Monday, September 30, 2013

Once Upon a Time Season 3 premiere (SPOILERS for Season 3)

Last night Once Upon a Time premiered it's 3rd season. I thought season 2 ended with a bang, even if it had lost me a little in the middle, and I was looking forward to see the adventures in Neverland. I was not disappointed.

It's interesting looking back to the beginning, I thought this entire series was going to be about breaking the curse. Now, I believe taking it in all different directions is a very smart move. I hope season 3 can keep me as captivated as last night's episode did.



Some highlights for me:


  • The changing dynamics in the five on Hook's ship and Emma taking charge once ashore. "...just being who we are... a hero, a villain, a pirate. It doesn't matter which because we're going to need all those skills whether we can stomach them or not." The savior is coming into her true role - leader. A leader understands what is required and can see the individual skills in her team members.
  • Henry, the lost boys and Peter Pan. I liked it. Different take, but very fascinating and I like Robbie Kay, the actor playing Peter. Definitely makes me want to see more. (Jared Gilmore - Henry - has grown so much between seasons. It's very obvious, and doesn't match the end of last season, but obviously there's nothing you can do about that.)
  •  I was NOT a fan at all of Mulan and the other two. Bad acting on all counts in my opinion. (I'm usually very forgiving of some not-so-great acting moments in a show, but when I can SEE the acting it's really bad.) But I like Neal and Robin Hood. Baelfire's journey is one I find very interesting, being the son of the Dark One.
  • That leads me to Rumple/Gold. Love him. Always have. The combination of both Rumple and Gold I find fascinating. I'm also interested in his journey as Henry's grandfather. I'm hoping to see Belle at some point. She's in the promo for next week so here's hoping.

A great episode and start to the season. 

Here are some SPOILERS:


  • We will see how Henry was adopted in episode 9.
  • In episode three, “we get a little more into Regina and what it’s like for her to be on this trip with people she detests,” says Horowitz.
  • Tinkerbell and the Darlings will both appear this season. “We haven’t forgotten about them,” says Horowitz.
  • Since Ariel is on her way, does that mean we’ll see Ursula as well? “There’s an excellent chance,” says Horowitz.
  • Episode 3 will show more of Neal’s journey with Mulan, Robin Hood, etc. and Horowitz teases we’ll see “a wrinkle to their story” appear.
  • “[Arial's] going to be different than the mermaids you saw in the premiere,” says Horowitz. “I think the spirit of Ariel you’re going to see — which JoAnna Garcia [Swisher] plays very well — is the spirit of somebody who wants to see the world and experience things outside of what they know,” says Kitsis. “And so we have our own little take on it, but I think the thing that make Ariel such a great character is the spirit within her definitely is within our Ariel.”
(Source: EW)


Episode 3x02 Promo
 



Sneak Peak - a scene from episode 3x02



Season 2 Bloopers
 

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Willy Wonka: "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."

Original movie poster


I LOVE Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was one of my all time favorite movies as a kid. Yes, I am a stickler for the original 1971 movie. The music and the message is timeless. Gene Wilder is the only Willy Wonka in my book. (No offense to Johnny Depp.)








The following are some interesting facts and tid-bits about the movie, along with some videos:



"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."




  • Wilder won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Wonka.
  • It was ranked #74 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments for the "scary tunnel" scene.
  • Filming took place in Munich in 1970, and the film was released on June 30, 1971. 
  • It received positive reviews, but it was a box office disappointment. However, it developed into a cult film due to its repeated television airings and home video sales.
  • The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.
  • Initially considered for the part of Wonka was Broadway star Joel Grey, (Cabaret, Wicked) who ultimately was rejected due to his small physical stature.
  • Wilder said that he would do the film only if Wonka first appeared onscreen coming out of the factory hobbling with a cane, only to then lose it and do a somersault.
  • When interviewed for the 30th anniversary special edition, Gene Wilder stated that he enjoyed working with most of the child actors, but said that he and the crew had some problems with Paris Themmen (who played Mike Teevee), mentioning that he was "a handful" back in the day.
  • The combination to the first door in the chocolate factory is 99-44-100% pure, which was an ad slogan for Ivory Soap. 
  •  There's a lot of Shakespeare in this film. "Is it my soul that calls upon my name?" is from Romeo and Juliet. "Where is fancy bred..." and "So shines a good deed..." are from Merchant of Venice. The lines to the song "Sweet lovers love the spring time... " are from Shakespeare's As You Like It.
  • Of all the Wonka kids, Julie Dawn Cole is the only one still acting. Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket, made no other films. He later became a veterinarian. 
  • Peter Ostrum went through puberty during the film. His voice is high during the duet of "I've Got a Golden Ticket", and is much deeper later in the film, such as during the Fizzy-Lifting Drinks scene. 
  • One of the ten actors who played the Oompa Loompas was female.



