What the F is going on with these celebrity deaths? First, Ed McMahon, then Farrah, then Michael, and now Billy Mays? Unbelievable. What’s strange about Billy is that his career was really starting to take off. He has recently starred in some commercials for ESPN that mocks his tv infomercial persona and then he was in this show called Pitchmen for Discovery. Just sad. I will always miss his big intro for each product that he was pitching, “Billy Mays here for” and fill in the prodcut name…just too funny. Anyway, above is a little youtube tribute to the man. RIP Billy Mays.

- I watched the pilot of HBO’s Hung on Sunday night with my mom and lady. It was the first movie/show that I can remember watching with my mom and feeling a bit uncomfortable…mainly due to the whole “hung” aspect of the show. With that said, my mom thought it was a bit boring, she even fell asleep for a minute or two during the show, but of of course it wasn’t during the sex scenes, that we had to watch together. Nothing like mom/son bonding. Dawn wasn’t a huge fan of the show. I’m more in the “I’m going to check it out again” camp. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. Pilots are hardly ever that great. But it was a ratings hit with viewers.

- In other HBO news, a trailer (thanks to my co-host John for the link) is finally out for the new show Bored to Death, which premieres in Septemeber and stars Jason Schwartzman as a writer/wanna-be detective. Hmm, I don’t know, the plot is intriguing and it looks like it has a great cast, Ted Danson and Zack Galifianakis (who is now a pretty big star) but I have some reservations about the show at least based on the trailer. I just hope it’s not one of those shows that tries to be too quirky for it’s own good.

- If you don’t have HDNet Movies, I highly recommend you look into getting it added to your cable package. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. What’s great about HDNet Movies is that once a month, it will premiere an Indie film a few days before it’s released in theaters…pretty ingenious I think. Last month I watched The Girlfriend Experience and in July, the channel will be airing The Answer Man with Jeff Daniels. I feel like Mark Cuban (owner of HDNet and HDNet Movies) should throw a few bones to popcoast2coast for that little endorsement, I just delivered at least one new customer (thanks Aunt CC) to Mr. Cuban. Just trying to follow in Billy Mays’ footsteps.

RN

I think of a movie. You try to guess it in the comments section. If there are no correct guesses, I’ll update the post with a clue. As always, the picture above is a hint. Also, this movie has nothing to do with Matthew McConaughey.

UPDATE: I forgot how many movies there are that deal with running. Anyway, on to the hint: Folks are on the right track. Just think of an older movie.

UPDATE II: Well, no correct answers. So, I’m going to put an end to the misery, the correct answer was Marathon Man, the 1976 thriller starring Dustin Hoffman. Thanks for playing.

RN

Long Live The King

There are few artists that transcend music as a medium and elevate to a level of iconic status so far-reaching that people in literally every country know who that person is. Michael Jackson was one of those people. The King of Pop passed yesterday, leaving behind the most impressive musical resume of all time. Forget about how many hits Jackson had as a child with The Jackson 5. Disregard that Thriller and Bad are two of the best selling albums ever (Thriller sold 25M in 1982. 25 million. Unreal.). Sure he was a singer and dancer of the highest caliber, but what most people forget is that the man was a true musician. He had one of the greatest creative sparks in history; a truly visionary artist. He was a songwriter, a producer, a composer; all of the “behind-the-scenes” jobs that go into creating a pop song that people often take for granted. He cowrote We are the World , and did duets with Paul McCartney. He did it all. He was an electric perfomer unlike anyone the world had ever seen, and his music and style are still imitated to this day. His songs will continue to carry on his legacy, because true brilliance never goes out of style and never becomes irrelevant. To give you an idea of just how popular and impactful Michael Jackson was, check out the video below. It’s of prisoners in the Philippines replicating Jackson’s Thriller dance, which is roughly 25 years old. There aren’t many musicians today who will have prisoners in a third world country imitating their dance moves 25 years from now. In fact I can only think of one…

-John

I got into the HBO show Band of Brothers a few years after it came out on dvd and I became a huge fan. I thought it was one of the best mini-series of all-time so when I heard about Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg doing sort of a sequel to it about the Pan-Pacific fighting during WWII, I let out a joyous girlish squeal. Little did I know that it would take another two years for me to actually see something on the screen, but I finally saw a trailer of The Pacific last Sunday. I’ve heard that the budget was somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 million dollars for the mini-series, which as you probably know, is more than a lot of Hollywood movies. So, you can definitely count on the look of the series to be high quality. And if the acting is anywhere on par with Band of Brothers, we should expect another great mini-series from Hanks and Spielberg. And by the way, if you haven’t seen Band of Brothers, run to the video store and pick up the dvd, it’s totally worth it.

