The Fanboy Remix Podcast Episode 1.15 "The Hangover"

Whatta ya hear, whatta ya say! The three B's are back for a tension filled installment of "The Fanboy Remix Podcast." In which Bobby is inhabited by the spirit of a 30's gangster, Brad recalls a time he lost all control of his bodily functions and Brian gives a health lesson we couldn't unlearn even if we wanted to. Somewhere in between our able hosts have a spirited debate over "The Hangover" and take on their first gangster film.

FBR Episode 1.15 "The Hangover"

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Movies: Cage Box Office King!

So, you can count me in the shocked category on this Sunday afternoon because math thriller Knowing has landed Nicholas Cage on top of the box office once again. The Alex Proyos(Dark City, The Crow) film nabbed $24.8 million on 3,332 screens for a $7,447 average. Prior to this weekend's haul most industry experts were tracking the film at third place bow and around $15 million for the weekend. That prediction was blown out of the water when the sci fi offering pulled in $8.9 million on it's first day. Knowing once again proves the muscle that Cage brings to genre pictures.

Finishing very strongly (and right on expectations) was the Paul Rudd, Jason Segal vehicle I Love You, Man the laugher co-starring Rashida Jones toke in an estimated $18 million with a $6.641 average from 2,711 sites. This opening is right on target with other comedies of it's ilk with Role Models and Forgetting Sarah Marshall pulling in $19.2 and $17.7 million respectively. There is great word of mouth on Man and it should hold up as well as those other pics did.

The other new release of the week Duplicity opened decently in third place with $14.4 million. The Clive Owen/Julia Roberts vehicle failed to incite the same kind of fire as the similar Mr. and Mrs. Smith which bowed in the summer of 2005 to a whopping $50 million. That movie had the benefit of the summer season and a spicy Angelina Jolie/ Brad Pitt off screen tryst. Still, there was a day when a Julia Roberts movie would not be third banana.

The top five was rounded out by a couple of holdovers. Disney's Race To Witch Mountain fell 46% for an estimated $13 million and Watchmen continues its precipitous fall losing 62% of its audience for a weekend haul 0f around $6 million. The two films have gathered $44 million and $98 million respectively.

I did want to note one more top ten film. Coraline swept back into 3-d theaters this weekend and in doing so only lost about $600,000 weekend to weekend. It came in at number 10 with around 2 million bucks. It's nice to see such a well made film really resonating with a main stream audience. It's total cume now sits around $72 million.

1	Knowing	$ 24,813,000			3,332	1	$ 7,447	$ 24,813,000	Summit
2	I Love You, Man	18,005,000			2,711	1	6,641	18,005,000	Paramount
3	Duplicity	14,402,000			2,574	1	5,595	14,402,000	Universal
4	Race to Witch Mountain	13,004,000	24,402,214	-46.7	3,187	2	4,080	44,715,000	Buena Vista
5	Watchmen	6,720,000	17,817,301	-62.3	3,510	3	1,915	98,060,000	Warner Bros.
6	The Last House on the Left	5,921,000	14,118,685	-58.1	2,402	2	2,465	24,047,000	Universal
7	Taken	4,100,000	6,568,651	-37.6	2,661	8	1,541	133,139,000	Fox
8	Slumdog Millionaire	2,700,000	5,002,777	-46.0	2,067	19	1,306	137,202,000	Fox Searchlight
9	Madea Goes to Jail	2,510,000	5,108,532	-50.9	1,835	5	1,368	87,208,000	Lionsgate
10	Coraline	2,143,000	2,718,231	-21.2

Video Games: Milano Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts!

Source: Variety

Ghostbusters: The Game has taken a hit in nostalgic cred but a major step up in the hotness meter as Alyssa Milano has signed on to voice Dana Barrett in the Atari published game. The part was originally played by Sigourney Weaver who declined the chance to reprise her roll.

