Oct 31, 2009

House repeat 62.5% better than a new Dollhouse; Ghost Whisperer wins

GHOST WHISPERER

FOX ran a two hour repeat of House last night, and over the two hours it averaged a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating and 3.6 million users. For the night, with adults 18-49, that’s a 50% improvement over the combo of new episodes of Brothers, ‘Til Death and Dollhouse. And in the 9pm-10pm hour House averaged a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating – 62.5 percent better than Dollhouse did in the hour last week. The House rerun beat Ugly Betty with adults 18-49 as well.

Sorry Dollhouse fans :(

The CBS dramas were the strongest of the night, though still down across all hours versus last year. But even being down versus last year, Ghost Whisperer’s 2.0 with adults 18-49 was the best showing of the night. Smallville pulled a 1.2 with adults 18-49, a season high , tying The Jay Leno Show, which was a series low. Smallville could drop in the finals a bit, in the Chicago market a Chicago Bulls game aired. Its numbers would be included below but will be stripped out in the finals.

Some notes on Smallville from the CW:

  • Smallville climbed to it’s best adults 18-49 (1.2/4), adults 18-34 (1.2/5-tie) and total viewers (2.6mil) of the season.
  • This also marks our best performance in the time period in those categories since Sept. 08 (last Smackdown telecast).
  • Smallville was #1 in the hour among men 18-34 (1.4/6) and men 18-49 (1.4/5).

Full details:

Time Net Show 18-49 Rating/Share Viewers (Millons)





8:00 CBS Ghost Whiperer 2.0/7 8.28

NBC Law & Order 1.4/5 7.00

ABC Supernanny 1.3/4 4.84

CW Smallville 1.2 2.60

FOX House (R) 1.1 3.40





9:00 CBS Medium 1.8/6 7.69

NBC Dateline 1.7/6 7.95

FOX House (R) 1.3 4.17

ABC Ugly Betty 1.2 4.50

CW America’s Next Top Model (R) 0.5/2 1.27





10:00 CBS Numb3rs 1.8/6 7.74

ABC 20/20 1.6/5 6.94

NBC The Jay Leno Show 1.2/4 5.14


Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.

Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.

Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)

Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.




Download Sexy Killer Movie 2009

Beautiful, brash and deadly – the sexy killer of the title is unafraid of loving and leaving the boys for dead in a fun movie which starts off as a kitsch and off-the-wall tale of a high school killing spree, then does a From Dusk Till Dawn a little over halfway through to warp the film toward the horror genre. The change of direction is just as surprising and adds an extra dollop of pure entertainment to provide a quirky finale to an already unashamedly disposable scenario.


Sexy Killer

Barbara (Gomez) is a superficial fashion queen at an exclusive university who dreams of being a living embodiment of her favourite doll, Cindy Superstar. Her butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth eyes and childish innocence mask a more sinister, psychotic side, however: while she should be seeking a real-life equivalent of Cindy's plastic partner, Glenn, Barbara finds herself compelled to ruthlessly slaughter anyone she's left alone with - especially after a little action in the bedroom. For this messed up teenager, she just can't help herself even when the increasing number of dead bodies is raising concerns with the police detectives.

DVD Release Date: Monday, 14 September 2009
Classification: 18
Director: Miguel Martí
Cast: Macarena Gómez, Javier Ambrossi, Angel de Andrés López, Jimmy Barnatán

Download Sexy Killer Movie

Told with wit and references to popular culture, Miguel Marti's movie sees Barbara incessantly talk to the camera, explain how to kill a guy in simple steps a la a self-help video and generally dismiss any concerns about her health with a shrug of the shoulders. Serious Sexy Killer is not, and it's all the better for it as she nudges a tied up feeble sexual partner out the window to his doom. You probably wouldn't like Barbara as a real person, but this plastic incarnation is like a product of modern culture's obsession with the most beautiful people and the most sickening ones - her aloofness represents the shallow society we live in and does it with style.

She eventually meets a man keen to treat her like a lady and one she might just tame her wild ways for, only to find a machine he has been working on to translate thoughts and brainwaves into images can reanimate the dead. Cue a surprise finale which eschews Sexy Thriller from a teenage serial killer flick to a generic horror action and an explosive finale.

It's not often the Spanish go for such an outlandishly violent and silly style of film, this is more inkeeping with Japanese aesthetics, though if it had come from Asia it would have been lost in the abundance of similar stories seen before and probably lacking that campy European edge which makes Sexy Killer so much less serious and a lot more enjoyable. Barbara has her charms as the anti-heroine and its great fun rooting for such a blatantly outrageous nasty piece of work, then when the twist arrives writer Paco Cabezas caps off the film with an refreshing change of direction which echoes Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn to give a splatterfest climax. Pure entertainment from start to finish.