"There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going.
There's no knowing where we're rowing, or which way the river's flowing."

  • The song Wonka sings on the boat ride are the only song lyrics taken directly from Roald Dahl's book. All other songs were written specifically for the film. 
  • Gene Wilder's acting during the boat ride sequence was so convincing that it frightened some of the other actors, including Denise Nickerson (Violet). They thought that Wilder really was going mad from being in the tunnel.  



 
 
Pure Imagination

  • The flower-shaped cup that Wonka eats was made of wax. Wilder had to chew the wax pieces until the end of the take, then he would spit them out.  
  • The chocolate river was made of real chocolate, water, and cream. It spoiled fairly quickly and left a foul smell.   
 


 
 
So shines a good deed in a weary world...

  • Charlie's stunned reaction to Wonka yelling at him is real. Director Mel Stuart said that Peter Ostrum was not told beforehand that Willy would be yelling at Charlie. Stuart felt that doing it that way would allow for a better, more real, reaction from Charlie.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Gates McFadden directs ex STTNG co-star Brent Spiner in The Last Look Back

Gates McFadden will direct ex Star Trek co-star Brent Spiner in The Last Look Back at Ensemble Studio Theater/LA.

May 14, 1998. A pretty young intern embroiled in a presidential sex scandal “meets cute” with a legendary entertainer on the last day of his life – and so begins a lesson she could learn from no one else. The Last Look Back is a surreal pairing of kindred spirits and a hallucinatory comic ride about mortality, redemption, and the end of the twentieth century. (Ensemble Studio Theater/LA



Written by Steve Serpas and directed by McFadden, The Last Look Back also stars Sadie Alexandru (Mad Men) and Tracey A. Leigh (Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS) and Ramon de Ocampo (NCIS).





2 Nights Only!
Friday, October 4 at 8pm
Saturday, October 5 at 8pm

Limited Ticket Availability – VIP Tickets include Pre-Show Cocktail Party, Cast Signed Souvenir Program , Post-Show Meet and Greet with Cast, Cast Signed Souvenir Poster, Photo Op w/ “1/8 Bev” & Gates, Gift Bag.

AT:
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE/LA
3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039





Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Janet Tamaro announces that she is leaving Rizzoli & Isles

Janet Tamaro, showrunner and producer of Rizzoli & Isles has announced that she will be leaving the show at the end of season four.

Here's the official announcement from Tamaro on Facebook:
As you may have already heard, as of the end of Season 4, I will be leaving as R&I's show runner in order to do new projects, though I'll be continuing on the show as a consulting producer. Creating and running a show like this is what we writer/producers dream of getting to do, and I got to do it for four phenomenal seasons. But it takes all of my focus. I have to step away to create and write other shows and films. The heartache for me will be leaving the day to day working relationship I've had with an incredible cast (!!), crew and production team. You know that, though, because you watch the show. Both TNT & Warner Horizon have been beyond great to work for -- and I look forward to working with them in the future.

And the fandom…holy crap…The fans have been especially wonderful -- passionate and responsive. I have a special place in my heart for all of them. My goal was to bring to life, through story, a real female friendship. I've been especially touched by the people who've told us they became friends because of Jane and Maura.This show will be around for a long, long time. Stay tuned to this page. I'll be checking in and helping out.


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode Title and Stars

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special will be called The Day Of The Doctor. Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper and John Hurt. Shows worldwide on November 23rd and will also have a limited cinematic release.

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special will be released on DVD by 2entertain on Monday December 2nd. Unfortunately only in the UK and Europe. Not sure about a release in the United States.


In other Doctor Who news:
Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) will join David Tennant live on stage at the British Film Institute Southbank for the screening of The Stolen Earth and Journey's End on Sunday September 29th .

New Promo posters
















Monday, September 9, 2013

Star Trek fans owe it all to Lucille Ball

I'm posting this in honor of Star Trek's 47th anniversary and also to honor a great lady who should be remembered for more than just her comedic talent.


(Originally posted on Tumblr. Credit to the writers.)

How to Geek:

Whose intervention ensured Star Trek saw the light of day?


