Our monthly compendium of stuff that didn’t get a full post, for one reason or another.

There’s just one more month left in the decade (unless you’re one of those weirdos who complain, “the decade begins with 1…”), meaning it’s not too early to start looking back. The 00’s were a decade that likely will never be remembered as a particularly good one for American film; we put it somewhere between the 1950s and maybe – maybe – the 80s in terms of total quality work produced. The amount of dumb, cynical, artless trash far outweighed the good, but then again that’s sadly, probably true of any given time period.

Anyway, here’s our monthly roundup of items of interest that didn’t deserve or receive a full blog post. All our opinions are our own, and all graphics are stuff we found lying around the Internet.

1. This month’s hysteria regarding the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon came with an earnest attempt at a backlash dogging its wake, as critics from every corner of the media – and especially online – did their best to counter-shout the series’ fans. Not to defend the sparkly vampires, but anyone decrying the phenomenon shouldn’t feel surprised at its popularity. Vampires are a steady, resurgent franchise in American culture, and it makes sense that a version catering to the American Idol generation would surface sooner or later. If Twilight is superficial, mawkish, and clumsily obtuse, it’s only giving its audience what they’ve come to expect from pop entertainment.

2. While we’re on the subject of pop culture and what’s wrong with it, two news items this past week about David Hasselhoff and Donny Osmond underscored a major reason for the current media malaise. Celebrities don’t burn out anymore. They fade… and fade… and fade away. The proliferation of cable channels and other media outlets means everyone gets camera time long after their 15 minutes have worn off. Except all that detritus has become dead weight upon the public radar, with chances for the emergence of new talent becoming that much more remote. Much like pop music at the end of the 1980s, the film and TV industries are in desperate need of fresh air, the sooner the better. More than that, the industries have got to stop cashing in on the past because it’s cheap and safe.

3. Someone else said – but we’re happy to originate the idea – that George Clooney has two screen personae: there’s the talented ensemble actor, the guy that does offbeat work like O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Men Who Stare At Goats, and there’s his American Leading Man Mode that you see in stuff like Michael Clatyon and the Ocean’s saga. We’re looking forward to this month’s Up In The Air because it might present the first combination of the two while finally getting Gorgeous George the widespread critical respect he’s deserved for years. Here’s the trailer, in the unlikely event you haven’t seen it yet:

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela

4. Another pervasive trailer this month previewed Clint Eastwood’s new Invictus, about the true story of South African president Nelson Mandela’s attempt to bring the post-Apartheid nation together via the 1995 Rugby World Cup games. While the idea of Matt Damon playing a rugby champion isn’t really surprising, the casting of Morgan Freeman as Mandela is one of those lightning-strike “why hasn’t this happened already” castings that happen every blue moon or so. It also makes us wish by free association that Steven Spielberg would make his Liam Neeson-starring biopic of Abraham Lincoln already. Still and all, props to Freeman for taking the role and props to Eastwood for tackling such unexpected (for him) material.

Burrows to join L&O: CI

5. This time last year we bitched that the USA Network couldn’t nail down a premiere for its Law & Order: Criminal Intent franchise. Now the show’s reportedly getting a virtually all-new cast when it returns “early” next year. Series regulars Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Eric Bogosian and Julianne Nicholson will all depart after the series’ ninth season opener. Saffron Burrows (The Bank Job) replaces Nicholson, while Bogosian will be replaced by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Perfect Storm). The newer, streamlined show will feature returning sole returning star Jeff Goldblum in every episode.

Though we like Goldblum as an actor and in his L&O: CI role, we also remember that his last effort at headlining a detective show lasted seven weeks, even with Graham Yost (Band of Brothers) as showrunner. We liked that show, too.

6. Elsewhere on basic cable, TNT announced this month they would pick up broadcast rights to Southland, the promising cop drama that NBC stupidly cancelled in October. Possibly as a way to afford the ensemble cast, the network has dropped their original series Raising The Bar from its schedule, with a second season for Dark Blue, its other cop show, stuck in limbo. Meanwhile their new Men of A Certain Age premieres next Monday. Anything with Andre Braugher or Scott Bakula has got our attention for at least a few weeks, and this has them both.

Renner in The Hurt Locker

7. Already one of the year’s – if not the decade’s – most highly praised dramas despite only a limited release last summer, The Hurt Locker premieres on DVD and Blu-Ray January 12. The gritty drama co-stars Jeremy Renner, one of the most promising young actors around right now following his superb performances in ABC’s The Unusuals and onscreen in 2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford. We’re glad his turn here is getting him some attention.

We value our female readership, and stuff like this never hurts.

8. You know it’s close to December when three of the top ten films have Oscar bait written all over them. The Blind Side currently makes the most money (despite scathing reviews), while Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and The Road are both still building momentum. In light of the sweeping changes made to the Academy’s voting process this year, however, it’s still too early to guess which film has the inside track towards Best Picture. If we had to suppose, we imagine Rob Marshall’s Nine will take the statue. It’s got a shitload of razzle dazzle (remember Marshall’s Chicago won in 2003), a screenplay co-written by the late Anthony Minghella, and a broad cast of flashy actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Nicole Kidman. In years past such a combination would be like crack for Academy voters, but the new rules could change things up.

Watch the embedding—proof HD Trailer for Nine here, much of which looks an awful lot like an Oscar ceremony musical number.

Thanks for reading. We were a day late posting this, and we apologize for the delay – real life’s been pimp-slapping our writing time lately. We’ll be back later this week.

- Michael Kabel

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

No dia 29 de novembro aconteceu em Interlagos a TNT Super Bike Series e a Grid Motors não ficou fora dessa, fez a cobertura oficial do evento. Confira as fotos em nossa galeria.

WWW.GRIDMOTORS.COM.BR

Congrats Tony!!!