New Clip From The Twilight Saga: New Moon

MTV has debuted this new clip from the Chris Weitz-directed The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opening in theaters on November 20th. The clip is from the scene featuring Bella's birthday.

The Summit Entertainment sequel stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Rachelle Lefevre, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning.

You can watch the clip using the player below. International visitors can download the clip in QuickTime here.


Comming Soon 2012 Movie

2012

2012 movie poster Release Date: November 13, 2009
Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Screenwriter: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser
Starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense disaster sequences and some language)
Official Website: WhoWillSurvive2012.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: One-Sheet | Teaser
Production Stills: View here

Plot Summary: Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

'2012' Trailer HD

'Ghost Whisperer' returns to top during World Series break

jenniferlovehewitt_ghostwhisperer_04_290.jpgFast National ratings for Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

With the World Series taking a break, CBS and NBC were able to sneak into ratings leads Friday with "Ghost Whisperer" and "Dateline: NBC," respectively.

CBS took the night, as is the custom on Fridays, with an average 7.904 million viewers and a 5.0 rating/9 share in households. NBC eked out a second-place win with 6.7 million viewers and a 4.4/8, while ABC came in third (5.44 million viewers, 3.7 rating/7 share). FOX's "House" repeats snagged an average 3.75 million viewers and a 2.4 rating/4 share, while The CW followed the pack with 1.93 million viewers and a 1.2/2.

CBS also took the 18-49 demographic with a 1.9 rating/6 share in households, with ABC and NBC tying at a 1.4 rating/5 share. FOX took third with a 1.2/4, and The CW scored last with an 0.8/3.

Friday hour by hour:

CW casting moves: 'Gossip Girl's Joanna Garcia to 'HIMYM'; Kelly Lynch joins '90210'

joannagarcia_290.jpg JoAnna Garcia, fresh off an appearance on "Gossip Girl," will stick around New York City for a while. "The L Word's" Kelly Lynch, meanwhile, will head to Beverly Hills.

Garcia, former star of The CW's "Privileged," will guest on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother." Hooray for corporate synergy!

The actress will play a woman Ted (Josh Radnor) has lusted after since college. When said woman suddenly becomes single, Ted finds he has a window of opportunity to woo her before the next guy comes along.

The episode will air Dec. 7.

-- Lynch, meanwhile, will move to "90210." She'll play an older woman who seduces Ryan Eggold's Ryan Matthews. Complications arise, of course, when Matthews discovers Lynch's character is the mother of one of his students.

The episode is scheduled to air in January 2010.

Sir Elton John Postpones The Rest Of "Red Piano" Tour

Sir Elton John is still too sick to perform. The music legend has postponed the rest of his concerts after his doctor forbade him to perform.


John, 62, first canceled a show last week. Doctors confirmed that he had flu, advising him to postpone his show at the Sheffield Arena on October 23. It was then stated that his subsequent shows will not be affected.

However, his gigs in Newcastle, London, and Liverpool, were all postponed as well.

The latest show affected is his scheduled performance in Dublin on October 30, Friday.

A statement on his website reads: "Elton's symptoms have not improved significantly enough for Doctors to allow him to perform this Friday at the O2 in Dublin. Elton's spokesman said that 'He is bitterly disappointed not to be playing Dublin. He had picked Dublin to close the Red Piano worldwide, because of the great warmth of the people and the great concerts he had in the city over many years. He is hoping to reschedule the dates in the very near future.'"

Aiken Promotions are negotiating to reschedule the postponed shows. Ticket holders are requested to hold onto their passes.

Did Twilight inspire Gossip Girl's storylines?

The behind-the-scenes gossip emerging from the set of the Twilight films is so juicy that it's apparently inspired the storylines on the latest episodes of Gossip Girl. Warning: spoilers ahead!

In Gossip Girl's third season — yet to premiere on Australian TV — fans are introduced to Olivia Burke (played by guest star Hilary Duff), a college student and movie star who's shot a vampire movie called Endless Nights.

Astute viewers will note that the title "Endless Nights" is more than a little similar to "Twilight" and its nocturnally themed sequels.

Still not convinced of the similarities? Well, Olivia's co-star is a dashing fellow called Patrick Robinson (Simon Miller), and the tabloids are convinced that the twosome are a couple.

