My TV Crushes

Because list-making is one of my weaknesses and I enjoy TV way too much (at least the good shows). Here's a list of my newest TV crushes...

1. Chuck (Zachary Levi) from Chuck - He's a wiz at computers with a motley group of friends. Oh and he's like the most adorable awkward spy ever!

2. Jim (John Krasinski) from The Office - Not only does he have a wicked sense of humor he gives the coolest presents i.e. that teal teapot full of inside jokes a.k.a. "the present within a present" that he gave Pam at the first season Christmas party. Score!

3. Dr. Surresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) from Heroes - Every time he looks into a microscope and scribbles down some notes I smile.

4. Julian (Austin Nichols) from One Tree Hill - That grin. Oh my! He played the lovesick new guy in town who got his heart broken again. Poor Julian.


5. The guys of Friday Night Lights - Matt Saracen, Coach Taylor and Tim Riggins. Not only is this show brilliantly crafted, we got to watch these actors light up the screen on a weekly basis.

And I can't wait until Burn Notice comes back on this summer. Michael Weston has the best suits and sunglasses.


So who are your TV crushes???

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American East

It's nice to see more movies being made about the Arab American experience. I just wish they got wide releases.

American East is about a family man who opens an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant with his best friend, who's Jewish.

The most notable cast members include Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Alfre Woodard (American Violet) and Erick Avari (Mr. Deeds).


This film also touches upon the issue of being an Arab American actor in Hollywood. What do you think has to be done for us to see more Arab Americans get cast in non-terrorist leading roles?

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Adam

Hugh Dancy first charmed me with his werewolf-loving self in Blood & Chocolate. Now he's playing an autistic guy looking for love in Adam. The story looks like it's going to be cute but not sugary sweet.


Adam won an award at Sundance earlier this year and has a scheduled release date of July 29th.

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Wonderful World

Sanaa Lathan and Matthew Broderick couple up in this strange little film about...

Ben Singer, a failed children's folk singer, a career proofreader, a compulsive marijuana smoker, and a less-than-extraordinary weekend dad.

His character seems quirky enough for me. I heard about the Lathan/Broderick pairing a while ago and now there's finally a trailer to satisfy my curiosity.

Wonderful World is currently being screened at the Tribeca Film Fest.

[Hat tip Black Voices]

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Chance the Gardener

Peter Sellers in one of his final roles- as a man without friends without family, and without a past. If you liked Harold & Maude (which happens to be one of the greatest movies ever), then you'll enjoy this flick. Director Hal Ashby's creativity at work. May not look so tempting to watch, but I think it's an enjoyable film. I like all the stuff he watches on tv.

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Treeless Mountain

I'm pretty sure Treeless Mountain is gonna leave me a little teary-eyed.

In Seoul, Korea, two sisters must look after one another when their mother leaves them to search for their estranged father.

For fans of...Radio Flyer and Bridge to Terabithia

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No Small Affair

Things that make '80s movies cool...scooter rides, bands with keytars and Jon Cryer playing a socially awkward teen. No Small Affair isn't a John Hughes film but it has its shinning moments. It's your basic guy falls in love with a girl story (with a young Demi Moore being the object of his affection). By the end of the movie you'll have Malcolm McLaren's "Eiffel Tower" stuck in your head. And that's a good thing.


You can watch No Small Affair on Starz.

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New Moon News: Wolf pack unveiled

Well I just couldn't resist myself with this bit of news from USA Today. Here is the Wolf pack in lieu of their regalia. The are: Paul (Alex Meraz), Sam (Chaske Spencer), Jared (Bronson Pelletier), and Embry (Kiowa Gordon). Other news includes that when they take the wolf form, that will indeed be computer generated but they will be using the actor's eyes.

The clip below is from ET, which will be having another spotlight on the teen flick tonight so stay tuned. Okay that's enough blatant promotion for the movie for today.

by Lisa Charleyboy repost from Urban Native Girl Stuff

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Zooey Deschanel's Commercial

Only Zooey can make a cotton commercial this cool...


And in case you're counting here's a sweet widget that counts down the moments until 500 Days of Summer gets released.