Workers with one of the derailed carriages of the Nevsky Express

At 09:34pm Moscow time,  Friday November 27, a bomb equivalent to 7kg of TNT detonated on rail tracks near the town of Bologoye, Russia, as the Nevsky Express train carried 661 passengers between Moscow and St Petersburg.

The blast derailed 4 carriages of the luxury express train, and killed over two dozen people. Russian authorities later fixed the figure at 26 fatalities, with 95 injured.

After the confusion subsided, Russian Railways Chief Vladimir Yakunin confirmed that two explosive devices had been planted under the tracks. The second one detonated at 2pm Moscow time on Saturday 28 November without injuring anyone.

But who had detonated the bomb and caused such a large loss of life, and why had this train been targeted?

The second question may prove easier to answer than the first. The Nevsky Express is one of the most luxuriant trains in all of Russia, and can cover the 650km between Moscow and St Petersburg in only four hours.

It is the preferred method of transport for government officials and some have been named as among the dead, including the head of the Federal Reserve Agency and the deputy head of the Fishing Agency. It’s clear the bombers were targetting specific people, not just ordinary Russian citizens.

So who perpetrated the act?

The fact that there were two planned detonations may give a clue. Terrorist cells from the North Caucasus, Chechnya and Ingushetia especially, use the “double-blast” technique to cause maximum casualties on those investigating the effects of the original blast.

The blast was almost identical to one on the same line in 2007 and similar to earlier incidents, suggesting it is part of a concerted, long-term strategy of terror.

There is, nominally, peace in Chechnya under the pro-Kremlin President Kadyrov (read my previous blog on it here), but militant groups are still active, albeit within the confines of the Caucasus mainly, and Ingushetia is still going through a vicious cycle of violence.

However, there are also theories that far-right extremist groups are to blame, with there being one unverified claim of responsibility from a neo-nazi group opposed to immigration.

Russian police have, however, released a photo ID of someone they suspect, who is believed to be Pavel Kosolapov, a former associate of ex-Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.

If, as expected, the Kremlin points the finger at the separatists of the North Caucasus, don’t expect Chechnya to be out of the news for too much longer.

No, no vamos a hablar de los Oscar, pero es que con el nuevo año -a parte de una importante batería de estrenos de midseason- empieza también una nueva temporada de premios. Los Emmys ya quedaron atrás, así que hay que dejar paso al resto de premios televisivos de la temporada 2009/10, algunos de los cuales repasamos a continuación:

ENERO
Martes 6. People Choice Awards: los premios que concede la audiencia americana se entregan el día de Reyes en Los Ángeles, en una ceremonia presentada por Queen Latifah y que retransmitirá la CBS.
Domingo 17. Golden Globes: casi sin descanso, las estrellas de Hollywood se darán cita en la 67 edición de los Globos de Oro, que aunque también premian al cine, tienen un importante apartado de televisión. Lo podremos ver en la NBC.
Sábado 23. Screen Actors Guild Awards: qué mal van a andar las famosas en enero, con tanta gala y tanto modelito que comprar, con lo mala que está la crisis… Una semana después de los globos, la cita es de nuevo en LA, con la TNT y los premios que otorga el sindicato de actores de Estados Unidos.

FEBRERO
Sábado 20. Writers Guild Awards: un més después del sindicato de actores le toca el turno al de guionistas de Hollywood. De lo mejorcito…
Domingo 21. BAFTA Awards: y al día siguiente la cita es al otro lado del charco, en el Reino Unido, donde Londres será testigo de la entrega de los BAFTA, en directo por la BBC.

Y por ahora esto es todo. Los premios más importantes del mundillo de la televisión, los Emmy, tendrán que esperara hasta septiembre. O en este caso, hasta agosto, pues se acaba de saber que la NBC, la cadena que emitirá los premios este año, ha decidido adelantar la gala de este año al domingo 29 de agosto (¿por qué los americanos celebran todas las fiestas en domingo? ¿Es que allí no trabajan los lunes?) por eso del fútbol. Si resulta que allí también pasa…

En fin, que id preparando las quinielas.

Will Smith’s Son Jaden Kicking It in ‘Karate Kid’ Remake.

Will Smith’s Son Jaden Kicking It in ‘Karate Kid’ Remake

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We keep forgetting. Was that “Wax on”? Or “Wax off”? Either way, Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, will enter Hollywood lore as the lead in the ‘The Karate Kid‘ sequel reports People. “I trained every day for four months with Master Wu [the film's fight coordinator],” Jaden explained.

He portrays Dre Parker, an American boy who moves to China and learns to stand up to a bully with the help of an eccentric mentor played by martial artist Jackie Chan.

Jaden Smith Snapshots

Getty Images

128 photos

Jaden Smith, far right, is seen here with his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith (far left) and Will Smith (center), who’s holding Jaden’s sister Willow.

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Jaden Smith Snapshots

Jaden Smith, far right, is seen here with his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith (far left) and Will Smith (center), who’s holding Jaden’s sister Willow.

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Chan was delighted by Jaden’s work ethic. “He took the training very seriously. I was very impressed with him,” Chan enthused. Chan plays the role of Mr. Han, a maintenance man who guides the young American. “Jaden had a lot of respect for me as his teacher, even off the set,” said Chan. “He is professional as many adult actors who have been in the business for years.”

“Jackie taught me to ask, ‘My left or camera left? That helped,’” said Jaden, explaining some of the knowledge Chan shared with him over the course of the shoot. Location filming in Beijing was highlighted by scenes shot on top of the Great Wall of China.

Although Jaden learned much about the film business, karate’s lessons of obedience, respect and discipline did not stop there.

“His dad told me that Jaden had changed,” Chan revealed. “When he takes his shoes off, he doesn’t throw them in the corner, but puts them away neatly!”

Jaden Smith, 11, is the son of Hollywood superstar Will ‘Fresh Prince’ Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jaden is best known for his role as Christopher opposite his dad in the uplifting tale ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ Will is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films open at number 1 at the box office including ‘Hancock,’ ‘Hitch‘ and ‘I, Robot.’ Jada co-starred opposite her husband in ‘Ali‘ as well as in ‘The Matrix Reloaded‘ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions.’ She currently stars as Christina Hawthorne in ‘Hawthorne,’ a medical drama on TNT.

