Arrested Development on The Huffington Post

Arrested Development Movie Script In Works

2009-10-04T20:57:00Z

"Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz and his co-executive producer James Vallely are working on a screenplay for the long-debated feature version of their short-lived Fox series.

Our 17 Favorite TV Oddballs Of All Time (VIDEO)

2009-09-22T16:02:38Z

In every great comedy series there's that one crude, crazy, or curious character who stands out: The Oddball. From Andy Kaufman on "Taxi" to Abed in the recent premiere of "Community," oddballs are classic characters who use their eccentricities to enrich the show. Here, we've collected 73 of our favorites. Vote and tell us which are your favorites!

Penelope Andrew: 9/11 Film Review of Amreeka : Drama of the Arab-Christian Experience in America Also Strikes Notes of Heart and Humor

2009-09-11T18:47:49Z

Perhaps, there is no more fitting day than September 11th to write about a film that reminds us of our shared humanity as we struggle to survive, better ourselves, and deal with the subject of loss. Currently, this is exemplified in a new film by first-time, feature-length director and writer Cherien Dabis, from whom I feel certain we will see more exciting film-making. Amreeka, is the Arabic word for America, which Dabis knows so well for she is the daughter of Palestinian-Jordanian immigrants who came to the Midwest before she was born.

Dabis' new film is a compelling look at Muna (Nisreen Faour), a lovely, divorced, overweight, overeducated Palestinian woman living in the West Bank with her teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) and her mother. Stopping for groceries before she makes the long and arduous journey home through military checkpoints where she and her son are sometimes subjected to humiliating treatment by Israeli soldiers, she suffers as she sees her ex-husband and his skinny, overly painted, new wife. Muna also suffers from being overqualified for and is becoming exasperated with her job in a bank, weary of her mother's kvetching, and exhausted from a commute formerly taking 20 minutes that now with the wall built around the West Bank takes over two hours.

When a long-forgotten visa application is granted permitting her to come to the U.S., Fadi urges Muna to grab it. Their emotional goodbyes to Muna's mother and brother are a heartbreaking reminder of the farewells that immigrants must make when they tear themselves away from parents, siblings, and children. Dabis' direction of her actors' performances brings an extraordinary tenderness and pathos to the universal experience in this and so many other scenes throughout this wonderfully authentic film.

Muna (played to near perfection by Nisreen Faour) and Fadi (in an authentic and compelling performance by Melkar Muallem) embrace demonstrating the power of love between mother and son who have come from Palestine to find a better life in small-town Illinois which is not quite ready to embrace them.

Even after the long and grueling treatment in U.S. customs, Muna and Fadi arrive exhausted but still hopeful and excited to live with her sister Raghda (Hiam Abbass), brother-in-law Nabeel (Yussef Abu Warda), and their three charming daughters (so perfectly cast that they nearly steal the film). The time is 2003, and the U.S. is about to invade Iraq, which is far from a perfect time for Arabs to come to Amreeka.

Muna armed with two degrees and a long work history struggles to find work only to be rejected over and over again. Finally, she takes a job at a White Castle, but the shame of this humble work makes her keep it from her son, sister, and family. Son Fadi encounters similar misunderstandings and abuse based on ignorance and prejudice in school. Thank goodness he has his feisty cousin Salma (Alia Shawkat) close by for support and comfort. Financial pressures and prejudices are made even worse when Muna's brother-in-law, a once successful physician, finds himself losing patients and can barely pay the mortgage on the home that this mega-extended family share.

While Muna and her extended family encounter many ignoramuses and bullies, they are also aided by small heroes: the kind-hearted principal of Fadi and Salma's high school, Mr. Novatski (Joseph Ziegler) who is Jewish; a bank employee (Miriam Smith) working next door to the White Castle who keeps tabs on Muna and her secret life as a hamburger slinger; and Muna's blue-haired, high-school drop-out co-worker Matt (Brodie Sanderson) for whom she makes scrumptious falafel in "The Castle's" deep fryer normally reserved for French fries. No one is perfect in this film, however; even the sophisticated Mr. Ziegler assumes Muna and her Arab family are Muslims, but they are, in fact, Christian.*

Veteran actress Hiam Abbass known to audiences from The Visitor, Babel, Munich and other films and Nisreen Faour play sisters in a tight-knit, Arab-American family trying to survive and make sense of a post-9/11 world.

Amreeka is an artful, moving testimony to the perils of making assumptions about individuals or groups. It is overflowing with masterful framing, lighting, use of music, editing, and other technical aspects of filmmaking, which coalesce almost seamlessly. It features stunning performances by Nisreen Faour as the irrepressible Muna, veteran Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Babel, Munich, Lemon Tree), Melkar Muallem (in his film debut), Yussef Abu Warda (a well known theater actor from Haifa), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development, State of Grace, Prom Wars), and a wonderful ensemble of other talented actors. The film is also marked by a rare consistency of tone and an authenticity that stretch (almost) to the very end of the movie. By this time, however, we don't much care. We're hooked, so the final idyllic scene is very satisfying indeed.

Amreeka is a film of impeccable taste that unites instead of divides and centers itself on a universal character who reminds us so much of our own relatives past and present who had the audacity and courage to come to America to fulfill their dreams of a better life.*

***1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Amreeka. Directed, written, and produced by Cherien Dabis. Starring Nisreen Faour (Muna Farah), Melkar Muallem (Fadi Farah), Hiam Abbass (Raghda Halaby), Alia Shawkat (Salma Halaby), Yussef Abu Warda (Nabeel Halaby), and Joseph Ziegler (Mr. Novatski). Released by National Geographic Entertainment. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes.

* (In Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and other Middle Eastern countries, there are large numbers of Arab-Christians -- who like Victoria Reggie Kennedy -- are Catholic and descendents of Maronites or are Greek- and Eastern-Orthodox. Like their Irish, Italian, Greek, and Serbian counterparts, they have made their way to the United States ever since the early 20th Century and have not always been entirely welcomed. Recently, Arab-Christians, Arab-Muslims, and other Muslim-Americans find themselves subjected ironically to the same suspicion and grotesque anti-Semitism as their Jewish-American counterparts who suffered so similarly during the Red Scare of the McCarthy Era and the HUAC in the 1950s.)

Jason Bateman On His New Movie, Life After 'Arrested'

2009-09-04T10:04:05Z

NEW YORK — As usual, Jason Bateman is calm in the midst of chaos.

Sitting down for lunch at Robert De Niro's Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca, Bateman's 2-year-old daughter, Francesca, wants to play with dad. His wife, Amanda Anka (the daughter of singer Paul Anka), stops by. Publicists want to discuss his appearance later in the evening on Letterman.

'Arrested Development' Movie Hits Arnett Speed Bump

2009-08-31T07:49:22Z

The highly anticipated "Arrested Development" movie is still arrested, but not for the reason everyone thinks.

Will Arnett is actually the one holding up the flick, despite rumors that the show's breakthrough star, Michael Cera - who hit instant celebrity status after "Superbad" - was the cause of the delay.

Harry Moroz: Give Peanuts a Second Chance

2009-07-30T12:07:48Z

Over the last several years, TARP watchdog Elizabeth Warren has been arguing for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate financial products like mortgages. To do so, she has used the example of a combustible toaster:

It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance an existing home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting the family out on the street...Why are consumers safe when they purchase tangible consumer products with cash, but when they sign up for routine financial products...they are left at the mercy of their creditors? The difference...is regulation.

