Posts

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has created a new interactive Web site for Ghostbusters fans worldwide. GhostbustersIsHiring.com, launching today, offers fans the opportunity to be a part of the Ghostbusters 25th anniversary frenzy this summer, including the Blu-ray release of Ghostbusters on June 16. Visitors to the site will be greeted by Harold Ramis, the movie’s co-writer/star, who invites them to participate in a number of activities. First, GhostbustersIsHiring.com is offering fans the chance to win a trip next year to the ultimate comic book convention, Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego, by simply filling out an online sweepstakes application....

The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are celebrating the show’s upcoming 25th season premiere in a fun way that calls back to the past. They’ve gathered a group of talented Broadway stars, including professional singers and a 30-piece orchestra, to perform a new rendition of the classic South Park song “Kyle’s Mom’s a B*tch.” The results were shared by Comedy Central in a video posted online and it even includes an appearance from Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Stan....

IGN Movies has learned from studio sources which actors may play Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. Leonard Bones McCoy in Paramount’s Star Trek XI. The site claims to have confirmed the rumors that Oscar winner Matt Damon is indeed in talks with Paramount about playing the role of Jim Kirk, previously immortalized onscreen by Emmy winner William Shatner. For the part of Kirk’s Vulcan first officer Mr. Spock, Oscar winner Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist) is in talks with Paramount to play the role....

Steven Spielberg is planning to release his Lincoln biopic after the 2012 presidential election to avoid political fodder. The director said: In the film, Daniel Day-Lewis plays the 16th president of the United States and Sally Field plays his wife, Mary Todd, based on “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin and adapted by Tony Kushner. Lincoln follows Abraham Lincoln’s journey to abolish slavery and end the Civil War. “The movie will be purposely coming out after next year’s election....

BOX OFFICE A LAUGH-IN Audiences were apparently in a mood to laugh as three comedies, two of them new, opened with solid results during what is usually a droopy weekend ending the spring season. The Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama from Universal topped the box office with an estimated $18.3 million, followed by Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, which opened at No. 2 with $14.6 million. Last week’s top film, Universal’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall grossed about $11 million, a touch below The Forbidden Kingdom, which opened with $11....

SONY TO 250 EMPLOYEES: “WALK, MAN” Sony Pictures has become the latest major studio to announce substantial layoffs in response to the current recession. On Tuesday the Burbank-based company sent out email notices to its employees that it is laying off 250 of them and not filling about 100 open positions. “Today, our studio remains profitable, but over the past five months, the deepening global financial crisis has begun to impact some of our lines of business, such as television syndication, DVDs and advertising sales,” Michael Lynton, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures said in the email message, which was quickly posted on several industry websites....

IT’S A BOND WEEKEND If the reaction of British moviegoers is any measure, Casino Royalecould break the bank in its opening over the weekend. In its first day of release in the U.K. the movie raked in more than any of the previous 20 Bond films – an estimated total of $3.3 million in ticket sales, according to Sony’s Columbia Pictures, which is distributing the MGM film. The figure amounts to twice the first-day total of the last Bond film, 2002’s Die Another Day....

WITH ALL-NEW EPISODES, CBS RISES TO THE TOP AGAIN Even with its Tuesday and Wednesday editions of American Idolaveraging more than 25 million viewers, Fox was unable to walk away with another weekly victory in the ratings. Rising out of the ashes of the recent writers’ strike, CBS came roaring back with a new episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on Thursday drawing 20.6 million viewers. In fact, six of the top ten shows of the week aired on CBS....

MURDOCH IN WIN-WIN MODE WITH WSJ, SAY ANALYSTS Investors were apparently unconvinced that the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal, were determined to keep the newspaper and its other holdings from falling into the hands of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. Dow Jones’ board announced Wednesday that it had decided “to take no action” on Murdoch’s $5-billion surprise bid for the company. But Dow Jones shares were still trading early today (Thursday) at $57 – more than 50 percent above the price they had settled at before Murdoch’s $60-per-share offer was disclosed on Tuesday....