‘The Karate Kid’ is a sequel to the much-loved original starring Ralph Macchio, Elisabeth Shue and Pat Morita from ‘Happy Days‘ fame. It is scheduled for release on June 11, 2010.

PopScene: Week’s Hottest Pics

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

83 photos

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

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PopScene: Week’s Hottest Pics

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

PopScene: Weeks Hottest Pics

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

Katy Perry performs during the ski winter opening on November 28th in Ischgl, Austria.

Goran Gajanin, Getty Images

50 Cent performed and partied at VIP Room in Paris on November 27th.

Fame Pictures

Adam Lambert visits the “Early Show” taping at the CBS Studios on November 25th in New York City.

Ray Tamarra, Getty Images

Lily Allen performs at Brixton Academy on November 27th in London.

Chiaki Nozu, FilmMagic

Rihanna gets her audience riled up (and nearly pops out of her top) as she performs on the “Good Morning America” stage in New York City.

Bauer-Griffin

Kevin Federline and new girlfriend Victoria Prince stop by the Ed Hardy store in Bondi Junction Sydney on November 27th.

Fame Pictures

Susan Boyle looks down at a luncheon with her fans at The Rock Center Cafe in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Splash News

Ashley Greene poses with her Maxim cover on November 24th in New York City.

Joe Kohen, Getty Images

Josh Duhamel spends his downtime wisely on the set of his upcoming film “The Romantics” and enjoyed playing a rather intense game of football.

Pacific Coast News

//

Will Smith’s Son Jaden Kicking It in ‘Karate Kid’ Remake.

Will Smith’s Son Jaden Kicking It in ‘Karate Kid’ Remake

PRINT | E-MAIL More

We keep forgetting. Was that “Wax on”? Or “Wax off”? Either way, Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, will enter Hollywood lore as the lead in the ‘The Karate Kid‘ sequel reports People. “I trained every day for four months with Master Wu [the film's fight coordinator],” Jaden explained.

He portrays Dre Parker, an American boy who moves to China and learns to stand up to a bully with the help of an eccentric mentor played by martial artist Jackie Chan.

Jaden Smith Snapshots

Getty Images

128 photos

Jaden Smith, far right, is seen here with his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith (far left) and Will Smith (center), who’s holding Jaden’s sister Willow.

(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=786532&pid=786531&uts=1259599606

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Jaden Smith Snapshots

Jaden Smith, far right, is seen here with his mother Jada Pinkett-Smith (far left) and Will Smith (center), who’s holding Jaden’s sister Willow.

Getty Images

Getty Images AsiaPac

//

Chan was delighted by Jaden’s work ethic. “He took the training very seriously. I was very impressed with him,” Chan enthused. Chan plays the role of Mr. Han, a maintenance man who guides the young American. “Jaden had a lot of respect for me as his teacher, even off the set,” said Chan. “He is professional as many adult actors who have been in the business for years.”

“Jackie taught me to ask, ‘My left or camera left? That helped,’” said Jaden, explaining some of the knowledge Chan shared with him over the course of the shoot. Location filming in Beijing was highlighted by scenes shot on top of the Great Wall of China.

Although Jaden learned much about the film business, karate’s lessons of obedience, respect and discipline did not stop there.

“His dad told me that Jaden had changed,” Chan revealed. “When he takes his shoes off, he doesn’t throw them in the corner, but puts them away neatly!”

Jaden Smith, 11, is the son of Hollywood superstar Will ‘Fresh Prince’ Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jaden is best known for his role as Christopher opposite his dad in the uplifting tale ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ Will is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films open at number 1 at the box office including ‘Hancock,’ ‘Hitch‘ and ‘I, Robot.’ Jada co-starred opposite her husband in ‘Ali‘ as well as in ‘The Matrix Reloaded‘ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions.’ She currently stars as Christina Hawthorne in ‘Hawthorne,’ a medical drama on TNT.

‘The Karate Kid’ is a sequel to the much-loved original starring Ralph Macchio, Elisabeth Shue and Pat Morita from ‘Happy Days‘ fame. It is scheduled for release on June 11, 2010.

PopScene: Week’s Hottest Pics

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

83 photos

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)

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PopScene: Week’s Hottest Pics

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

PopScene: Weeks Hottest Pics

Katharine McPhee attends the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of Manhattan on November 26th.

 

Ray Tamarra, FilmMagic

Katy Perry performs during the ski winter opening on November 28th in Ischgl, Austria.

Goran Gajanin, Getty Images

50 Cent performed and partied at VIP Room in Paris on November 27th.

Fame Pictures

Adam Lambert visits the “Early Show” taping at the CBS Studios on November 25th in New York City.

Ray Tamarra, Getty Images

Lily Allen performs at Brixton Academy on November 27th in London.

Chiaki Nozu, FilmMagic

Rihanna gets her audience riled up (and nearly pops out of her top) as she performs on the “Good Morning America” stage in New York City.

Bauer-Griffin

Kevin Federline and new girlfriend Victoria Prince stop by the Ed Hardy store in Bondi Junction Sydney on November 27th.

Fame Pictures

Susan Boyle looks down at a luncheon with her fans at The Rock Center Cafe in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Splash News

Ashley Greene poses with her Maxim cover on November 24th in New York City.

Joe Kohen, Getty Images

Josh Duhamel spends his downtime wisely on the set of his upcoming film “The Romantics” and enjoyed playing a rather intense game of football.

Pacific Coast News

//

Theme: Leadership. We gave the young people an opportunity to apply to be student leaders for 2010. They have to fill out an application, sit an interview and then attend a 2 day training camp. Setting the bar high and many have stepped up.

Fun Factor: Average. Need to provide a couple more options for some free time.

