Not that you need any reminding, but Ben Affleck loves Boston. He loves Boston so much that his first two directorial efforts -- not counting the one about killing a lesbian wife -- have been love letters to his home city, highlighting its blue collar nature. His new film, The Company Men, centers on Boston as well, but not in the salt-of-the-earth way Affleck fans might be used to seeing; Affleck plays a successful businessman who gets pushed out in a bit of corporate downsizing. Why did Affleck grab for the white-collar this time around?
more »
· Full disclosure: Until today, I had never even heard of "F*** Yeah! Ryan Gosling." Hey, it's hard to keep up with all these Internet memes! Anyway, MTV cornered Gosling on the press tour for Blue Valentine and had him read some of the funnier ones aloud. Is there any actor more charmingly marble mouthed than The Gosling? Click ahead to watch, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
more »
Also in this Thursday edition of The Broadsheet: James Franco goes back to Rebel Without a Cause... Ronni Chasen's murder case gets closer to resting... another Winklevi lawsuit... and more ahead.
more »
If this morning's Transformers: Dark of the Moon trailer left you thinking about nothing but robots, then check out this stylish, animated short from Tim Burton promoting his Museum of Modern Art exhibition at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. It's refreshingly simple and short, yet still bears Burton's unmistakable touch. If this week's been tough, then take comfort; this robot understands.
more »
I'm happy to report that the new "announcement trailer" for Transformers: Dark of the Moon is almost entirely comprehensible. None of the effects shots move faster than the human brain, and there's actually a nice sense of atmosphere and build-up to the whole thing. Maybe Michael Bay listened to the backlash from the last film. It's also possible that none of this footage is in the movie, since I have no idea what an "announcement trailer" actually is.
more »
· Hey, look: Alec Baldwin, Elizabeth Banks, Alan Alda, and Elaine Stritch all in one place. It appears Jack Donaghy's family is coming together in a big way on 30 Rock. I look forward to some wholesome microwave-sponsored programming. [Zap2It]
more »
It looks like the MPAA likes female pleasure after all! Following a personal appeal from Harvey Weinstein at today's hearing, the ratings board has unanimously overturned the NC-17 ruling on Blue Valentine. The Derek Cianfrance-directed film will head into theaters with the much more Oscar friendly R-rating. Exhale. [Deadline]
· Someday, historians will look back on this era of comedy and title it the "Ken Jeong Era." The actor has gone from "Hey, that guy!" to "Hey, that guy!" thanks to his constant presence in movies and television. Perhaps fed up with such thorough domination of both mediums -- or spurred on by a nice paycheck -- Jeong has moved his comedy stylings over to television commercials. Click ahead to watch his Pepto-Bismol shilling, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
more »
Here's one guaranteed monologue joke during the Academy Awards next year. According to TV Guide, James Franco will reprise his General Hospital serial killer in two episodes sandwiched around the ceremonies. "When we realized James would be in L.A. for the Oscars and all the other awards shows, we asked if he'd consider coming back and doing a little something for us," said executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. "He was happy to do it [...] He's also expressed an interest in directing at GH. He's been really, really good to us. Whatever James wants, we'd love to make it happen!" Famous last words, Jill. [TV Guide]
Acting! The New York Times has assembled 14 actors to perform a variety of classic screen types in short films directed by photographer Solve Sundsbo. Javier Bardem, Michael Douglas, James Franco, Tilda Swinton and Natalie Portman provide highlights, but pay special attention to Matt Damon's hilarious silent screaming fit and Jennifer Lawrence's sexy horror homage. Once again, The Winter's Bone actress shows just what she had hidden underneath that bulky winter wardrobe. Also of note: singer Owen Pallet did the accompanying music, which sounds an awful lot like Johnny Greenwood's score from There Will Be Blood. Not that anyone is complaining. [NYT]
Sometimes it's just that simple. At the New York premiere of The Tourist on Monday night, Brad Pitt was photographed grabbing a good chunk of Angelina Jolie's behind. Because if you were married to Angelina Jolie what else would you do when posing for paparazzi pictures? Click ahead to see the loving couple, and then help us come up with a witty caption for their antics. It's not like you have work to do this morning or anything!
more »
Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: A few additions to the Ridiculous Development Rumor Scorecard... Terrence Malick is the new J.J. Abrams (or something)... The single coolest online photo exhibit you'll see all day (if not all year)... and more...
more »
If Tron leaves you wanting something a little darker, sexier and more twisted from from the newbie-trapped-in-a-video-game genre, it looks like the French went ahead and took care of that. The Black Heaven trailer centers around a game called Black Hole which involves an often-undressed femme fatale, long jumps off of buildings and crappy graphics. And like all of the best video games, this one can possibly kill the player in real life.
more »
Blockbuster might want to put some extra polish on that new advertising campaign. There's apparently a new service around the corner called "Flix On Stix" that uses a kiosk model similar to Redbox, only instead of getting a DVD, you simply plug in a USB thumb drive and download the movie rental in seconds. Maybe Redbox should start planning a new advertising campaign too? Or is this new technology destined to go obsolete almost as soon as it begins? Let's weigh the pros and cons.
more »
· The not-so-spoilerish preview for the fifth season finale of Dexter is here! Watch as our antihero gets discombobulated and disturbed during a awkward moment. [YouTube]
more »