FTC TO REGULATE INTERNET ADS In a rare instance of the U.S. government bringing to the Internet the kind of rules it imposes on broadcasters, the Federal Trade Commission ruled Monday that reviewers must disclose in a “clear and conspicuous” manner when they are paid, either in dollars, gifts, or services, when they write their reviews. They must also disclose if they have any “material connection” to an advertiser. The rule, which received a unanimous vote from the FTC, takes effect on Dec....

The Hulu original series Koala Man continues to bolster its cast with talent across the board. According to reports from Variety, Sarah Snook and Demi Lardner are joining the series, starring in Succession and Aunty Donna: 1999, respectively. Michael Cusack created the show while simultaneously starring and executive producing the Hulu original. The official synopsis for the series reads: Snook will play the role of Vicky, a wife who believes her husband is going through some sort of midlife crisis and that his antics are all a phase that will pass....

The first trailer has arrived for James Gunn’s new adventure Super, which will be released in theaters across the country on April 8. Click on the video player below for your first glimpse inside this new comedy about a man without super powers who decides to become a superhero anyway. In the outlandish dark comedy Super, James Gunn has created what is perhaps the definitive take on self-reflexive superheroes. When sad-sack loser Frank (Rainn Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he finds himself bereft and wholly unable to cope....

With Two and a Half Men: The Complete First Season now available on DVD, the laughs are being heard all over town! Since we want to spread the joy of this hilarious show to you we are giving away copies of it to our users. Winners Receive: Two and a Half Men: The Complete First Season DVD set CLICK HERE to enter our contest! Synopsis: Charlie Harper is a bachelor in paradise, complete with Malibu beach house, overpaid job and a very active dating life....

McG, director of Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, has recently added some more details about the film to the movies blog. He reveals a few details about the type of action we can expect in the film, and also seems to be debunking some rumors about the proposed ending to the film. The blog post reads: We’re in the middle of week five. The New Mexico wind is kicking the shit out of the crew but providing a perfect backdrop for our post-apocalyptic world....

The Good An inventive movie that really takes chances with viewers expectations. The Bad The editing is a bit too choppy at times. Could have lost 15-20 minutes in the cutting room. The Aristocrats is one of those films that could have only been made independently. It is so bold and so audacious that it almost can’t help but be groundbreaking. Made by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette, this documentary examines an old Vaudeville joke....

First debuting in 2011, Bob’s Burgers has become one of the most popular animated sitcoms on television. The show follows the Belcher family (Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise), who run a burger restaurant underneath their apartment. The hilarious, relatable, and heartwarming storylines that the show explores have made it a favorite among viewers of all ages. With memorable characters, clever jokes, and consistently high-quality writing, there are many standout episodes in the Bob’s Burgers catalog....

Comedian Roseanne is heading to the Lifetime channel with a unique reality series that will look at life on her 40-acre Hawaiian farm. Sixteen episodes of the docu-series have been ordered, which will offer viewers a look inside Roseanne’s life out of the Hollywood spotlight. The former sitcom star now runs a macadamia nut and live stock farm on Hawaii’s big island, where she lives with her longtime boyfriend Johnny Argent....

Executive producer Salma Hayek will go in front of the cameras for a multi-episode story arc on Ugly Betty, ABC’s new hit comedy. The role marks Hayek’s first appearance in a network television series. Her first guest starring appearance will be in the Ugly Betty episode “Trust, Lust, and Must,” airing THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. She’ll appear in three more episodes throughout the month of November....

It only seemed like a matter of time before some company began to examine the prospects of creating an HD-DVD/Blu-ray disc combo player. In a story from TG Daily, Kim Du-Hyon, “an assistant manager in Samsung’s home-platform product planning division” said, “We don’t have a plan to make an HD DVD-only player but are considering a universal player,” he said. “We are preparing HD DVD [support] now and if we launch a universal player it will be the end of this year or early next year....

First-year Saturday Night Live cast member Brooks Wheelan announced on his Twitter page today that he was fired from the late-night NBC sketch comedy series. The 27-year-old comedian was sparsely used during Season 39 of Saturday Night Live, most notably appearing as himself in Weekend Update segments where he advised against irresponsible behavior. He was primarily known as a stand-up comedian before joining the SNL cast. Brooks Wheelan was announced in September as one of six new cast members, alongside Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, Mike O’Brien and Noël Wells....