Attedance: Average.

Favourite Moment: Discussing with different people how they viewed leadership as well as visiting one of the younger groups to play “Hi-Lo” with them. A lot of fun

I think The Universe is trying to tell me something.  While I have been making an effort to donate to charities more, volunteer more, and buy from good, eco-and employee friendly companies more often, I recently learned how to donate in a new way.  This month’s issue of Self included an article about bone marrow donation.  (You can read a synopsis of the article here.)

I never realized how easy and non-invasive bone marrow donation is.  I always assumed it involved a long needle and a painful procedure, which is still true in some cases.  However, about 75% of bone marrow donations occur through a simple, non-invasive process: the donor is hooked up to a machine where his/her blood is sent intravenously.  It circulates through the machine a few times, where bone marrow cells are collected.  And voila!  A donation!  (Also, every time I think about this, I picture that little kid saying “blood!” Hilarious!)

Having been a part of Team In Training, I know how important it is to help fight blood cancers.  For instance:

• Every 4 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
• Every 10 minutes, someone dies of a blood cancer.
• In the US, only 3 out of 10 patients of blood cancers who need bone marrow transfusions get them.  So, yes.  7 out of 10 patients  never get them.

In the Self article, the donor was contacted and within 48 hours, the recipient had her new bone marrow.  This shows you the urgency of donating bone marrow.   Signing up is easy.  Visit DKMS to sign up for a kit.  Swab yourself and send it back to their office for shipping.  (Donations to process the samples are appreciated but not required.)  If you’re a match, you’ll be contacted.  The donation process itself could take up to five hours, if you are a match for someone on the list.  Also, once you put yourself on the list, you’re there for a long time (i.e. until you’re 61), so you could match up with someone years down the line.

So if you’re reading this blog, I urge you to donate.  I’ll post my progress as it happens.  I also urge you to tell your friends and family members, because this is free and could help save someone’s life.

André Cornetta, um amigo de muitos anos, foi ao show da banda australiana e escreveu um review especialmente para o Crackolândia :

AC/DC : Show dos sonhos

O dia 27 de novembro realmente foi um dia atípico para a cidade de São Paulo. A banda de Hard Rock australiana AC/DC voltava para cá, no estádio do Morumbi, para o show de sua turnê Black Ice.

Eu, como um grande fã da banda, não poderia deixar de ir. Cheguei ao Morumbi às 16 horas – este com um mar de gente em seus arredores, esperando a abertura do portão. Antes do show, o tempo parecia não conspirar a favor – chovia muito. Conheci uns caras de Mato Grosso do Sul na fila e fiquei sabendo por eles que quem abriria o show seria o Nasi, ex vocalista da banda Ira. Entrei no Morumbi e começou inacreditavelmente a chover mais. Mas São Pedro resolveu ajudar no momento certo.

Eram umas 20:30 – a chuva parou completamente e o show de abertura com Nasi iria começar. O Roqueiro paulistano abriu com uma música de sua carreira solo, Por Amor, com um som bacana e de boa qualidade. Ele não fez feio e o público acabou o aceitando bem e cantando também clássicos como Raul Seixas, The Clash e The Stooges.

Mas o povo realmente estava sedento para ver o AC/DC. Meu coração estava batendo muito forte no fim do show do Nasi na expectativa de vê-los ao vivo.

Eis que às 9.30 da noite, de repente, os refletores são apagados e um vídeo em forma de cartoon com diabos começa a rolar nos telões. Meu coração acelerou : o AC/DC estava ali, a alguns metros de mim. Com um palco absurdamente grande e com uma produção de primeiro mundo, creio que foi o show com maior qualidade já feito no Brasil. Estava chegando…

Fim do desenho, o quinteto australiano aparece e leva à loucura as 70 mil pessoas com chifres vermelhos na cabeça. Com uma pegada absurda e com um som muito alto, bem característico da banda, eles abrem com Rock ‘N Roll Train do álbum Black Ice. O Publico foi ao delírio quando viu Angus Young tocando – ele como sempre parecendo uma criança extremamente hiperativa. Logo na terceira música, eles tocaram Back In Black, do álbum de mesmo nome (o segundo mais vendido de todos os tempos). A música é a mais conhecida do grupo e talvez uma das mais conhecidas de todos os tempos. Também levaram o estádio abaixo clássicos como Thunderstruck, TNT, Hells Bells e na hora do bis a arquibancada tremeu com Highway to Hell.

Com a perfeição do guitarrista-base Malcolm Young e do baixista Cliff Williams (esses não se moveram o show inteiro), a boa linha de bateria de Phil Rudd, a hiperatividade e os solos de Angus e a potente voz de Brian Johnson, o show sem dúvidas foi o maior já realizado no Brasil.

Quem foi realmente sentiu-se satisfeito e já começa a ter saudades do show. Creio que pecaram por não terem tocado clássicos como It´s A Long Way To The Top e What Do You Do For Money; fora isso, nada mais a declarar. Espero que voltem mais vezes – o Brasil, que está muito mal musicalmente, precisa de shows assim para satisfazer o grande público que gosta do bom e velho Rock ‘n Roll.

Letícia

Des membres de la CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel) ont annoncé que la TNT serait entièrement en Haute Définition d’ici 2015. En plus de TF1 HD, M6 HD, France 2 HD, Arte HD et Canal+ HD, l’ensemble des autres chaînes de la TNT seront donc elles-aussi en HD d’ici 2015 mais au jour d’aujourd’hui, rien n’est encore officiel.

Sources : Techno-sciences, Toutes les chaînes de la TNT en HD d’ici 2015, disponible sur : http://www.techno-science.net/?onglet=news&news=7222 (consulté le 28/11/09)
La Télé en clair, La TNT en HD en 2015 ? disponible sur : http://www.lateleenclair.fr/blog/index.php?2009/11/17/242-la-tnt-en-hd-en-2015 (consulté le 28/11/09)

Just received new Vans shoes for the guys and girls last week including TNT II Mids and Mid Cups, a new Chukka Low Orange colorway, and some  new girls Forty-Four Hi and Wellsey Hi’s.

