Maybe call it a trailer preamble. Tidbits of the backstory and a tease of M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming sci-fi pic After Earth spread around the internet after the film’s official site launched a run-down of the backstory. The video gives an account of a 1908 spacecraft crash and the subsequent discovery of a technology called “Lightstream” that propelled humankind forward, before ultimately destroying it. Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith star in the project, which is slated for release next June. The Columbia Pictures release pictures the descendants of the original Polish scientist who worked on the technology, the Raige family, studied Lightstream for generations, but its advances also resulted in environmental catastrophe and one of their own, Skyler Raige leads thousands to an alternative world. They become the most influential family in human history… Smith and Smith play, you guessed it, father and son in this new world 1,000 years after the cataclysmic events forced humanity to flee earth, according to Comingsoon.net (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=92568). The elder Smith returns from duty to be a father to his estranged son Kitai (the younger Smith). But when an asteroid destroys their craft, they crash-down on a now unfamiliar planet Earth. Kitai has always wanted to be a soldier, and now with his father seriously injured in the cockpit, he must traverse a hostile land to recover their rescue beacon. [Source: Comingsoon.net and Columbia Pictures ]
The market for films addressing Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential candidacy and his term to date in the Oval Office has proven volatile at best: Hagiographies like the all-access, Edward Norton-produced By the People co-exist alongside a cottage industry of microbudget anti-Obama slam pieces like Hype , The Obama Deception and this past weekend’s 2016: Obama’s America . And thanks in part to election-year grassroots mania (and an interview with the president’s Kenyan half-brother), the latter film may yet prove to be the most lucrative of the Obama subgenre to date. But this weekend’s other release, The Obama Effect ? Not so much. Released on one screen in Houston by Rocky Mountain Pictures (the scrappy purveyor of such right-leaning fare as Atlas Shrugged and the sleeper hits End of the Spear and Expelled: No Intelligence Required ), 2016 pulled in a handsome $31,750 over three days. The showing followed a free word-of-mouth screening last Thursday which featured author/interviewer Dinesh D’Souza (on whose book the film is based) and Oscar-winning co-producer Gerald Molen in attendance; “some moviegoers sat in the aisles Thursday and waited as much as 90 minutes to meet,” according to a THR dispatch . An expanded release is foreseen, perhaps comprising 400 screens total in the lead-up to next month’s Republican National Convention. Meanwhile, down the box-office line (like, way down the box-office line) you’ll find The Obama Effect . Written and directed by and starring Charles S. Dutton, the film focuses on a man circa 2008 who overlooks mounting health and family issues in his fervor to campaign on Obama’s behalf. In a radio interview last week , Dutton described the film as a satirical look at a man who loses perspective on his life (and the political animals who come to surround him), but a glimpse at the trailer and other limited background on the film don’t really combine for much of a message or even much of a story. Which (along with a lack of D’Souza-esque, Obama-thwacking source material) helps explain why the film, released by Arc Entertainment, stumbled this weekend to a meager $73,000 on 25 screens — a per-theater average of $2,920. Lessons? Many remain to be determined, especially as campaign season chugs ahead, though producers and agents alike may immediately be advised that apparently the president’s half-brother George can open a movie better than Andrew Garfield, at least per screen . And think what he could have done with Battleship ! Ahem. Just throwing it out there. [ THR , Box Office Mojo ]
There has been some push-back in the blogosphere over the apparent “genetic enhancement” associated with Aaron Cross, played by Jeremy Renner in the all-new manifestation of the Bourne series, The Bourne Legacy , which comes out next month. But director Tony Gilroy assures that the latest film is “consistent” with the three previous installments, which of course starred Matt Damon . Director Tony Gilroy said he knew he could “enhance everything” and still have it be consistent with “what we had before.” He said the project was purposely changed visually and they’re “blowing the doors open to make it bigger and wider,” adding, “We want to keep the testosterone of it, but it demands a slightly different visual vocabulary.” Noted Renner: We had three movies prior to this, we we knew what they had done. [This] was a brand new canvas for us.” Gilroy also gives kudos to Jeremy Renner who plays Aaron Cross in Legacy . “ou want a character that is worth being at the center of these movies. When you have that, you need a proper actor. You need to find someone who has the chops, gravitas and physical ability – and he’s available…” Check Gilroy and Renner’s interview with AMC Theaters…