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Magazine Round-Up: Kat + Zoe, etc.

• Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Guess Who) is on the cover Women's Health.
  
  
• Kat Dennings (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) and Olivia Thirlby (Juno) are Nylon cover girls.
  
  
• Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) is Latina's latest cover girl.
  
  
  
• I spotted Jennifer Beals (Flashdance, The L Word) on the cover of h magazine. It might have been last month's issue but the Barnes & Noble in my area still had it on the shelf. Anyhow, she'll be in starring in a movie with Denzel Washington again: The Book of Eli.
  
  
  
• Vanessa Hugdens (High School Musical) is on the cover of Self magazine.
  
  
• Details cover guy Eric Bana (Troy) chats about the upcoming Judd Apatow movie Funny People.
  
  
• Viola Davis (Doubt) and Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) are Oscar-nominated Ebony cover girls.
  
  

Am I missing any good magazine covers/articles?

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Paper Heart

Attention all Michael Cera fans! The trailer for Paper Heart is finally available for your viewing enjoyment.


I can't wait to see this movie times 10! Anyone else excited about this buzzworthy Sundance film?

Official Site: www.paperheart-movie.com

[Hat tip Rama's Screen]

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Idris Elba on 'Tavis Smiley'

Just in case you missed it...Idris Elba was on Tavis Smiley last week chatting about The Office, his emerging career and his recent Beyonce/Ali Larter film Obsessed.

(Snippet)

(Full interview)

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This Strange Thing Called Prom

Screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) has a new gig. Variety reported that she'll be adapting a New York Times story into a feature film for Miramax:

The article tracked the experience of students who came from widely diverse backgrounds -- one served as a nomadic yak herder until age 12 -- as they got swept up in a prom ritual that was completely new to them. The students, from locales like Senegal, Venezuela, Tibet, Haiti, Poland and Gabon, had experiences that ranged from magical to miserable.

After the amazing wedding scene in Rachel Getting Married I'd watch anything she writes that involves some kind of partying.

[Hat tip Sergio]

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JacqueRoxx's Top Five...

...(non-animated) Movies that made me almost die laughing-

I normally don't laugh while watching movies, I just acknowledge that something was funny like "hmm, that was humorous". So in order for a movie to make me laugh out loud, especially when I'm watching it alone, it's got to be reallllly funny. Anyway here's my top 5 in no particular order:

Tropic ThunderI can't even begin to tell you how much I love Tropic Thunder! Sure there was some controversy over various parts of it, but honestly, when you watch the movie, it all fits. And I love any movie Robert Downey Jr is in.

Good BurgerOk, Good Burger isn't the smartest or deepest comedy out there, but I was seven when it came out and I always get this feeling of nostalgia when I watch it. "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger.."

Mean GirlsI love movies with a message, and I especially love Mean Girls because I can relate. And this movie has one of the best catfight scenes ever! Tim Meadows cracks me up.

Coming to AmericaI'm African, my parents are African, in fact most of the people I know are African and we all LOVE Coming to America! The movie shows a side of Africa (the palaces, ivory, gold, and such) that exists, but is never seen. Oh yeah, and it's hilarious. The Soul Glo commercial kills me every time. Eddie Murphy's acting was top notch. I love that he didn't overact.

City LightsCity Lights is kind of old, like 1931 black&white silent movie old, but I love it. It's funny without being raunchy and deep without any dialogue. It also made me cry a little (but don't tell anyone)

I'm almost certain I'm missing some really funny ones because 90% of the movies I watch are animated. Does anyone have any recommendations?

**edit**
Aggghh! I forgot The Blues Brothers

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Introducing Jasmine Amaya

Reel Artsy has a new contributor!

Jasmine has an affinity for strange films, playing the drums and randomness. She currently blogs at I'm so Tiny and tweets quite often at twitter.com/panda951

She was just at the Coachella fest so she's all pumped up on awesome music.

Welcome to the team!

