Posts filed under 'Internet Buzz'
Zombies go Hollywood?
By blake goble, written on Dec. 7, 2008
Zombies are going mainstream. Max Brooks’s popular 2006 book “World War Z” is getting the prestige treatment as a big movie, with filming to commence this coming spring, and it’s almost as unsettling as eating brains.
Paramount recently acquired the rights to Brooks’s novel, and it’s being set up as a big-budget, epic movie. How so? Marc Forster of “Finding Neverland” and “Quantum of Solace” has been hired to direct, and veteran scribe J. Michael Straczynski (”Changeling”) was recently interviewed describing the new approach they’ll bring to the living impaired.
“Most zombie movies to this point have been small, focusing on a few people in a house. And this has got real scare. You’re in India with hundreds of boats trying to get out of there with a tidal wave of zombies. The scale of what we’re doing here is phenomenal.”
Straczynski also compared “Z” to the “Bourne” films, and speculation is stirring on how this film could transcend the already established genre, and come out as A-grade movie stars. Zombies are scary as hell and seem to have a place in low-rent horror. Their niche genre works have been pretty great since “Night of the Living Dead.”
A popular, large-scale zombie movie without George A. Romero? Could this work? Will Bub get that honorary Oscar he deserves from “Day of the Dead?” Will zombies ever get Oscars or huge grosses?
The Decemberists making a rock opera? No! Really? No!
By Matt Emery, written on Nov. 19, 2008
Colin Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists, recently told Rolling Stone that the group’s forthcoming album will be — surprise! — very rock opera like.
Everyone’s going to call it a rock opera,” says the Decemberists’ frontman, Colin Meloy. “I’ve just got to come around to that.” Meloy is in the midst of mixing the band’s fifth album, Hazards of Love, at an Oregon City studio. It’s very different from the Decemberists’ 2006 major-label debut, The Crane Wife: Producer Tucker Martine is piecing together 16 or so segments into a continuous, hour-long narrative suite that riffs on folk-song archetypes. It’s a twisty, fantastical story about a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, William, who is desperate for the two of them to be reunited; a forest queen; and a villainous rake. “There’s a story there, but it’s really painted with broad strokes,” says Meloy.
At first, Hazards of Love was going to be an actual musical, staged by director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening). The story that Meloy came up with, however, was “practically unstageable,” the frontman says. (The pair are still hoping to work together, perhaps on something about a 1917 labor dispute in Montana.)
Hopefully the group’s schtick still has some gas in the engine. The Crane Wife was starting to draw things thin, and I’m worried about an entire narrative going through an album. But hey, why not make a musical into an album. It probably won’t suck.
But seriously, Colin, make this labor dispute Montana thing happen. Now. Because this is the kind of thing that happens in Montana: (He is missing fingers!!!)
Look for Hazards of Love sometime this spring.
‘Guitar Hero’ + bike = badass, I think
By Matt Emery, written on Nov. 19, 2008
This is a link to a video of some kids playing a life-size version of “Guitar Hero” on a bicycle. I’ve watched it a few times now, but I’m still confused, yet totally blown away. The lights on the handlebars add a great dynamic to the video, and wait for the part where they almost hit a car.
Bonus points to anyone who tries that this weekend, but with a unicycle, and somehow includes drums and singing.
Turtle’s in love
By Mark Schultz, written on Nov. 17, 2008
So it turns out goofy, somewhat obnoxious fat guys can land hot girls outside the realm of “According to Jim,” “Still Standing” and “Knocked Up.” Jerry Ferrara, the actor who plays Turtle on HBO’s “Entourage,” recently appeared in an episode arc with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, a.k.a Meadow Soprano. My elation at Turtle finally getting laid seemed to overshadow the fact that, in real life, no reasonable girl would ever call him for a booty call, right? However, it turns out Ferrara and Sigler hit it off in real life, according to rumors from Page Six magazine, who witnessed the couple making out at a party in Hollywood.
Sigler herself isn’t exactly denying the rumors. “Ferrara is a very special person,” she said. Yes, I’m sure he is, but I didn’t think he was that kind of special. I figured he was more great-at-rolling-tulips special.
I wish the new couple the best of luck, and for a more extended discussion of this inexplicable pairing, check out my gossip column on Thursday.
We’re going to die
By Matt Emery, written on Nov. 17, 2008
I don’t like robots. And after watching this video, I am actually afraid that a robot apocalypse might be the biggest threat to human existence.
You’re not fooling me, Wall-E. That whole movie was just pro-robot propaganda. I urge everyone not to buy the new DVD that comes out tomorrow, despite what the Daily might even say about it.
Via Geekologie.
Other scary robot pictures after the jump.
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I think Kanye is winning
By Matt Emery, written on Nov. 17, 2008
We’re just a week away from Kanye West’s latest release 808s & Heartbreak and it’s safe to say that Kanye is doing a good job of keeping his name in the media at the right time. After being arrested and released on Friday for assaulting a photographer, Kanye has hit back today on his blog:
WHO’S WINNING, ME OR THE MEDIA?
REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH LIGHT I PUT OUT, THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING JUST AS HARD TO ONLY DELIVER DARKNESS. IF YOU LISTEN TO MY MUSIC, HOW COULD I DELIVER SO MANY POSITIVE UPLIFTING MESSAGES AND BE THE MONSTER THAT THE MEDIA PAINTS. PAPARAZZI GIVE REAL PHOTOGRAPHERS A BAD NAME. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEIRS ARE WORTH A THOUSAND DOLLARS…
I have to say I am in Kanye’s boat here, though even Mr. West has to admit that this is a great time to be involved in these sort of brush-ups. For as much trouble as the media might cause him, what better time to have your name all over the internet ? If nothing else, Kanye is a master of calculated spin. And I think it’s fair to say that today, Kanye is definitely one step ahead of the media.
Hit the jump for the rest of Kanye’s rant and explanation of the altercation in all its caps-locked glory.
Who watches the Watchmen? The L.A. District Court
By Matt Emery, written on Aug. 19, 2008
I wasn’t one who was exactly pumped for the “Watchmen” film, but now things seem to be getting really sticky in the release of the film, and I know a lot of people who will be pissed.
The dark and damaged superheroes of Warner Brothers’ “Watchmen,” set for release next March, have a new problem on their hands: a federal judge here ruled last week that they may belong to 20th Century Fox.
In the suit, Fox said Warner had infringed its copyrights and interfered with contracts by filming the movie in spite of earlier agreements under which Fox acquired rights to the graphic novel on which it is based.
Fox lawyers have said they plan to seek an injunction blocking release of the film — one of next year’s most anticipated — pending a trial over its rights. In a statement, Scott Rowe, a Warner spokesman, said the judge’s ruling, while allowing the litigation to proceed, did not reflect on the merits of the case. “We respectfully disagree with Fox’s position,” Mr. Rowe’s statement said.
Nothing screams at me to see a film like a court case, even if the case is just over who actually owns the rights to the film, book, etc. There isn’t any telling whether the case will affect the release of the film, but if it does, maybe it will give me some time to actually read the graphic novel. I hear it’s all right. And by all right I mean teachers at the school use it as literature and friends worship it. Hmm, something tells me John Milton would be a huge fan.
The YouTube Generation gets violent; “emos” shaking in their Chucks
By Matt Roney, written on Mar. 27, 2008
Remember when picking on emo kids wasn’t a big deal? You could goof around with the kid in the black hoodie who hung around with the acoustic guitar long after school had let out and, in the end, you both knew that the little jibes about Chris Carrabba’s seventh grade poetry were all in good fun.
Not so today. According to a Time report, “emo bashing” has become a genuine problem in Mexico. Gangs of “anti-emos” organized on blogs and, I can only assume, 4chan.org have taken to the streets, savagely beating any and all “emos” (yeah, I know, it’s not a noun in that sense) they find. Time’s got videos, and they’re pretty freaking brutal. There’s even been a march
in support of the victims, sponsored by a local LGBT organization who justify their involvement by claiming that the emo kids are being targeted for their effeminate dress.
Time’s article is worth reading mainly for the hilarity of such a stuffy publication trying to write about a teen subculture. Nevertheless, I’m a little unsettled by this whole thing. Seriously, 800 people wasting their time beating up on high school kids? Who’s got the problem here?
Nerds of the world…unite!
By Brandon Conradis, written on Mar. 25, 2008
In light of the GEO strike I thought it’d be amusing to take a look at another protest, one happening on a larger, albeit probably less important, scale.
Nerds the world over are rallying over at http://committed.to/stopdarthweinstein to protest The Weinstein Co.’s decision to edit an important subplot out of their upcoming comedy “Fanboys.” The film, which originally had a group of “Star Wars”-obsessed geeks planning to steal an advance copy of “The Phantom Menace” on behalf of their cancer-stricken friend, was edited so that the cancer subplot was removed. “Star Wars” fanboys are enraged, seeing the removal of this storyline as a slap in the face to their integrity. Here’s a sample from their open letter to Harvey Weinstein:
Nintendo is certified evil, wants a piece of phone business
By Chris Gaerig, written on Mar. 19, 2008
Game Informer reported that Nintendo has announced they will announce … something at July’s annual E3 conference. Nintendo spokesman Reggie Fils-Aime hinted that something big will be announced at E3. Not Kidding. And now, people are going all loony. Said the GI report:
Reggie was tight-lipped about any details surround the release, other than that both gamers and Nintendo’s newly expanded audience will be excited. Fan speculation about the title is half the fun. Guesses run the gambit from a new Zelda title all the way to the debut of Animal Crossing for the Wii. Even the prospect of resurrecting Kid Icarus has been brought to the table. In the end, only Time — and Reggie — will tell.
Whatever. They gave us “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” and they’ll be giving us “Mario Kart”. No one cares about your shadow games Nintendo. But this E3 announcement might be surrounding something significantly cooler than a new game.
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