Consumer product safety regulations have indeed kept ordinary Americans safe from, for example, the Cornballer. But Warren's comparison does not hold for all consumer products we can buy with cash. While in recent years Congress has improved oversight of toys and drugs, food products has been roundly ignored. Meanwhile, the CDC reports that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illness in the United States each year, which result in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Most recently, 691 individuals were sickened and 9 died from an outbreak of Salmonella in contaminated peanut products while health officials struggled to determine the source of the hazardous food.

Yesterday, the House failed to pass a measure that would remedy an outdated, overstretched, and underfunded food safety system, not to mention give more ammunition to Warren's argument for financial product regulation. Though the bill may be voted on again today, House leaders miscalculated the measure's support (by 8 votes), leaving the current food system intact.

In that current system, the FDA is responsible for overseeing 80 percent of the food supply. Yet, much of this food never passes under the watchful eye of an inspector. While Department of Agriculture inspectors visit meat and poultry processing plants at least once a day, FDA inspectors average an inspection visit to a food facility once every ten years. Further, the current food safety system is reactive: current regulations mean that the agency springs into action only after an outbreak of illness.

The Food Safety Enhancement Act updates food safety laws to improve the Food and Drug Administration's supervision of the nation's food supply. The legislation requires more frequent inspection of food facilities, improves inspector access to plant records, and orders facilities to develop and implement safety plans to identify and protect against hazards. The bill compels all food plants to register with the FDA and pay an annual $500 fee which, along with fees for food inspection and recall, will help pay for the expansions of oversight included in the legislation. Along with other measures that enhance the FDA's ability to prevent the distribution of unsafe food, the Act authorizes the agency to order food recalls of products that may cause adverse health consequences or death. Finally, the Act makes food origin easier to trace, improves oversight of fresh produce and imported foods, and boosts penalties for violations of food safety laws.

The Food Safety Enhancement Act would modernize the food safety system to protect middle-class Americans who are increasingly concerned about the integrity of the food they eat. More frequent inspections -- at least once every 18 months for high-risk facilities -- and expanded access to records during these inspections would keep food plants honest, while the requirement for each facility to develop a food safety plan would shift the emphasis of the food safety system to preventing outbreaks of food-borne illness. More detailed descriptions of product origin will assist efforts to stem outbreaks and the FDA's mandatory recall authority will be a vital tool to ensure that the public is protected if an outbreak does occur. The collection of registration fees adds an important source of funding for the expanded oversight activities, though industry payment for their own oversight is always questionable. The Food Safety Enhancement Act will help make middle-class families safer and re-inspire confidence in the food safety system.

Even during the Bush administration progress was made in expanding protections for consumers. That makes yesterday's vote -- even if a fluke -- all the more surprising.

Jon Chattman: Paper Heart 's Charlyne Yi Stares Love in the Face (Just Not with Michael Cera Per Se)

2009-07-24T16:05:47Z

Echoing the sentiments of Foreigner's classic cornball hit but without all the melodrama, Charlyne Yi wanted to know what love was, and she wanted some people to show her. In her new film Paper Heart, the actress-writer turned her initial plans for a documentary on the "L" word into a narrative hybrid.

Together with director and co-writer Nicholas Jasenovec, Yi, playing a character named -- yes Charlyne -- sets off cross country to get to the meaning of what love is. She interviews happily married couples, celebrities, and divorce lawyers (among others) and tries to overcome her own pessimism about love.

I spoke to Yi from the Just For Laughs Comedy Conference and Film Festival in Montreal earlier this week, and asked her about her views on love (then and now), her co-star Michael Cera, and how her film evolved from beginning to end.

Your little film is getting a lot of exposure lately...
It's pretty intense but it's awesome so many people want to hear about the movie.

What are your hopes for this movie? Obviously it's not a big summer blockbuster by Hollywood standards but you must be excited to see it compete in theaters...
Especially since we didn't know really what the future was going to be. Originally it was going to go to two theaters maybe for a week and then go straight to DVD. Now it's going to much more theaters and people seem to be aware of it.

Well, Entertainment Weekly had a great piece on how your film as well as 500 Days of Summer and Adam are ushering in sort of an intelligent "teen comedy" comeback this summer. What do you make of that?
I don't know. I'm not sure about a comeback. I think it's hard to say a movie is a teen movie or a family movie or something. I'm a big fan of family movies like The Santa Clause. I don't think they ever make comebacks. I think they always exist.

But, they're not always done well.
Yeah, that's true.

Like did you see The Sante Clause 3?
No, I only saw first one.

Don't. Moving on, how did this movie evolve? It seems to have started off as something and ended up as something completely different.
It constantly evolved. The idea was kind of views of my own questioning of love personally -- not to doubt anyone else's love. I wasn't certain of my own love. That inspired [the movie]. I found it strange that strangers would just open up to me with their love stories.

That's the documentary end of it, but there's a story to it, too...
Capturing the true love stories [is] the documentary portion, but Nick wanted to see the film in my eyes because of my doubts. He thought it's be a great way to see the film. He wanted me to start dating on camera, but I wasn't comfortable with that. Because of that, he came up with the idea of creating a narrative and using that as the basis. That way, my character would have an arc and I would take on a character's name which was mine in the hopes it would allow the documentary pieces seem more natural in the film.

Did Michael Cera come on board early on in the process?
I think after we figured out what we wanted to do with the film -- combining the documentary and the narrative -- we hammered out an outline and made a list of all the young actors we found talented. Nick knew Michael before. I didn't actually see him act before, and he told me to watch Arrested Development. [I did] and was like "Wow, he's such a really good actor -- so subtle, so natural." I was all for him, and Michael was into the idea.

And you guys dated, right?
[Laughs] We didn't date but were always friends.

You didn't date?
No. I've been getting that once in awhile. It might be because we're playing ourselves. Most [thought] Ellen Page and Michael [were dating] for Juno.

Ah...Now that you've made the movie, where do you stand on love now?
I think the beginning was my [being] naïve. I guess the idea of being uncertain made me have doubts but then I realized with everything there's doubts and you question if it'll last forever. There's nothing wrong with that, and you accept that and live in the moment and see where it goes. Making the actual documentary and meeting all these strangers was like staring at love in the face. It was living proof that love exists.

Anytime you doubt love ever again listen to the lyrics of "The Greatest Love of All..."
I love that song. My band covered it.

Speaking of which, you wrote the music to this. Not too shabby -- writing it, starring in it, and scoring it -- huh?
It was really exciting. The big lesson we learned from doing the documentary, the narrative and the music is that even though you don't know what you're doing, as long as you're confident -- not arrogant -- and brave enough for the challenge, you'll be alight.

Rob Cohen: I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! -- The Train Wreck to End All Train Wrecks

2009-06-01T16:21:27Z

It's hard to believe that the last season of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! was on the air in the US just 6 short years ago. How have we survived since 2003 without the nightly foibles of semi-celebrities romping through the jungle, thousands of feet (maybe even miles) from the nearest luxury resort? So much has happened on television between then and now, it's almost impossible to imagine a world in which names like Tila Tequila and Flava' Flav weren't household, but reality TV has come a long way. And while the last six years have brought us award winning comedies like The Office and 30 Rock, the end of groundbreaking shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City, and the bulk of cult favorites like 24, Lost, and Arrested Development, in the canon of brilliant, industry-changing television programming, they all pale in comparison to I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Those shows have helped us bide our time between seasons, but it's finally back, and, dare I say it, better than ever.