Sound familiar? In real life, Robert Pattinson — a name that sounds a lot like Patrick Robinson — and Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart are rumoured to be together, though both have repeatedly denied any relationship.

The storyline also sends up Duff's real-life paparazzi woes: In 2005 she was snapped carrying what looked like a condom in her purse, while in a recent Gossip Girl episode, the titular blogger caught Olivia taking condoms from a New York health centre.

Seinfeld Reunion scandal: Larry David blasted for weeing on Jesus

Seinfeld Reunion scandal: Larry David blasted for weeing on Jesus

If you tuned into the episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that aired on the Nine Network on October 27, you may have been scandalised by a scene where series star Larry David accidentally urinated on a painting of Jesus.

If so, you're not alone.

"I don't think it's funny," Catholic blogger Deal Hudson told Foxnews.com. "Why is it that people are allowed to publicly show that level of disrespect for Christian symbols? If the same thing was done to a symbol of any other religions — Jewish or Muslim — there'd be a huge outcry."

"Would [David] think it's comedic if someone urinated on a picture of his mother?" added Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League.

Critics of the scene demanded an apology from HBO, the pay-TV network which aired the episode in the States, though it seems unlikely one will be forthcoming.

"Anyone who follows Curb Your Enthusiasm knows that the show is full of parody and satire," said HBO in a statement. "Larry David makes fun of everyone, most especially himself. The humour is always playful and certainly never malicious."

The episode — the sixth instalment of Curb's seventh season — aired in Australia under the title "The Seinfeld Reunion — Part 2", because it featured some of the sitcom's former cast members playing themselves.

The L.C. Effect: Why 'The Hills' Fails Without Lauren



You can take 'The Hills' out of Orange County, but you can't take Lauren Conrad out of 'The Hills'. At least not without some pretty big consequences. Season 6 opened sans its blond starlet, who decided to move on after half a decade on the reality show circuit.

After Conrad announced her decision to bail on TV in the hopes of leading a more private life focused on her fashion career, producers brought in Conrad's old schoolmate, Kristin Cavallari, as a replacement. Alongside Speidi, Audrina and the rest of the well-tanned Cali kids, Cavallari reprises the role she stepped into as a teenager on Hills precursor 'Laguna Beach': a flirtatious, manipulative man-eater, all shiny locks and come-hither stares. On 'Laguna' she battled Conrad for the affections of pretty boy Stephen Colletti, and it seems she's up to her old tricks in Hollywood, setting her sights on Audrina Patridge's on-again-off-again, Justin Bobby. But so far Cavallari's episodes have failed to elicit the spark we've come to expect from the drama-filled half hour.

And viewers seem to agree. Ratings were down 30% for Cavallari's premiere episode, pulling only 2.1 million sets of eyes as opposed to the 3 million who tuned in to last season's opener. This seems to be a pattern for MTV: Ratings plummeted on 'Laguna' after Conrad left the sandy shores of her hometown for the glitz of Los Angeles. A poorly received LC-less third season sent the Laguna High kids packing.

Perhaps that's because Lauren Conrad offers something very essential to her shows. She's the grounded protagonist, ambitious and relatively normal. For the viewer, Conrad is the identifiable core, a filter through which to experience all the chaos that goes on around her. Whereas Cavallari was introduced as the anti-heroine off the bat, a role already occupied to perfection by Heidi Montag. Having wasted no time feuding with the girls and playing all the guys, Cavallari leaves us without a gal to root for.

Perhaps this will change as the show's new lineup settles into itself. But so far, without Lauren Conrad, 'The Hills' is barely even 'The Knolls.'

Report: Michael Jackson's kids to star in reality show

Michael Jackson's death hasn't quelled the feuding within his family.

Us Weekly reports that there's a storm brewing over whether or not Michael's three children — Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7 — will appear in an upcoming reality TV series about the famous family.

Titled The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, the program is slated to premiere in the US in December. It began shooting in April, without Michael's involvement. Originally, the series was intended to follow Michael's brothers as they rehearsed for a reunion tour, though it will now include the family's reaction to his sudden death in June.

While Janet is reportedly "on board" with the series, older sister Rebbie has refused to take part. "Michael would spin in his grave if he knew his kids would be on this show," she said, according to Us.

It was initially reported that family matriarch Katherine, the legal guardian of MJ's children, would permit them to appear in the series. But according to gossip blog TMZ, Katherine stated that they definitely won't be involved.

Representatives from the Jackson family and A&E, the US network that will air the series, refused to comment.

