The Latest in ShowBiz News

2012/02/13 at 12:00am

‘The Vow’ is #1 at the box office

02.13.2012 | By Karen Posada |

This pre-Valentine’s day weekend put the romantic drama, ‘The Vow’ in the first place with $ 41.7 million. It seems like this predictable romance with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum will stick it through post the romantic holiday.

The upbeat action thriller ‘Safe House’ earned $39.3 million dollars at the second spot. This one might fight for first place soon, since many are excited to have Denzel Washington doing what he does best.

Dwayne Johnson’s family movie, ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ took third place with $27.6 million dollars. It is followed by ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D’.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. The Vow- $41.7 million dollars

2. Safe House -$39.3 million

3. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island -$27.6 million

4. Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace 3D – $23 million

5. Chronicle – $12. 3 million dollars

6. The Woman in Black -$10.3 million

7. The Grey – $5.1 million

8. Big Miracle -$3.9 million

9. The Descendants – $3.5 million

10. Underworld: Awakening – $2.5 million dollars

By Karen Posada

2012/02/06 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Chronicle’ fights hard for the #1 spot

02.6.2012 | By Karen Posada |

Surprisingly ‘Chronicle’ and ‘The Woman in Black’ went head to head for the number one spot and weren’t that far off from one another. But the sci-fi thriller about 3 young men that unexpectedly get superpowers, ‘Chronicle’ placed itself there with $22 million dollars.

‘The Woman in Black’ a movie of a whole other genre, horror, came second with $21 million. Daniel Radcliffe has a strong following which might help keep it on the top three long enough to make up for the $14million spent in advertising alone.

‘The Grey’, Liam Nesson’s action film dropped to the third spot with $9.5 million dollars. The family film ‘Big Miracle’ and the horror action film ‘Underworld Awakening’ follow it.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. Chronicle – $22 million dollars

2. The Woman in Black -$21 million

3. The Grey -$9.5 million

4. Big Miracle -$8.5 million

5. Underworld Awakening -$5.6 million

6. One for the Money -$5.2 million

7. Red Tails -$5 million

8. The Descendants -$4.6 million

9. Man on a Ledge -$4.5 million

10. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close -$3.9 million

By Karen Posada

2012/02/04 at 12:00am

Reviews

Chronicle

02.4.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘Chronicle’ makes great use of the “found footage” technique many movies have used such as ‘Cloverfield’ did, this makes the public feel like part of this crazy journey. So, there’s mainly just a handheld camera that’s used, but the use of security cameras as well give it a nice twist. This isn’t just a movie about super powers, but also about friendship and self-growth. We see what power does to people and how easily the lines between right and wrong are crossed when there’s nothing to stop you. Despite of the fact that this is an action/Sci-fi film, there’s a genuineness to it that makes aspects of the film, such as having superpowers almost seem possible.

Our main cameraman is Andrew (Dane Dehaan), a senior in high school who’s basically an outcast, there’s bullies coming at him not only in school, but also in the streets and even at home. For whatever reason he decides to start documenting his life and the camera becomes witness to everything he goes through. His only friend is Matt (Alex Russell) who has his own quirkiness but yet the aura of a cool guy. Unexpectedly, Steve (Michael B. Jordan) one of the most popular guys in school enters the picture and the three of them find a suspicious cave that not only gives them superpowers but also forms a strong bond between them. Their friendship starts growing as they explore their newly given powers, which for some of them are too much to take to the point that all their lives spin out of control.

Dehaan is for sure the biggest asset to the movie, not only because he’s the main character, but also because he’s able to go through every single emotion throughout the film naturally. One of the things the film does best is combine a mundane life like the one of Andrew, with a special event without loosing grip on reality, although it manages to lose this element a bit towards the end. The fact that the audience is able to go through most of the journey step by step with them makes it more believable.

‘Chronicle’ is a spin on superhero movies, this is more like: what would an everyday person do if they suddenly had superpowers? Throughout the film you are waiting for something to happen, seeing the boys play around with their telekinetic powers is interesting but it starts dragging and when the big boom happens it scales too quickly and makes it a little too over the top. The ending doesn’t leave much to be desired, it’s like we experienced a car crash and then we are expected to go home like nothing happened. Perhaps this is the way of putting the audience back on the ground and reminding us that after all it was just a film.

Mexican Gerardo Naranjo to direct Fox’s ‘Mountain’

By Jack Rico

2012/02/02 at 12:00am

Movies

Mexican Gerardo Naranjo to direct Fox’s ‘Mountain’

02.2.2012 | By Jack Rico |

For anyone who has rebuked mainstream America for not giving Latinos opoortunities to showcase their talents, then how do you explain Gerardo Naranjo? Yeah, I know what you’re saying… “a good agent and being Hispanic is in vogue.” You might be right, but it’s happening. It’s becoming an American reality, an a normalcy we need to get used to.

According to Deadline.com, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment are negotiating with Gerardo Naranjo to direct The Mountain Between Us, an adaptation of the Charles Martin novel.