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Tia Mowry on Producing Films and TV

Tia Mowry (The Game, Sister, Sister) chatted with Black Voices about her behind the camera aspirations:

Because you come from a popular teen franchise, have you ever thought about partnering with your sister and doing what Nick Cannon is doing for Nickelodeon and developing new teen series for television?

My sister and I are working on that now. We are producing a Lifetime movie right now. My sister was also on 'Strong Medicine.' I had actually done an episode of 'Strong Medicine' and they saw the popularity of both of us and they said, 'Let's do a movie together.' We're definitely building a production company right now to show African-American women in a positive light and that we're great role models and can make fun loving, great movies for the family. That's actually my goal if you ask me where do I want to see myself in five or ten years, I would really love to have a family of two kids right then and really have a flourishing and thriving production company that's geared toward to making and creating family movies, television, reality, you name it. If Tyler Perry can do, I can do it too.

She also gushes about her obsession with HBO's True Blood...

I would love to play a vampire or something very mischievous, sexy and just all around bad.

And in this CW interiew she shares more details about the romantic comedy she's producing for Lifetime:

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Jessica Alba on 'The Tonight Show'

Just in case you missed it (I did) here's a clip...



That's the kind of depth certain late night talk shows offer. I'd really like to see Alba do a more introspective interview on PBS with Charlie Rose or Tavis Smiley. The kind of questions they ask are on a different level and yield far better answers.

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Thandie Newton on Being Biracial

The UK Daily Mail asked Thandie "How do you feel about being mixed-race?" Here's a snippet from her answer:

"My dad, Nick, an artist, is British, but my mum, Nyasha, is a princess of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. In Britain she worked as a district nurse, but she retained that incredible African dignity and poise...

In some ways I'd say I come from Africa, but then I don't speak my mother's language, and in other ways I'm British through and through. I suppose I've never completely fitted in in either place."

She definitely fits in with amazing co-stars like Idris Elba and Gerard Butler. She did a fantastic job in Crash, The Pursuit of Happyness and from what everyone tells me Flirting. I also enjoyed her in The Truth About Charlie (I'm a big fan of the original Charade). Next up, she'll be in the apocalyptic sci-fi flick 2012.



[Hat tip Mulatto Diaries]

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TiMER

Timer looks like a cute indie sci-fi love story reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know?

Definitely my kind of movie.

Official Site: www.timerthemovie.com

[Hat tip Film Experience]

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Roselyn Sanchez on 'Chelsea Lately'

You may remember Roselyn Sanchez from Rush Hour 2, The Game Plan or Without a Trace. But a really long time ago she was on a short-lived TV show called Fame L.A. (loosely based off the movie). I used to watch it back when I was in middle or high school. Anyhow, it was nice to see her do a somewhat silly interview on Chelsea Lately.

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Top 5 Actors in Hats

In anticipation of Johhny Depp's upcoming movie Public Enemies (with hats galore) here's my list of the top 5 dudes that make hats look good.


1. Johnny Depp - He has a rugged artistic charm and when he tops it with a hat it's a thing of beauty.

2. Frank Sinatra - On screen, off screen whenever Sinatra wore a hat it was a fashion statement.

3. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones - One hat turned Indiana Jones from nerdy professor to action icon. That and his awesome whip.

4. Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca - He gave us the classic lines: "We'll always have Paris" and "Here's looking at you, kid." Just imagine the final scene without Humphrey in his hat. It wouldn't be the same.



5. Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress - The hat. The suspenders. Denzel in his prime. It's too much.




Who are your favorite hat heroes?

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One Movie I Can't Wait to See: 9

Last year I was on YouTube just being random and I stumbled upon a 2005 Oscar nominated short film called 9 (by Shane Acker). I loved it! Just today I got the urge to watch it again, only to find out that there's a feature length movie coming out this year!

poster for the original short film
The movie's going to be produced by Tim Burton (I support anything he's involved with) and features the voice talents of some of my favorite people: Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, and Jennifer Connelly. From what I gathered from the trailer, the movie is about the end of mankind and the beginning of a new race (the "rag doll people") that have to survive in the post-apocalyptic world that we left behind.
Here's the trailer:
and the short film:
"9" comes out 9/9/'09 and I will definitely be seeing it in theaters, it looks awesome!

