Taboo Tuesday

Hello everyone and welcome back to the drill!! Late start this week, hopefully the trend doesnt continue. Lets get to it shall we?

 

Oscar Nominations

The nominees for the 78th Annual Academy Awards were announced earlier today (Like WWAAYY early. 5am!!) and "Brokeback Mountain" leads the way with 8 noms including "Best Picture".

8 Nominations

Other films nominated for Best Picture are "Good Night and Good Luck", "Munich", "Capote" and "Crash".

Now I havent seen any of these films, so I cant really comment on them or their merit for belonging on this list. But I have to ask why isnt "King Kong" on this list??!!

(WARNING! RANT AHEAD!!)

Uh-oh. Kong isnt happy with being snubbed! ;-)

"Kong" was such an awesome film (both storywise and visually) and it seems as if the award panels have written it off. Not just them, but the moviegoing public as well, since it has failed to reach box office expectations (As of this writing it has taken in $213 million). Peter Jackson not getting a nod for "Best Director" is a real shame, because he not only updated a classic, he made it better than the original. "King Kong" was nominated for four awards, including "Best Art Direction","Achievement in Sound Editing", "Achievement in Sound Mixing" and "Best Visual Effects" (Which if doesnt win that one, I dont know what to think!)

Another thing I cant believe is that neither "Chicken Little" or "Madagascar" were nominated for "Best Animated Feature Film"

No Oscar nods for either

Although they did nominate "Corpse Bride" so it wasnt a TOTAL loss. ;-)

We'll find out the big winners on March 5th.

 

Kobe Embarrassed?

Nope, not about the "Colorado Thing". ;-) He says he is now embarrassed by his 81 point performance last week. : "I'm a little bit embarrassed actually," Bryant said after a Lakers' practice Monday. "I think it's exciting for the game and the organization because of all the buzz, but personally it's a little embarrassing."

He went on to say that he would much rather have a game in which he scores only 20 pts and has 10 assists and the rest of his team mates be in "flow" with the offense. "The concept is not about going out there and putting on a show or going out there and scoring points," he said. "It's to win games.

I think all that "Kobe Hating" got to him and he felt he needed to address it. I think its sad that someone can have such an awesome individual performance like Kobe's and then he has to feel bad about it. Give him his props people. Hate the Player, DONT Hate his Game! ;-)

Box Office Report

There are no words to describe this... ;-)

1) Big Momma's House 2, $27.7 million: Damn, shut me up. ;-) I guess people DID want to see another "Big Momma's House" movie. Or there was nothing else showing. ;-) Its 3 day take makes it the highest opening for a January film. I guess we'll see if it has ANY lasting power.

2) Nanny McPhee, $14.5 mil: OK, when I first saw the trailer for this film my first thought was "BOMB". I mean I just didnt see this film appealing to anybody. The title character to me seemed more likely to frighten children than anything else. But yet, here it is opening in second place. I guess the market for "family friendly" is so thin that there really wasnt a choice.

3)Underworld: Evolution, $11.4 mil: Last weeks top film drops two notches. As I stated last week, the original only grossed about $54 million, so anything close to that or above it would satisfy the makers of the film. It has already pulled in $44 million so I'm pretty sure it will make it.

4)Annapolis, $7.6 million: The weeks other big opening finished a distant fourth. I guess there's no market for a non-Spider Man James Franco Movie. ;-)

5)Hoodwinked, $7.4 million: Drops two spots from last week. It isnt going to be a blockbuster by any means, but it should pull a decent profit when it ends its run in a few weeks.

 

OK, that will do it for this edition. HOPEFULLY I can get my review of the "Superman vs Batman" script up this week. I think you'll find it interesting. Also, I've got news on what happened when John Lasseter (Disney's new creative head) made his first trips to "Walt Disney Feature Animation" and "Walt Disney Imagineering". If you're a fan of Disney, you'll no doubt want to hear what happened.

Til the next time!

DQ

Send all comments to: twominutedrill8@yahoo.com

TGIF

Welcome one and all to the Drill! Sorry for the lack of updates this week. It wasnt because of lack of material I assure you. I've just been so busy, blah, blah..you've heard it all before. I apologize for the delays.Lets get to it shall we?