RN

I promised myself I wouldn’t watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey. This just in, I don’t keep promises to myself. That trip to the dentist that I promised myself three years ago, still hasn’t happened. Anyway, I got sucked into the lives of the funny talking ladies from New Jersey. They own warehouses, they like to pay for expensive things with crisp hundred dollar bills, and the most important thing to them? It’s protecting their “family” if you catch my drift. Anyway, I’m proud to call The Real Housewives of New Jersey, my favorite housewives show. And that’s saying a lot. Also, just for fun, the ladies from the show are now doing commercials for their local grocer.

- I like kids. Wait, let me rephrase that. Kids like me. Ok, one more time, you’ve seen kids before right? What about kids with instruments? What about kids that play the blues like nobody’s business (and click here too for another page)? Thanks Meigan P. for the link.

- That Brad Pitt/Steve Soderbergh film based on the Michael Lewis book Moneyball won’t be coming to a theater near you anymore.

- Jon and Kate + 8 had record ratings on Monday after they announced that they were getting a divorce. Also of note, did you check out Jon’s new cliched single look? Really, did he have to go the earring route now that he’s a single guy?

- I’m sure you’ve heard about it already but Columbia Pictures is in talks with David Fincher to direct The Social Network, which is based on the creation of Facebook. I don’t get this at all. Unless the creator of Facebook was some sort of super spy in his younger days, I don’t get the appeal of the movie at all. And shouldn’t there be an age restriction on Facebook? Is 60 to old to have a page? There needs to be some groundrules set.

RN

The Bird and the Bee Blue Note Records

Two LA acts in a row. Seems The City of Angels is trying to duel with NYC for the rights to the indie rock breeding ground crown. Don’t worry NYC, you’re safe for now, but if more acts like The Bird and the Bee stop popping up out of LA you might be in trouble. The band is named for its two members, Inara George (bird) and Greg Kurstin (bee), and presents a softer, whimsical side to indie music. Charming lyrics of love and courtship coexist with straightforward profanity and sexual connotation in a bubble gum pop environment. It’s everything you’ve always wanted in a summertime band.

Sidenote: Kurstin used to be in, or maybe still is in, the band Geggy Tah. They sang a song about thanking a guy for letting them change lanes - look it up. A friend of the show, Felipe, loves that song and actually owned that album. I always made fun of him for buying it because it was super-lame. Glad to see Kurstin is making better use of his musical talents these days.

-John

I was reading something the other day about underrated movies, and, after perusing the author’s personal picks, I couldn’t help but start to ponder on what silver-screen gems I feel toil in obscurity. Movies that don’t get their due is certainly a subjective topic - that is unless you’re a self-proclaimed pop culture expert AND you have your own website. They don’t just let anyone have one of these you know. In that case, your opinions are cold-hard facts that can’t be disputed because they are rooted in sound logic and unwaivering supportive evidence. With that being said, take a look at a couple of my favorite movies that most people don’t recognize as cinematic gold - but they should. Because my opinion is the law. Did I mention I have a website?