Hard to go wrong with Vans, strong skate heritage and great looking product.

Cardiel, TNT, AVE, Layton, ROWLEY. Best dudes in the biz are backing them.

Era and Authentic’s have been around for decades and are still some of the best sellers. Open any fashion magazine and your guaranteed to find Vans on the feet of some of the models. Celebs? You know US Weekly and all those other mags have tons of photos of all those pasty dudes from New Twilight Diaries or whatever it’s called wearing Vans too.

Dirtbag skaters also wear Vans.

Check out the pics below and read the descriptions stolen directly from the Vans site.

TNT II MID Watermelons (Green)
The TNT II Mid is one of our team riders’ most requested shoes when their boxes are being packed. This shoe features a sidestripe and great colorblocking options, which result in endless color variations. The clean look and paneling work perfectly in the mid-cut design, which offers increased ankle support.

Chukka Low Orange/White
The Chukka Low was designed by our skate team. The inspiration was based on shoes like the Authentic and the Chukka Boot, using Syndicate features and technology. Every season we’ll mix it up with different riders to showcase the creativity and diversity of the team. The shoe is bound to be a classic and spotlights the timeless style of Vans.

TNT II MID Cup Black/Dark Earth

The TNT II Mid Cup evolves Tony’s most successful shoe and one of the best in our line up. The BoardFeel XD cup version of TNT’s classic mid-cut is an incredible blend of heritage and technology for Vans. Functionally, the shoe is lightweight, durable, and thin enough so you can feel your board but not bruise your heels. This shoe features a sidestripe and great colorblocking options, which result in endless color variations. The clean look and paneling work perfectly in the mid-cut design, which offers increased ankle support. The cupsole provides increased support and durability, with all the style you’d expect from a rock star like TNT.

Showdown Checkerboard Grey
The versatile Showdown offers unmatched appeal, borrowing from vintage wrestling boot, the new wave styles of the early ’80’s, and classic skate shoe alike. Strap them all the way up, or fold them down to reveal the plush pink lining within. Sturdy design elements include a gusseted tongue detail, over-sized grommets, vulcanized construction, and a waffle rubber outsole.

Wellesley HI Warm Coffee
Cool ’80s punkish hi-top with fold down upper. Interior fabric is plaid. Padded footbed. Canvas and suede upper. Rubber waffle outsole.

Forty-Four HI Blue/Green

The Forty-Four is a sporty shoe with unusual pedigree, combining elements from 80’s pop and contemporary skate fashion; their hi-top silhouette and checkerboard uppers and laces provide a versatile look that lends itself to a variety of styles. It’s also built for comfort, including a padded tongue and collar, and a durable cupsole that provides increased foot support.

Come have a peek, grab a pair for your Friday night kit.

Tras pasar un fin de semana largo juntitos en el foro, estábamos tan relajados que esta tertulia nos ha quedado muy de estar por casa. Se nota que el teleginismo había fluido entre nosotros y nuestra charla estaba mejor engrasada que un guión de Aaron Sorkin. Como dice Irene, no hablamos de nada, pero yo me atrevería a decir que es la mejor tertulia que hemos grabado en mucho tiempo. Vamos, que si hubiera unos Emmy de las tertulias radiofónicas, sería esta la que enviásemos para que Sus Majestades televisivas nos premiaran.

Dicho lo cual, solo me queda mandar un abrazo a mis contertulias y a la entrañable Arena García, futura alcaldesa de San Vicente del Raspeig. A vosotros, os animo a escuchar la tertulia haciendo clic aquí o pinchando en la imagen inferior:

Je n’arrive pas à choisir entre l’absence de passé et l’adrénaline en continu
(La mémoire 0 – Le savoir 1)

I’ve been a fan of Timothy Hutton for a few years now. I first saw him on The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery, way back in 2000. I like mystery movies and shows, plus I watch a lot of A&E. With the help of the Internet Movie Database, I research his filmography and proceeded to watch whatever films were playing on TV or I could find at the local Blockbuster store (Netflix wasn’t around back then). I confess I haven’t watched all of his films, but I have seen quite a few, mostly old ones of when he was younger. Of course I saw Ordinary People, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. (That’s where the Academy Award Winning Actor title comes from on the TNT commercials).

Anyhoo. Timothy Hutton is the main reason I tune in to Leverage. If he wasn’t there I probably would not have watched the first season. I’ll go further and say that without him this show wouldn’t be as good as it is. He brings not only his good looks, but his own style of comedy to the show.

So, what else do I like about this show? Easy. It’s about thieves and impossible heists. I like that whole genre of a mastermind leading a team of experts to steal some mark, the harder the stakes the better. I like the way they show all the research that goes into making the plan. It makes it very real. You can’t just wake up one day and decide to steal the Mona Lisa without a well crafted plan. It also shows how much security some places have, and how totally worthless some of it is. Plus the team sticks it too high CEO type people, most who deserve all they get. That part I can relate to very well.

Now, how true are the things they show in this series? I don’t know. I have no idea if some of the hacking Hardison does (mostly with a cell phone) is possible. Sometimes they swipe people’s ids and they never notice. (I don’t know about you, but I check my id constantly when I’m wearing one). Plus, they always seem to get away with the con, even if the odds are impossible. (But we want them to get away with it, don’t we?)

In all, the show is very entertaining (which is the purpose of most TV shows). It is a nice break from the reality-show infestation over taking NBC, ABC and FOX. I like how TNT has kept the reality-shows to a minimum. Most TV stations have blindly, and ridiculously, followed that cash cow to the death and beyond.

I love this show. I hope TNT keeps it around for a long time.

The Characters:

Nathan Ford: (obviously) I like how they changed his character; TV doesn’t need another glorification to alcoholism.

