hollywood

70 posts

Reality TV: 1 Humanity: 0

And now someone’s dead.

Russell Armstrong, the flinty, irritating husband of Taylor Armstrong–of the perfectly toned arms and mile-wide smile from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills–apparently killed himself last night.  He was found hanging in a bedroom of their Mullholland Drive home.  By all reports, his life was a mess: his wife had filed for divorce, he was in massive debt, he was being sued to the tune of $1.5 million, he very well could have been just a high class grifter, not the “venture capitalist” he claimed.  He might even have been an abuser.  (There are reports he shoved Taylor and perhaps abused his first wife.)  Not a nice guy, clearly, as anyone who watched the show can attest.  He was socially awkward, cold—even downright mean–to his melancholic, grasping, pseudo-glamorous wife, testy and judgmental towards everyone around him.  But one quote in a Reuters article really struck me.  “This (TV) show has literally pushed us to the limit,” he told People Magazine. Continue reading →

The Hollywood Caller: Sex Movies are Out, Sex TV is In

More sex on your teevee — well, you asked for it. The return of an SNL icon, or maybe just some guy who freezes under the spell of Kanye West. Johnny Depp won’t be eating beans by a fire, romantic comedies need more ice cream, what you won’t be watching next year, and action stars don’t age… they ripen. Mostly.

You love Hollywood dish more than your shoes.

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Two More Archetypes of Modern Cinema

A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis noted that though “[the archetypes] populating contemporary movies don’t line up with reality, … they offer clues about what the [people] of our dreams look like, or at least what moviemakers are trying to sell us.” Though certain character tropes have been oft referenced and analyzed (e.g. sassy black and/or gay friend, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the White Savior, damsel in distress, the Nice Guy™), there are other ones out there! Here are two new (or at least lesser known) ones to consider:

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Hollywood’s Reboot-A-Palooza To Test Your Patience And Shock No One

I propose that they just make a movie called Reboot, which discusses the process of rebooting a movie. You know, how they decide which marginally successful 1980’s movie hasn’t been touched by the hand of Michael Bay or Brett Ratner (who’s producing this year’s Oscars by the way. We have been forsaken.) and then how they sell its earning potential to a studio. Can’t you just imagine the Weekend at Bernie’s pitch meeting, or the discussion of Killer Klowns from Outer Space over sushi? I’m not really sure how these things happen. Maybe it’s more like spinning a Price Is Right Wheel, but somehow these ideas make it to the big screen mostly to our utter confusion and despair.

Let’s take a look at what Hollywood has on tap for the coming future.

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10 Final Movie Scenes that Took Your Breath Away

There’s nothing better than getting down to the final moments of a movie and being totally absorbed and invested in what’s playing out on that screen. Watching it unfold becomes a bit like magic. Whether you credit the acting or the storytelling, when you come across a movie ending that is just so good, so breathtaking, or moving, it gives you the same sense of satisfaction as say finding $10 in between sofa cushions, or waking up an hour before your alarm. For a real movie lover it can make shelling out $12 and braving the undulating horde of opening weekend moviegoers worth it. You’ve gotta be careful, though. Every once in a while you’ll come across flammable polyester culottes wrapped in a golden fleece, and you’ll wind up witnessing a certified suckfest.

Take a look at a few movies that have left many of us speechless. Continue reading →

The Contradiction of Celebrity Rehab

A new season of Celebrity Rehab premiered on Sunday night featuring the likes of Michael Lohan and Bai Ling. Train wreck, right? Probably, but with the return of Steven Adler, one of the more relatable and heartbreaking cast members to appear on the show, it shows some promise too. Those extremes of the fame whores you love to hate vs the fallen celebrity you feel sorry for are what keep me coming back for more.

Own a Piece of Movie History

Debbie Reynolds has spent much of her career being a wonderful actress and the subject of her daughter, Carrie Fisher’s, rants. She has also spent fifty years collecting some of the most iconic pieces of movie history, in hopes of having a museum for all to enjoy them. Well, Hollywood doesn’t care about history and apparently no one is interested in building a place for sweaty tourists to shuffle through in their flip-flops, gawking open-mouthed at Charlie Chaplin’s hat or Marilyn’s white hot dress from The Seven Year Itch. So, Reynolds will auction off everything in her 5000 item collection, called Profiles in History, over the course of ten days, beginning on June 18, 2011. Review the catalog of impressive items here, and then buy a little something for yourself.

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