3RD UPDATE: Emmy-Winning Young Female Writer Loses Her Job On 'Mad Men'

kater gordon

MONDAY 12:30PM UPDATE : I've learned that writer’s assistant-turned-staff writer, Robin Veith, quit Mad Men before she could be let go by Matthew Weiner.

A source tells me: "It was at the very worst mutual. She needed to move on and see how she would do after leaving the nest. Matt is a genius, and he gave lots of people an opportunity, but never let's anyone forget it. I'm sure he'd never tell anyone she quit, because that is a rejection of him. Anyway, they are friends and made a mutual decision."

A show insider replies, "There are staffing changes every season. It is the nature of television shows to fine tune. Why is it news this season?" Because the show won two best drama Emmy's in a row, and with success comes attention. Deal with it.

UPDATE: A prominent female writer (she asked not to be identified) knows both Kater Gordon and Matthew Weiner and sets the record straight for me: "As a female writer who has worked with many strong showrunners, I have to say that any 'Letterman' talk on today's thread about Kater Gordon really disgusts me. The same kind of talk followed me and my success. So you see, you can't win. If you're young and female, you'll always be suspect. Success or failure, it can't be because you've actually got the goods. I feel compelled to come to both Kater and Matt's defense on this one. Kater was a fantastic writer's assistant, the best. She totally got the show and deserved the break she got. There was NOTHING illicit in her relationship with Matt. I believe Kater will go on to great success, if she so desires, and their parting of the ways was amicable."

EXCLUSIVE: Well, this is a big surprise. As recently as September 20th, Kater Gordon won the drama-writing Emmy madmen3with Matthew Weiner for the Mad Men episode "Meditations In An Emergency". Now that Season 3 has wrapped, Gordon is off the Lionsgate show that airs on AMC. Here's what I've learned: Matt originally hired Kater as his personal assistant. She was soon promoted to be his writer’s assistant, and by the end of that same season, Matt offered her the opportunity to co-write the season finale -- a particularly important show for him as Weiner also directs the final episode of each season. Then, without requiring Kater to generate any other spec material on her own (usually required for a writer’s advancement), Matt promoted her to be a full-time staff writer for this past season. (Mad Men has a predominantly female writing staff...)

So what happened? A show insider emails me this explanation: "One of the great things about Mad Men is the tradition that Matt has established of offering higher-level opportunities to staff, writers and artists in all of the various departments. From the beginning, Matt has fought to get people approved by the studio which almost always lobbied for him to hire more experienced people instead. In every season thus far, relatively new actors have been cast for significant roles, aspiring writers have been given opportunities to write scripts, and first-time directors have been offered their first chance to direct.

"We think [Kater's] done a great job, particularly for someone whose career has progressed so quickly. Now, however, Matt has reluctantly decided that their relationship has reached its full potential. She’ll be missed, but the series has consistently benefited from the influx of new writer talent, and there’s absolutely no doubt that Kater will continue to have unprecedented success in her career as she spreads her wings. She leaves Mad Men with our love and respect and a well-deserved Emmy."

Paranormal Activity (2009) pics

Evidence of a Haunting… The Paranormal Activity (2009) is one the best American horror movie that will be shown on September 2009. Paranormal Activity -- The story of young couple that their home haunted by malevolent entity that a woman has been monitored everywhere always including there house, and having an interest to her.

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"Paranormal Activity" Movie Photo

"Paranormal Activity" Movie Photo

"Paranormal Activity" Movie Photo

"Paranormal Activity" Movie Photo


Download Paranormal Activity (2009) Movie

Starring:
Amber Armstrong
Michael Bayouth
Katie Featherston
Mark Fredrichs
Randy McDowell
Tim Piper
Micah Sloat

Director: Oren Peli

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

MPAA Rating: Rated R

Schedule Of Release: September 25, 2009


Download Paranormal Activity (2009) Movie




Review
So, I finally got to see the movie everyone’s been talking about, Paranormal Activity. I saw it in a packed theater Wednesday night and tried to go in as unbiased as possible. I had just seen the previews and stayed away from reading many reviews. Now, I realize that the hype for the film is HUGE, but I tried to approach it with little or no expectations, which, by the way, is hard to do when it’s proclaimed one of the “scariest movies of all time”!