 

Disney and Pixar: Together at Last

Well, by now most of the dust has settled and finally Disney and Pixar are together. This is HUGE news as it has the potential to change things at the Walt Disney Company forever.

Lets start with the deal itself: Disney paid a whopping $7.4 billion for Pixar. The two companies will remain seperate entities for now, but there is talk of possibly merging Walt Disney Feature Animation (WDFA) and Pixar Animation into one division.

Because this was an "all stock" deal, Pixar CEO and owner Steve Jobs becomes the company's #1 shareholder and gives him a seat on the Disney Board of Directors.

Apple Founder and CEO Steve Jobs

Jobs' inclusion at Disney is what most Wall St. people are looking forward to. Jobs' has always been known as a visionary (Much like Walt Disney) and his ability to think "outside the box" so to speak is something that has been sorely lacking at Disney for quite some time. Many people are anxious to see what impact Jobs will have on the Disney culture.

But Jobs isnt the only big name going to Disney. Pixar Executive VP of Creative John Lasseter is also gaining some power at Disney. If you dont know who Lasseter is, let me give you a quick bio.

John Lasseter holding two of his creations

Lasseter once worked at Disney as an animator, but after having his ideas shot down due to corporate bs, he moved to Apple to help start up Pixar Animation. After years of producing short animated films in CGI, Lasseter (with Steve Jobs' blessing) and his team of animators created the first full length, completley CGI animated film which we know now as "Toy Story". If not for Lasseter we wouldnt have "Toy Story" or "Finding Nemo" or any of those other awesome Pixar movies that the world loves. Lasseter is known in many circles as being a creative genius and someone who understands what people want to see. Lasseter himself wants to be known as this generations "Walt Disney". He takes pride that, just like Walt created the first full length feature cartoon (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) he created the first animated CGI feature film. Lasseter truly loves the Disney legacy and for years Disney had been trying to lure him back into the fold.

So now he's back and he's pretty much going to dicatate whats going to come out of Disney Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering.

You heard right: Lasseter well also be overseeing what gets built at Disney parks around the world! His official titles will be Chief Creative Officer of WDFA /Pixar Animation and Principal Creative Adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering. He will answer to nobody but Disney CEO Bob Iger. This move in particular has Disney fans excited as they want to see what kind of ideas he will come up with for the parks. (It should be noted that Lasseter actually began his Disney career at Disneyland as a Jungle Cruise skipper.) Lasseter already made his first impact on Disney Animation, shutting down pre-production on Disney's "Toy Story 3".

The first teaser poster for Toy Story 3

That's right, Disney had already began work (without Pixar) on another "Toy Story" sequel. Its not that Lasseter was against making another "Toy Story" movie, he just hated the story that Disney had come up with. So we might still see a "Toy Story 3", but it'll be done right. ;-)

So with Jobs and Lasseter installed at Disney things are looking bright for 2006 and beyond. Me personally, I cant wait to see what Jobs does in that boardroom. He doesnt have patience for Hollywood types and their restrictive thinking, so it'll be interesting to see if there's a "house cleaning" on the horizon for the board. As the company's largest shareholder, alot will be riding on Disney's success for him personally so you can bet he's going to pull out all the stops to make things happen.

 

Goodbye WB and UPN! Hello, The CW?!

Gone but not soon forgotten...

The other big "entertainment" story that broke this week was the surprise announcement that this fall The WB and UPN networks would cease to exist and that they would instead merge to become "The CW" (Columbia/Warner).

That is one plain logo!

This is a split 50/50 venture between Warner Bros TV and CBS. Both networks will continue to run as usual until September when the big launch will happen. The TV schedule will be mostly based on The WB's model and lineup(So dont fret Gilmore Girls fans, your show will be back) with some UPN holdovers as well. Shows such as "America's Next Top Model", "Smackdown!" (UPN's longest running and highest rated show) and "Everybody Hates Chris" will be on the new network.

Smackdown and Gilmore Girls on the same network?!

Any show that was borderline about to be cancelled, will probably NOT make the switch however as there just isnt enough room for everyshow. The "FINAL" lineup will be announced in May, so if you're a big UPN or WB fan you might want to tune in then and find out what day "Smallville" or "Girlfriends" will be on. ;-)

Smallville and Veronica Mars back to back? Maybe...

