The media constantly reports that Mitt Romney isn’t like us. He’s aloof, rich beyond anyone’s wildest dreams and can’t relate to Joe Sixpack. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama is hobnobbing with big name celebrities – again – while the Middle East
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” seemed like such a modest proposal – marry the cliffhanger serials of yore with modern storytelling techniques. It helped that two of Hollywood’s most crowd-pleasing filmmakers, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, helped make it happen.
Dwight Yoakam dresses like a honkytonk star, but looks sure are deceiving. Yoakam spends as much time in front of the camera these days as behind a microphone, what with showy roles in the “Crank” series and supporting appearances in
Adrien Brody’s character in “Detachment” is a great teacher, the kind you’re lucky to meet just once during your school days. The teacher’s personal side is another matter. As long as “Detachment,” out on DVD today, stays focused on the
Who would want to sit in the Oval Office this week? The economic news is six kinds of awful, the Middle East is aflame once more with anti-American rioting and gas prices continue to climb. That’s why why need a
Not all celebrity liberals play the race card. Some sing it. Oscar-winning singer/songwriter Randy Newman is back with a new song just in time for the election season. The piano tune features the refrain: “I’m dreaming of a white president.”
Having a Pulitzer Prize gives an author license to leave his or her comfort zone. For Michael Chabon, it means telling a story set within the black cultural landscape encompassing Berkeley and Oakland, a fault line for cultural misunderstandings, recurring
The person behind the anti-Muslim movie being blamed by the White House for causing the current crush of violence across the Middle East will never hobnob with Hollywood elite. Nor will he get much support from them, apparently. Not only
“The Woman in the Fifth” can be as clear as mud, as maddening as a puzzle with several key pieces lost for good. The film, available this week on DVD, casts Ethan Hawke as an American professor and novelist hoping
Bette Midler cast aside freedom of speech earlier this week by saying the filmmaker responsible for the anti-Muslim movie in the news should be charged with murder. Midler isn’t alone in shoving aside the First Amendment. Both hip hop mogul
New Obama, same liberal bias. “Saturday Night Live” introduced a different cast member portraying President Barack Obama during the show’s first new episode of the season last night. Jay Pharoah was certainly an improvement over Fred Armisen, a talented comedian
Some directors have a track record so magnificent even their film’s trailers leave your emotions ablaze. That’s surely the reaction we’ll get while watching the first extended look at “Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg’s eagerly awaited take on the country’s 16th president.
If Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis want to make a sequel to “The Campaign,” the summer comedy that slammed the influence of money in politics, they’ve got great material here. DreamWorks studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg bundled a grand total of
Novelist Martin Amis took in the Republican National Convention late last month and apparently required roughly two weeks file his report for The Daily Beast. After all, name calling can’t be done without some serious thought. Here’s Amis on Ann
When Bill Maher’s “Religulous” hit theaters in 2008, no one rioted, stormed any embassies or demanded the film’s anti-religious themes should be removed from movie houses or the Internet. This week, a crude anti-Muslim movie is having just that effect,
Over the past four-plus years Barack Obama has promised to heal the planet, addressed a crowd in front of Greek-style pillars, spoke as if he fired the shot that took out Osama bin Laden, slow-jammed the news, mocked Special Olympians,
Fred Armisen will be back on “Saturday Night Live” this season. His woeful President Obama impersonation, on the other hand, is history. TheWrap.com is reporting the late night sketch show will use newer cast member Jay Pharoah, who is black,
Producer Gerald Molen is used to reading reviews – both good and bad – for his movies. The Oscar winner’s resume is golden enough to give him a pretty thick skin. He’s helped bring such modern classics as “Minority Report,”
The new indie “Lola Versus,” strips away some of the more unpleasant tics of the modern romantic comedy. No last-minute reunions at an airport. No wacky misunderstandings. The lead doesn’t pick up a hairbrush and sing into it. And, best
David Letterman’s credentials for being named the latest Kennedy Center Honors recipient hardly need defending. On paper, that is. He’s toiled for years in the late night TV trenches, arguably the most competitive niche in Hollywood, giving us classic bits
