Jennifer Hudson’s Oscar victory for 2006′s Dreamgirls is one of the more inspirational narratives of the modern Academy Awards: a reality show runner-up in her acting debut outshines a cast full of glitzy stars (and overcomes her film’s so-so critical and commercial response) and wins pretty much every major supporting-actress award of the season. (Hey, as far as good stories go, it beats “Glam actress doesn’t wash face, gets Oscar.”) Now, it looks like Hudson has finally found a potential Oscar-bait follow-up. She’ s playing Winnie Madikizela-Mandela opposite Terrence Howard as Nelson Mandela in the upcoming film Winnie, currently slated to debut at film festivals in early 2011. Check out the first trailer below. READ FULL STORY »
Archive: November 2010 (191-200 of 486)
Nov 16
2010
12:10 PM ET
Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard are Mr. and Mrs. Mandela in 'Winnie': Check out the trailer
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Nov 16
2010
11:45 AM ET
'Hawaii Five-0' Bingo: Hooray for molotov-cocktail diplomacy!
Image Credit: Neil Jacobs/CBSGrabbing a garrote wire out of its hiding place in your lingerie is such a bittersweet way to end a one-night stand. But that’s just what the evil-Bond-girl femme fatale did in the first couple minutes of last night’s Hawaii Five-0. Based on the previews, I thought we’d be getting a complete hour themed around the terrible scourge of Evil/Hot Ex-CIA Assassins. But no one ever expects the out-of-control tour bus, which totally Dharma-Bussed the assassinatrix halfway through the episode. Having already worked through several hours’ worth of plot — “I’ve been gone for two hours and you’ve conducted two raids!” — the Five-0 producers threw up their hands and decided to make the rest of the episode two extended action sequences. Also, the gang solved North Korea.
Cars didn’t chase or crash, although one did blow up. Steve was so disgusted by his traitorous iPhone that he nearly threw it away. I wish I had a freeze-frame of Danno’s jealous-face when he met Steve’s ol’ buddy, cutely nicknamed “Bullfrog.” I realize that Danno never actually said the phrase “Back in Jersey,” but I’m marking off half of that square, because there was literally a five minute scene where Scott Caan’s only dialogue was “Jersey Jersey Jersey Sinatra Jersey Jersey Springsteen Jersey Jersey Bon Jovi Jersey.” Click forward for the full Bingo board. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
11:18 AM ET
Gerard Butler and his biceps in talks for 'Afterburn'
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.comGerard Butler is in talks to star in the bigscreen adaptation of the comic book series Afterburn. Frequently described as “Indiana Jones meets Mad Max,” the Red 5 title is set in the near future, after a massive solar flare strikes Earth, destroying the Eastern Hemisphere. Europe, Africa, Asia, India and Russia have become wastelands, and what life remains (like sharks!) is mutated. Butler would play Jake, who leads a team of “recovery experts” who venture into the danger zone to secure treasures like the Mona Lisa, the Rosetta Stone, and the Crown Jewels for wealthy Western clients. They have their competition, of course — rival treasure hunters, pirates, and hostile mutants. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) is in talks to direct. According to Red 5, a draft of the script was written by Matt Johnson (Into the Blue), and Christian Gudegast (A Man Apart), is set to take another pass. Tobey Maguire and Neal Moritz have been attached to the project as producers since 2008, the year the comic, written by Paul Ens and Scott Chitwood, debuted.
What do you think? This sounds right in Butler’s wheelhouse after Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, 300, and Gamer. I’m all for a role that requires him to wear bicep-baring T-shirts (though I could do without Jake’s do-rag). And even though I’d like to see Butler in a good chick flick, his radar is slightly off when it comes to that genre (P.S. I Love You, The Ugly Truth, The Bounty Hunter).
Nov 16
2010
10:30 AM ET
It's official: The Beatles are on iTunes
Image Credit: David Redfern/Redferns/Getty ImagesIt’s official: The Beatles catalog is now finally available on iTunes, as rumored yesterday. “It has been a long and winding road to get here,” Steve Jobs said in a statement. Oh, that Steve Jobs! He’s a hoot.
The Beatles’ 13 studio albums are available individually for $12.99 (and $19.99 for double albums), or in a $149 “box set” that includes Past Masters and the concert film from the Washington Coliseum in 1964. If you just want to watch the movie, though, Apple is streaming it free through the end of the year.
On the one hand, yay! Finally! On the other … er, does this still matter? Haven’t most Beatles fans figured out other ways to get the music in a digital format? I have plenty of Beatles songs on my iPod — because I had Beatles CDs once upon a time.
Is your guitar gently weeping, PopWatchers, or are you thrilled that the Fab Four have finally come to iTunes?