Mostly thanks to Rod Blagojevich. I'll admit I wasn't super-interested in the show until I learned that Blago was a contestant... or at least was trying to be. Though some news outlets reported that he was officially cast, turns out he did some illegal stuff, or something, and might be on probation, maybe, and isn't allowed to leave the country, I guess. Come on! Who do you have to buy off in Hollywood just to illegally escape the legal system you took an oath to uphold?

Whether or not he realized what he was doing (which may be dependent upon whether or not he realized Costa Rica isn't in the United States), the controversy is now moot, as he is awaiting trial in the US and forbidden from competing on the show. Lucky for us, though, his wife, Patricia, is taking his place, which might be the most brilliant move NBC has made in the last decade besides canceling ER. Talk about D-list celebrities... Mrs. Blago would be completely unheard of if it weren't for the disgusting, grossly illegal, incredibly corrupt, and embarrassingly disgraceful actions of her husband as Governor. Glad to see that she's making the best of her situation, most likely by humiliating herself even further. But hey, the cast does get paid a fair amount for appearing on the show... maybe she's trying to raise money to buy her husband's seat as Governor back from Roland Burris. In any case, Jeff Zucker, I salute you.

(Side note: IMDB still has a photo of Rod, as if he were a contestant. It's fantastic. Makes me wish we could banish him into the jungle forever.

And that's not all. Over the next few weeks, I'll be following the show and chronicling the mishaps of the entire cast, which this season includes Heidi and Spencer of The Hills, Sanjaya of American Idol, John "Spider" Salley, Stephen Baldwin, Frangela, Janice Dickinson, Lou Diamon Phillips, and Torrie Wilson. Each has his or her own reason for appearing on this show, none of them sensical. I guess they do have a little something to gain, and absolutely nothing left to lose. Just the way I like it.

So join me on this journey, every night (Monday to Thursday) at 8pm from June 1 to June 24 with recaps, commentary, and in-depth analysis shortly following each episode. And yes, you heard right: four nights a week for four weeks. It's the most jam-packed chunk of nonsense on NBC since The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Jason Bateman: Will Arnett Isn't The Father Of Amy Poehler's Baby (VIDEO)

2009-03-11T14:23:22Z

According to Jason Bateman, Will Arnett isn't the father of Archie Arnett and he knows this because Amy Poehler sleeps around a lot. Bateman also claims Arnett wears a hairhat and has man boobs. Damn. If this weren't a joke, it would be incredibly harsh.

This "feud" is an ad for an upcoming project the pair are involved in that's looking to capitalize on their previous relationship as squabbling brothers on "Arrested Development" to score ratings. Arnett gets some licks in (Bateman's childish) but none as inflammatory as Bateman's. We're sure he'll get back at him somehow.

Despite the fact that this promo doesn't really mention the show, it is designed to advertise the upcoming Fox comedy "Sit Down, Shut Up," an animated series created by "Arrested Development" founder Mitchell Hurwitz that's voiced by three members of the AD cast.

The show, based on an Australian sitcom, premiers April 19 and boasts the talents of Henry Winkler, Cheri Oteri, and Kristin Chenoweth. In addition to this project, Hurwitz and his gang are preparing to move forward on the long-rumored "Arrested Development" movie.

WATCH:

5 Reasons The "Arrested Development" Movie Might Be Bad

2009-02-25T15:17:16Z

The internet is thrilled today with the announcement that Michael Cera has officially signed on to reprise his role as George Michael in the Arrested Development movie. And this is certainly good news in the sense that an Arrested Development movie WITHOUT Michael Cera would be bad idea jeans. No one wants to see Rory Culkin working the banana stand. No touching!

But just because Michael Cera has signed on to rejoin the cast doesn't mean this movie is an automatic WIN. There are so many ways in which this thing could falter. Look, no one wants to have some wonderful Arrested Development laffs more than me. I'm just saying Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose, but with an emphasis on Clear Eyes. The script isn't even written yet, you guys. Real Talk.

After the jump, 5 Reasons the Arrested Development movie might be bad.

"Arrested Development" Movie "Going Ahead" (VIDEO)

2009-02-23T12:47:01Z

Ron Howard confirmed at Sunday's Oscars that the "Arrested Development" movie was in fact going ahead and that show creator Mitch Hurwitz is in the process of writing the script. (Video of MTV's brief interview with Howard is pasted below.)

Howard also said that he's been asked not to talk about who's in and who's out, which is an obvious reference to long-time hold-out Michael Cera. (UPDATED BELOW)

Cera is reportedly the only cast member who hasn't signed on, saying:

"I don't think I would want to see a movie of the series if I was a fan, anyway. And I don't really see a need for it if you can get the three seasons on DVD."

He told MTV he might even "put the script in a shredder."

In January, Jeffrey Tambor, the show's patriarch, said he'd force the young star's hand:

"If I have to call him up and say, 'Get on set right now, young man,' he'll be there, the movie is going to happen this year, and Michael Cera is on board. Trust me."

Rumors about a movie version of the critically-lauded, yet largely-unwatched show have been circulating since the final episode in 2006, but three years later the team isn't yet in production.

This is the first confirmation of progress on the project since the team got funding in November.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

UPDATE:

E! is reporting that Michael Cera has signed on for the film:

"Inside sources close to the negotiations of the upcoming Arrested Development movie tell me that 'Superbad' and 'Juno' star (and before that, hello, George-Michael Bluth!) Michael Cera has finally agreed to do the feature film project."

David Cross: I'll "Show Up To Work Stinking Drunk Everyday" To Film Alvin And The Chipmunks 2

2009-02-02T14:35:20Z

David Cross of Arrested Development and Mr. Show fame spoke to Gothamist about his career in comedy. When asked about Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 he said:

"Unfortunately I am contractually obligated to do the Alvin movie. There is nothing however in my contract that says I can't show up to work stinking drunk everyday though, so I'll have the last laugh."

Cross was given flack by other comedians for taking the role originally and responded on the blog "Bob and David" by saying:

"I've internally debated the merits of addressing my appearance in, (and thus tacit condoning of) "Alvin and The Chipmunks". I am not stupid nor unobservant. I knew going into this movie that I would be eating a lot of delicious shit for it. Usually I wouldn't give a shit about what everyone's feelings are about it, but I wasn't prepared for the level, or amount I should say, of vitriol that's been flung about like so much monkey poo."

Maybe the title of his new book I Drink For A Reason should have been I Drink For A Reason And That Reason Is CGI Animals With Annoying Voices.

"Arrested Development" Movie Finally a Go?

2009-01-29T09:43:44Z

The Daily News is reporting today that the "'Arrested Development' movie is on!" They are taking one of the show's stars, Jeffrey Tambor, at his word that he will make long-time hold out, Michael Cera, act in the film.

"If I have to call him up and say, 'Get on set right now, young man,' he'll be there, the movie is going to happen this year, and Michael Cera is on board. Trust me."

Cera is reportedly the only cast member who hasn't signed on for the project, saying "I don't think I would want to see a movie of the series if I was a fan, anyway. And I don't really see a need for it if you can get the three seasons on DVD." He told MTV he might even "put the script in a shredder."

Rumors about a movie version of the cult tv show have been circulating since the final episode premiered in 2006, but three years later the team isn't yet in production.

In mid-2008, the show's lead, Jason Bateman, told MTV the movie would almost certainly happen if they could find the money. Which, according to the Hollywood Reporter, they did in November with Mitch Hurwitz (the shows creator) and Ron Howard (the show's executive producer) closing deals "for the long-gestating project from Imagine and Fox Searchlight."

Before that, Bateman's co-star Will Arnett, urged fans to "threaten Fox" to get the movie made:

Hopeful fans have created an IMDB entry, with message boards bashing Michael Cera's indecision, and eager blogs have listed possible movie plots. The show drew meager ratings, but was critically acclaimed, and gained a cult following after it's finale.