Spanking Can Lead To Adult Mental Illness According To Study Do you spank your kids?? Childhood punishments such as spanking, slapping, and hitting – even in the absence of full-scale maltreatment – are associated with an increased risk of mental disorders in adulthood, researchers reported. Adults who reported such punishments in their childhood had a greater risk of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse dependence, and several personality disorders, according to Tracie Afifi, PhD, of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and colleagues. Up to 7 percent of some adult disorders can be attributed to “harsh physical punishment” in childhood, Afifi and colleagues reported online in Pediatrics. The link between child abuse – both physical and sexual – and mental disorders in adulthood has long been established, the researchers noted. But studies of milder forms of punishment that had similar findings have been disputed as having “weaknesses in design, measurement, and analysis,” they added, including the lack of adjustment for confounding factors such as full-scale abuse. To try to overcome those limitations, Afifi and colleagues turned to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which included a representative sample of civilian, non-institutionalized adults in the U.S. The second wave of the survey, conducted between 2004 and 2005, included 34,653 adults, 20 or older, and asked about current mental conditions, as well as the past incidence of physical punishments. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors and family dysfunction, harsh physical punishment was associated with an increased risk of most lifetime Axis I mental disorders. Specifically: – The risk of major depression was 41 percent higher; – The risk of mania was 93 percent higher; – The risk of any mood disorder was 49 percent higher; – The risk of any anxiety disorder was 36 percent higher; – The risk of any alcohol abuse or dependence was 59 percent higher; – The risk of any drug abuse or dependence was 53 percent higher. The findings “provide evidence that harsh physical punishment independent of child maltreatment is related to mental disorders,” Afifi and colleagues concluded. They cautioned that the study was cross-sectional, which precludes drawing any causal inferences. Moreover, they noted, the data was retrospective, which could introduce recall and reporting biases. Discuss… Source
Ludacris’ Ludaversal album is about to be in full swing and he’s ready to let loose the video for his single “Jingalin.” Judging from the photos courtesy of BAM, it looks like Luda is getting his inspiration from Project X or something. Oompaloompas, flame throwers, hot chicks in bikinis, jello, grandmas and more occupy Luda’s set that looks like an absolutely unforgettable party… Continue
“We’re trying to do our part to objectify men for the first time in movies.” Steven Soderbergh ’s male stripper pic Magic Mike shimmies into theaters today powered by a charismatic turn by Channing Tatum and a hard-bodied supporting cast — but the tale isn’t all thongs, pelvic thrusts, and bachelorette party thrills. (Well, okay — it’s got a lot of those things , too.) What secrets did Soderbergh, Tatum, and co-stars Alex Pettyfer , Joe Manganiello, and Matt Bomer spill about on-set nudity, overzealous extras, cross-dressing, and Tatum’s real life experience as a male stripper? The director and cast, along with newcomer Cody Horn, shared these and more stories recently in Los Angeles. Read on for their best anecdotes, advice, and revelations… 1. Magic Mike is based on observations from Tatum’s eight-month stint as a male stripper. How did he get into it — and why did he ever stop? “Look, I was eighteen years old and I worked three jobs,” Tatum began. “This was just one of them, and I really enjoyed performing. It was probably my first performing job ever.” So what ended the 19-year-old Tatum’s stripping career? “I really like to dance, obviously, but then I didn’t really love taking the clothes off at the end…” 2. Tatum on the “very dark world” of male stripping… Magic Mike depicts a backstage world filled with camaraderie, g-strings, and baby oil, but as Pettfyer’s Adam discovers, it’s also one filled with drugs, casual sex, and recklessness. Tatum remembers the real world of male stripping as an even darker place. “The world in itself was just a very dark world in a way. I don’t think we even scratch the surface of really how dark that place can get and how slippery of a slope it can actually be. This was probably the most palatable version of this movie. Otherwise, you wouldn’t want to see it twice, you’d just be like, ‘Okay, I feel dirty now.’ I think we blade-ran that topic.” 3. Tatum denies allegations that he stole Magic Mike ’s story from two ex-stripper acquaintances. Also: Everyone, including his Magic Mike co-stars, has seen Tatum’s old stripping videos. “Look, there’s nothing that’s factual in this whole movie other than I was an eighteen year old kid and went into this world and I dropped out of college and playing football and was living on my sister’s couch,” Tatum explained. “There’s not one character that I took from my real life. This is just a world that I went into and that I had a perspective on and we created everything from a fictional place.” Tatum has mixed feelings about his would-be accusers. “Those guys have been trying to make money off of me since I’ve gotten into this business,” he said. “Literally, London was one of the guys that sold the video that essentially, thank God, my friend here [Soderbergh] saw and liked it and then we made a movie of it. They’re just very interesting people. I don’t want to say anything bad about them because they’re part of the reason why I think this world is so interesting. “They’re very interesting, intriguing, bizarre characters and I’m thankful for the weird people out there because they’re some of the most creative people. I mean, watch his YouTube video. It is really, really entertaining. I mean, that’s how he starts every one, and you’re just like, ‘Oh, we’re back, baby. We’re back!’” Manganiello : ‘The world famous Jungle Boooooy!’ 4. Picture this: Full-length. Dance. Routines. ( Yes please. ) Soderbergh and his cast filmed a dozen full-length stripping routines for the film, although only snippets of each — including Bomer as a living Ken doll, Mangianello painted head-to-toe as a golden god — made it into the film. Those full, unbroken dance scenes would make quite the popular DVD bonus feature, but Soderbergh isn’t sure the entire audience would appreciate all the “gory parts.” “I think it’s not for men, these things,” said Soderbergh. “It made me really uncomfortable to watch them. To watch them all back to back was really disturbing. So, I don’t know.” 5. About that one time Channing Tatum dressed in drag as Marilyn Monroe… Tatum not only strips down to a thong, he dons a halter dress and wig in Magic Mike and serenades Pettyfer in a scene also inspired by real life. “Yeah, I did that to a buddy of mine on his birthday. He was eating at a restaurant and I walked in as Marilyn and basically sang him happy birthday and embarrassed the hell out of him. So, we just decided to put it in this movie for fun.” 6. Though they got a bit overzealous at times, the female extras on-set became the guys’ biggest supporters. McConaughey famously had his thong ripped right off during the filming of his big strip scene (which stayed in the final cut), but having female extras who were really, really into their work helped the cast do their jobs. “I think those were all happy accidents when those happened,” recalled Bomer. “It was a part of the world, and if they wanted to lick you in certain places or touch you, or whatever, it was welcome. It was just a part of the world we were creating.” 7. How to rock a thong: Fellas, take note. “As far as trusting wardrobe, it is one of the larger leaps of faith to trust a thong,” said McConaughey. “It weighs like what a dollar bill weighs. It weighs nothing, and you’re going, ‘At the end of this performance, this is the only protection that I have.’ So, the first time you put it on you’re going, ‘What is every possible angle I can be in?’ I’ve got to check to see if it’s really covered, everything is covered.” Still, added Tatum — who was known to pull double duty as producer between scenes standing around in just his red thong — “sometimes they completely betray you.” 8. Magic Mike , art house movie? “I think we all signed on to this one coming from the independent spirit. This was filmed as this little indie movie expose and I think we all signed on to work with who we got to work with, on the script that we got to work on, in the world that we got to work in,” recalled Manganiello. “The big shock to me was when all the studio executives were coming to filming every day. I went, ‘Wait a minute, this little tiny art house movie… wait, everyone is going to see what I just did to that girl ?’ “I think the fact that it’s snowballed into what’s snowballed into is exactly what you hope for. I mean, that’s it. You work on this project to make the artists happy and you wind up, hopefully, making the bill payer happy, too.” 9. Why men should be just as eager as ladies to see Magic Mike : “Men tend to define themselves by what they do, and so if you’re dealing with a character who’s trying to figure that out, or multiple characters, then there’s something there for guys, too,” explained Soderbergh. “When we tested the film the female scores were not significantly bigger than the male scores. I mean, guys liked it. The trick is, I think, getting them to come, but we’ll see what happens.” And if that doesn’t convince the guys out there, Manganiello has a more practical reason for buying a ticket on opening weekend: “I think if you’re a smart, single guy you’re going to go see this on a Friday or Saturday night… because guess who’s going to be in the theater?” “If you’re really smart you’ll wear a fireman’s outfit,” added Tatum. “And you just might go home with a few numbers, or even better, someone.” So fellas, don’t be scared! And just remember one last bit of advice, from Manganiello. “Don’t forget your axe.” — So just think… only a few years ago, Tatum was stripping for cash (and, apparently, botching the “YMCA” dance). Now he’s turned that skeleton in the closet into a major Hollywood picture that has legitimized him as a serious actor more than any of his previous films. As they say, there’s no shame in that game. Magic Mike is in theaters today. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . 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Despite a ‘funny’ and ‘intellectual’ premiere, ‘Breaking Bad’ has not gone soft in its penultimate season, Bryan Cranston tells MTV News. By Josh Wigler “Breaking Bad” cast Photo: They’re done when he says they’re done — and for Bryan Cranston , he’s not done yet. Television’s most notorious meth cook, Walter White, is coming back with more of the blue stuff when “Breaking Bad” premieres its fifth season July 15. With Gus Fring gone, Walt’s future as a criminal mastermind is wide open and full of twists and turns — and bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. MTV News caught up with Cranston earlier in the week with just two days remaining before wrapping the fifth season. (The show resumes production on its sixth and final season in about five months, he said.) Keep reading for five season-five teases from the one who knocks! Gone With The Fring The only thing more deep-fried than Los Pollos Hermanos’ delicious chicken is Gus Fring’s charred corpse. The drug kingpin and neighborhood businessman died a brutal death at Walt’s hands at the end of season four, a brilliant act of violence that resulted in the sad departure of actor Giancarlo Esposito . Cranston mourns the actor’s dismissal but also knows there’s much more to “Breaking Bad” than the rise and fall of Gus. “The Gus Fring story took two and a half years. He came in midway into the second season and we finished it at the end of the fourth — that’s almost an ending in and of itself,” the actor told MTV News. “With only 16 episodes after that, Walt has to decide whether he’s out or in and how does this story wrap up. It’s almost like starting anew. It’s a brand-new story line as far as developing other adversaries.” Cooking Up Big Laughs Even with new villains and obstacles on the horizon for Walt, fans can expect some measure of levity when “Breaking Bad” returns. In fact, Cranston thinks you’ll be surprised by just how much the season-five premiere, titled “Live Free or Die,” will make you laugh. “As violently surprising as the season-four premiere [‘Box Cutter’] was, this premiere is nonviolent,” he said. “The season-five opener is funny, intellectually curious and stimulating. It’s a really good episode to start us out.” Let The Bodies Hit The Floor A nonviolent premiere doesn’t mean a nonviolent season, however. Indeed, it’ll be hard to dwell on the glorious death of Gus Fring for too long when there are so many other awful casualties to look forward to. Fring’s fiery exit stands out as one of the show’s most memorable demises, yes, but Cranston warns that the bloodshed is very far from over. “Even though the first episode is calmer and more intellectual, that doesn’t mean that ‘Breaking Bad’ has gone soft,” he said. “There are more people who will perish this season. Quite a few more.” All Hail Heisenberg Walter White’s journey to fully break bad is not at an end. Once the upcoming season concludes, there will still be eight more episodes to look forward to. And every step along the way, there’s one thing you can count on: the return of the Heisenberg hat. Wherever Walt goes next, his drug-dealing alter ego won’t be very far behind, promises Cranston. “He can’t do it without the hat. Walt needs Heisenberg,” the actor said. “He needs that heft and power in order to control situations. He calls upon him when he needs him. He’s a great ally to Walter White.” Teasing The Teaser There is virtually nothing else we can tell you about the season-five premiere that won’t spoil some of the show’s greatest surprises yet. If there’s one thing to look forward to, it’s this: the premiere’s cold open. Once again, “Breaking Bad” delivers an enormously satisfying opening scene that’s sure to raise a lot of eyebrows and blow a lot of minds. “The teaser is so bizarre,” Cranston said. “It tells a lot — and it doesn’t tell anything. ” Are you looking forward to the “Breaking Bad” season premiere? Let us know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @roundhoward!
