Though our commenters may not have a surprise twist ending or a splendid late-night talk show appearance, Movieline freely gifts this week's commenting champions with a number next to their name and a small blurb. Have you ever, in your wildest absinthe fantasies, wished to be one of "The Top 10 S.T. VanAirsdale Zealots of the Decade"? Dream fulfillment approaching. What about a place among "The Top 200 Avatar Jokesmiths of the Millennium"? We'll get you in at #58! Keep in mind that we plucked winners from this week and last week, as both were truncated thanks to the holidays.
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When television historians reflect on this decade, they will certainly not skirt around the fact that 2009 was one of the most disappointing years in the history of the medium. Broadcast networks spent thousands of hours pumping hot air into the controversies surrounding the Gosselins, David Letterman and Tiger Woods, but when you look back on the groundbreaking programming produced, you're left with little more than Snooki and an empty balloon in a cornfield. So follow along as I lead you through my favorite (and the most uplifting) of this year's small-screen developments.
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While 2009 was by no means an especially slow cultural news year (Michael Jackson and John Hughes died, and Tiger Woods may as well have), the amount of stories that really intrigued me was at an unusual minimum. That could just as easily say something about me as it does about the year past, but for now, it's best to accentuate the positive. Hence my favorite stories of '09 -- the curious, the crazy, the thought-provoking and the altogether memorable.
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Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze closed out the last decade (and the millennium) with two of that decade's best films; since 1999, the boom in independent filmmaking that fostered their breakthroughs has either flamed out or blown open the doors, depending on how you look at it. That they both made big budget studio adaptations of children's classics this year can also be seen two ways, but what seems clear is that spirit of regression has provided a sort of temporary refuge, a regrouping point for two of America's best and most innovative storytellers.
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Though year-end battles between Time Warner Cable and its high-profile constituents are no new ordeal, Fox's programming may be pulled from air beginning at midnight tonight thanks to a lack of resolution in their fight with the cable giant for "fair compensation." Again, this means: "Your cable bill is going up -- but the fun is figuring out how much. Blackout party!" The update arrives via a memo sent to employees Wednesday by News Corp. president Chase Carey.
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Is it 2010 yet? No? Then I guess it's time for another Fave Five! This one comes from Thomas Lennon, whom you might recognize as being the alter ego of Lt. Jim Dangle -- the baddest hoochie-short-rocking officer on the Reno force, from the tragically canceled Reno 911!. (Phooey, Comedy Central. Phooey on you.) Now, here they are, without comment: Thomas Lennon's Fave Five of 2009. Enjoy.
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· For this, the last Hollywood Ink of 2009, it's only fitting that we revel in the little miracles that trade news occasionally tosses our way. But enough about Fox's astonishing December run -- a one-two punch of Avatar and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel that helped lift the studio past the $4 billion global box-office mark for the year. I've been transfixed for much of the last day with the inspired-ish artwork that accompanied this story at The Wrap, which reduces Rupert Murdoch and studio bosses Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos to their golden chipmunk trio. "Failure" might be too harsh a description for this handiwork, but anything that gets one thinking about these guys macking on the Chipettes while Zachary Levi cleans their cages is, frankly, just a pop-culture bridge too far. [The Wrap]
The Weinsteins stand by Nine, Sherlock Holmes trickles down, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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· People tuning in to The Weather Channel got a surprise marriage proposal from Kennesaw, GA police Sgt. Marty Cunningham to his girlfriend, Weather Channel meteorologist Kim Perez. We love you too, Marty Cunnigham! [The Daily What]
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Lists. Great for grocery shopping, even better for pop culture blogging. Come along now, as we list the best Movieline lists of the year. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 ...
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Avatar may have just missed claiming I Am Legend's December-opening record a few weeks back, but its ungodly opening fortnight is setting James Cameron's epic up for history of another, even more durable kind. With $642 million already in the bank worldwide, is it time to ask when -- not if -- Avatar will usurp Titanic's all-time box-office title?
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This season, Saturday Night Live has relied on a steady stream of hosts who weren't even old enough to drink at the after-party, but starting in January, the show will bump its median age up a tad. Ex-basketballer Charles Barkley will host the first show back on January 9 (because...?), while Sigourney Weaver will take over hosting duties a week later. Perhaps we'll get an Avatar flashback where Grace Augustine auspiciously orders her Na'vi-sized belly shirt from the ultra-accommodating Stanford bookstore? [EW]
· Jamie Bell may have skipped out on A Single Man, but it's good to know he'll be fulfilling his homoerotic quota in the upcoming Channing Tatum war epic The Eagle of the Ninth.
· Actress Carly Pope was taken to a hospital after she and her brother were carjacked in Vancouver.
· Can we miss the Voltaggio Brothers if they've never really left?
· The Focus-financed True Legend, a martial arts film directed by Matrix action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, will be shot in 3D.
· How do Avatar's Na'vi have s'ex? You'll simply have to wait for the DVD to find out.
The National Film Registry at the Library of Congress today announced its inductees for 2009, a group of 25 titles that includes one Best Picture-winner, one zombie milestone, a beloved puppet musical, two student films, and a spaghetti Western. Read on for the full list.
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Some film fans like to make their Top 10 lists as early in December as possible; like checking off a Bingo card, they confidently assert that they've seen every relevant movie and are ready to weigh in. I envy their sureness, as it's taken me until the very last days of 2009 for my sense of the year in film to shift and settle. What was interesting about selecting my top ten movies, then, is how twinned they seemed, bound thematically, formally, and thrillingly. It may have been long in the making, but now that my list is in front of me, I couldn't have imagined it any other way.
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The Web is atwitter this week with word that The Hobbit is hosting an open casting call for extras. If only it were that easy: A solicitation several weeks ago gave way to new casting announcement Monday, which in turn gave way to an update Tuesday, which in turn gave way to the dispiriting (for fans, anyway) news that applications would not be accepted until some time in February. The skeptic in me wants to attribute it to those development hold-ups Peter Jackson won't acknowledge, but the optimist says this will all happily work itself out in due time. All anyone knows for sure: You won't have to compete with Tobey Maguire. [The One Ring]