Ron Howard Defends "Punk" Michael Cera, Talks "Arrested Development" Movie

2009-01-23T09:55:57Z

Ron Howard defended Michael Cera when asked about the "Arrested Development" movie on "Morning Joe" Friday.

Show co-anchor Willie Geist asked of the film, "Is that young punk Michael Cera really holding up this gift to the American people?"

Howard laughed and responded, "No, the punk's not holding it up," then tried to explain what was.

Howard was promoting "Frost/Nixon" on the show, about which he also faced questions from fellow guest Pat Buchanan.

Earlier this week, Cera got cagey with MTV, telling them at Sundance it was "more hypothetical than people think," despite every actor having signed on, in addition to producer/narrator Ron Howard.

Last month in an interview, show creator/executive producer Mitch Hurwitz alluded to Michael Cera holding up the film.

WATCH HOWARD'S FULL "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT" ANSWER:

SEE HOWARD'S FULL APPEARANCE, INCLUDING EXCHANGES WITH BUCHANAN:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Michael Cera Cagey Over "Arrested Development" Movie (VIDEO)

2009-01-21T13:34:28Z

Michael Cera got non-committal in Sundance talking to MTV News about the "Arrested Development" movie, to which every actor has committed, including narrator/producer Ron Howard:

Everyone from Jason Bateman and Will Arnett have voiced their support of bringing the cult show to the bigscreen. But recently a newer rumor popped up claiming that Cera was the lone holdout of the cast. So is it true?

Speaking to MTV News to promote his Sundance film "Paper Heart," Cera refuted the rumors, saying that he's merely waiting for a script. But that may be a long time coming, claims the actor, labeling the film as "more hypothetical than people think."

WATCH:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Doon Baqi: Golden Globes and Demi Gods

2009-01-12T18:34:24Z

I love movies. I really do. I could sit all day and night and watch movies. Not that I actually would, mind you; my wife would kill me.

Movies are a panacea to most of my life's worries. Whenever I feel the blues, I push play on my DVD player and watch Rushmore or Gladiator, for example, and all is well. There are even a few TV shows that can fall into that category: Arrested Development or Battlestar Galactica, for example.

I get excited about good writing and filmmaking and it was with this excitement that I sat to watch the Golden Globes last night. Normally, I skip the whole red carpet crap and watch the actual show only. Last night, however, I broke routine and watched the pre-show, and I swear by the time the actual show started, i was so annoyed that I nearly threw a shoe at my TV.

It's not the format of the pre-show, per se. It was your standard run of the mill production. And it's not the fashion: Eva Mendes and Demi Moore looked hot as ever, although I don't know why everyone was in cream colors; did the rest of us not get the memo?

It's just that when the actors open their mouths that I cringe and curl into a ball, as if I've just heard French manicured fingernails slide down a chalkboard (I don't know if chalkboards still exist, and this analogy may be moribund, if not totally obsolete already).

Actors are simply not important. I'm sorry, they're not. It's usually only in films that they have relevance. Otherwise, they're often complete morons. They should keep their mouths shut unless a writer is in the driver's seat of their lips.

I mean, is it just me? I tried to continue watching with as much equanimity as I could muster; honest I did. But every single word from Colin or Miley or Robert's mouth just cut into my composure like a tank shell on a Japanese paper wall.

I am amazed that we worship them like we do.

They are merely vessels, people. They are the body to the writer's soul. With a few magnanimous exceptions, they rarely have anything interesting to say, and they rarely count for anything in the world other than quintessential examples of excess and pretentiousness.

It's shameful that they are the demigods we spend so much time reading about and watching when there are so many more noble things we can spend the precious few moments we are alive on.

But how about that Demi? How is she still so hot?!

P.S. I acknowledge the exceptions: people like Jolie and Penn, for example.

Michael Cera Holding Up "Arrested Development" Movie?

2008-12-24T14:12:42Z

It increasingly seems that all parties are on track to make an "Arrested Development" movie - except perhaps for Michael Cera.

From Mitch Hurwitz, who is the creator and executive producer of the show, to narrator and producer Ron Howard and much of the cast, enthusiasm for the project is high.

In fact, "Juno" and "Superbad" actor Michael Cera, who played George Michael Bluth, appears to be the lone holdout.

Fancast scored an interview with Hurwitz, and he revealed the following:

So what of the rumors that new dad Will Arnett and shiny movie star Michael Cera are the only two remaining holdouts?

"I don't want to talk about who is holding out right now because we might still work that out and I don't want to pressure anyone through the press," said Hurwitz. "Although I will say that Will Arnett is gung-ho, so there's a big clue!"

More than a big clue, it's the big Maebe resting in George Michael's hands.

Michael Giltz: DVDs: Ron Howard Vs. Ron Howard

2008-12-05T16:32:09Z

With Frost/Nixon opening today in select cities, Universal has found the right time to celebrate director Ron Howard by releasing The Ron Howard Spotlight Collection ($39.98; Universal) a nice boxed set of four of what they call his "most unforgettable and highly acclaimed films" along with the usual extras. The movies? A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cinderella Man and Backdraft. The only problem? These aren't even close to his four best movies. Howard is a purveyor of middlebrow entertainment, which is a rude way of saying "movies." He doesn't work in the personalized vein of an auteur or the seat-of-your-pants indie world and he's never quite enjoyed the prestige of the top-notch directors like Spielberg or Anthony Minghella, despite the many Oscar nominations and consistent box office success his movies enjoy. (I'm still bummed Apollo 13 -- or Babe or Sense and Sensibility -- didn't beat out Braveheart in 1995 for the Best Picture Oscar.) Still, you can't dislike a guy who narrates Arrested Development or made an Obama ad that genially spoofed his TV acting career. Howard would have flourished in the studio system -- he's clearly shown a workmanlike ability to move from comedy to period piece to drama with ease. If I were gonna choose four movies to make the case for Howard, I'd pick Apollo 13, The Missing (his Western with Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett), Parenthood, and Cocoon. I even had to debate about Splash and Night Shift, too. His misfires are fewer but painful: Willow, Far And Away, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Da Vinci Code. But for all that, I think Universal would have served Howard better -- and celebrated their unique partnership (Howard has made virtually every one of his films with that studio) -- by releasing ALL his movies in one lavish boxed set and labelling it "Volume One." It looks like "Volume Two" would begin with another Oscar nominee in Frost/Nixon, so the story continues. What four movies of Ron Howard do you think are his best?

THE COOLEST DIRECTOR IN THE WORLD -- While Ron Howard turns out one commercial hit after another but gets no respect, Wong Kar-Wai is -- by almost universal acclamation -- the coolest director in the world. (And here's hoping his recent stumbles of 2042 and My Blueberry Nights are not the sign of a permanent decline.) One big reason is his breakthrough hit Chungking Express ($39.95 and coming out at the same price on BluRay December 16; Criterion). Everything is here: the slow motion, the emotionally acute visuals via the great Christopher Doyle, the obsessive repetition of a pop song (in this case the Mamma and the Pappas "California Dreamin'") and that indefinable cool. Extras include TV interviews w Wong and Doyle, commentary by a critic and new subtitles. Also out from Criterion: Richard Burton's wonderfully contained performance in the deeply cynical Le Carre adaptation The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ($39.95; Criterion) and Sam Fuller's racism parable White Dog ($29.95; Criterion) which I've never seen and look forward to checking out.