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We Shall Remain watching

Well there is at least six reasons why you should check out We Shall Remain on PBS tonight at 9 PM . . .

1. 5 Part series: "After the Mayflower," "Tecumseh's Vision," "Trail of Tears," "Geronimo" and "Wounded Knee" that all explore unique part's of Native American History.

2. Native American depiction that is inclusive of Native American input into all aspects of production.

3. A chance to learn more about history in United States from 1621 ("After the Mayflower") to 1973 ("Wounded Knee") in relation to Native Americans.

4. Chris Eyre (of Smoke Signals fame) directs three/five of the series ("After the Mayflower" "Tecumseh's Vision" and "Trail of Tears").

5. Creates an opportunity to create more discussion with youth and/or children about the history that they are not being taught in school classes.

6. Native men in buckskin and loincloths.


by Lisa Charleyboy of Urban Native Girl Stuff

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Twitter drama

So my boyfriend is always joking with me and bugging me about my incessant obsession with Twitter. Last Friday night I went out and had a marvelous time in Toronto at Revival nightclub and saw a minor celebrity musician and was so excited I almost busted out my iPhone and Twittered how much fun I was having instead of, well you know, just having fun.

I didn't succumb to my whims and just kept on having fun, which is good news, but I am on that Twitter-obsessed verge. See video for more info on Twitter phenomena.

by Lisa Charleyboy repost from Urban Native Girl Stuff

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in Black & White: Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder was the quirky Oscar-nominated "it girl" of the 90s.

She was in a slew of iconic movies like Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, Little Women and Girl, Interrupted. Ryder was able to hold her own against powerhouse costars like Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Angelina Jolie and did it all with style. Then a certain unnamed event happened that caused her to be the laughing stock of Hollywood and she kind of faded into the background (she was still making movies but not with the same clout). But I'm ready for her to make a big comeback! Aren't you?

Ryder has a few movies slated for 2009 including the highly anticipated Star Trek where she'll be playing Spock's mother. But I'm more excited about her roles in Stay Cool and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. She plays the romantic lead in Stay Cool and in Pippa she'll be part of an all-star cast (Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin and Julianne Moore) that could gain some serious momentum come awards season.

Related Post:

• in Black & White: Natalie Portman

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The Best Animated Films NOT Done By Disney

My first post!

I love Disney movies (the animated ones) and when teamed up with Pixar they can do no wrong. But I've noticed that non-Disney movies don't get much love. So here are my picks for the best animated films not done by Disney:

Shrek 2

I know it's kind of random to pick the 2nd film in the series, but Shrek 2 is way better than its predecessor. Why? Because it was funnier!

An American TailAn American Tale was entertaining as a kid, but now when I watch it I realize the history that it's based on (the oppression of immigrants who came to America). Great film.

Cats Don't DanceThe soundtrack and the choreography in this movie is Amazing! I honestly don't know nor do I understand why this bombed at the box office.

Spirited Away Yeah yeah, I know that Disney "produced" the English version, but they didn't change anything (or at least not much), they just did voice overs. Visually, Spirited Away is stunning. The story was ok, some things I really didn't get, but it is a fantasy..

Kung Fu PandaI thought this movie was going to be cheesy like *ahem* Madagascar, but it was great! The 2d animation was unexpected, but very cool. Plus, it has a nice story that kids can learn from (learning lessons is very important to me when it comes to children's movies). I was hoping it would win the Oscar, but of course, it lost to Disney's Wall-E.

CoralineCoraline is the first 3-d movie I had ever seen and it was the epitome of awesomeness! I had read and loved the book in middle school, and the film definitely did justice to it. I really didn't get why one of the old actresses had to skip around in pasties and a thong (I had my 8 yr old brother with me, and I didn't like him seeing that), but other than that, it was an amazing film!

The Prince of EgyptI think I've seen this movie about 6 or 7 times. Not only does it look great, but it has an awesomeamazing soundtrack. The filmmakers did a great job adapting the story of Moses into an animated film.