Many people were wondering why these two channels merged. It all came down (as most things do) to money. Both networks have yet to turn a profit and it was either merge or go out of business. It really benefits both networks because they compliment each other very well. UPN has sitcoms and WB has dramas so they've got the two major components in place. I'm curious to see though which shows end up being cancelled for lack of space. There's already rumors that "Everwood" and "One Tree Hill" will be dumped. But like I said, the fate of every show will be decided on in May.

 

Random Stuff

-Disneyland has returned to "off peak" season, so now is the best time to go. Luckily alot of the "50th Anniversary" luster has worn off and its back to "normal" attendance levels. Just be warned that many rides will no doubt be closing in the weeks ahead to be cleaned and repaired.

-ALOT of people have been critical of Kobe Bryant's 81 point game a few nights ago. The words "ball hog", "selfish" and "ego driven" have been thrown around alot. Look, Kobe may not be the most likeable person in the NBA (Or the world for that matter. ;-) ) but there's no denying his greatness on the basketball court. He is one of only a few players who can pretty much control the flow of the game. He is also one of the most entertaining players in the NBA. Besides, if the Lakers were a better team talent wise,he wouldnt have to go out there and score 81 points!!

-Opening in theatres this weekend is "The Mother of All Unneccessary Sequels" Big Momma's House 2!!

OK, this looks KINDA funny

Because the first one left SSOO many questions unanswered. (sigh) Then again, who knows? Maybe there's an audience for it. I mean I know two people that are going to see it. ;-)

-OK, so I know I said I would post a "Superman vs Batman" script review this week. Obviously that didnt happen. My super short review is this: It was too ambitious a project and wouldve been a bad way to re-introduce the "Superman" character to movie goers. If all goes good, I'll have the FULL review next week.

OK, that will do it for now. Hope you all have great weekends. Til the next time!

DQ

Tuesday Breaking News Update

Hello all!!

Wow, what busy day in entertainment today!! First Viacom and Warner Bros announced this morning that they are going to merge their networks (UPN and The WB respectively) and form a new network titled "The CW" (CW= Columbia-Warner). This deal came out of nowhere really.

Then later in the afternoon news hit that The Walt Disney Company has (finally) agreed to purchase Pixar for $7.4 billion!!

Two blockbuster deals in the span of 6 hours!! Wow.

I'll have far more info on these stories tommorrow. Especially the WB/UPN merger as it affects me in someway.

Stay Tuned..

 

DQ

 

Monday Mania

 

Greetings one and all and welcome back to the Two Minute Drill. Hope you all had a great weekend!! Lets get to it shall we?

 

 

Kobe Makes History

Kobe dunks for two of his 81 points

Love him or hate him (and theres alot of people that hate him) there's no denying Kobe Bryant is one of the games premiere scorers and one of the best of all time. He continues to wow and amaze Lakers fans and there are just not enough words to describe his impact on the team.

This past Sunday night, Bryant did what only one other player before him as done and hasnt been done in over 40 years. Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors to lead the Lakers to a 122-104 victory at Staples Center.

You can't stop Kobe..you can only hope to contain him...

Only Wilt Chamberlain has scored more (100 points) and that was in 1962. Bryant swears he didnt set out to break any records, but that it was just "one of those nights."

 

When asked if he would ever challenge Chamberlain's record Bryant just shrugged it off and said "I guess its possible...I dont know"

Kobe talks to the media after his record breaking night

If he gets red hot again and chooses not to pass (He did have 2 assists after all..hehehe) he might just do it.

 

And Then, There Were Two..

Its a good thing I'm not a gambling man!

0-2 in playoff picks this weekend. It just is not clicking at all as far as sports projections go for me. ;-) I did horrible in the MLB playoffs and so far have only picked one right team in the NFL playoffs. I guess I give some teams too much credit.

Take Denver for example:

Denver's Jake Plummer

They were the favorites thanks to Jake Plummers stellar play during the regular season and against New England last week.

Going into the game against Pittsburgh, there was no reason to expect he would tail off.

