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‘24’ Reflects Changing Times With Excellent Season-Seven Premiere
7 January 2009 12:09 PM, PST
Chicago – The world has changed significantly since Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the team behind Fox’s “24” were forced to save it repeatedly over the first six seasons of one of the most popular shows of the last decade. Will “24” still be relevant with controversy over real-life torture dominating the headlines and a new regime getting ready to take office?
The new season of “24” picks up at 8am in the life of Jack Bauer and it will be after noon by the time the first four hours have unfolded over two nights on Fox, starting January 11th, 2009. In the opening moments of the first episode, the chief engineer of the government’s infrastructure and security system is kidnapped and a group of domestic terrorists has taken control of something very powerful - our nation’s air traffic control.
The clock is ticking for 24: Season 7 to premiere with a special two-night,
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
DVD Round Up, Jan. 7, 2009: ‘Bangkok Dangerous,’ ‘Disaster Movie,’ ‘Friday Night Lights,’ ‘Towelhead’
7 January 2009 9:51 AM, PST
Chicago – The time has come for another round-up, a collection of DVD and Blu-Ray titles that may have missed the front page in the Best Buy circular but that might be worth your attention. The DVD Round-Up is back (check out the first edition here and a few Blu-Ray Round-Ups here and here) with drama, comedy, TV, action, and even Hitler.
Nicolas Cage plays a killer in “Bangkok Dangerous,” Derek Luke a football player in “Friday Night Lights,” Aaron Eckhart a suburbanite in “Towelhead,” and Carmen Electra essentially herself in “Disaster Movie”. There’s something for everyone in the DVD Round-Up.
All of these titles were released on January 6th, 2009, unless otherwise noted.
“The Hitman Has Become the Target.” Nicolas Cage stars in the remake of The Pang Brothers’ “Bangkok Dangerous,” a messy action film about Joe, a hired assassin caught in the middle of a hitman’s nightmare.
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
‘Killshot’ Poster, Cast, Synopsis Information For Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane Thriller
7 January 2009 6:55 AM, PST
Chicago – The Weinstein Company sent over the official poster for Killshot and information about the long-delayed release.
“Killshot”
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009
Cast: Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville
Synopsis: From Academy Award nominated director John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) comes Hossein Amini’s wry adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s best-selling crime novel. The beautiful Carmen Colson (Diane Lane) and her husband Wayne (Thomas Jane) become entangled in a scam with a bumbling, small time con artist (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and his over-the-hill hitman partner the Blackbird (Mickey Rourke). Ultimately, it all comes down to one wife, one husband, two killers…and one lethal killshot.
By Brian TALLERICOContent DirectorHollywoodChicago.combrian@hollywoodchicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
Slideshow: 5-Image Gallery For ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’ With Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy
7 January 2009 6:47 AM, PST
Chicago – This 5-image slideshow contains official press images for Screen Gems’ “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans,” which stars Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Kevin Grevioux, Steven Mackintosh, Tania Nolan, and Craig Parker from writers Danny McBride and Dirk Blackman & Howard McCain and director Patrick Tatopoulos. The film opens on Jan. 23, 2009.
Official synopsis: “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.”
You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
To Film ‘New Moon,’ ‘Twilight’ Star Robert Pattinson Cancels Part in ‘Parts Per Billion’
6 January 2009 10:38 PM, PST
Chicago – While “Twilight” fanatics are currently busy following the drama of whether the character Jacob Black will again be played by Taylor Lautner in the film’s “New Moon” follow up, news surfaced on Tuesday on “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson to temporarily keep followers gabbing about something else.
In order to film “New Moon,” the agent of 22-year-old Pattinson on Tuesday revealed that he must bow out of his part in the much-anticipated and lesser-known film “Parts Per Billion,” which was slated to begin filming in Jan. 2009 in Los Angeles, according to MTV.
Kristen Stewart (left) as Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in “Twilight”.
Photo credit: Summit Entertainment
While “Twilight” fans would much likely prefer to be deprived of Pattinson’s performance in “Parts Per Billion” if it meant he wouldn’t be able to film “New Moon,” some may especially feel neglected of what was reported
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
The 10 Most Anticipated Movies of Early 2009
6 January 2009 4:58 PM, PST
Chicago – Believe it or not, there are movies worth marking your calendar for between Oscar season and the big summer blockbusters of 2009.
Over the next few months, the buzz for films like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Star Trek,” “Angels & Demons,” “Terminator: Salvation,” “Night at the Museum 2,” “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Public Enemies,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “New Moon,” and Pixar’s “Up” is going to become absolutely deafening, but there are well over a hundred flicks hitting the multiplex before those box office juggernauts take center stage and, believe it or not, a handful are actually worth your time.
The first third of 2008 produced quality films in “Cloverfield,” “In Bruges,” “The Visitor,” “George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead,” “Snow Angels,” “Redbelt,” and “Paranoid Park”. Which, granted, was not an overwhelming display of memorable filmmaking, but the point is that
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
2009 Paramount Pictures Preview: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Defiance,’ ‘The Uninvited,’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ More
6 January 2009 12:04 PM, PST
Chicago – Paramount Pictures has released official images, cast rosters, and synopsis information for the first half of their impressive 2009 slate of feature releases.
The 2009 Paramount films with available production stills include “Hotel For Dogs,” “Defiance,” “The Uninvited,” “I Love You, Man,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “The Soloist,” “The Goods: The Don Ready Story,” “Star Trek,” “Imagine That,” and “Dance Flick”.