The Rules of Attraction Lionsgate

This is the film adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis’ novel of the same name, directed by Roger Avary, and is a perfect example of a great movie that goes unnoticed. Dark, graphic, creative and surprisingly funny, Rules gives us a look at what can happen when a prolific writer like Ellis has his material shaped in the capable, hands of a visionary director. Avary is best known for his work on Pulp Fiction, he’s responsible for collaborating on the vignette where Marcellus and Butch fall into “the spider’s web”, and has the demented persona needed for fully executing the big-screen transition of an Ellis work. Rules is a great Ellis adaptation because it focuses on the characters and all of the aspects of their personalities. The movie is a showcase for their hollowness, their selfish tendencies, but most importantly their senses of humor and rare glimpses of humanity that make them seem still realistic. James Van Der Beek gives a fantastic performance as Sean Bateman, younger brother of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman, and was so convincing as a narcissistic, self-centered, unfeeling, drug dealer that I never looked at him the same way again. It’s a truly underappreciated performance that should have gotten him better roles later in his career. The cast rounds out nicely with a charming, yet sad, Shannyn Sossamon, an introduction to then unknown (and still not widely-known) Ian Somerhalder, fantastic smaller roles by Kip Pardue (his recount of a European trip as Victor may be the best part of the whole movie) Clifton Collins Jr. and Eric Stoltz, and some bit parts by not-yet-megastars Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth. The movie uses great music, creative cinematography (great scenes with split screens and things happening in reverse) and exceptionally interesting characters, to portray the emptiness of wealthy, spoiled college kids as they search for what they think will bring them true happiness.

The Kingdom Universal

Unlike Rules of Attraction, I didn’t see The Kingdom in the theater. It didn’t resonate with me. Sure, it had a good cast, (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman and Jeremy Piven) but it seemed like a played out Iraqi War movie with not much to offer. However, it seemed like the perfect movie with which to kill a Sunday afternoon as I saw it’s name appear on the HBO lineup a year or so ago. For whatever reason Michael Mann’s newest action picture (at that time) flew under the radar. It didn’t do all that well in theaters, drawing a very modest $47.4M at the domestic box office, and didn’t seem to garner much of a response from critics at all, negative or positive. It’s hard to pinpoint why good movies fail at the box office - no word-of-mouth support, poor marketing, bad timing - but usually it’s a combination of everything and the film just never takes off. I can only say I wish I’d seen it on the big screen accompanied by some ear-splitting Dolby Surround. Let me be the first to tell you that The Kingdom is making the rounds on HBO right now and I highly recommend you taking the hour and forty-five minutes out of your day to check it out. The movie follows four FBI agents as they investigate a bombing on a US Army base in Saudia Arabia and all of the complications that go with navigating Saudi bureaucracy. There is also a great portrayal of what it means to be a Muslim police officer fighting against terrorists in one’s own country. All that being said - the movie turns from good to great during the last 20-30 minutes. Mann is no stranger to lengthy, almost induglent action sequences (see: Heat - bank robberies) and director Peter Berg lives up to his producer’s legacy in a big way. The last segment of the film is an action scene as perfectly executed and directed as you will ever see. I wouldn’t lie to you - not about action sequences. It’s just how I was raised. It’s a fantastic conclusion to a surprisingly powerful movie and I trust you will all heed my advice. I’m a self-proclaimed expert after all.

Stay tuned for more movies you should love.

-John

After reading John’s great post about Dudes that Got a Bad Rap, it made me immediately think of some of the more questionable career choices of actors. Let’s take a look at a few of them, shall we?

Clint Eastwood -Paint Your Wagon
Oh Clint. It’s not that this 1969 musical was a bad film. But let’s just say that Clint Eastwood and musicals aren’t really synonymous with one another. If you are wondering, Clint even tries to sing a bit, although, to be fair, it’s mostly Clint talking his way thru the lyrics. Check out a clip below of Clint singing or talking his way thru a song.

Horatio Sanz - Boat Trip
Poor Horatio Sanz. Could he have been the next Chris Farley? I’m not really sure. But the 2002 movie, Boat Trip certainly didn’t help his cause. He had a decent career on SNL and then he tried his hand at some movies. Although starring alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in a movie about a gay cruise wasn’t the smartest thing to do, I’ll say this: if you are offered a starring role with Cuba Gooding Jr. and the movie isn’t Jerry Maguire 2, you shouldn’t do the movie. Below is a clip of Boat Trip.

Note: It would have been too easy to include Cuba Gooding Jr. on this list…I figured everyone was aware of all of the bad movies he’s done in the last 10 years or so.

RN

I think of a movie. You try to guess it in the comments section. If there are no correct guesses, I’ll update the post with a clue. As always, the above picture is a hint.

UPDATE: Jill…you have guessed the movie! The correct answer was the 1989 movie, Steel Magnolias, starring Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Sally Field, and Shirley MacLaine. I never saw the whole thing but I do know that a beauty shop does play a role in it. I think Dolly’s character owns the shop? Anyway, Congratulations Jill, you are the big winner this week.

