Puss in Boots

This is the prequel to what happens to the famous kiity from Shrek fame. The title character, as always, is voiced by Antonio Banderas and his love interest is voiced by Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws.. Zak Galifianakis plays a very annoying version of Humpty Dumpty who makes life miserable for Puss.I didn't find his character entertaining or sympathetic. However, if you are expecting the same fun and laughter as the previous Shrek movies, rent them for another watch because this one does not have the same zing as the original Shrek films.It has some great cat humor and moral tales of friendship, forgiveness and redemption for the younger crowd, but it loses some steam before the end. Banderas is good, Salma is ok and Zak is so overused in any movie at this point that it's ridiculous. If you see it, go for the 3D effects; the best I have seen in animation so far.

The Rum Diary- better left unread

Jonny Depp stars in the autobiographical account of Hunter S. Thompson in his depraved, younger years. If you remember Jonny starring in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'" you will either like or hate this one depending on your level of addiction tolerance. The character is Paul Kemp who is looking for work in 1960 San Juan, Puerto Rico at a dying newspaper. He becomes entangeled with an American expatriate who wants to build more hotels for vacationing Americans on a soon to be abandoned island that the Navy has been using for target practice. I guess you know where to put the pool in. Things become more complicated when Paul also takes an interest in his very beautiful and reckless girlfriend. The film depicts Kemp's drunken sprees and his aimless wandering in search of his life  (and a story worth filming). It has some good sceanes of comedy, but not enough to make the film a must see, even for Depp fans like me.
Jonny was a friend of Thompson's until his death in 2005, and rumor has it that this book was found among his unpublished works. Jonny, I love ya, but this one was not worth the trouble.

Family Ties

Two recent movies for the family are Dolphin Tale and Real Steel. sBoth deal with the mother/son or father /son dilema when children are distanced by their parents whether physically or emotionally. Dolphin Tale has a sweet mother/son story where son, Sawyer, feels alienated and lonely. He finds an injured dolphin whose tail must be amputated after being caught in a crab trap. Based on a true story; the boy is instrumental in getting a doctor, who creates prosthetics for injured vets, to successfully design a prosthetic tail for the dolphin so she can swim again. In the process, he helps his wounded cousin, just back from Iraq, and keeps the marine rehab center from closing. It's a tear jerker so take your tissues.
On the other hand, Real Steel is text book movie fare. Father abandons son, and has him dumped on him when the mom dies. Of course Max,(son) is resentful of dad, Charlie, (played by Hugh Jackman)who wins back his son by teaching him about robot boxing. The storyline is not that great and you will find it more interesting counting the number of product placements in the movie. The only thing that kept me guessing about this movie was why are people still riding around in cars running on fossil fuel 20+ years into the future? Save your gas and money on this one.

New shows for ABC

It's the fall season and all the networks are eager to show off the new shows. Some of the best offerings so far have come from ABC. The new show PAN AM  is smart and informative and tells the stories of flight when airline travel was sophisticated and you didn't have to take off your shoes. It's based on actual events in history. Who knew your stewardess could serve coffee, tea or a side of secret agent? DANCING WITH THE STARS is back with an all new and controversial cast. Paso doble your way out of that! Welcome back to 2 favorites CASTLE and MODERN FAMILY who has 5 emmy wins! The one loser of the bunch so far is SUBURGATORY. I thought the previews were awful but the show is worse! It's a cynical look at life in the suburbs so suburb +  purgatory ...get it? Yeah, nobody else does either. The only hell is having to watch this show. The best new show by far is LAST MAN STANDING a new offering with Tim Allen doing what he does best... being a manly man. I have been to a taping of this show and it is hilarious. Move over Modern Family; you'll have to share some of those emmys next year!

Count Down to PIRATES!

Arrrgh me mateys, thar be a short time til we be settin' sail with Captain Jack again! This Friday, May 20th is the opening of the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, directed by Rob Marshall, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and of course, starring our favorite pirate captain, Jonny Depp! This time Jack will be crossing swords with zombies, avoiding mermaids and  playing with the affections of Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica, played by the lusty, busty Penelope Cruz! My bet is our favorite boozy, woozy pirate will be up to the task. Ian McShane plays Blackbeard, the vicious pirate whose reputation preceeds him. Geoffrey Rush returns as Jack's nemesis, Barbossa, who has switched sides serving King George, and tries to thwart Jack's attempt to find the Fountain of Youth.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Disneyland premiere on May 7th and met many of the cast including Jonny Depp. Rest assured he is as nice as you hope he is and even more handsome in person, if that is possible. Check out my latest "black carpet" pictures and sail into theatres this weekend to check out the latest pirate adventure

Oscar Predictions

It's finally here! Oscar night tonight, so who do you think will win? Here are my predictions for tonight.
Best Picture..............The King's Speech
Best Actor...............Colin Firth
Best Actress............Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor........Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress..... Melissa Leo
Best Director............ Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Best Animated Film........Toy Story 3
The King's Speech has a total of 12 nominations tonight and I predict they will get 6 out of 12.
Good luck to all the nominees and have fun!

