Pop Culture Buzz

I kind of dig this over the top gangster movie trailer. But then again I liked the trailer for “Smokin’ Aces” and that movie was another re-hash of “Pulp Fiction” with tired dialog and glossed over MTV camera angles. This movie could inspire some thrilling moments or just go down as another Tarantino wannabe.

Here is my take on the so-so summer televison season that has started in full force. Let’s start off by getting past what I think is just “filler” and mindless “crap”…sorry but “America’s Got Talent” isn’t about finding the best juggler, mime or cat circus act…they are looking for singers, or musicians which makes it a weak and trashy version of “American Idol” and the addition of the talentless Jerry Springer proves that even more.

Also, what happened to the bitchy powerhouse that used to be Sharon Osbourne? Now we get a pulled back more awake version of Paula Abdul kissing peoples ass, all of her reactions seem staged as if she is acting….the only host that is slightly entertaining on this show is David Hasselhoff, it’s fun watching him slur his words and stumble through sentences apparently drunk off his ass….but that even wears thin.

With “America’s Got Talent” we have to wade through all of the bad (belly dancers), the terrible (little girls dancing ala’ Jon Benet Ramsey) and the just plain idiotic (ventriloquist’s!!??) just to witness one person with some resemblance of talent and the show is 2 hours long!!!!

Next, “So You Think You Can Dance”…..what is the prize for this show? A life time supply of glow sticks? Dancing in the background of the next Hilary Duff music video?? I can see watching this for the “hot boy” ratio, but it does get old and the whole “judging panel” thing is so played out (see above).

FOX made a big mistake by hyping the bloated, ridiculous “On The Lot”. It is a boring mess with a horrible host, what happened to the original episode host Chelsea Handler? I watched 4 episodes of this mess and was not impressed by the judging or the talent they found. It must have cost FOX a pretty penny for this flop.

CHEF GORDON RAMSEY OF “HELL’S KITCHEN” ON FOX

As for the cooking shows; “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen”. Bravo’s “Top Chef” reigns supreme in this race. Although “Hell’s Kitchen” can be fun at times, it gets tiring watching people get verbally abused for an hour by Chef Ramsey. Bravo is still king of the reality t.v. genre.

THE CAST OF “BIG LOVE ON HBO

HBO is off to a kick ass start with “Big Love” which is now the best drama on pay cable, hands down. I have nothing in common with these characters but some how I am drawn into their world every week and love every juicy minute of it! It is touching, hilarious and powerful with it’s taudry and enraging premise. I would not miss this new season if I were you! Rent the first season if you can!

“JOHN FROM CINCINATTTI”

After the finale of “The Soprano’s” I watched “John From Cincinnati” the new HBO series which on the surface looks like a surfing family drama but is actually a funny Sci-Fi hybrid not to be missed! I love Rebecca De Mornay’s acting and sassy character so far…I am intrigued to see where this show goes.

“The Simple Life Goes To Camp” has been pretty lame so far, and what do you expect from the show that won’t die. It has some funny moments but is just as much staged as it is a “reality show”. Who cares about this show anyway? My real guilty pleasure this summer is “The Flava of Love Charm School” on MTV. It has everything a gay drama queen could love; ghetto fabulous hair weaves, slutty/trashy girls and over the top moments that need to be seen to be believed…or not, it is pretty trashy and not for the faint of heart.

CBS has had some duds “Pirate Master” and top notch additions in “Creature Comforts”. I think the premise with “Pirate Master” is cool, but with the crappy film “Pirates 3″ in theaters and a bad cast of reality television contestants, “Pirate Master” is too corny and similar to “Survivor” to take off. “Creature Comforts” builds on the brilliance of the BBC version and comes out looking like nothing short of genus. It is hilarious and cute as hell.

CBS’s “CREATURE COMFORTS”

I am on the edge of my seat for the new season of “Big Brother”, if you are a fan then you too can’t wait to see a new cast after the past 2 years of familiar faces. I consider “Big Brother” the best reality show experiment ever. Do you want to see serious drama, reality t.v. sex, back stabbing contestants and people under pressure? This is the show to watch this summer if so!

THE “BIG BROTHER” HOUSE

With so many crappy choices (it is summer television after all) it is hard to find the nuggets of entertainment out of the dozens of bad choices. Most of the shows I talked about are just mindless filler, but that is what summer T.V. is for I guess. We get to look forward to the new fall season waiting for our favorites to return with quality we rely on (Lost, The Office, 30 Rock etc. etc.).

I liked the first “Saw” movie, a lot. The second one really disappointed, and the third was a pile of stinky crap. So what can I expect from the next “Saw” movie? I will be suckered into watching it, but this time it won’t be on the big screen.

Some call these movies close to porn and down right mindless, they may be right, but all of the “Saw” movies have been huge hits. One thing about the “Saw” movies is that they have some cool gory ass posters for their movies. Check it out below, yucky!

As far as Sci-fi alien movies go, the 70’s version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is in my top ten favorites of all time. Every re-make or similarly themed movie that has come out up until now has failed to spark the genius of the schizo, paranoia infused cult fave.

This trailer actually has some promising moments and genuine chills. I am rooting for “The Invasion” to work and for it to be seriously entertaining, is that asking too much? Nicole needs a hit like a crackhead does, and Daniel Craig is riding high off of the last 007 which kicked major ass! Let’s hope this rocks.