Good luck!

RN

So, I was watching the Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon the other day and it occurred to me that there’s a fairly stong contingent of people who really dislike Fallon. I mean, really dislike him. I started thinking about why that is and if it would translate into him failing miserably as a late night talk show host - strictly based on a majority of the public’s inexplicable disdain for him. It made me think of other such “fallen stars” and why their fall took place - and if it was fair that everyone heeped such ill will upon them. I felt I would take their respectives sides and do my best to help them back into the public’s good graces, even if I’m not a die hard fan. I mend fences between America and the stars they monitor daily. I’m a philanthropist - what can I say?

Jimmy Fallon

Why/How he got a bad rap: Became synonymous with laughing during sketches on SNL, to the point where people stopped finding it funny. After leaving SNL, pursued a movie career that subjected fans to the likes of Taxi and Fever Pitch, and in doing so alienated any support from male viewers he may have had.

Why he deserves it (maybe at least partially): He left SNL too early and although he may have been one of the most recognizable castmembers he hadn’t solidified himself as a leading man yet. His standup routine was a bit weak, because he played it safe so many times. The movies he made were terrible. Taxi is pretty much unwatchable, and the only reason it didn’t gross $0 is because the trailers ran Giselle Bundchen in her underwear. Also, part of Fever Pitch was actually filmed on the field at Fenway when the Red Sox won the World Series. On the field. That’s unbelievable. Really it’s MLB’s fault for allowing that to happen, but it still taints Fallon’s image because it pissed so many people off.

Why his bad rap is unfair: I always liked Fallon. He seems like a really nice guy and that does count for something when so many celebrities come off as unlikable a-holes. People forget what a great impressionist he is. Look back at some old SNL sketches when he’s playing other celebrities - he outshines everyone. He gave us the Barry Gibb Talk Show, and I love the Barry Gibb Talk Show. He’s a funny guy, he just needs the right format. His new late night talk show seems to be the right vehicle for him to thrive again and even though he showed some opening week jitters, he’s slowly easing into his own form. He’s a got a great Saved By The Bell reunion bit going, an awesome band with The Roots, and he was also in Band of Brothers. For like two seconds. But that series won a ton of awards. Give him a year.

Ben Affleck

Why/How he got a bad rap: Mr. Affleck simply got overexposed. He was everywhere. He won an Oscar, married J-Lo (Remember that? He was married to J-Lo. editor’s note: they were actually only engaged, but still), starred in way too many movies and was the focal point of every magazine/tabloid and entertainment-based show there is. 20/20 or 60 Minutes or something actually did a whole episode where they toured his and J-Lo’s house. Plus, all those movies he starred in sucked. He was everywhere - it was inevitable.

Why he deserves it (maybe at least partially): He is responsible for that whole thing where people refer to a celebrity couple by combining their first names into one word. Bennifer. He and J-Lo begat Bennifer, which in turn begat some other stuff and now we have TomKat and Brangelina and all that. Just typing those words made me vomit in my mouth a little bit. For that he should be scorned.

Why his bad rap is unfair: he seems like a standup guy. He does. He likes poker and sports and drinking beers - and if that was good enough of a reason for the majority of the country to elect Bush, then maybe it’s enough of a reason to cut Affleck a break. Plus, Matt Damon still likes him and everyone likes Matt Damon - so he must be alright. The real reason this guy deserves another chance is that he did everything right post public-disdainment. He laid low for a while (his marriage to Jennifer Garner hardly went noticed by Hollywood standards) didn’t take projects at all, pursued other interests - political in nature, and, after a few years, slowly began accepting low-key roles. He was well received in Hollywoodland for playing the role of 1950s Superman, George Reeves, and then did an excellent job directing his brother in Gone Baby Gone. Now if you see him popping up in movies, he’ll be in different and self-depricating roles - like a stoner in Mike Judge’s upcoming film Extract. Plus, Forces of Nature wasn’t that bad of a movie anyway.

So that’s it for now. Maybe this will become a recurring feature and maybe it won’t. It depends on the hatred you all have for celebrities and how unfair I think it may be. If you have hate in your heart - let it out.

-John