What I didnt count on was Plummer pretty much disappearing and not showing ANY flashes of the quarterback he was a week ago.

Plummer walks away dejected after being intercepted for the second time.

Bad passes and silly turnovers sealed Denver's fate. Not to mention the fact that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was playing like a man possesed!

Over in the NFC, almost the same scenario. I went with Carolina because I felt they had the momentum after upsetting Chicago last week and their fearless "We Dont Care Where We Play" attitude.

But again, Carolina did not play like they did last week and Seattle crushed them.

The thrill of victory..the agony of..well, you know. ;-)

Well, now its down to Pittsburgh and Seattle in Super Bowl XL. On paper it looks like a good matchup, but the Steelers are being listed as 3 point favorites. OK, I'm holding off on calling this one til next week. Lets see if I can salvage some of my record. ;-)

 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

 

Kate Beckinsale in "Underworld: Evolution"

1)Underworld: Evolution, $27.6 mil: A pretty good opening for a sequel to a cult favorite. The original only grossed $54 million so its already halfway to outgrossing it. Week 2 numbers should be more telling though.

2) Hoodwinked, $11.0 mil: A fun little movie that re-tells the "Little Red Ridding Hood" story. There's some great voice performances and the movie doesnt really drag. Highly recommended.

3) Glory Road, $9.1 mil: Last weeks number 1 drops two slots. I think Disney makes the best inspirational/sport films. Some of my favorite films are "Remember the Titans" and "Miracle". They're movies that just give you goosebumps and make you want to cheer.

4) Last Holiday, $9.1 mil: A virtual tie with "Glory Road". Only a few thousand dollars separated the two films. Queen Latifah is really starting to come into her own as a box office leading lady. This film wasnt really hyped and yet its found an audience.

5) Brokeback Mountain, $7.8 mil: Talk about awards show bump! "Brokeback" made more money this week than the last and climbed into the top 5 for the first time. The buzz continues to grow on this one and it should make some more cash in the next few weeks.

 

Well, that will do it for now. Short update today I know. I was hoping the Disney/Pixar deal wouldve closed by now, but it seems that it MIGHT have hit a snag. Guess we'll find out as the weeks plays out. I finished the "Superman vs Batman"script and my review will be up for it sometime this week. I think you'll find it interesting. It might be a two parter..i haven't decided how much detail I'm going to go into on it.

Here's to a good week ahead. Til the next time..

DQ

TGIF!!

 

HEELLLOOO EVERYBODY!! Welcome back to this patch of the internet that I call the Two Minute Drill. Its finally Friday and I hope you all have fun plans. Lets get started shall we?

 

Yo Adrian! I'm BACK!!!

In 2007 a movie legend returns. "Rocky Balboa" the sixth in a series of films about the boxer will hit theatres Feb 9th, 2007. This is another franchise that was in development limbo for years. Not quite as long as the "Superman" franchise, but it did take a long time. The reason it took so long wasnt because of casting issues or anything like that. Simply put, studios wondered if the world really needed another "Rocky" movie. Sylvester Stallone actually had a script written for this movie back in 2000. He pitched it to various studios, but none really seemed interested. Seeing as how "Rocky V" was such a disaster, one can hardly blame them for not taking a chance on a character that hasnt been seen since 1990. But this is Hollywood we're talking about and one can never say never.

MGM finally agreed to develop the movie in 2002, but put restrictions on Stallone's budget. They offered "only" $15 million to finance the film. Stallone however wanted more than that (rumors put the number anywhere between $30-$60 million) and decided to pull the plug on the project himself.

Then late last year Sony purchased MGM and one of the first projects they got going was the Stallone's "Rocky VI" movie. This time they gave Stallone the money he requested and the movie was alive again.

SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE HIGHLIGHT THE BLANK SPOT BELOW, OTHERWISE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH

This story is set years after the events of "Rocky V". Rocky Balboa is retired and owns a restaurant in Philadelphia. He lives alone now as his wife Adrian has passed on. One day the reigning World Champion Mason "The Line" Dixon challenges Rocky to exhibition bout to prove who is the "Greatest of All Time". Balboa takes the offer and soon he is training for a return to the ring.