With T.I., Nas and Wiz Khalifa, Rozay tells ‘RapFix Live’ new album features ‘the best of the best, from the new guys to the veterans.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Wale, Meek Mill and Rick Ross on “RapFix Live” Photo: Rick Ross has been raising the bar for himself with each project since his 2006 debut, Port of Miami . Rozay’s most-recent solo album, 2010’s Teflon Don , is arguably his best, and for his Maybach Music Group, the Bawse encourages the same growth. On Tuesday, Ross and his MMG crew dropped Self Made, Vol. 2 , 13 months after they released the first volume. If Rozay had to pick a favorite, he said he’d pick the latest — after all, it is all about progression. “Of course, the difference first and foremost is the sound, the music. When we released Self Made, Vol. 1 , we had just really closed our deal. We pretty much did it in two weeks, just sitting around in the studio, just having fun, and we recorded it,” Ross shared on Wednesday’s (June 27) “RapFix Live.” When MMG released the first Self Made in May 2011, Ross had only secured his label deal with Warner Music Group three months prior, but he, Wale and Meek Mill put it together quickly. This time out, the Bawse expanded his roster, giving Stalley more shine and adding French Montana and former B2K frontman Omarion to the fold. “This project here, everybody was pretty much in a different position. It’s been a big difference status-wise from the first year [’til] now,” Ross explained. “Everybody was basically on tour when we first started this process. We stayed in communication a little more, and I think the music itself it sounds straight up organic, like it was meant to be, from the choruses, the concepts, the titles to the sequencing.” Rozay doesn’t discount Self Made, Vol. 1 , however; he likens it to a seed. Aside from the expanded roster, Ross decided to add a ton of features to the new album as well. T.I., Nas, Bun B, T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa and Kendrick Lamar all appear. “I feel like it’s the best of the best, from the new guys to the veterans,” Ross said. What is your favorite song from Self Made, Vol.2 ? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos ‘RapFix’ Gets ‘Made’ With Rick Ross And MMG Related Artists Rick Ross
Show about gay men in New York has taken on ‘a life of its own,’ write/director/actor Goldman tells MTV News. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Adam Goldman appears on “The Outs” Photo: Adam Goldman is the writer, director and an actor on his own hit series, “The Outs.” If you are young, gay and Internet-savvy (as most young gay men are these days), then you have probably heard of his show since the first three episodes are already out. If you are not any of those things, you should still check out the show. Once the gay blogs (Out.com, Queerty, Towleroad, etc.) caught on to “The Outs,” the show took on “a life of its own,” according to Goldman, with viewers begging for more. The most interesting thing about the show, aside from its surprisingly high production value and its well-written dialogue, is that “The Outs” is an independently produced Web series that’s making a sizable impact on a generation of viewers who are watching more and more of their entertainment online. This six-episode dramatic Web series is funded entirely by successful Kickstarter campaigns and out-of-pocket expenses from the 26-year-old Bard College graduate and the creative team he assembled. “The Outs” tells the story of a couple of recent exes in New York and a good friend of theirs. The exes just so happen to be gay men. Goldman explained the void he aimed to fill when he created the show. “I asked people, ‘What’s your favorite TV show about gay people?’ Or ‘name me a TV show [exclusively] about gay people,’ ” Goldman recalled. “Nobody really has an answer, and I think that’s just sad.” Goldman noted that while TV has become more LGBT-friendly in the last few years, with a handful of excellent gay characters on “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “Smash,” “True Blood,” “American Horror Story” and more, none of these shows is centered around a gay story line. “I think that what we’ve seen from the moment we started the project is a desire for it, and there’s an audience for it,” Goldman shared. “We just want to prove that there’s space in media for stories like this. It’s a story about people who happen to be gay, and we’re super-proud and pleased to appeal to a gay audience.” As far as being on the edge of the online entertainment frontier, Goldman described his stance on the exciting position: “We’re just trying to stretch the definition of what a Web series can be, so we’re trying to shoot it as a TV show that happens to be online.” As HD camera technology continues to improve and the costs of the equipment drop, piecing together a quality show is not the impossible dream that it was only several years ago, though the process is not easy to fund alone. With the viewer base growing rapidly, Goldman and his team just surpassed their latest Kickstarter goal in just 48 hours. That puts the team ahead of its budget for the production of the show’s upcoming fourth episode. Now is the time to keep an eye on Goldman and independent producers like him who are leading the new “TV on the Internet” movement. And if you haven’t already, check out “The Outs” at www.theouts.tv .
The Magic Mike director gave insight into his future endeavors once his hard stop to movie making begins in six months. He told Reuters that a book and even television work may occupy his interests, following in the footsteps of a number of filmmakers who are crossing over to the small screen in the past several years. “I’ve been planning this for five years … I gave myself an out date and I’m right on schedule. I turn into a pumpkin in January,” Steven Soderbergh told Reuters . He also noted that he’s over making what he dubbed as “important movies,” adding that Che satisfied that desire. Following his latest, Soderbergh will finish off the thriller The Bitter Pill starring Channing Tatum, who also stars in Magic as well as Rooney Mara. And he also has the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra with Michael Douglas and Matt Damon shooting this summer. Candelabra may be a window, in fact, into the Oscar winning director’s future since it’s an HBO production. “After I take my self-imposed sabbatical, if I’m going to come back and do something, I think it’s more likely that it would be on television than it would be a movie,” he said.” What do you think of Soderbergh’s move to TV? [Source: Reuters ]