Read more:
Apple finally gets rights to Beatles catalog
Nov 16
2010
10:00 AM ET
'We wish you a Snuggie Christmas, and a hands-free New Year'
It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, so, naturally, it’s time to break out the Christmas music. And if you’re at a loss at what holiday carols will get you in the spirit, thank goodness the ad geniuses over at Snuggie have come to your rescue. Or something like that.
On the heels of its Snugarena dance campaign, yesterday Snuggie released new holiday ads which feature a Snuggie-clad family gathering around the piano to sing some Yuletide classics. Both “We Wish You a Snuggie Christmas” and “Snuggie Jingle Bells” make the cut. Check out video after the jump.
Elf taught me the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. But seriously, if you sing these songs to me I might hit you. Conversely, if you were to bring me a Snuggie I’d probably hug you because it’s freezing at my desk. What do you think of these new Snuggie ads, PopWatchers? Do these songs bring you Christmas cheer or fear? READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
10:00 AM ET
Carey Mulligan set as Daisy; Who should play Jordan, Tom, and Myrtle in 'The Great Gatsby'?
Image Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesCarey Mulligan has landed the role of Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby. She’ll play the money-voiced object of Leonardo DiCaprio’s affection, and second cousin to the narrator, Nick Carraway, rumored to be Tobey Maguire.
Iiiiiiiinteresting. Mulligan’s a terrific actress, but the thing about Daisy is that she’s both alluring and kind of awful. We have to see not only why Jay would love her — and obsess over her — but also why she’d become a symbol for the hollowness of the American dream. Daisy’s vain and capricious, but previous adaptations have also made her seem completely vacant, too. Gushing about those beautiful shirts? I can totally picture Mulligan bringing the right tinge of seriousness to the moment. (It’s harder than it sounds. I’m looking at you, Mia Farrow.) People are intensely drawn to Daisy, but that magnetism comes at a price. Just ask Myrtle. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
09:15 AM ET
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'
In our week-long look back at the Harry Potter film franchise in anticipation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–Part 1, perhaps no film has proven quite as important to the series and as much a bellwether of what was to come as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Yes, the first two films had grossed $967 million and $866 million worldwide respectively, but their director, Chris Columbus, had been tarred as too slavish to J.K. Rowling’s books, and not as cinematically, well, magical as one might hope. Plus, as Jeff Jensen put it in his June 11, 2004 cover story, “Azkaban introduces adolescence — awkward, angry, hormonally charged — into the thematic mix.” The man held responsible for selling out Harry’s parents to Voldemort, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), had escaped Azkaban prison; soul-sucking, wraith-like Dementors were on the hunt to recapture him, and had little regard for playing nice with whoever got in their way. This wasn’t a sweet children’s fantasy anymore. The question, really, was simple: Were the Harry Potter films going to continue to play it safe and hazard feeling staid and boring? Or would they shake things up, gamble with taking some bold creative risks, and perhaps even break ranks with Rowling’s books? Would they, could they, stand on their own as films in their own right?
Enter director Alfonso Cuarón. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
08:25 AM ET
'Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood' takes on Renaissance-era Rome: What highly specific time period should the franchise invade next?
Playing one of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed videogames is like experiencing the most gory and thrilling lecture your high school wouldn’t let your history teacher get away with. The first game sent you to Jerusalem in the midst of the Third Crusade, making it the rare video game about the Middle East that doesn’t obnoxiously flirt with controversy. Assassin’s Creed II upped the history-porn quotient by letting you pal around with Leonardo da Vinci. Also, the last boss was the freakin’ Pope. (As a lapsed Catholic, I found that boss fight very cathartic.) The newest entry in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, maintains the Renaissance setting, but sets you loose in the massive metropolis of Rome. I’m excited…but part of me is looking forward to the next game, and wondering where/when it will be. In which historical time period would you like to assassinate people? READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
08:00 AM ET
'Glee': Should Blaine be Kurt's boyfriend?
Ryan Murphy still hasn’t decided the answer to the million dollar question. The Glee exec producer tells AfterElton.com that while Darren Criss — who was an instant hit with fans (and on iTunes) singing lead on the Dalton Academy Warblers’ rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” — has become a series regular, he’s still not sure if he’ll be Kurt’s boyfriend. “I don’t know,” Murphy said. ”That I have not decided. We’re writing it. I want to see what people’s reaction to that is. Part of me thinks he should be the boyfriend, part of me thinks he should just be the mentor. I didn’t want to decide that until we got into sort of the middle of the season. We’re figuring it out now.” What do you think? The question isn’t whether Kurt should get a boyfriend this season — Murphy makes clear that’s definitely happening — it’s whether the boyfriend should be Blaine. READ FULL STORY »
Nov 16
2010
07:30 AM ET
Meditations on an Apple Commercial, Vol. 1
I really want an iPad, but I also want this idiot to turn around and face the beach.
WHAT TO DO?
Continue to not be a person who can afford an iPad? Okay, great!
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