How weird is the world when you can get the normally aloof Bill Murray to come back but not Rick Moranis or Sigourney Weaver. Milano is a good actress my only pause is that it might sound out of place. She is certainly saying the right things though. Milano stated "I have so much respect for that character in the movie that I hope I do the position that she is in justice. I was just flattered to be asked to be part of 'Ghostbusters'."

Ghostbusters: The Game hits the PS3. XBOX 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PS2 and PC on June 16th.

Movies: Set My Ring of Power to Stun!

It seems DC/Warner Brothers might not be so far off from launching on of their major heroes to the big screen and they are looking to Captain James T. Kirk to do it.

Chris Pine who is all set to play the non Shatner Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot may be slipping on that all powerful ring and becoming the Green Lantern. That's word over at IESB anyway, where they report that Pine is at the top of the casting list.

This would mark the first major hero outside of Batman and Superman to make it to the big screen. (I don't count Catwoman and neither should any rational human being).

The film would be the story of Hal Jordan, a test pilot who was given a power ring by a dying alien, Abin Sur, and who became a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar organization of police overseen by the Guardian of the Universe.

Casino Royale director Martin Campbell is set to helm with an eye on a December release date.

Movies: Marvel Release Date Shake Up!

Only one more bit of Marvel news today I promise! Today Marvel Studios announced a lot of new release dates for their upcoming films.  Including the announcement of their first co-produced Spider-man picture.  I'm kind of excited about this delay.  I thought all these films were coming too fast anyway.  Now they will at least have the appropriate time to gestate and be the awesome movies we know they can be.  Below is an excerpt from Nikki Finke's column....

“This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel’s movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character THE AVENGERS film in 2012,” said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios.

Sony Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN 4 is slated for May 6, 2011. To date, all three motion pictures in the phenomenally successful SPIDER-MAN franchise have generated nearly $2.5 billion worldwide theatrically.

Below is Marvel Studios’ 2010-2012 updated release schedule for its slate of self-produced and financed feature films:

Marvel Studios Feature Film Pipeline
IRON MAN 2: formerly May 7, 2010, now May 7, 2010
THOR: formerly July 16, 2010, now June 17, 2011
CAPTAIN AMERICA: formerly May 6, 2011, now July 22, 2011
THE AVENGERS: formerly July 15, 2011, now May 4, 2012

The release date for IRON MAN 2 remains unchanged.

Movies: Scarlet a Widow and Rourke a Ruski

The internets is a buzz today with Marvel news.....

Mickey Rourke is in baby!! Marvel has ponied up the dough for Randy the Ram to play a yet to be named Russian villian in "Iron Man 2."  This is a big win for the film as it strengthens an allready stellar cast.  Rourke will join Downey, Paltrow, Jackson, Rockwell and....

It is being reported in the trades that Scarlett Johansson is all set to play Iron Man frienemy Black Widow in the upcoming "Iron Man 2."  The roll was originally offered to Emily Blunt but she had to bow out when Fox exercised it's option and put her in "Gulliver's Travels."  

Rourke? Johansson? Thoughts anyone...

Movies: "Twilight" Franchise Going Classy?

Variety and Nikki Finke are reporting that Summit Entertainment has inked "The Orphanage" director Juan Antonio Bayona to direct "Eclipse," the third film in the Twilight franchise.

Considering that "New Moon" the second film in the series has not yet started production a directorial announcement may seem strange. However, it is to be noted that "Eclipse" is due out in just over a year from now so Summit had to get a move on.

This choice of director is a great one.  In fact it reminds me of Alfonso Cuaron helming "Prisoner of Askaban" except for the fact that the Potter series comes from far superior source material. Bayona is a disciple of Guillermo Del Toro and a really talented guy in his own right. So, I'm anxious to see what he does with the franchise.  

Movies: Saturn Award Nominees

The nominees for the 35 annual Saturn Awards were announced today. The Saturn Awards which are put on by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films are a specialty award show catering to genre films. Head right over to their official website for all the details!

