good head on my shoulders and,’ she adds in a rare moment of understated fabulosity, ‘things have turned out pretty well so far.’ Have you been watching Kimora’s newest show? Who do you think she’ll get with next? We have a feeling that this Djimon business still ain’t really OVER.
Kim Kardashian truly loved Kris Humphries back in the day and never had any intention of frauding him into marriage. So the reality star swore Tuesday in her nine-hour deposition, which took place in Los Angeles at the office of her attorney, Laura Wasser. Details are still leaking out regarding the testimony in this terse Kris Humphries- Kim Kardashian divorce case, but sources tell TMZ that the former did not even show up for the proceedings. Kardashian testified that her family’s E! series played NO role in her decision to exchange vows with the Nets power forward. Reportedly, Humphries’ attorney did not press very much on the issue of Keeping Up with the Kardashian s, despite an oath from its producer this month that various segments related to Kim and Kris were staged . Perhaps the lawyer was aware that the staging and re-creating of these scenes simply proves that his client was in on the scripted nonsense all along. A hearing is set for May 6, where Kim hopes a divorce is granted, while Humphries and his legal team are still hoping for an annulment. On what ground? No one really knows.
Actor-director Glenn Berggoetz is bringing his new film to Los Angeles on March 23, and this time, he says, he’s going to make more than $11. As Movieline gleefully reported in 2011, Berggoetz’s microbudget picture The Worst Movie EVER! earned the dubious distinction of selling a single $11 ticket during its opening weekend at a single theater in Los Angeles. But his follow-up, Midget Zombie Takeover , has already improved upon that. Berggoetz (he’s front and center in the above photo) premiered Midget Zombie Takeover at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester, VA on Feb. 8, and, according to Box Office Mojo , the picture earned $2,755 — more than its $2000 budget and a 25,000-percent improvement over his last film’s opening. (The movie’s trailer is posted below.) In an email, the Denver-based filmmaker writes that the capacity crowd at the Drafthouse “went nuts” and that theater owner “Steve Nerangis told me he’s never heard so much laughing at a film in all his years of owning the theater.” Berggoetz adds that this initial reception and “nothing but great reviews since its release” have translated to cinemas booking Midget Zombie Takeover “not just as a midnight movie, but for multiple screenings” in some cases. He also notes that a theater in Phoenix is considering booking the film for entire week — the first time that his work has received such a lengthy showing. The moral of the story? Being known as the guy with the worst movie opening ever has turned out to be a pretty good thing for Berggoetz. “While I wouldn’t call the $11 opening weekend debacle a badge of honor, it soon became, and remains, a god-send,” he writes. “I still get inquiries from fans all over the world asking about the film, and it really led to me making some great connections.” Although Box Office Mojo reports The Worst Movie EVER! has earned only $10,194 since November 2012, Berggoetz says he got a book deal and speaking gigs out of the ensuing publicity. Last October, he published: The Independent Filmmaker’s Guide: Make Your Feature Film for $2,000 . As he puts it, “Had The Worst Movie EVER! done $110 its opening weekend, a lot of these doors (maybe all of them) wouldn’t have opened for me. So while that opening weekend was a complete bummer at first, I wouldn’t trade it for anything (other than a $20 million opening weekend).” And as he prepares to return to the city where he was humiliated in 2011, Berggoetz is confident that, this time around, he’ll be vindicated. “At this point there are more than 50 people who have contacted me online to say they’ll be attending the midnight screening on Saturday, March 23 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood,” writes the filmmaker, who has clearly learned something about promotion and marketing since then. “So it looks like we’ll post our best L.A. box office numbers yet!” [ Box Office Mojo ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Long before the Is- Ricky Gervais ‘-Version-of- The-Office -Funnier-Than- Steve-Carell’s ? argument raged in bars frequented by comedy junkies, I spent way too much time debating similar question: whether Steve Coogan’s BBC TV talk-show spoof Knowing Me, Knowing You…With Alan Partridge was superior to Garry Shandling’s HBO series The Larry Sanders Show . With The Office , I would take Gervais’ side every time, but I could argue either side of the Partridge/Sanders contest because both shows were genuinely brilliant. So I’m thrilled, in a sour Steve Coogan kind of way, to see that the long-gestating Alan Partridge: The Movie will finally arrive in theaters this summer — at least in the U.K., where it opens in August &mdash. I’m also cheered that Coogan has not lost his edge as the extremely self-absorbed talk-show host. In this teaser trailer, he discusses some painfully bad titles for what sounds like a Die Hard -meets-Alan-Partridge radio-station siege movie that, if the host has anything to do with it, will include “heavy kissing and guns.” The clip even has the makings of a new debate: which is the more laugh-out-loud title: Colossal Velocity or Alpha Papa? I also quite like Hectic Danger Day . Leave your choices in the comments section below. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Positive American Youth’s FREE GROCERY GIVE AWAY. This Sunday March 17th,@ 1:00PM. The Positive American Youth’s Office, 780 Veterans Memorial Hwy. SW. Mableton, GA 30126