For those of you who don’t know who Gerado Naranjo, he’s coming off Miss Bala, Mexico’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission. It is executive produced by Mexican heavyweights Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna and tells the story of Laura, a young woman whose aspirations of becoming a beauty queen turn against her, delivering her into the hands of a gang that’s terrorizing northern Mexico. Although Laura succeeds in winning the beauty queen crown, her experiences as an unwilling participant in Mexico’s violent war leave her shaken and transformed.

From what we understand, The Mountain Between Us, is adapted by J. Mills Goodloe, and is both a harrowing tale of survival and a love story. Ashley is a writer catching a flight from Salt Lake City and heading East for her wedding. Ben is a doctor returning from a medical conference. When a their flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer, the strangers agree to charter a ride, only to see the pilot suffer a heart attack and crash into a desolate snowy mountain region. He breaks ribs and she suffers a leg fracture. Fortunately, aside from a doctor he’s an avid climber, and as he struggles to get her down from the mountain in harsh weather, she begins to realize that maybe she was headed to marry the wrong guy.

How will Naranjo fair in his debut? Only time will tell, but we’re rooting for him to establish a reputation of quality work worthy of awards.

‘Evita’ on Broadway gets first TV commercial

By Jack Rico

2012/02/01 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Evita’ on Broadway gets first TV commercial

02.1.2012 | By Jack Rico |

If you were to ask any theater fan what is the show they are most looking forward to seeing this year, a large majority will probably tell you ‘Evita’. Why? One name. Ricky Martin. Word of mouth has been so widespread on his co-starring role that any advertising would be almost unnecessary. Nevertheless, and to be on the safe side, producers have launched their PR minions to let those who have been sleeping under a rock that – “Ricky is coming, Ricky is coming!”

The marketing blitz began on radio approximately 2 weeks ago and has expanded now onto TV. Thanks to Youtube, we got our hands on the :15 second commercial that shows Martin, nicely shaved and tan, with the other two talented leads in Argentine actress Elena Rogers and Broadway veteran Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd). Even though the ad is brief, it’s haunting. The musical is gaining momentum and by the time it opens on April 5th, it’ll become an event.

Have a look below at the first ‘Evita’ on Broadway television commercial starring Ricky Martin.

Synopsis: Eva Perón used her beauty and charisma to rise meteorically from the slums of Argentina to the presidential mansion as First Lady. She won international acclaim and adoration from her own people as a champion of the poor, while glamour, power and greed made her the world’s first major political celebrity. EVITA tells Eva’s passionate and tragic story through Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most dazzling and beloved score, which includes “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “High Flying Adored,” together with “You Must Love Me,” the Oscar-winning hit from the film EVITA.

By Karen Posada

2012/01/31 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Woman in Black

01.31.2012 | By Karen Posada |

Daniel Radcliffe made an incredibly surprising move by choosing this movie as his first project after his life legacy of ‘Harry Potter’.The Woman in Black’ is a decent horror film that uses old formulas that work, but at times it’s too predictable to make you loose sleep. The film has an elegance and beauty that keeps you entertain up to a certain point; fortunately the length of the film also helps it be more likeable. This film reaches close to the level of ‘The Ring’, but it will only scare those that truly believe in the supernatural and can overlook the clichés of it.

A young English lawyer, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), who’s trying to overcome the death of his wife is sent to a small town to sell a mansion, that holds a deadly secret and with this prove that he has what it takes to keep his job. Kipps arrives in this grey town where he is only able to make one friend, Daily (Ciarán Hinds), who doesn’t believe in the supernatural rubbish and wants to help him carry out his task. In the meantime, Kipps must fight the vengeful ghost of a woman, who will never forgive what was done to her and he must also fight the townspeople who want the outsider to go away for reasons they don’t explain to him until it’s too late.

Radcliffe carries this entire film on his shoulders and he does a good job at interpreting a man who is trying to make sense of things he doesn’t believe exist. Interestingly enough in our interview, he told me he doesn’t believe in ghosts or the supernatural, which makes me wonder even more, why take upon a project that has to do entirely with just that? To be fair his character does try to come up with a somewhat logical yet wacky solution. Although Radcliffe denies he’s not trying to escape from his ‘Harry Potter’ persona, now I’m more inclined to believe the opposite than before.

There is no doubt this film contains all the right creepy ingredients: porcelain dolls, toys that play lullabies, zombie- ghost children, lonely mansion in a secluded area, unfriendly towns people, and of course a ghost who doesn’t accept apologies and makes no exceptions. Despite that, I have to say that my experience with horror films helped me predict the outcome of some of the scenes, which takes away from it but I have to give some credit though to the weird unpredictable creepy twist and the semi unexpected ending.

For people that don’t believe in the supernatural such as myself, it is very hard to have a horror film such as this one make me loose sleep, I enjoy horror films don’t get me wrong. After all we go to the movies to see unimaginable and incredible things, but this one didn’t traumatize me to the effect of ‘The Grudge’. If you want to see a good old hunted house film, then this is the one you’ve been waiting for. If you are into more hard-core horror/violent films this one is a bit more psychological and less graphic.