Science Fiction Film
"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"Eagle Eye"
"The Incredible Hulk"
"Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Jumper"

Fantasy Film
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Hancock"
"The Spiderwick Chronicles"
"Twilight"
"Wanted"

Horror Film
"The Happening"
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"
"Quarantine"
"Splinter"
"The Strangers"

Action / Adventure / Thriller Film
"Changeling"
"The Dark Knight"
"Gran Torino"
"Quantum of Solace"
"Traitor"
"Valkyrie"

Actor
Christian Bale, "The Dark Knight"
Tom Cruise, "Valkyrie"
Robert Downey, Jr.. "Iron Man"
Harrison Ford, "Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Will Smith, "Hancock"

Actress
Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Dark Knight"
Angelina Jolie. "Changeling"
Julianne Moore, "Blindness"
Emily Mortimer, "Transsiberian"
Gwyneth Paltrow, "Iron Man"

Director
Clint Eastwood, "Changeling"
Jon Favreau, "Iron Man"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Bryan Singer, "Valkyrie"
Steven Spielberg, "Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Andrew Stanton, "Wall-E"

Network Television Series
"Fringe"
"Heroes"
"Life On Mars"
"Lost"
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
"Supernatural"

Movies: Loki Might be Joshin!

This story comes to us courtesy of IESB and JoBl and tells tale of a Thor casting rumor. Apparently Josh Hartnett is in the running to play the god of mischief himself Loki.

For those of you unaware Thor is the story of, well, Thor who is the Norse god of thunder. He is sent to earth by his father Odin to learn humanity and humility. Loki is his brother and constant fly in his ointment. Kenneth Branaugh is set to direct for a July 2010 release. Thoughts on Hartnett as Loki?

Movies: "Drag Me To Hell" Trailer!!!

The first trailer for "Drag Me To Hell," Sam Raimi's return to horror film making,debuted at Yahoo movies today. All I can say is hell fucking yeah. We have one of the greats going back to doing what he loves. People who don't know Evil Dead or any pre Spider-man Raimi will be in for a major shock.

Click the picture to peep the trailer!

Movies: Fantastic Again?

According to IESB 20th Century Fox is looking to reboot the "Fantastic Four" franchise. They plan to tone down the campiness and turn the production more towards an "Iron Man" like tone. The reboot would mean a totally different team. So, that mean Alba is out,Gruffold is out and Tim Story is out. However, Chiklis and Evans being out is not the best news. Evans as the Human Torch was the saving grace of both mediocre films.

I'm glad they are deciding on a new direction I just can;t put much faith in Tom Rothman's capabilities of letting a good hero movie happen.

Television: Let the Ratings Be With You!

The long gestating "Star Wars" live action television show is getting itself underway. George Lucas revealed to MTV that this new show will he show will center around minor characters from the mythology between REVENGE OF THE SITH and the original STAR WARS. We will follow the Rebel Alliance as it slowly gains strength against the Empire. There will be no Storm troopers nor Jedi.

It doesn't seem to matter how many Jar Jars, Jake Lloyds or gay Hutt clan members Lucas gives me I still find myself stoked beyond belief at this news. I'm always hungry for more of the universe and hopefully with television budget constraints Lucas can make something more akin to the first trilogy. Thoughts?

The Fanboy Remix Podcast Episode 1.3 "Watchmen"

Brian and Bobby return for the third episode of Fanboy Remix where they discuss "Watchmen," the evil that is Brett Ratner and stumble upon a golden idea for a new SNL film.

Episode 1.3 "Watchmen"
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Movies: We Were Watching the "Watchmen" This Weekend

A 20 year journey to the silver screen ended in a number one debut for comic book adaptation "Watchmen" this weekend. Director Zack Snyder's new film collected an estimated $55.7 million making it the third best March debut behind "Ice Age 2" and another Zack Snyder film "300." There was hope in some circles that "Watchmen" would open higher but it is still a major win for a film that was once believed impossible to make.

Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" slid into a distant second place with $8.8 million for a cume of $76.5 million after it's third weekend.

Disney's "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" plummeted 78% and just barely hung on to the top ten finishing in ninth place with $2.8 million. It's cume stands at a disappointing $16.8 million.

"Slumdog Millionaire" fell 42% to fourth place with a weekend tally of $6.9 million and raising the Oscar winner's cume to $125.4 million. The Weinstein Co.'s "The Reader" reached the $30 million mark as it grossed an estimated $2 million.

Overall the box office was up a healthy 11% from last year continuing a successful first half of the year for Hollywood.

Chart is courtesy of Box Office Guru:

1	Watchmen	$ 55,655,000			3,611	1	$ 15,413	$ 55,655,000	Warner Bros.
2	Madea Goes to Jail	8,800,000	16,175,926	-45.6	2,151	3	4,091	76,505,000	Lionsgate
3	Taken	7,450,000	9,864,197	-24.5	3,016	6	2,470	118,049,000	Fox
4	Slumdog Millionaire	6,925,000	12,026,343	-42.4	2,890	17	2,396	125,441,000	Fox Searchlight
5	Paul Blart: Mall Cop	4,200,000	5,602,392	-25.0	2,558	8	1,642	133,643,000	Sony
6	He's Just Not That Into You	4,020,000	6,011,405	-33.1	2,445	5	1,644	84,647,000	Warner Bros.
7	Coraline	3,313,000	5,261,129	-37.0	1,959	5	1,691	65,680,000	Focus
8	Confessions of a Shopaholic	3,121,000	4,634,534	-32.7	2,290	4	1,363	38,356,000	Buena Vista
9	Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience	2,785,000	12,510,374	-77.7	1,276	2	2,183	16,791,000	Buena Vista
10	Fired Up	2,600,000	3,701,562	-29.8	1,798	3	1,446	13,360,000	Sony

Television: DRADIS Contact: Battlestar 4.18

"Islanded in a Stream of Stars" marks the first episode of Battlestar A.B. , that's after Boomer. The opening of the show deals in the aftermath of Hera's abduction. We learn very quickly of a Cylon colony, that Starbuck is now convinced of Hera's importance, and we witness an accident that leaves the crew in shambles. The rest of the episode shows Adama struggling to let go of the dying Galacatica.

"Stream" was definitely more plot dense than last week and yet I felt less forward movement. It seemed to be moving the pieces around the chess board rather than putting them on the attack. The inevitable abandoning of the Galactica was a welcome development s weas Hera's arrival with into Cavil's waiting arms. I don't really know if I buy Kara's anguish over Sam when she didn't seem to care not too long ago.

Grace Park continues to blow me away. Her one scene as Athena was heartbreaking and her time of Boomer managed to deepen that character as well as our sympathies towards her. Similarly, Helo's confrontation with Adama is a highlight for Tahmoh Pinkett in the entire run of the show.

Why Starbuck ever trusted Baltar I have no idea. His betrayal was one of those clarifying moments in his personality. That he is at his core rotten and warped. It's such a juxtaposition of his reaction to seeing Caprica 6. There he seems open and vulnerable. But in the end she is right he hasn't changed, not really.

We did get the return of several reoccurring themes. "All Along the Watchtower" made an appearance as a Number 8's dying words. The shared dream returned as did the "harbinger of doom." The question I ask myself is, who will she lead to their doom? I'm starting to think it will be the Cavil led cylons.

A few of my favorite moments:

Helo screaming "Look at me!" to Athena.

Lee's reading of the name "Gaius Baltaar!"

Lee's speech to Kara in the halls of Galactica. "This is all that matters" Which seems to be a reoccurring theme of the overall series. The question of humanity and what makes us human.