Anastasia
A lot of people mistake Anastasia as a Disney film, but it's actually a 20th Century Fox movie. I have a strong feeling that the filmmakers were influenced by Disney, but whatever, it's a cool movie loosely based on historical events (in reality, Grand Duchess Anastasia was never found alive).

The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is another movie that didn't deserve to bomb. It's directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and is set during the Cold War. I absolutely love it. It looked great, the story was excellent, and it had a great message. This movie should have been nominated for an Oscar, seriously.

I'm sure that I'm missing some great ones. I've heard that Bee Movie was good, but I just haven't had any interest in watching it yet.

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Rashida Jones on Screenwriting

Blame it on my blogroll. Another bit of Rashida Jones news popped up and I felt compelled to share. Here are some snippets from her interview at the A.V. Club:

"I feel like if I can just keep myself busy and be a part of a bunch of different things, maybe it will make room for more black-Jewish-Irish girls to do shit."

Umm, yeah...rock on!

Other cool quotes include:

"I want the ladies to have their moment. I think it’s time. I want to see more interesting depictions of women than just shopping for shoes."

About her screenplay (Celeste And Jesse Forever) she just sold to Fox...

"It has more of the flavor of an ’80s romantic comedy, in the sense that it’s hopefully as sad as it is funny. And hopefully you care enough about the people to think about it after you laugh. It definitely has a strong, very flawed female character, which I also really want to see. I feel like until you show every side, you’re not doing the gender justice."

There's some other intriguing stuff she said about politics, being biracial and her upcoming show Parks & Recreation. You can read the full interview here.


[Hat tip RJB]

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Introducing Jacque A.

Reel Artsy is adding a teen blogger to the mix!

Jacque A. is a senior in high school with a serious '90s nostalgia. She's a self-labeled "cartoon & animation addict" who enjoys blogging about stuff she likes at I ♥ That. She's also a Nigerian-American by way of Kansas who's ready to bring her perspective to all things quirky, multicultural and film worthy.

Welcome to the team!

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Halle Berry in Harper's Bazaar

Halle Berry chats family, movies and Obama in Harper's Bazaar Summer Fashion Issue. Check out these excerpts:

You, Obama, and Nahla are biracial. What does that mean to you?

Halle: Nahla will grow up in a completely different America. Obama is someone who's more like her than not, who shares her history. Hopefully she'll grow up in a world where it'll be easier than I had it. I had a rough time. I was accused of stuffing the ballot box for my high school prom-queen election because they couldn't believe the only black girl in the school won.

What's your next project?

Halle: There's this movie called Nappily Ever After. It's beautiful, funny, but has a deep message about women. Women slave for their hair! It's all about how we compare ourselves to other women, how we size ourselves up. It's a look at this one woman's life, and she goes through this metamorphosis when she gets rid of her hair. Not only does she feel different, but people treat her differently. She's now more like an alien than the hottest chick on the block. She's got to reboot and discover who she really is.

For the role, do you plan to shave your head on camera?

Halle: Yes. I'm scared to death. I just hope my reaction fits into the story. If it's uncontrollable screaming, it might be a different type of movie.

For the full article click here.

[Hat tip BCK]

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Rashida, Sanaa and Paula @ Party

Three of my favorite actresses all together in the same room. Wow! Please tell me they're going to make a movie together.


Or maybe they're emerging a Fempire. Rashida Jones did just sell a script. Let the chatter begin...

[Hat tip RJB via Jamd]

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Lemon Tree

Hiam Abbass had a superb supporting role in The Visitor and now I'm willing to check out anything she's in. This one looks good...

Lemon Tree is a drama based on the true story of a Palestinian widow who must defend her lemon tree field when a new Israeli Defense Minister moves next to her and threatens to have her lemon grove torn down.

It's possible that Abbass could garner some buzz for this role come awards season. At least I hope so!


Official Site: www.lemontreemovie.com

[Hat tip Women & Hollywood]

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Justin Lin's 'Fast & Furious' Tops Box Office

$72.5 million is a strong opening weekend. The main thing that excites me is that it's a success for a minority behind the camera.

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