Answer: Lucille Ball

Most people recognize and remember Lucille Ball as the lovable and silly star of one of America’s earliest and most loved sitcoms, I Love Lucy. What most people don’t know is that Lucille was a savvy business woman and that she and her husband Desi Arnaz had amassed a small fortune and owned their own studio, Desilu.

It was at Desilu that acclaimed Sci-Fi screenwriter and visionary Gene Roddenberry got his big break. Roddenberry pitched the Star Trek pilot to the studio as a sort of Western-inspired space adventure. While many within the studio balked at the idea, Lucille liked the idea and the first pilot was approved and filmed. The pilot was pitched to NBC and was promptly rejected on the grounds that it was too intellectual, not enough like the space-western they had been lead to believe it would be, and audiences wouldn’t relate to it. Lucille, a fan of Roddenberry’s work, pushed back against NBC and insisted they order a second pilot. Ordering a second pilot was a practice almost entirely unheard of and save for Lucille’s charisma and clout with the network it would never have happened.


Roddenberry shot the second pilot, NBC accepted it, and Star Trek premiered in 1966, thus beginning a new era in the Sci-Fi genre and laying the foundation for half a century of Star Trek fandom–an era that would have never come to pass without the intervention and insistence of Lucille Ball.

Bonus Trivia: After her divorce from Arnaz, Lucille bought out his share of their studio. As a result she became the first woman to both head and own a major studio.

More about Lucille Ball


tonidorsay:

There is much, much more to know about Lucille Ball and her contributions to pop culture, but even more to know about her and her contributions to feminism.
Without Lucille Ball, there would never have been a Mary Tyler Moore.

The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, the Andy Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke, My Three Sons, I SPy and That Girl were all part of what she, specifically, realized were going to be popular, often despite everyone else saying she was wrong.

Desilu bought RKO, though later sold many of the rights to films from that incredible collection.

As a company,they developed the standard multiple camera format that is used on all sitcoms today.
Today, what was once Desilu, is known as CBS Televisions Studios.

She was an older woman who married a younger man — a Cuban, which in those days was an interracial marriage — through elopement.  It was, for the times, scandalous.

So scandalous, that the radio show that ultimately became I Love Lucy was sidelined because Executives didn’t think the public would go for it.

A Cuban headlining a major hit was and is a major win, that is often overlooked these days because of the stereotypes that came from such a popular show.

Together, her and Desi were incredibly shrewd.  When the sponsor, Phillip Morris, wouldn’t pay for the expense of filming the show, they said they would take a cut in pay in exchange for the rights to the film, and ended up owning I Love Lucy.  It would be two decades and change before CBS got it back, and then under some terms that were favorable to Lucille and Desi’s children, ultimately. Both of whom were born when she was in her 40’s.

She registered as  communist in the 1930’s, and as a result, was brought up before the damnable McCarthy HCUAA.   She supported Roosevelt for President, and then later voted for Eisenhower — showing that she was more interested in doing what’s right, over doing it for personal gain.

She was one of the greatest women of the last century, a “B movie queen” who changed the world in ways that are, as is often typical, consistently overlooked.


She was the prototype that pushed women to question the status quo, the icon that many struggled with and against, an example that reverberated with people old and young when marching and shouting and arguing about a woman’s right to be her own person and have control over her own life.
She not only inspired it, she lived it.

What Doctor Who's companions were to him






































Source: Doctor Who on Google+

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Iron Man 3: best in the franchise!

 

Iron Man 1 - okay

 

Iron Man 2 - eh, okay

 

Iron Man 3 - Awesome!

 

Need I say more?





I loved it! It's not very often that a sequel, let alone number three, is better than the first one. In fact it's very rare. Iron Man 3 is one of those sequels.

The only other franchises I can say I liked the sequels even better than the first are Charlie's Angels (love Full Throttle) and Terminator (the second one, Judgement Day is the best in my opinion.) Also, Iron Man 3 had the best ending credits since Ferris Bueller.

I loved the mix of action, comedy and drama in Iron Man 3. I thought it had a solid story. I've always loved Robert Downey Jr. and think that his Tony Stark is genius. I'm a comic book reader, however I will confess that I never read Iron Man, so I've had nothing to base the character on.

I'm obviously not the only one who loved it. As of September 5th Iron Man 3 grossed over 400 million dollars (worldwide over a billion) and is ranked 4th in superhero movies after The Avengers, The Dark Night and The Dark Night Rises. It's followed by the 2002 Spiderman in 5th place.

(Statistics from Box Office Mojo.) 

 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013