Paranormal Activity (2009)

Now, I realize I might be beaten with sticks over this statement since everyone out there seems to be raving about Paranormal Activity, but at the end of the night I was disappointed. I enjoyed it, yes, but I didn’t love it and certainly didn’t think it was that scary. And I had so wanted to be scared…

The movie starts with no credits and no intro, just a title card thanking the families of Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston and the San Diego Police Department before jumping into the “found” home footage of the couple. It opens on Micah (Micah Sloat) playing around with his new video camera before his wife Katie (Katie Featherston) gets home. When she gets there, he tells her that they can finally document all the paranormal activity that has started occurring, like weird noises, lights flickering, whispering, scratching and thumping.

Katie seems hesitant to talk about the haunting, and confesses it has been happening since she was eight years old and that the entity follows her whenever she moves. Micah doesn’t take the situation too seriously, but is determined to capture some paranormal activity on their camera. He films everything and even sets the camera on a tripod when they sleep.

Sure enough, unexplainable things begin happening and soon this paranormal activity just gets worse.

Paranormal Activity is the kind of film I would recommend for the casual horror viewer. You know, the type who sees an occasional horror film or two in the theater but isn’t a hardcore fanatic like most of us. Not used to the usual horror tricks, the casual horror viewer will definitely be freaked out by this film. I heard one such viewer say behind us in the theater, “Why is this film so scary?” Well, that’s easy…it’s because it preys on your fear of the unknown and wisely keeps the entity unseen. I really enjoyed the subtle approach Paranormal Activity took in the scare department – it really is the unseen and unknown that’s freaky! And yet, I didn’t get adequately scared during the film’s duration. A bit unnerved and in awe during certain parts, but not that heart-pounding fear that I was hoping for.

Now, perhaps I didn’t get scared because of the repetitive narrative structure of the film. It always starts with the couple filming themselves during the day, then at night while they sleep and something freaky would happen (subtly at first, but escalating to become more intense), then discussing it in the morning and at night it starts all over again. The pacing is a little on the slow side, too, which left me checking the time while watching the movie. Any suspense that had been building would be lost during the slowly paced scenes. Plus, skeptical Micah would throw in lots of humorous lines (surprisingly, this movie is really funny!) that would dissipate any tension that had started to build. I really wish more “oh-shit” moments had been thrown in – like certain ones including an old picture in the attic and a Ouija board.

Despite the repetitive nature of the film, I did like the actual story and the direction it took (this isn’t your typical haunting!). I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t way much more, but I will say that there were several instances (the footprints, the standing by the bed) that were effectively creepy. Plus, the whole explanation of what was going on and the ending was pretty damn near perfect. Again, I just wish there had been more of those eerie instances in the film.

As for the rest of the film – the acting, the direction, etc. – it was all fantastic. The two leads did an amazing job portraying a couple and their interactions with each other were completely natural. Also, the direction, by Oren Peli, was amazing. I’m not sure if he actually gave the camera to the actors and said “Go with it” or if they had more stringent blocking to follow, but whatever he did worked. The home video footage looked incredibly authentic and all the different angles looked like they had been shot by the one camera. Perfectly brilliant way to shoot a paranormal movie!

So, as you can probably tell, I’m torn on Paranormal Activity. There are some things I loved about it (the story, the acting, the direction and some of the creepy bits) but some things just didn’t work for me (the repetitive editing, not enough scares). I really wish the hype around the flick hadn’t been so huge, because honestly, even though I tried to go in with no expectations, the hype got to me and I expected to see something that was gonna scare my skirt off. Disappointingly, my skirt stayed firmly on.

However, if you do plan on seeing this movie, do it in a theater full of people! This is a surefire way to get the most bang out of your buck, because the reactions from some people in the crowd are priceless! And since I didn’t find it exactly scary on the big screen, there is no way in Hell that this will be scary on the small screen. This film is one that MUST be seen on the big screen to do it any justice.

Paranormal Activity is enjoyable, but you won’t soil your undies over it. It’s no Blair Witch but it still makes for a fun movie-watching experience. Just don’t believe the hype!

Gallery: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Based on American authors Ron and Judi Barrett's children's book, this animated romp tells the tale of a world where giant pancakes and pasta fall from the sky as a scientist tries to solve world hunger crisis. However, things go terribly wrong when too much grub rains down on cities and towns. Worst affected is the town of Chewandswallow...and something's got to be done.


TG - Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

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Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 08

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 09

Download Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 3D Movie

Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Stars: Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, James Caan
Year: 2009 Running Time: 90 mins Rating: 4 out of 5 Certificate U
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 04

Pixar's pre-eminence as the children's animation king gets a right royal challenge from this computer-generated feast of fun. Based on the popular American children's book, this features a socially-inept inventor who builds a bizarre contraption that turns water into grub. However, a malfunction gives the food processor-from-hell a mind of its own and the little island of Chewandswallow faces extinction under a supersized serving of scran. A barking banquet of warmth and wit.