SNL VS. SNL -- Chevy Chase was long gone, but the fourth season of SNL ($69.98; Universal) is so vital and funny and silly and smart that it could easily be ranked as the best season in the show's history. The Blues Brothers, The Loud Family (it doesn't get enjoyably dumber than that), Nick The Lounge Singer, my personal favorite the Nerds (Bill Murray and Gilda Radner), Steve Martin with Dan Ackroyd as the wild and crazy Festrunk brothers and on and on. Then there are the musical guests: Talking Heads, Grateful Dead, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison, James Taylor, the Rolling Stones, Devo, the Doobie Brothers and more. What a great show and these complete season boxed sets do it justice.

STOP! DO NOT GO ON! -- Not until you've read about The Gospel At Colonus ($26.95; New Video), one of the landmark musicals of the past three decades. The idea was simple: present Oedipus at Colonus as a tale of woe presented in a church, complete with gospel numbers. "I take my text today from the Book of Oedipus," intones a young Morgan Freeman, who is electrifying and commanding as the preacher/narrator. This 1985 Philadelphia performance was captured for TV with care and discretion by Kirk Browning, who knows you don't need to cut every five seconds to create excitement. All you really need are talented performers like Jevetta Steele, Robert Earl Jones and Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama and great songs by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson."How Shall I See You Through My Tears?," "Stop! Do Not Go On!," "Lift Him Up" and the moving "A Voice Foretold" are among the nonstop highlights. This is brilliant stuff and I've always been disappointed that I never got to see it live and had to settle for listening to the cast album. No more.

ANOTHER BANNER YEAR FOR DOCUMENTARIES -- Obviously, inexpensive portable cameras have revolutionized documentaries. Add in the flood of reality shows and the result is that people are more willing to go see documentary films in the theater and on TV now more than ever. Many of my favorite films this year are documentaries and still I can't keep up with the flood of releases. Among the many companies producing them are Arts Engine, which celebrates its 10th Anniversary of making documentaries happen with an elaborate boxed set ($99.95; Arts Engine available at their website), which collects eight movies and 24 short films. Among my favorites are Election Day, which interwove the story of people voting on November 2, 2004; and Arctic Son, about a young man heading back to Old Crow (a town about 80 miles from the Arctic Circle) to reconnect with his father. Both were seen on PBS's invaluable P.O.V. series. And I'm intrigued by stories of Puerto Rican Americans trying to make it in New York City, tales of woe in the criminal justice system and Brother Born Again, about a bisexual Jewish woman trying to make sense of her brother who dropped out of college and was born again. Then there are the numerous shorts....

TODAY VS. YESTERDAY -- The original Robert Wise version of The Day The Earth Stood Still ($19.98; Fox) is a quiet, thoughtful, philosophical film -- rather appropriate for a movie about aliens urging humans to unite and embrace peace. Or else. The new Keanu Reeves film out December 12 -- at least from the trailer -- seems chockful of apocalyptic explosions. Hmmm. Have we learned our lesson?

BLURAY -- Yeah, you're gonna have to buy a BluRay player. Among the new releases on BluRay are Hancock ($39.95 or $34.95 for the regular DVD special edition; Sony), which has a great premise and an okay follow-through but Will Smith is engaging as always and the action looks amazing. If you haven't seen the film, uh, try not to look too closely at the cover art or you'll realize it contains a spoiler. Extras include a digital copy, both theatrical and unrated versions, and a BluRay exclusive of on-set visual diaries. The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian ($40.99 or $39.99 for the regular DVD special edition; Disney) has even more action and derring-do than the first in the series, which means it has strayed even farther away from the simple, gentle heart of the books by C.S. Lewis. No wonder it stumbled at the box office. When will they realize that "Narnia" is not an action franchise? Ben Barnes as Caspian poses like a runway model on the DVD cover but I'll take Peter or Edmund as heroes over Caspian any day. Loads of DVD extras and the computerized special effects do play better on BluRay. If Criterion's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold wasn't enough Richard Burton for you, dive into Becket ($34.98; MPI), his costume epic about the Chancellor with a soul, which proves awfully inconvenient. Finally, what better way to remember George Carlin than by watching It's Bad For Ya ($24.98 or $19.98 on regular DVD; MPI), which shows Carlin as irascible and often as funny as ever?

MORE MOVIES -- I wanted to believe in The X-Files: I Want To Believe Special Edition ($34.98; Fox) but it proved just a so-so episode of the series. Still, fans who skipped it in the theaters should find enough reason to check it out. An ok episode is better than no episode at all from one of the best sci-fi series in TV history. Wanted Special Edition ($34.98; Universal) is an enjoyably ludicrous action flick with James McAvoy of all people proving he can carry a gun with aplomb. Chad Lowe's directorial debut is the low-key Beautiful Ohio ($19.95; IFC) with an excellent cast including William Hurt, Julianna Margulies, Michelle Trachtenberg and newcomer Brett Davern. Lower Learning ($26.97; Anchor Bay) is a comedy about teachers starring Jason Biggs, Eva Longoria Parker and Rob Corddry that has little to recommend it. The title is the funniest thing about it, I'm afraid. Israeli film My Father My Lord ($29.95; Kino) is a critically acclaimed story about life in an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community. Two new indie gay releases -- Between Something & Nothing and Into It ($29.95 each; Waterbearer Films) -- both center around male prostitutes, which is like having 90% of movies about straight people center around drug dealers. No wait, that was the stereotype for blacks in the Seventies. It's like having them all be hookers. No, that's still the stereotype for women -- try to find a working actress who hasn't played a whore; it ain't easy. Ah well.

TV ON DVD -- The Best Of Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist ($19.99; Paramount) is a good introduction to the squiggly series about the best therapist since Bob Newhart. If they'd been a little more generous with the running time, this would be all you need. Daniel Boone Season 6 ($49.95; Liberation) is the last season of the Western starring Fess Parker, who forever kept me confused as to the difference between Boone and Davy Crockett since he played both of them. The show was never a huge hit, but it peaked at #21 in its fifth season until the smash hit Family Affair sent it packing. You get all 26 episodes and some modest extras and the chance to have that theme song lodged in your brain all over again. 24: Redemption ($26.98; Fox) wasn't a smash in the ratings but it was lean and tough (I loved the ad that said "Hope has a fighting chance" and showed Bauer packing some serious heat) and is a good sign for the new season in January. Law & Order Sixth Year ($59.98; Universal) is the latest release in the venerable crime season They better speed them up or they'll never catch up to the show itself. Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. The Final Season ($39.98; Paramount) was the fifth and last season for the worst Army recruit since Beetle Bailey. But he did have a lovely singing voice. Mister Peepers Season 2 ($39.95; S'more) is the fifties sitcom about a shy, unassuming science teacher (Wally Cox). I think he would have got along swimmingly with the blithe schoolteacher at the heart of Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky, one of the better films of the year. This is the season where Peepers marries his sweetheart, Nurse Remington. William Conrad was an unlikely TV star, so unlikely that one show called him simply Fatman. But Cannon Season One Volume Two and Jake and the Fatman Season One Volume Two ($37.99 each; Paramount) both show him commanding the screen with authority. And viewers followed him everywhere: I can remember Fatman bouncing all over the TV schedule and viewers tracking it down and keeping it a hit wherever it was placed. Now that's a star.