Eliot Spencer: love his hair (really, for a man who makes a living out of hitting people, you’d think he wouldn’t have long hair that can get into his line of vision). I also love how he knows nothing about electronics, and how he ‘freaks’ when Hardison gives him some job with technology.

Parker: What can I say? She jumps off buildings and dangles from rooftops without a care in the world. I know I will never do that kind of thing, so I live vicariously through her. I also love the relation between her and Hardison.

Hardison: I like technology and I like the way he breaks down some of the ‘high-tech’ gadgets. Really, some people rely entirely too much on their cell phones, and sometimes they get back at you.

Sophie: she’s my least favorite character- I’m not exactly sure why either. She does some great accents and pulls off some great performances (off the stage of course!).

Favorite Episodes:

The Wedding Job: I loved how Eliot devoted himself to the cooking. Hilarious!

The First David Job & The Second David Job: it when wrong. I love to see them succeed, but sometimes you have to fail too. I also liked the Nathan’s ex-wife was working with them. I wonder if she is going to return to the show.

The Order-23 Job: the way they worked on the fears of that guy was awesome! I would have been feeling sick if I was in that room too!

Timothy Hutton Films

Let me recommend a few films by Mr. Hutton. I’ve watched them, and I liked them, but you’re free to have your own opinion. I’ve included links to their IMDB entries, so you can read the plot and any reviews they might have.

1. The Falcon and the Snowman: two boys as spies, what could be better?
2. French Kiss: Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline WITH Timothy Hutton. What more can you ask for? LOL I love this film! I quote this film! Really, it’s funny and romantic.
3. Beautiful Girls: romantic drama. Friends and love, plus the beautiful Natalie Portman!
4. A Nero Wolfe Mystery Series: can’t recommend it enough. I taped this series (and removed the tabs from the tapes so I don’t record over them!). I watched the DVDs . I still re-watch it. I love Archie Goodwin’s character. How does he put up with Mr. Wolfe? My only complaint is that the actors were re-cast for all the episodes and sometimes I didn’t buy the change of character.
5. 5ive Days to Midnight: he has to solve his own murder! Got me right there.
6. Last Holiday: ok, you don’t love Mr. Hutton’s character, but this movie is great. Reminds us how short life is and that we need to live and do the things we love

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Links

Leverage (official)

Nota di Pao: Trovo ironico il fatto che in Italia la TNT abbia aderito* al Progetto10×10 di Quattroruote con il quale ci si impegna a ridurre del 10% le emissioni di CO2 dei veicoli e poi in Inghilterra sia inserita nella lista dei più cattivi in assoluto.

* Vedi > http://www.quattroruote.it/eco10×10/azienda_tnt.cfm

°°°

Rimandati a settembre, o forse addirittura bocciati. Questa dovrebbe essere la sorte scolastica di molte aziende inglesi, che dimostrano un atteggiamento ancora troppo poco collaborativo nelle proprie politiche ecologiche.

Secondo una ricerca britannica (promossa da Marketing magazine e Brand Republic, con la collaborazione di ENDS Carbon e l’Università di Edimburgo) dal titolo Brand Emissions che ha coinvolto 600 marchi, molti hanno ancora politiche ambientali lacunose e non pubblicano nemmeno i dati riguardanti le emissioni di gas serra. Ma non c’è limite al peggio e c’è chi addirittura, in tempi di allarme climatico, è riuscito ad aumentare le proprie emissioni di CO2.

Gli insufficienti, a vari livelli, sono circa i due terzi dei marchi più noti che sono molto lontani dall’obiettivo governativo del 2020 di ridurre le emissioni del 20 per cento rispetto al 1990.

Tra i più attenti all’ambiente troviamo Tesco, T-Mobile, Dell, BMW, Eurotunnel, Accenture, Standard Chartered, Ericsson, KPMG, AMD, mentre tra coloro che dimenticano di pubblicare le informazioni ci sono Google, McKinsey e Amazon.

Per ben 320 delle aziende osservate, tra cui Porsche, Harvey Nichols e McDonald’s, non è stato registrato alcun proposito di ridurre le proprie emissioni inquinanti. Inoltre 122 brand, tra cui Barclays, Sky e eBay, sono riusciti addirittura ad aumentare i propri gas serra nel corso del 2008.

Infine ci sono i più cattivi in assoluto, tra cui Acer, Juniper Networks, Billabong International, Finnair, Premier Inn, Costa, Gossard, Aegon, Unisys, TNT, ovvero quelli che sono riusciti nel duplice obiettivo di innalzare le emissioni di anidride carbonica e di non avere alcun proposito di cambiare.

Fonte: www.corriere.it

Esta é a capinha internacional do primeiro disco do AC/DC, que há alguns anos pintou por aqui numa simpática edição digipack, que ainda pode ser encontrada em lojas. Na real, o “High Voltage” que conhecemos é uma mistura das edições australianas do “High Voltage”  e do “T.N.T.” – algumas músicas do “High Voltage” australiano não usadas na versão mundial entraram anos mais tarde no EP “Jailbreak”, em vinil – cuja faixa-título, raridade da edição australiana de “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” estourou no Brasil na época do primeiro Rock in Rio, em 1986. “Jailbreak” na voz inesquecível de Bon Scott e com o riff mortal de Angus Young, esse Chuck Berry “on the rocks”, movido a scotch e máscaras de ar. 

Capa da edição australiana de "High Voltage"

Capa do disco T.N.T., lançado na Austrália

De qualquer maneira, o repertório dessa fase inicial do AC/DC pode ser curtido nos DVDs da caixa Plug Me In. “The Jack” e “T.N.T” aparecem em setlists de shows recentes da banda.

Como ya comenté en la anterior entrada, este fin de semana he estado en el I Festival de Series de Madrid que organizó Digital+ junto con algunos de los canales de cable que emiten en la plataforma de Sogecable. Sí, AgenTV ocupó el famoso sillón que protagoniza el cartel del festival.