Jennifer Lopez to present at 2012 Oscars

By Jack Rico

2012/01/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Jennifer Lopez to present at 2012 Oscars

01.30.2012 | By Jack Rico |

It was confirmed Monday, that Puerto Rican actress/singer Jennifer Lopez will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. What category she will present is TBD.

The Oscars 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

By Karen Posada

2012/01/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Great ‘The Grey’ is #1!

01.30.2012 | By Karen Posada |

‘The Grey’ starring Liam Neeson turned up at number one this weekend with $20 million dollars. This movie deserves its position for the reasons we give in our film review.

Another movie that’s great follows it, ‘Underworld Awakening’ that even though it went down to second place it continues to collect money such as the $12.5 million from this time around.

The box office surprises us with the other spots, in third place is ‘One for the Money’ which collected $11.7 million. Another big surprise, thanks to the Oscars is ‘The Descendants’ in seventh place, obviously those who hadn’t seen it became curious with all the buzz.

The Top 10 in the Box Office are:

1. The Grey -$20 million

2. Underworld Awakening -$12.5 million

3. One for the Money – $11.7 million

4. Red Tails -$10.4 million

5. Man on a Ledge -$8.3 million

6. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close -$7.1 million

7. The Descendants -$6.5 million

8. Contraband -$6.5 million

9. Beauty and the Beast 3D -$5.3 million

10. Haywire -$4 million

By Mack Chico

2012/01/29 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Help’ wins big at 2012 SAG Awards!

01.29.2012 | By Mack Chico |

Latino actors Demián Bichir and Sofia Vergara were not winners at ‘The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards’, but it was great to see them amongst the best Hollywood can offer. The Actor for a motion picture cast performance went this year to “The Help”. SAG presented its coveted Actor statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2011.

Honored with individual awards were Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer for performances in motion pictures and Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Lange, Betty White, and Kate Winslet for performances in television. Screen Actors Guild originated awards for the outstanding performances by a motion picture cast and by television drama and comedy ensembles. The Actor® for a motion picture cast performance went this year to “The Help”, while the Actors® for television drama and comedy ensemble performances went this year to “Boardwalk Empire” and “Modern Family.” Screen Actors Guild’s honors for outstanding performances by a stunt ensemble in film and television were awarded to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and “Game of Thrones.” Nearly 100,000 active members of Screen Actors Guild nationwide were eligible to vote for the recipients.

Dick Van Dyke presented Mary Tyler Moore with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 48th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute. Jessica Chastain introduced a film salute to SAG’s regional branches, spotlighting memorable moments created by actors who live and work across the nation. Meryl Streep introduced a filmed “In Memoriam” tribute to the actors we have lost in the past year.

The complete list of recipients of the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® follows.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
JEAN DUJARDIN / George – “THE ARTIST” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke – “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce – “MILDRED PIERCE” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
JESSICA LANGE / Constance – “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky – “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
HEATHER LIND / Katy
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
JULIE BOWEN / Claire
TY BURRELL / Phil
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
NOLAN GOULD / Luke
SARAH HYLAND / Haley
ED O’NEILL / Jay
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
ARIEL WINTER / Alex

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award
MARY TYLER MOORE

Sneak Peek of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ hits the world!

By Jack Rico

2012/01/29 at 12:00am

Movies

Sneak Peek of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ hits the world!

01.29.2012 | By Jack Rico |

And so it begins. The Spider-Man marketing assault is in full effect. Wanna see an exclusive sneak peek of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man‘ Feb 6th? Then this link will have a very important significance to you: www.TheUntoldStoryBegins.com.

By registering on this link it will allow you to get 2 free tickets to see a sneak peek of Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ in 13 of the most important cities in the world. New York is one of them, but it is sold out as well as Los Angeles. I know because I went on it and this is what I got… (see image below).

Curiously enoiugh, Mexico City so far has not sold out yet. Is it that word hasn’t gone out over there yet or Mexicans aren’t into Spider-Man? I registered there for kicks and giggles and managed to snap up 2 tickets for the Mexican capital. The pass is in our rockin’ Spanish language, but of course I’m not traveling down there to see it, but if you are reading this and live down there, you’re more than welcome to use it. We’ll leave the 2 Mexico passes in the below jpg. If they don’t work though, ShowBizCafe.com is not responsible.

Nevertheless, the sneak peek promises to provide the lucky winners never-before-seen footage in a global event. Along with the new footage, there will be other surprises associated with the event next week. The Amazing Spider-Man opens in Japan on June 30 and July 3 in the US. Rumor has it that Andrew Garfield will show up to either the NYC or LA one, but you never know.

Again, www.TheUntoldStoryBegins.com is the link where tickets can be reserved. Sneaks will take place in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Mexico City, Moscow, Rio, Rome, Seoul, Sydney and Tokyo.

Take a look at the trailer here if you haven’t seen it yet.