FAMILY AFFAIR -- One of the best DVDs of the week just happens to be perfect for family viewing -- but don't let that stop you if your family's not around. Sounder ($14.98; Koch) is a tear-jerker with Cicely Tyson in top form as a woman holding her family together during the Depression. Misty ($14.98; Koch) isn't up to those high standards but it's fine, especially for animal lovers who can't get enough of children-and-their-horse movies. The Longshots ($28.95; Dimension/Genius) is the modern equivalent of those flicks, with teddy bear Ice Cube discovering his neice sure knows how to throw a football. The Nutty Professor ($19.98; Weinstein/Genius) is an animated spin on the Jerry Lewis classic. It's done on the cheap but Drake Bell is an appealing lead and Lewis was born to do voice work; quick, someone call Pixar. Two so-so movies prove animated cartoons shouldn't always make the leap to the big screen: Hey There, It's Yogi Bear and The Man Called Flintstone ($19.98 each; Warner Bros.). Don't feel bad, guys. It didn't work for the Peanuts gang, either.

ETC. -- Paul Simon: Live From Philadelphia ($9.98; Eagle Rock) is a bare bones concert just 53 minutes long with Simon at a crossroads: his movie One Trick Pony would flop and he'd record a reunion album with Art only to erase Art's vocals and release Hearts & Bones to relative indifference before finally being reborn with Graceland. But you can't have any doubt he'd endure when Simon can reel off songs like "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard," "Something So Right" and "Late In The Evening." Rush: Snakes & Arrows Live ($24.98; Zoe) with the prog rock institution finally getting some respect from Rolling Stone and proving why in this October 2007 concert in the Netherlands. Nickelback: Live At Sturgis 2006 ($19.98; Koch) captures a band that hopes they won't have to wait that long for their respect, but a 12 song set (even in high def) and only available at Wal-Mart (I hate exclusives) is no way to earn it. Orthodox Stance ($24.95; C3) is an acclaimed documentary about a Russian immigrant who wants to both box and remain an observant Jew. Other new documentaries include A Man Named Pearl ($26.95; Docurama) about a man who fights prejudice with a weed whacker; The World Within ($29.95; Kino) about the ideas of Jung; and In The Gutter ($19.97; Anchor Bay) an unremarkable look at gross-out comedies. Animal lovers will enjoy the boxed set Growing Up ($39.95; Genius), which includes five DVDs covering baby animals as in Growing Up Primates, Growing Up Wildcats, Growing Up Arctic and so on. If you're not cold enough, Arctic Exposure ($24.95; Genius) is a five part series following zoologist Nigel Marven as he travels all over the Canadian Arctic. And folks who hate choke chains will love The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller ($19.95; New Video), a warm and fuzzy approach to working with your dog. Finally, two over-stuffed wrestling DVD sets: The History of the Intercontinental Championship and Viva La Raza: The Legacy Of Eddie Guerrero ($34.95 each; WWE) and both filled with more than 25 matches and loads of extras.

So tell me, what do you think are Ron Howard's four best movies?

Mike Ragogna: Deluxe of the Draw: R.E.M., Warren Zevon, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Juno

2008-11-24T06:04:15Z

In case we didn't know the holiday season was fast approaching -- despite this year's store decorations being tacked-up by Labor Day -- a spate of CD box sets, hits compilations and expanded, Deluxe Editions of some of our favorite albums are usually tell-tale signs that our reissue music dollars soon will be circulating festively at record stores of our choice. Well, this season, there's not much of a choice out there, and the term "record store" must be used loosely since that was the first species to become extinct with CD box sets, hits compilations and expanded, Deluxe Editions apparently soon to follow (it's coal for your stocking, iTunes!). But since this might be the last hurrah for such beasties, it's good to know that a couple labels still are trying their best to release some terrific product, perhaps making this a season to be kind of jolly with three particular deluxe offerings and a clever packaging exercise leading the pack.

After a brief, smaller indie fling, the once Athens, Georgia-based band, R.E.M., got hitched to the very sexy I.R.S. in the early eighties, and out of this perfect creative marriage came the birth of one of the most influential albums ever released. With much of R.E.M.'s groundwork already set by the spare sounding, Mitch Easter-produced EP Chronic Town, as well as the earlier Hib-Tone 45 "Radio Free Europe" (that in '81, practically re-ignited garage band, pop-guitar records), the more fully-realized album, Murmur, emerged as an important work and was praised by practically every hipster music critic at the time. Released April 12, 1983, it served as the standard for much of what FM and college radio subsequently aired for years, and it became an unintended role model for other underground, college-promoted debut albums. It also can be credited for Americanizing and redefining "alternative" mainly due to its perfectly balanced blend of rock, folk, punk and experimentation. R.E.M.'s intuitive producer, Mitch Easter, teamed with pro-ball producer Don Dixon, and the pair smartly layered-up the project's sonics, instrumentation and arrangements as they evolved the band's usual recording process from 8-tracks to 24-tracks seamlessly, with no hints of jive or slickness. The single "Talk About The Passion" (complete with an acoustic vibe and cello) was embraced by FM-radio as was most of the album. Its prime, standout tracks were "Pilgrimage" -- Murmur's first attempt and prototype -- plus "Catapult," and the understated, sensitive "Perfect Circle." As the latter song refrained, these recordings all stood "shoulders high in the wind." The album sequence launched with a refurbished version of "Radio Free Europe" whose reignited airplay and inclusion created the perfect circle for fans who had acknowledged R.E.M.'s genius since the band's Hib-Tone days.

Wisely resisting regurgitating B-sides and rarities that have been recycled to death on previous reissues and Capitol's The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987, this deluxe edition's second CD features a live set from July 9, 1983, recorded in Toronto, Canada, at Larry's Hideaway. Previously unreleased officially (though it's been booted a few times), the concert's track list foreshadows the band's next record, Reckoning, by including an early version of "7 Chinese Bros," and it interprets Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again." The set also reaches back to Chronic Town's emphasis track, "Gardening At Night," as well as "1,000,000" and "Carnival Of Sorts (Box Cars)" as Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry youthfully rock their way through much of Murmur's material. During this set, R.E.M.'s music is as captivating as the crazy kudzu plant featured on Murmur's cover, a vine that's been alleged to entwine itself quickly and effectively around the unsuspecting. With heartfelt liner notes by producers Mitch Easter, Don Dixon, label dude Jay Boberg, designer Carlos Grasso, promo guy Michael Plen and big fan Sig Sigworth, plus gorgeous packaging, beautiful mastering by Greg Calbi and expert project supervision by compilation producer Dana G. Smart, this Deluxe Edition is your best bet for the most-appreciated gift of music this season.

R.E.M.'s pal and fellow Hindu Love God, the late Warren Zevon, has had his self-titled Asylum Records/Jackson Browne-produced debut also released as a double disc. This remarkable little gem of an album introduced us to "Carmelita," the only woman who could save the song's fallen hero from his latest bout with heroin. This was also the album that gave us "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me," later recorded by Linda Ronstadt who, thankfully, excised the creepy line about being asked for a beating. In addition to recording the previously-mentioned songs, Ronstadt also interpreted Zevon's "Hasten Down The Wind" with Texas-cum-So-Cal pal Don Henley singing the implied duet. The album also featured "Mohammad's Radio" that declares, "Everybody's desperate, trying to make ends meet. Work all day, still can't pay the price of gasoline and meat." Okay, he rhymed "meet" with "meat," big deal, he must have had his reasons. But don't these prophetic lyrics apply to a decade other than the seventies? "Don't it make you wanna rock and roll all night long (to) Mohammad's Radio?" Hey, Ronstadt recorded this one too, that makes four from one album. Want more? Okay, Warren Zevon's guest roster included Jackson Browne, David Lindley, John David Souther, Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Carl Wilson and Phil Everly who, being an old movie buff, asked Zevon to write him a dance song titled something like "Werewolves Of London."