Continuo mi crónica del Festival de Series con el último evento que tuvo lugar el sábado, la mesa redonda “Locos por las series”, en la que participaron Boris Izaguirre, Antonio Muñoz de Mesa, Pepe Colubi y Antonio Trashorras. Iba a participar también Imanol Arias pero faltó a la cita. La charla estuvo entretenida pero tampoco es que aportase gran información.

No entendía al principio qué pintaba Boris Izaguirre allí, y es que no sabía que él había sido guionista de telenovelas en su país. Y lo cierto es que además se dio a conocer como una persona bastante conocedora del mundillo de las series, y como no podía ser de otra manera, monopolizó gran parte de la tertulia con sus anécdotas y sus opiniones. Fue muy gracioso el momento en que Boris fue a comentar el final de ‘A dos metros bajo tierra’ y todo el teatro le mandó callar para que no soltara spoilers.

Los contertulios hicieron un repaso bastante amplio de la historia de las series americanas, pero dejaron totalmente de lado el mercado español.

El domingo hubo una única conferencia, la presentada por Iker Jiménez. Supuestamente el presentador de ‘Cuarto Milenio’ iba a hablar de el terror y las series, pero lo cierto es que su conferencia tuvo bastante poco que ver con el tema de las series. Habló más bien del miedo y por qué la gente siente fascinación por sentir miedo. Pero de series ni rastro. La charla no estuvo mal, interesante para quien le interesen los temas que se tratan en su programa, pero nada relacionado con el festival.

Por otro lado, además de lo que comenté de las fotos sobre chroma con el casting de las series, repartieron merchandising de alguna serie, aunque casi siempre lo daban en los visionados, a los que no fui demasiado.

En cuanto a los visionados, sólo me quedé a ver dos, y más por la novedad de ver una serie en cine que por los títulos en sí. Así, el domingo me quedé a ver ‘Eastwick’ y ‘Crónicas Vampíricas’, correspondientes a los canales Cosmo y TNT respectivamente.

‘Eastwick’ aún no lo había visto, en parte motivado porque había leído críticas bastante negativas sobre ella, y la verdad es que no me disgustó. No es una serie imprescindible ni muy novedosa, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que su argumento está basado en una película que a su vez se basa en un libro. Pero pese a ello, y sin entrar en comparaciones odiosas entre el reparto de la serie y el del film, donde evidentemente el primero saldría perdiendo, la serie no deja de ser bastante entretenida. Es un acierto el haberla comprado por parte del canal Cosmo porque va como una anillo al dedo con el estilo de series de el canal. Es una de esas series que no te hacen pensar, a lo HBO, pero sí que te hace pasar un rato agradable. Supongo que verla en cine también le hizo sumar puntos.

De ‘Crónicas vampíricas’ había visto parte del piloto con anterioridad, y en el Festival confirmé que no es la serie de mi vida. La verdad es que no me atrae mucho para seguirla, pero reconozco que es un producto ideal para el fin que se creó, captar a los fans de ”Crepúsculo” con otra historia de adolescentes vampiros, amor y misterio. Eso sí, el momento del cementerio en el que aparece la niebla es demasiado para mi cuerpo. A la salida de la proyección me pidieron unos chicos de TNT que les contase para la cámara qué me había parecido la serie para un video que colgarán en la página web del canal. Os aseguro que no mentí, pero sí es verdad que intenté ser bastante benévolo.

En definitiva, que para ser la primera edición estuvo bastante bien, pero podría mejorarse bastante. A ver si el año próximo traen alguna celebridad de una serie más importante, y además de promocionar sus series nos proporcionan material más interesante. También pueden trabajar algo más en la temática de las charlas, que hubo buenas y otras no tanto. Y otro punto que quedó muy ignorado son las series españolas, a las que no se le dedicó ni un minuto.

¡Por cierto! Conseguí unas chapas de ‘Fringe’, y como no soy fan de la serie he pensado sortearlas entre los lectores, a ver si así comentais un poco más. Estad atentos que las Navidades están a la vuelta de la esquina y AgenTV sorteará las chapitas.

Esta pasada semana, y concretamente los días 19, 20, 21 y 22 de Noviembre, ha tenido lugar en Madrid el I Festival de Series que ha organizado la plataforma Digital+ junto a algunos de los canales temáticos que emiten en ella: Fox, TNT, Cosmo, AXN, Paramount Comedy, Canal+, MTV, Calle 13 y Sci Fi.

El festival incluía varias actividades en su programa, talleres (lo han denominado así aunque eran básicamente charlas) sobre temas relacionados con las series y visionados de algunas de las novedades de los canales en sala de cine. También había un chroma donde podías hacerte una foto que posteriormente incluían en el cartel de alguna serie. Por ejemplo, yo pasé a formar parte de la pandilla de ricachones de Upper East Side, es decir, foto friki con ‘Gossip Girl’.

Por problemas de agenda (que importante suena), sólo pude acudir a las actividades del sábado y el domingo.

El jueves tuvo lugar la presentación, a la que acudieron el creador y una actriz de ‘Los Tudors’, algunos visionados y poco más de interés.

En cambio el viernes fue el día que, en mi opinión, más cosas interesantes había. Y vaya si me dio lástima perderlo. Mesa Redonda titulada “Cosecha 2009, por Bloggers” y con un plantel de gente que admiro mucho: Rosa Belmonte de Enciendeyvamonos, Concepción Carcajosa, profesora de Comunicación, autora de varios libros muy interesantes sobre televisión y bloguera de Todosobrelatele, y las divertidísimas Montse Cebrían e Irene Cívico de Bytheway. Todas ellas moderadas por Marisa Alcaide, directora de Telepatrulla, el programa sobre televisión de Canal+.

También el viernes tuvieron lugar dos talleres que me parecía que serían interesantes y de los que he podido escuchar parte de las charlas gracias al blog de Adri: “Como anunciar una serie” y “El éxito de una serie”. Como ella misma dice, la segunda es mucho más interesante.