TOTAL THIS WEEKEND / TOTAL SO FAR

1.) Ocean’s Thirteen $37,080,000 / $37,080,000

2.) Pirates of the Caribbean 3 $21,316,000 / $253,614,000

3.) Knocked Up $20,017,000 / $66,241,000

4.) Surf’s Up $18,000,000 / $18,000,000

5.) Shrek the Third $15,750,000 / $281,892,000

6.) Hostel Part II $8,750,000 / $8,750,000

7.) Mr. Brooks $5,000,000 / $18,682,000

8.) Spider-Man 3 $4,400,000 / $325,680,000

9.) Waitress $1,650,000 / $12,016,000

10.) Disturbia $550,000 / $77,795,000

David Hyde Pierce who played Niles Crane on the hit NBC t.v. show “Fraser” for over 10 years (who was also outed earlier this month by the associated press) thanked his partner of 25 years while winning a Tony this past weekend on national television.

David Hyde Pierce can now add this award to his collection, which also contains a Golden Globe and Emmy. Although there is nothing shocking about this news (Fraser was a gay show, without the gay characters) it is refreshing to hear that another celebrity is owning their true identity in public.

This trailer is twisted and hilarious (and I have already posted it here on this blog a few months Back). Zombie movies are my favorite genre, and add some zany comedy and I am sold.

If you liked “Shaun of the Dead” then you will get a kick out of this trailer. I am seriously going to look for “Fido” in my town when it it released this weekend. I am more excited for this movie than any of the soggy blockbuster sequels Hollywood is putting out this summer.

I am not a big Will Smith fan, I hate his dramatic acting style and tend to enjoy his action/Sci-Fi stuff much more. This movie is right up my alley with it’s scary premise, futuristic settings and (from what I have read) GREAT zombie scenes. The images in this trailer are pretty cool. I am looking forward to this movie and have been for a while.

“I Am Legend” has taken over 10 years, numerous possible acting leads (Schwarzenegger was the original actor in mind for this role), directors and writers to finally make it on the big screen. It looks like it will be worth it when it comes out this winter, check it out for yourself below.

Who and what are Booty Luv? Us American’s may never get to experience the fun, trashy Euro-pop they create here on our air waves but I have posted this video for you to ponder over. Why is it that this type of pop music doesn’t translate well over here in the states and become popular again?

It’s the same reason why some of us may never know pop stars like Annie, Rachel Stevens or The Sugababes…..hip-hop and rap still reign supreme over here. After N’Sync, The Spice Girls and Hanson fell off of people’s radar they became sick of disposable pop music (and that’s a shame!). Sure Christina, Pink, Justin and Rihanna are all still big players in pop music her in the U.S. but I’d love some more variety in pop music.

With “The Heartbreak Kid” coming out this fall and then the boring looking “Wedding Daze” coming out later this summer, the movie market is already saturated with wedding comedies. And how can any of them stand up against the subtle genius that is already the silent hit of the summer, Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up”.

It is obvious by Robin Williams over acting in this trailer that this movie will not be well received, it’s just a hunch I have. I love “The Office’s” John Krasinski, but he picked a dud for his first starring role in a feature film. Not even the talented Mandy Moore could save this obvious turkey.

Erasure are the gayest electro-80’s band ever, and that’s why we love them. Nothing could top their ABBA covers c.d. “ABBA-esque” but there new material sounds pretty fun and full of pop. Their best song is still “Chains of Love” in my book, but this new tune is not half bad either. Even in their old gay years Erasure can still churn out a catchy tune.

More 80’s toy movie news on the heels of the “G.I. Joe” and “He-Man” feature film announcements. The 80’s cult cartoon “Thundercats” is being made into an all CGI cartoon feature film (like this Spring’s hit “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”). I love this news as much as did when I heard about the upcoming “Transformers” flick. I am an 80’s toy fan and had all of these action figures when I was a kid. What do you think of this new trend in movie ideas?

Finally some good news for the gays! Yes, the homophobic actor has been sacked from his hit t.v. show for his anti-gay remarks made towards fellow cast T.R. Knight member earlier this year. ABC announced it will not be renewing the contract of the troubled actor.

The move was confirmed by two sources with knowledge of the situation, one of whom said, “It was a difficult year and this should come as no surprise to anyone.” Officials at ABC Television Studio, which produces “Grey’s Anatomy,” declined comment.

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” Washington said in a statement released through his publicist, Howard Bragman. Ahhh, poor baby. Maybe he should get his ass out of his head and join the 21st century, people need to be accountable for their words. Imus had to, and why not this guy? Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

Talk about uber cool and hip movies, this trailer oozes machismo. Denzel and Russell are a perfect pairing for this tense, cool thriller set in the 70’s. This reminds me of “Donnie Brasco” or “Blow” in a lot of ways, both which are Scorcese rip-offs, but great in their own way. Check out the “American Gangster” trailer below and see what you think.

Hasbro, the toy and games company, has just announced it is making movie versions of the popular toy “G.I. Joe” and board games “Ouija Board”, “Candy Land”, “Trivial Pursuit” and “Monopoly”. Apparently the toy company is shooting for something akin to Marvel’s media saturation.

“Candy Land” could probably translate into a half-decent kids’ movie, and I suppose you could maybe make a real estate comedy called “Monopoly”, but isn’t this just reaching? We’ll see soon enough as the company has started the process of making these titles along with new versions of “Clue” and yet another movie about “Ouija Boards”. It seems Hollywood is getting more and more desperate for new material, how sad.