Shooting began last month and Sony has already released the first batch of stills from the movie

Damn, Rocky still looks like he can whup some ass. ;-)

Time will tell if Rocky can take box office crown once again.

 

If You Cant Beat Em, Buy Them: Disney to Buy Pixar??!!

For years Pixar and Disney have been partners in the animation field cranking out such htis as "Toy Story 2", "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." Each film scored big at the box office and it seemed that things were going along fine. Then Pixar CEO and owner Steve Jobs felt that Pixar should strike out on its own and become independent of Disney. Instead of Disney helping out with the costs of the films and in turn receiving half of the revenue of the films, Jobs wanted Pixar to finance their own films and just pay Disney a smaller "distribution fee". Well that didnt sit well with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner who wanted to keep their current deal intact.

Eisner, John Lasseter Jobs during happier times.

Eisner and Jobs traded shots on the business pages with Jobs ridiculing Disney management while Eisner pointed out that Pixar films wouldnt do well without Disney's marketing muscle behind it. After months trading verbal jabs, Jobs finally decided he had enough and stated that as soon as their contract was up, Pixar would find another studio to do business with.

Then late last year Bob Iger took over as Disney CEO and his first point of order was to get back into Pixar's good graces.

Well, not only are he and Steve Jobs on the same page, there's actually an offer on the table for Disney to purchase Pixar animation outright.

Things are still in the negotiating stages, but by all accounts things are so far along that a deal could be made as soon as this upcoming Monday. The Disney board will meet this weekend to discuss the ramifications such a deal will have on the company.

If Disney does buy Pixar, Jobs would become the new Chairman of the Disney Board (The #2 job @ Disney) and the largest stockholder in the company. What this means is unclear (other than the fact that he's going to be richer than he is now) but stockholders and Wall St. analyst are excited at the possibility of Disney and Pixar being one company.

As far as what fans of both companies are thinking? Well so far reaction has been positive as people are wondering just what kind of changes Jobs would try to implement as the new Chairman of Disney. We'll find out Monday if this thing goes through or not!

 

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

Its almost time for Super Bowl XL (40) and this Sunday the conference championships will be held to decide who will take the trip to the bowl.

In the AFC we've got the Denver Broncos vs The Pittsburgh Steelers, while the NFC side has the Seattle Seahawks going up against the Carolina Panthers. If these games live up to the hype, we're in for some great football this weekend.

Jake Plummer looks to lead the Broncos back the Super Bowl.

My Predictions: OK, I havent done this in awhile, but lets see how right I am this time. In the AFC game you've got two top notch teams in the Broncos and Steelers. This one is difficult to call because both teams match up pretty evenly. As much as I would love to see the Steelers' Jerome Bettis win his first Super Bowl ring, I'm gonna have to go with Denver. The Broncos are undefeated at home and that Mile High Air takes alot out of visiting teams.

Can Steve Smith and the Panthers overcome Seattle's homefield advantage?

The NFC game should be a classic (If both teams are on their game) and while Seattle is a tough home team also, I have to give the slight edge to the Panthers because they are just as tough to beat on the road. So my Super Bowl XL prediction is Broncos vs Panthers. If I'm wrong, feel free to blast me on Monday! ;-)

Final Thought

I started this blog about a year ago and I wouldve never in my wildest dreams thought it would become as popular as it has. I see the hit count on my page and I'm just like "Wow...you like me..you really like me!" ;-) Seriously, I want to say thank you to YOU my readers. You push me to keep updating and I do it for you. So thanx for taking time out of your day to read what a would be journalist has to say. Here's to another year of "The Drill". ;-)

Thats it for this week. Hopefully I'll be back on Monday with more news. Til then..

DQ

Thursday Misc

Hello one and all! Welcome back to the Drill. Sorry for the slow update week. Truth is, I've had like zero time to update. I had so many things to write about (NFL playoffs, Golden Globes, etc) and I never got a chance to put it down. Sorry about that. Rather than rehash old news, i figured I'd just move on and give you guys a grab bag update today. So lots of random news in this one. Sit back and enjoy.