The best way to enjoy “Titanic” all over again is to put the film’s pop culture baggage in steerage. Yes, watching James Cameron gloat that he was the “king of the world” on Oscar night was nauseating, as is the
Welcome to the No Spin Zone, Adam Carolla. The podcast king made his first appearance as a regular contributor on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” Monday night. The debut segment found Carolla ribbing both the RNC and DNC – the
President Barack Obama will be visiting one of his biggest fans soon – late night talker David Letterman. The president will chat with the “Late Show” host during a trip to New York City next week, according to the National
This year’s Oscar race may start – and stop – on Friday. Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” hits theaters this weekend, bringing with it an all-star cast, feverishly positive festival reviews and the kind of award season luster that
President George W. Bush remained silent as a steady stream of documentaries attacked both him and his administration during his eight years in office. Bush quietly acknowledged the filmmakers’ right to speak their minds, ignored their cinematic attacks and kept
Tom Hanks is Hollywood’s reigning Everyman. Hanks can play a lovesick widower, an Army Rangers captain, a man stranded on a desert island or a little boy trapped in a grown up’s body. Hanks radiates regular guy appeal in every
When “La Cage Aux Folles” first hit Broadway, the notion of gay marriage was hardly a national concern. Today, as the Tony Award-winning show continues its trek across the country, the divisive issue hangs behind the scenes, although through no
The nation’s third largest school system went on strike today, terrible news for Chicago students who simply want to learn. The scholastic crisis will certainly bring more attention to “Won’t Back Down,” the upcoming school choice drama which takes a
It’s clear spending time with Dennis Prager is having an effect on Adam Carolla. The podcast king’s series of two-man shows with the conservative Prager have helped shape the former’s political opinions. This week, Carolla ranted about Elizabeth Warren’s speech
Can’t wait to see “Prometheus” at home? The studio behind the film will be offering the sorta-kinda “Alien” prequel via digital download for a pretty inexpensive price nearly a month before its Blu-ray debut. Fox is launching an effort to
It’s pretty clear Jay-Z was never fully on board with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Sure, he tried to piggyback on OWS initially by creating a line of movement-related T-shirts, but he couldn’t quite understand why people would be aghast
There’s a good reason Obama surrogates cringe when asked if Americans are better off today than four years ago. Even a fact bender of the highest order, like DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, can’t deny the reality of the Obama “recovery.”
Earlier this year, Hollywood and the media tag teamed to boost the box office fortunes of “Bully.” Celebrities Tweeted their approval of the new film while others actively promoted it via media appearances. The film’s battle to reduce its R
The “Atlas Shrugged” films were designed to celebrate Ayn Rand’s core political philosophies, says franchise producer Harmon Kaslow. What Kaslow couldn’t foresee as the second film in the franchise nears its release date is the GOP nominating Rand enthusiast Paul
Here’s a quote sure to please the marketers of the new film “Bachelorette” – the movie is smarter, sharper and more biting than “Bridesmaids.” “Bachelorette” is also frequently unkind to its wild and wacky female leads and reminds us girl
Miss VHS tapes? So do the folks behind the Found Footage Festival. Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher can’t stop collecting forgotten VHS tapes, but they aren’t interested in worn copies of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” or “Beverly Hills Cop.” They
The stars came out for President Barack Obama tonight at the DNC convention, and they clearly took a few lessons from factually challenged party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker and Brad Pitt must have had other
George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber make one very odd couple on stage and off. Hamilton is the sophisticated leading man and old pro in the best sense of the word, and Sieber is a Broadway vet who excels at outsized
Movie theater chains might find their profits slimming in New York City thanks to Big Apple Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mr. Nanny State himself recently declared large sodas “illegal,” a move supposedly meant to reduce the waistlines of his fellow New
President Barack Obama hopes adding two attractive actresses, Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington, to the DNC’s speakers’ list tonight can distract the country from his failed policies. Meanwhile, the GOP is blasting the president for spending more time with the