Release date: January 16th, 2009
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt with Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal
Written by: Jeff Lowell and Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle
Synopsis:”Hotel for Dogs” stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle in a smart, funny comedy adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When their new guardians forbid 16-year-old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
Reality Show ‘13: Fear is Real’ is Scary Bad
6 January 2009 11:30 AM, PST
Chicago – Every time we think we that we may have hit the bottom of the barrel when it comes to reality show television, someone, usually at The CW, figures out a way to scrape just a little bit lower.
The crack creative souls at The CW have dug up “13: Fear is Real,” a ridiculous blend of “Saw” meets “Survivor” that could have had some B-movie thrill to it if it didn’t take itself so damn seriously. Have you ever wanted to watch people in a haunted house instead of going through one yourself? Do you stare at the screaming audience members more than the movie itself when you go to horror flicks? “13: Fear is Real” is the show for you. Everyone else might want to look elsewhere for their midseason entertainment. Like anywhere else.
13: Fear is Real debuts on The CW on January 7th, 2009 at 7pm Cst.
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
‘Damages’ Returns With Intense, Riveting Start to Season Two
6 January 2009 9:39 AM, PST
Chicago – The complex, twisted world of FX’s excellent “Damages” returns this week with a spectacular set-up for what promises to be another riveting season of twists and turns down the alleys of legal ethics and questionable moral behavior with an even more impressive ensemble than the one that won Emmys for its highly lauded first season.
The character played by Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy winner for Supporting Actor, may be dead and gone, but the rest of the cast, including Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, and even Ted Danson, are back, joined by three of the better actors that you will find on TV this season - Oscar winner William Hurt, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood,” “Go”). Hurt should clear his mantle now for an Emmy this summer and Close probably needs to make room for number two but they’re far from alone. “Damages
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
‘10 Items or Less’ Misses Checkout Lane With Third Season Premiere
5 January 2009 2:33 PM, PST
Chicago – The largely improvised “10 Items or Less” returns for a third trip to the grocery store on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 on TBS with what looks like another hit-and-miss season of occasionally inspired humor surrounded by generally boring characters in an overall mediocre show.
More “Sorta Funny” than the one-time TBS slogan of “Very Funny,” “10 Items or Less” is a reasonable diversion, a series that has more chuckles than some of the lackluster comedies on television this season but never delivers on the potential displayed by its talented star, John Lehr. Like an improvisational troupe with only one real star, every time that Lehr leaves the screen, the show falls apart.
Even without his favorite turkey, Leslie still continues bowling
Photo credit: Alan Markfield/TBS
“10 Items or Less” is cut from the increasingly common cloth of the improvised comedy like “Reno 911!” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” where the cast is given a
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
Mid-Season Premiere of ‘Nip/Tuck’ Hints At Series Facelift
5 January 2009 12:45 PM, PST
Chicago – After recently lamenting the decline of “Nip/Tuck” in my review of the Season Five, Part One DVD, no one is more shocked than I am at the creative success of the mid-season premiere, airing January 6th, 2009 at 9pm Cst on FX.
Perhaps the creative spark on display can be credited to the return of creator Ryan Murphy, who clearly knows these characters better than anyone in the history of the show, with his first writing credit since the season premiere. Or perhaps the entire team listened to the criticism that the show has completely misplayed the balance of tawdry and serious over most of the last three seasons with a few exception here and there. “Nip/Tuck” had become as ridiculous as “The Bold and the Beautiful” and just about as important to the creative landscape of television.
Julian McMahon and Roma Maffia star in the mid-season premiere
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
Health of ‘Scrubs’ Improves With Transition to ABC
5 January 2009 12:15 PM, PST
Chicago – The medical staff at Sacred Heart have picked up their surgical tools and switched networks from NBC to ABC with the eighth season premiere of “Scrubs” as two episodes of the Zach Braff comedy air back-to-back on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 8pm Cst.
The cast of “Scrubs,” including Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Neil Flynn, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes, Ken Jenkins, and Christa Miller, have made the move for what is reportedly the final season of the show on ABC and they brought TV superstar Courtney Cox along for the first few episodes, the first two of which are two of the best that the show has ever produced.
Sarah Chalke and Courtney Cox star in the season premiere of Scrubs on NBC on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Scott Garfield
What separated the early years of “Scrubs” was creator Bill Lawrence’s deft juggling of varying tones,
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
2009 Summit Pictures Preview: ‘New Moon,’ ‘Push,’ ‘Knowing,’ ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ ‘Sorority Row,’ ‘Astro Boy,’ More
5 January 2009 6:54 AM, PST
Chicago – Summit Pictures sent over release dates, cast & crew, and synopsis information for their entire 2009 slate and even included a few available images for their upcoming slate.
The 2009 Summit films with available production stills include “Push,” “Knowing,” “Next Day Air,” “The Brothers Bloom,” “Sorority Row,” and “Astro Boy”. 2009 pictures without images released yet but with film information below include “The Hurt Locker,” “Bandslam,” and “New Moon,” the highly anticipated sequel to “Twilight”.
“Push”
Release date: February 6, 2009
Cast: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Written by: David Bourla
Synopsis: A riveting action-thriller, Push burrows deep into the deadly world of psychic espionage where artificially enhanced paranormal operatives have the ability to move objects with their minds, see the future, create new realities and kill without ever touching their victims. Against this setting, a young man (Chris Evans) and a teenage girl (Dakota Fanning) take
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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
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