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain Update

Yeah, thats right Magic Mountain. Havent done one of those, but then again Magic Mountain hasnt really had any newsworthy things happen lately. Thats all changing now though with the arrival of its 17th roller coaster named "Tatsu". Tatsu is a brand new state of the art "flying" coaster. What this means is, that you are strapped in at an angle so that when the ride starts your arms and feet are dangling freely as if you are "flying" Superman style. Thats right: face down. Here's a promotional poster for the ride:

The ride is being built high atop the park in the "Samurai Summit" area next to "Ninja". Because it is being custom built for Magic Mountain the ride is being integrated into the landscape of the mountain. So expect to be "flying" between trees, over trees and alongside "Revolution". The rides will actually cross paths on several turns and give the illusion of a collision.

The teaser preview can be seen here.

It looks awesome and I cant wait to ride it. I've included some construction pictures below:

The lift hill (photo courtesy of David Lane)

random construction worker (photo courtesy of Sixflags.com)

Construction of the loading station (photo courtesy of David Lane)

As you can see the ride will be located right next to Ninja (Photo courtesy of David Lane)

"Tatsu" takes flight Spring of 2006. (Yes that was my lame marketing tag line..I swear I dont work for them..anymore. ;-))

Spider-Man 3 News

Well, this film is still about a year away, but the news keeps coming and the latest news is that Bryce Dallas Howard has signed on to play "Gwen Stacy". Stacy, in the comic books, is Peter Parker's first true love who dies as Spider-Man tries to save her from the Green Goblin. In the movie however, Stacy will be the third point of a love triangle between Peter and Mary Jane Watson. It'll be interesting to see what Howard looks like when (or if) she dyes her hair blond to match her character.

 

 Bryce and Gwen

Spider-Man 3 begins shooting later this month and will be released May 4th, 2007. Cant wait to see the first publicity shots for Venom (Played by Topher Grace) and Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church). Not to mention the fact that James Franco is reprising his role of Harry Osbourne and is rumored to be playing the Green Goblin II in this one. Wow, 3 super villans in one movie? They're going all out for this "final" film arent they? ;-)

Some Superman Returns Tidbits

Did anyone see when Brandon Routh presented at the Golden Globes on Monday night alongside former Lois Lane, Terry Hatcher?

Routh and Hatcher at the 2006 Golden Globes

His resemblance to the late Christopher Reeve is amazing!

Warner Bros released some more publicity photos

Mirror image. Is it me or does he look like Dean Cain here? ;-)

A quick note about my "Superman (Finally) Returns" story (Thanx to all of you for the kind words regarding the story) I found something else out about Tim Burton's version of "Superman". Apprently, Burton already had someone in mind to play Lex Luthor when production was shut down. None other than Johnny Depp!!

Picture him bald..that wouldve been a trip!

That wouldve been an interesting casting choice, thats for sure. I cant help but wonder what kind of Lex Luthor, Johnny Depp wouldve made. I guess we'll never know.

Random Thoughts

-Good to see Shaq and Kobe finally getting somewhat along.

Peace at last??

Lets just see if it was for real or for show

-The first ever World Baseball Classic will be held this March at various locations around the world. Teams from 16 countries will compete to become baseball's first every true World Champion. Countries include, USA (duh), Mexico, Japan, Italy (what the???), China, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and more. I cant help but feel that the US team isnt going to fare that well. The best players are no longer from here, but from other countries. Had they held this tournament like 5 or 6 years ago the US wins hands down. But now, the tide is turning. Should be a fun tournament to watch.

 

-Through a friend at Warner Bros I have in my possesion the script for the abandoned "Superman vs Batman" movie. I didnt really talk about this in my "Superman (Finally) Returns" series because I really didnt have that much info on it other than the fact that the director of "Troy" and "The Perfect Storm" (Wolfgang Petersen) had pitched the idea to Warner Bros. However the logistics just never came together and Peterson ditched the idea.  I didnt even know it had made it to script til now. I'll be reading it over the next few days and give you a indepth review sometime next week.

Well that will do it for now. I've got more to write about, but that will have to wait for the next update. Stay tuned for info regarding "Rocky VI" (Including the first pics) and the rumored Disney takeover of Pixar.  Til the next time

DQ

send feedback to twominutedrill8@yahoo.com