As far as the additional disc, there are interesting, previously unreleased moments such as the live groove of "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded" and alternate versions of "Frank And Jessie James," "Carmelita," and "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me." The sparseness of Zevon's piano demo of "The French Inhaler" raises the squeamish quotient by thoroughly exposing its acerbic and borderline abusive lyrics that still would definitely provoke a face-smackin' to this day from its poor, poor female anti-hero. Still, it's a cool perspective, something every original song on this double disc achieves. If there was any down side, it would be that some possible rare additions already were mined on New West's CD Preludes: Rare And Unreleased Recordings. Still, any album that contains a song whose lyrics read, "If California falls into the ocean like the mystics and statistics say it will, I predict this motel will still be standing until I pay my bill" speaks for itself. And though Warren Zevon is gone, one of his great legacies beyond his son Jordan is this album, Warren Zevon, a classic singer-songwriter offering of the seventies. Plus, it sounds great and compilation producer Cheryl Pawelski put a lot of love into its content.

The dubious Deluxe Edition of this batch is the Juno soundtrack. Though it makes perfect sense collecting everything associated with the movie -- including all its digital download bonus tracks -- as Jon Stewart sometimes says after an unusually biting, sensitive joke: "It's too soon, huh." Sure, this Ellen Page/Michael Cera vehicle couldn't have enough attention, but not this kind. It's nice to have Astrud Gilberto, The Bristols, Jr. James & The Late Guitar, Trio Los Panchos, Yo La Tengo and more Belle & Sebastian, Buddy Holly, Kimya Dawson and Ellen Page recordings join the original tracklist. These were all part of the digital downloadable version of the album, a brilliant move that involved a certain Gregg Ogorzelec. But... jeez... it was just last year, Jason Reitman! Don't make us over-love this little movie! However, if you have the dough, you could spend it on worse, it's a great guilty pleasure and it might make you want to buy a Feist album even though she's not on the collection. Speaking of Michael Cera, and for penance, can someone get the freakin' Arrested Development movie green-lighted already? Thank you.

That brings us to the triple disc Peter, Paul & Mary / The Solo Recordings (1971-72) that assembles together the albums Peter, Paul and, and Mary. The projects were intended to be a break for the trio, each PPM member finally expressing his or herself as a solo artist, each with an artistic vision. The results were three Peter, Paul & Mary albums that were pretty good, but released individually, were confusing for PPM fans and overkill for the market at the time. Despite these solo albums' chart hits (Mary Traver's "Follow Me" -- written by "...Jet Plane"'s John Denver -- Paul Stookey's "Wedding Song," and Peter Yarrow's "Weave Me Sunshine"), PPM began its descent, like Puff the Magic Dragon, into pop obscurity. The good news is that, under one banner, this piece is a knockout. This mini box comes off like one big Peter, Paul & Mary concept album that really works. Who knew Peter Yarrow was the east coast version of the late John Stewart (not to be confused with the previously-mentioned late night host, Jon Stewart). Who knew Paul Stookey and Jim Croce had more in common than...no, they had nothing in common, but the ballads seem eerily similar in spots. And Mary Traver's folk-pop approach was the most successful of the three, her solo career spanning four more albums across two labels that included her best LP and fan favorite, Circle.

All of these new reissues can be found at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Best Buy, though it's a bit dicey on where else you might find them due to that whole record store going away thing. Amazon will absolutely accommodate you... iTunes too, if you must, but just remember that the digital download won't get you all the meticulously-designed packaging, notes, and care that went into these treats. So buy 'em while you can because possibly, by next Christmas, we'll be reminiscing about the good ol' days when record companies actually offered something non-virtual. Somehow, a download card, no matter how cutely it's wrapped, doesn't quite pack the same punch as giving an actual holiday gift to someone who can then hold and admire this precious package before they re-wrap it and accidentally give it back to you next year.

"Arrested Development" Film Approaches Reality

2008-11-21T08:47:46Z

The "Arrested Development" feature has moved closer to reality, with Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard reportedly closing deals for the long-gestating project from Imagine and Fox Searchlight.

The possible migration of the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox series to the big screen has been a hot topic among fans for the past year. Speculation has been fueled by cast members of the show, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor, who have been frequently quoted in interviews that a feature adaptation is in the works.

Will Arnett To Star In New Fox Comedy

2008-10-16T08:38:59Z

"Arrested Development" co-star Will Arnett is back at Fox with a rich deal to topline a new comedy project for the network.

The pact is said to be more far-reaching than a regular development deal, giving Arnett complete creative control over the writers, producers and directors he wants to work with as well as over the content of the show that will be developed for him.

The deal is not tied to any studio, with writers from various outlets expected to pitch him ideas. Considered a likely collaborator is "Arrested" creator Mitch Hurwitz, with whom Arnett has said he wants to work again.

Michael Cera: Nice Guy Turns Leading Man

2008-10-01T07:37:04Z

TORONTO — Michael Cera always seems to be pining for something: booze and a popular classmate in "Superbad"; the sly soul mate he impregnated in "Juno"; a lovely but forbidden cousin in TV's "Arrested Development."

One thing the modest, soft-spoken Cera does not pine for is celebrity, but he's got it anyway. As Hollywood's favorite awkward teen, Cera has just turned 20 with an enviable list of hits and critical favorites behind him.

Ed Martin: "90210" and "Gossip Girl" Push Boundaries and Raise Ratings

2008-09-10T09:27:48Z

I figure the reason why The CW chose not to provide advance review copies of the 90210 two-hour premiere is because, right at the start, one of the main characters was shown getting a hummer in the high school parking lot.

Can't you imagine the headlines? "90210 Blows!" "90210 Sucks!"

Come to think of it, the comments that would have followed in dozens of reviews might have drawn even more young viewers to the show.

As it happens, the contemporary continuation of the hot 90's phenom that began as Class of Beverly Hills, then became Beverly Hills, 90210 and was eventually known simply as 90210 isn't half bad. It's going to take more than a discrete scene of oral sex to shock the young viewers to whom 90210 is targeted, especially when, elsewhere on The CW's schedule, the worldly teens on the much improved Gossip Girl are saying and doing dirtier, sexier things. For example, on that show, pretty boy Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) is now a man-whore, accepting money for sex from a ravenous cougar (played to irresistible perfection by Madchen Amick). Bitch princess Blair Waldorf, meanwhile, is more tart tongued than ever - so tart, in fact, that the dialogue given to actress Leighton Meester must have network censors in a state of perpetual pucker. In the first two new episodes of the season, Blair referred to rotten Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) as a "bass-hole" and cried "Oh my eff-ing God!" when she caught Nate and the cougar in the midst of a sweaty business transaction.

Regardless of one's sensitivities, which can't be very sensitive if one regularly consumes American media, The CW these days has much to celebrate. The 2008-09 season hasn't even started yet and the network has already blasted out of the gate with two improbable wins. Gossip Girl and 90210 are both enjoying respectable ratings and more critical support than anyone might have imagined. On the creative level, Gossip is showing all kinds of improvement over its feeble first season, and 90210, I'm pleased to report, truly feels like an organic extension of the classic from which it was spun, rather than a slapdash rehash. I'll admit that I am thrown by the fact that teenagers on both shows can brazenly breeze into bars and clubs and swill cocktails, and that they never seem to get shit-faced, even when downing the hard stuff. It is strange to see the entertainment, advertising and publishing communities excitedly support shows that position underage drinking as a glamorous adolescent fantasy. The alcohol thing might actually be upsetting if it felt remotely realistic. (On BBC America's Skins - the very best television series about teenagers ever - the kids secretly drink at house parties, then throw up, pass out and wake up looking like crap -- just like in real life.)