We are now set up for the epic 3 hour finale of the series. I'm sad and excited all at the same time. Tune in next week!

"So say we all!"

Movies: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Trailer

The new Potter trailer popped up on Yahoo Movies tonight and its about as cheery as an old man without hard candy.  The film retains the dark direction the series has been taking since the third film which is good news  for anyone who has read Rowling's novels because the series grows in maturity with it's main character. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" opens on July 17,2009.  

Follow the link to watch it in all its HD goodness

Click Here

Video Games: The Beatles Set Date to "Rock"

Erik Pedersen story over at The Hollywood Reporter wrote this story and I though I'd pass it along.   I'm so excited about this it has what I've wanted since the first time I put my hands on a "Guitar Hero" controller.  I hope I'm doing well financially so I can get the deluxe set.

Meet the digital Beatles.

The Fab Four will make their initial foray into d-music Sept. 9 with the long-anticipated release of "The Beatles: Rock Band." It marks the first time any Beatles music will be available in the digital realm.

Harmonix, MTV Games and the band's Apple Corps said Thursday that the game-- the first in the "Rock Band" franchise based on a single band -- will be released worldwide for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii.

And here's something new: Accompanying instruments modeled after the ones used by Paul, John, George and Ringo also will be available for $100. The game will be playable with existing "Rock Band" guitars, drums and microphones, though.

"The Beatles: Rock Band" will list for $59.99; a Limited Edition Premium Bundle will run $249.99. Some "exclusive content" will be available for those who preorder the game. Details will be announced in the coming months.

The game will be available simultaneously at locations in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand on 9/9/09 -- a date picked to acknowledge the significance of the number 9 for the band.

No song lists have been announced for the project, but Thursday's announcement said the game will "allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, microphone or drums and experience the Beatles' extraordinary catalog of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career."

McCartney said in a recent interview that the game "will feature different periods of the band -- you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic and on from there. It's very cool. And I like the idea that the game introduces kids to music, you know?"

Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin and co-producer of the Cirque du Soleil "Love" show, is serving as music producer for the "Rock Band" game, which originally was announced in October.

The Beatles have sold more than 600 million albums worldwide -- 170 million in the U.S. alone -- but the group's music has remained absent from the digital world. Beatles songs are not available at Apple's iTunes Store, for instance, as surviving members of the group and their representatives have closely guarded the distribution of their music.

A Web site devoted to the game has been set up at www.thebeatlesrockband.com.

Movies: Boyle not Bond

Well tie me up and slap me silly. We ran a story a few days ago selling the idea that Danny Boyle was in the running for the director's chair on the new Bond flick. Well that has now been proven patently untrue. I did say that I would love to see Boyle on a big project and now it seems he may bring his significant skills to the movie musical. The "Slumdog" director is looking to remake "My Fair Lady."

"Lady" is based on "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw and tells the story of Henry Higgins,a snobbish photenic professor, who takes a bet to teach a poor flower girl named Eliza Doolittle to be a proper lady. The most famous version is the 1964 film version starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

Boyle has proved over the years that he is a very pliable director. His works include the drug film "Trainspotting," the zombie film "28 Days Later," the family oriented "Millions," the sci fi epic "Sunshine" and of course the modern fairy tale "Slumdog Millionaire."
I would love to see what he does with the movie musical.

Tales of the Super Watchmen

I saw this embedded up on Ain't It Cool and had to post it.  I don't know if this is viral or fan made but its genius.

Television: "Seinfeld" is hitting the "Curb"

source Hollywood Reporter

The gang is getting back together.  It's not a "Seinfeld" reunion but its the next best thing.  Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Michael Richards will appear together playing themselves on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm.  

Alexander and Dreyfus have both appeared on the show in prior seasons but this will mark the first time for Seinfeld and Richards. Larry David was co-creator and a major influence on the entire direction of "Seinfeld."