News and Reviews

Gnomeo & Juliet
This charming retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in a "Disneyized" version was a great treat for this big kid. The Touchstone picture is about a war between two sets of garden gnomes, The Reds and The Blues and set to music by Sir Elton John. It is certainly aimed at children, but entertaining enough for adults.
I was amused at the campy offbeat humor and found myself laughing outloud at the obvious puns. And who couldn't love anything that is set to the classic music of Elton John, who surprisingly enough, is also executive producer.
There is definite undertones of a moral story here, clear to adults, and maybe more subtle to the younger crowd, about love and tolerance mixed into a good retelling of The Baird's most famous love story. There is a much better ending for the two star crossed lovers who learn how hate, and some very big lawnmowers, can destroy people's lives.
 There are not many good movies out there aimed at young kids now where the adults can enjoy the show without shrinking in embarassment at being at a kiddie movie. This is one you'll love.
You will enjoy the voice talents of James McAvoy (as Gnomeo) and Emily Blunt (as Juliet) and an odd
cast mix of Dolly Parton, Patrick Stewart, Hulk Hogan and Michael Caine.
Forget what the overstuffed adult critics are saying; get a big bag of popcorn and become a kid again
while watching this movie. And don't forget to tap your foot to the music.

Grammy Night!

This is definitely the time of year for every kind of award that Hollywood can think of and tonight is no exception. A standard in the music industry, the 53rd Grammys will be awarded tonight. The Grammys
are a nuclear blend of country, pop, hip hop and anything else you can mix in there. There are several artists
up for multiple awards, as usual, and one of them is Rihanna. The red carpet catwalk is littered with the
"awwws" and "oooh, what were they thinking?" , but Rihanna was definitely a stunner in what can only be described as revealing Christmas garland wrapped around strategic body parts. She makes Cher's outfits from my day look like granny outfits! Katy Perry showed up as an angel, maybe she's hoping for good karma for a win in one of the four nominations she's in, Snookie showed up as a beach ball with glitter. You go Jersey Girl! Lady Gaga's arrival was probably the strangest even among the other bizarre attendees. She
arrived in an egg carried by an entourage of beefy and statuesque bearers. Thankfully, there were a few
nice normal outfits to be seen. The Bieb showed up in an all white tux (nice touch), J Lo was stunning in a micro silver dress, Bruno Mars was very classy in black and Jennifer Hudson was smashing rocking her new trim silhouette in a navy blue bodice frock. Let's face it, I don't know who half of these people are, but hey,
they all sing better than me. Good luck to all the nominees!

Sometimes I think they make up half of these awards shows just to get the celebrities there. I guess I can't blame them, but I was surprised to learn there is an AARP Adult Award show. Yes, even the geriatric generation has to get in on this. Thank goodness we're not seeing them give out Depends to the nominees, but yeah to Robert Redford for a lifetime achievement award. That makes me feel old, I remember him as the latest hearthrob in "The Way We Were."  "Look out Bob, the Bieb will be taking your spot before you know it!"

NEWS & REVIEWS

Here are the latest news and reviews for the entertainment world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, ( wow! you wouldn't believe how long it took to learn how to spell that) or known here as the former "Da Governator", tweeted yesterday that he plans on making a return to the silver screen. Just last year he made a cameo appearance in "The Expendables" with Bruce Willis and Sly Stallone to a lukewarm return welcome from some of his California constituents. At least he won't have to be the one blamed for production budget cuts.
Legendary Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor was admitted to Cedars Sinai earlier this week, with symptoms of congestive heart failure. Elizabeth, who will turn 79 on Oscar Day, February 27th, had open heart surgery in 2009 to implant a clip to prevent blood from leaking back into her heart through the mitral valve. Best wishes for a speedy recovery Liz!
I don't have a fever for the Bieber but there's someone who does - probably alot of young girls and their dutiful parents signed on to chaperon to the Biebfest. The Bieb's "Never Say Never" has already taken in over $12.4 million (that's alot of lip gloss) in box office sales outselling Adam Sandler's "Just Go With It." It is expected to rake in over 30 mill for the pop teen documentary just this weekend! That should keep the Bieb in hairstyling products for awhile. By the way, Justin will also have a duet with Usher at the Grammys this Sunday so if you watch, don your earplugs for the adolescent screams.
Stay tuned for movie reviews on the nominees for Oscar.

Welcome to my new blog! I hope to share my love of the entertainment industry with anyone who loves music, movies, television and theatre. The Oscars are coming up soon. Give me your feedback on who or
what category you think should win this year.