Llegamos, por fin, al tercer día del festival, al que ya sí que pude acudir.

Dado que llegué a Madrid el mismo sábado, no llegué a tiempo de entrar al primer taller, el del doblaje, aunque lo pillé a medias y lo que estuve viendo me gustó. Participaron las actrices de doblaje que ponen voz a las cuatro protagonistas de ‘Sexo en Nueva York’, así como las dobladoras de Serena y Blair de ‘Gossip girl’.

Luego llegó el taller de los guionistas de comedia, organizado por Paramount Comedy. Ellos fueron Natxo López, guionista de ’7 Vidas’ y ‘La familia Mata’ y conocido en internet como El Guionista Hastiado, y Sonia Pastor, guionista de ‘7 Vidas’ y ‘Aída’, muy simpática ella, con la que estuve hablando un poco después de la charla. Acompañándolos estaban tres actores, Carlos Areces, Javier Gutierrez y Marta Belenguer, quien por cierto comentó que ha grabado un piloto de una serie de chicas para Paramount Comedy. 

Explicaron, a grandes rasgos, cómo se organiza y lleva a cabo la labor de los guionistas. No explicaron nada que yo no supiera, pero sí que estuvo muy bien expuesto de cara al público en general. Además hablaron de cómo veían el panorama televisivo y cosas así. Sobre todo fue una charla muy simpática y amena.

Dejo en este punto la crónica que retomaré en breve. En la próxima entrada sobre el Festival de Series hablaré de otras dos charlas, de algún visionado, conclusiones y alguna cosilla más.

Actualización: Enlace de la Parte 2 de la Crónica del Festival.

The NBA on TNT recently introduced a series of new commercials for the 2009-10 NBA season. The commercials star Rainn Wilson, famous for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office, alongside NBA stars Gilbert Arenas, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Rose. In the commercials, Arenas, Williams, Howard, and Rose, play the foil to Wilson’s somewhat naive, but completely annoying, cab driver.

The commercials earned generally negative reviews, but have recently come under fire for something a bit more troubling than simply being unfunny. Donal Logue, a working actor perhaps most famous for his role in the short-lived Fox series Grounded for Life, recently attacked the commercials as a rip-off of his character, “Jimmy the Cab Driver.”

Logue appeared as “Jimmy the Cab Driver” in a series of commercials for MTV in the late 90s. Judge for yourself, but from the striking physical similarities (including mustache, mullet, glasses, and indeterminate accent) to the similar structure (unwitting passenger is forced to listen to the eccentric ramblings of a cab driver), it appears Logue may be on to something.

TNT and Wilson have both publicly addressed the creation of Wilson’s NBA cab driver character. TNT would have you believe the idea came from the HBO series Taxicab Confessions.

Wilson, perhaps attempting to set up a scenes a faire defense or perhaps arguing his character is simply a derivative work, recently described the creation of his character, saying “They [NBA] had this crazy cab driver and I’ve kind of seen that character before.” Wilson went on to say:

I was very excited because the night before we shot, I was like ‘You know what? I need a mullet. I need a mustache.’ And he [cab driver] is my ode to all of my crazy cousins and relatives in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I love you guys.

Logue is not buying either explanation. The only apparent connection between Taxicab Confessions and the NBA commercials is that both take place in a taxi. As Logue points out, Taxicab Confessions focused on the outrageousness of the passengers’ confessions to an anonymous cab driver, while the NBA on TNT commercials focus on the outrageousness of Wilson’s cab driver himself.

As for Wilson’s explanation, Logue says:

He [Wilson] made it seem like there was a vague army of similar characters that came before him, all fairly indistinguishable . . . but since he wanted a mustache (I had one too), a mullet (over the course of some spots Jimmy had one) and for his character to be from Wisconsin, he was TOTALLY different.

Neither the NBA nor TNT has responded directly to Logue’s recent blog post, and TNT has yet to pull the commercials.

– Michael Quinlan

Image Source

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Matt in Montclair, Calif.: Is Southland really that good? Should I give it a shot on TNT?
We say yes, and so does Ben McKenzie: “People just need to watch it, and after 15 minutes, you’ll decide whether you like it or not. If you’re into a sort of grittier, darker cop show without the sheen that a lot of networks put on their shows, you’ll like it. It’s very character driven, it’s hard-hitting, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also some romance, so it’s a real show you can follow week to week.” And maybe if you start watching, TNT will take note and order up some more episodes (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Monica in New Orleans: Anything good coming up on Gossip Girl?
Chuck is going to visit Bart’s grave on the anniversary of his death, and when he gets there, he won’t be the only one paying his respects. Any guesses on who’ll pop up? I’m hearing that not one but two family members could be making surprising returns.

Brianna: How about something on One Tree Hill? Anything juicy?
How’s this: A source tells me Haley and Quinn’s sister Taylor is going to come back to Tree Hill.

Cian33: 90210 is so much better this year! I hope you are watching. What can you dish?
Agreed! It is way better than season one, in case any of you are missing it. I’m told there’s a sex scandal in the works: Naomi is going to accuse a teacher of sexual harassment.

Irene in Newport News, Va.: I’m loving White Collar! Any scoop?
Ever since the White Collar pilot, we’ve found that the everyday eps of this USA series have been a smidgen flimsier than we’d like, but the midseason finale on Dec. 4 is the sharp and snappy standard we’d like to see from the show. What happens? Well, Neal (Matthew Bomer) is finally confronted with a criminal nemesis worthy of his talents, Elizabeth Burke’s (Tiffani Thiessen) presence on the show starts to make sense, and there is a huge (huge!) reveal about Agent Burke (Tim McKay) that involves something pretty important from Neal’s past.

Credit: E! Online

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Note: Bejamin McKenzie played Ryan on The O.C. and Tiffani Thiessen played Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210.