All of the early good will the media has bestowed on 90210 is due in large part to its skillfully executed, multi-generational story structure. The kids are alright, but the grownups are pretty cool, too. Rob Estes and Lori Loughlin are nothing if not watchable as Harry and Debbie Wilson, proud parents of daughter Annie (Shenae Grimes) and son Dixon (Tristan Wilds). Harry, who grew up in Beverly Hills, has relocated his family from Kansas City back to L.A. to become the new principal at West Beverly High School. They're all living with his mom, faded but fabulously wealthy B-actress Tabitha, played with high-camp hilarity by Arrested Development scene stealer Jessica Walter.

At school, Harry interacts not only with his kids and their new frenemies but with other adults who give 90210 a charge it might otherwise be missing: guidance counselor Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), visiting drama teacher Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) and English teacher Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold). Tellingly, Garth and Doherty grabbed most of the media attention from the hot young babes in the cast during the weeks leading up to the show's premiere. (The fuss proved to be well deserved: Garth and Doherty didn't miss a beat resuming the roles that made them famous back in 1990. Their characters are now wise, mature young women.) The appealing Eggold, meanwhile, has been at the center of the buzz since the 90210 debut. Clearly, viewers think he's way hotter than the young hunks on the show.

Keeping the welcome nostalgia vibe at full tremble, there are other BH90210 vets on hand, as well, including Joe E. Tata as Nate, who has transformed his Peach Pit into a coffee house, and Ann Gillespie as Kelly's mom Jackie, still a mess. (Jackie's other daughter and Kelly's half-sister, Erin, attends West Beverly High and has issues of her own.) A character I presume to be the teenage daughter of Andrea Zuckerman-Vasquez is also on the canvas. In a nod to the fact that Gabrielle Carteris, the actress who portrayed Andrea, was much older than the rest of the BH90210 cast, Ryan in the series premiere joked that Hannah "looked 30."

My only concern at this early stage is that Doherty is scheduled only for a handful of episodes and Garth's status is described as "recurring." Even after the new kids catch on I think it will be the beloved veterans who continue to make the show glow. Here's hoping The CW can keep the old-timers coming. Then 90210 will remain truly distinctive and a show unlike any other.

To communicate with or to be contacted by the executives and/or companies mentioned in this column, link to the JackMyers Connection Hotline.

This post originally appeared at JackMyers.com.

Jason Bateman Talks 'Hancock' With Keith Olbermann, Confirms 'Arrested Development' Movie (VIDEO)

2008-06-25T12:27:26Z

Hilarious Jason Bateman, he of "Arrested Development" and the impending Will Smith blockbuster "Hancock" joined "dear friend" Keith Olbermann as the #1 story on "Countdown" Tuesday night. They talked about working with Will Smith and the joy of just getting paid. More surprising was a guest appearance by David Cross and a confirmation of the "Arrested Development" movie. Says Bateman, "It's in the works." And then Keith asked for a role.

Watch:

Alex Remington: Will Ben Stiller Ever Be Funny Again?

2008-06-03T18:58:51Z

Ben Stiller sucks. But he didn't used to.

I used to lump Ben Stiller in with all the other prominent cases of comic arrested development: Adam Sandler, Jack Black, and Will Ferrell. Four "actors" whose acting repertoire at this point in their careers consists of only one character, the same character: an emotionally stunted man-child whose petulant rage, repression, and cluelessness is played for laughs. All four come out of a sketch comedy background, so if you dig out the DVDs you can see that they all had much greater versatility at one point in their lives. Now they're all stuck in permanent repeat.

But Ben started out with (and squandered) more talent than the rest of them combined. As a writer, director, and sketch comedian, he was one of the brighter lights in an early-'90s artistic renaissance that gave him plenty of competition, the brief moment of Generation X's cultural ascendancy prior to being relegated to VH1 "I Love The" specials. His downward spiral hasn't been as precipitous and jaw-dropping as Mike Meyers' horrifying freefall; it's just been steady, and infuriating.

After a cup of coffee with Saturday Night Live in the late '80s, he starred in, cowrote and produced one of the great lost sketch comedy shows, the legendary Ben Stiller Show, on the air for just one season in 1992. On its cast and writing staff were Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and a 24-year old Judd Apatow. Stiller's then-girlfriend Jeanne Tripplehorn frequently cameoed on the show. Dick and Garofalo have become two more casualties of the Gen-X early peak syndrome, but back then they were absolutely hilarious. Stiller was front and center in most sketches, his face often caked in mounds of prosthetics and makeup as he did cult classic impressions of Oliver Stone, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Cruise. The show's interstitials mostly featured Ben and the cast making fun of their likelihood of getting canceled, which of course they did. The best sketches, like "Oliver Stone Land" and "The Grungies," stand the test of time, and are well worth Youtubing.

Released two years later, Stiller's directorial debut, Reality Bites, is a bit dated in places -- particularly its idolization of then-queen Winona Ryder -- but it somehow holds up nonetheless. It has a terrific cast, including Garofalo, in her screen debut, and is a quintessential movie of its times. (There's even a cameo by Evan Dando.) The movie's also genuinely sweet. In a winning bit of humility, Stiller casts himself as the requisite unfunny sellout, a young guy who's a corporate executive, who looks for and provides nothing more than boring emotional stability. But his mature willingness to cede the spotlight seems to have disappeared as he's become a bigger star.

Around the middle of the decade it started to go south. In 1996, Stiller directed one of the decade's bigger bombs, the Jim Carrey disaster The Cable Guy, but rebounded two years later by starring in one of the most successful comedies of all time, the Farrelly Brothers' There's Something About Mary, which the American Film Institute named the 27th best comedy of all time. By that point, he wasn't just a star among disaffected twentysomethings -- he was becoming an above-the-marquee name, and the quality of his filmography began to dip. In the same year, he released a prestige piece, the heroin drama Permanent Midnight, which bombed utterly. So did the following year's critically panned superhero comedy Mystery Men, but Stiller's role in that movie was telling: he played a superhero named "Mr. Furious," whose super power was getting really, really angry, a trait that nearly all of his most recent starring roles have shared.

One of the more successful of these subsequent angry, repressed, one-note leading men was Chas Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. He took a break from angry to do clueless in the modestly funny Zoolander, and reprised his sweet, understanding turn in Reality Bites to do Edward Norton's little-seen Keeping the Faith. Otherwise, he's been cashing checks to play more or less the same character since the turn of the century in a new stinker every year: Envy, Along Came Polly (less angry, more repressed), The Heartbreak Kid, Duplex, Meet the Parents/Meet the Fockers, Dodgeball, and, for good measure, he's been in bad children's movies like Madagascar and A Night at the Museum. He's been prolific, but not at all discriminating, versatile, or interesting.

Now he's pushed his chips into Tropic Thunder, the Robert Downey-in-blackface comedy that Stiller is starring in and directing, which will either piggyback on Downey's Iron Man action-hero success, or bring back frightening memories of The Cable Guy. I want to believe that he can rediscover the effortless funny he was able to channel over early Judd Apatow jokes, even as he's been overtaken by more current Apatow it-boys like Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel. I want to believe that it's possible to stay funny after the age of 40, despite the career paralysis of Stiller, Garofalo, Black, and Meyers, each of whom I adored at the turn of the century. I want to believe in Ben.

Can Ben bring back the magic? Am I a fool to hope?