Download Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 3D Movie

Review

If you feel you haven't got the stomach for yet another computer-animated feature then this tasty treat could well cleanse your weary palate.

Debut feature writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have served up a mouth-watering adaptation of Judi Barrett's children's story where food bizarrely falls out of the sky.

Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is a young oddball inventor whose hare-brained offerings include spray-on shoes (you can't get them off) and a monkey thought translator (not really that useful - all simians think about is food).

However, living on a grey island where the staple food is sardines fried, poached, grilled, roasted and raw, he has high hopes for a microwave on steroids which can turn water into grub.

Unfortunately, his first big public demonstration - attended by work experience weather girl Sparks (Faris) - ends in disaster when his contraption destroys the town square and rockets off into the clouds.

It looks like game over...until cheeseburgers begin falling like rain.

The concept of various foodstuffs tumbling from the ether proves to be manna from heaven for the film-makers whose CGI technology vividly captures everything from snowfields of ice cream to meatball boulders demolishing everything in their path.

However, it's the concentration on helpings of rich characterisation that is the cherry on top of a confection thriving on the wittily surreal.

Mr T - yes him - makes a beefy fist of voicing Earl, the overprotective town cop, Faris is fine as the sunny weathergirl while Bruce Campbell gets his teeth into the role of the greedily obese mayor.

By the end even kids suffering ADDs will be overwhelmed as Flint and the gang take on a gloriously surreal buffet of predatory giant chickens and psychopathic jelly babies. Weird but very wonderful.

Feast on it.

Fame (2009) Pictures and Photos Gallery

Fame (2009) Pictures and Photos Gallery

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Download Fame (2009) Movie

Fame (2009)
Director:
Kevin Tancharoen
Stars: Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Collins Pennie, Kherington Payne, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton
Year: 2009 Running Time: 107 mins Rating: 3 out of 5 Certificate PG
TG---Fame-(2)

The legendary musical (and Oscar winning theme song) gets a 21st century reboot, as another class of wannabe hoofers and thesps sign up for four years of hard graft at the New York Academy of Performing Arts. Former Britney Spears tour choreographer turned director Kevin Tancharoen brings gusto to the musical numbers, while Debbie Allen, star of the original film and TV series, returns as the principal of the school. Good, wholesome fun - it's worth remembering its name.

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Review

Alan Parker's original 1980 movie bagged two Oscars, spawned a long-running TV series, Broadway spin-off, and reality TV series, and enough time has passed to allow a second shot at the silver screen.

In these days of High School Musical, Step Up, and Hairspray, the filmmakers know exactly who will be watching this latest Fame, so out goes the language, homosexuality, abortions, and grit of the first movie and in comes PG friendly drunkeness (lesson: it's bad), tragedy (an aborted suicide ripped off from the first movie, references to drive-bys), and cussing (nothing above the "sh" word).

All of which may make this Fame less dramatically involving, but its message that achieving your dream requires practise and commitment and school is a place of self-improvement isn't a bad one for kids to hear in these days of "famous for being famous" waste of skin celebrities.

Tancharoen shoots with "serious" autumnal browns and winter grays, but this really isn't too far removed from High School Musical's East High: when two of the teens go to church and the year end show climaxes with gospel music, you know you're in parent fantasy land.

An eager beaver cast make up for in wide-eyed enthusiasm what they lack in experience. Standouts are Naturi Naughton (great as Lil' Kim in Notorious) as a frustrated diva with an overbearing dad, Collins Pennie as a tortured drama student with a doubting mum, and Perez de Tagle as a perky thesp with no parent issues.

Kids won't mind the heavy handed morality (Panabaker's naive wallflower almost ends up on a casting couch), and the lesson that you can't always get what you want is sensitively handled.

Refreshingly opting against easy boo-hiss villains, all the kids are likable (even rich girl Payne), and in the shape of Dutton plus Grammer and Neuwirth (TV's Fraiser and Lilith) the teachers are paragons of wisdom.

Singing and hoofing is worked in to the story with minimum clunkiness, running a gauntlet of Rn'B, hip-hop, stomp, classical, and jazz, and staying just the right side of welcome.

Fans of the original won't care if this lives forever, but when the kids' High School Musical DVDs finally become too scratched to play, this should be waiting in the wings.