Monday night, urg

[cleolinda]

Kind of blech with the allergies today--mostly did fact-checking with the Cloverfield DVD (see linkspam below for more), and man, do I wish my sister could remember her Netflix password so I could get the '79 Dracula DVD for a day or two, and that's assuming it exists--so I'm just gonna move right on through:

Prince's desert reign at Coachella; Prince plays Coachella, covers Radiohead.

Pointless scandal du jour: A Topless Photo Threatens a Major Disney Franchise (Full picture); Growing pains for the Miley Cyrus phenom; More Miley from Vanity Fair; Miley Cyrus sorry about Vanity Fair pics; Miley Cyrus Is Not The Innocent Victim That Disney Makes Her Out To Be. Not that it matters, but it seems to me like she was probably fine with the pictures until suddenly everyone and Disney's grandmother flipped out; once Cyrus realized she wasn't going to be lauded for being brave and artistic, she turned on Leibowitz. It may actually have been the bedsheet that pushed the pictures over the edge, or rather, the implied context of a bedsheet--if it had been a beach towel, same pose, there might have actually been less fuss.

From punzerel: "Would you mind posting a link to www.healemru.com? They're trying to spread the word about bone marrow donations and how difficult it can be for people to find a match - especially people in some minority groups. "You can help by registering for your country's bone marrow registry and spreading the word about the need to diversify its database. Registering can help save not only Emru's life, but that of one of the many other patients waiting for a bone marrow transplant." If people have questions they can email info at healemru dot com (which goes to Emru and his sister - she can also be reached throuugh her LJ, kino_kid)."

From entropy_and_me: "Apparently a group of bloggers and artists have had their artwork and interviews stolen by a Hong Kong publisher, and illegally bound into a book. The creators of the material are having a hard time getting ahold of any responsible parties, and are asking for the article to be spread, to prevent people from buying the book."

Michael Chabon and Nancy Kress Top the List of Nebula Winners.

Microsoft-Yahoo deadline passes quietly.

Mars Reportedly Near Deal to Acquire Wrigley, a potential monopoly that would be 100% more delicious than MicroHoo!.

This is for foresthouse: Chinchilla party!

MySpace unveils new karaoke feature.

Rufus Wainwright to compose opera.

Tom Cruise's Fling With Cher WHAT?

Angela Bassett to join final season of 'ER.'

Dark Knight Viral Updates: New Posters and Joker Instructions; It's All Part of the Plan - Joker's Nationwide Trailer Hunt! Never have so many people worked so hard to get two minutes of footage, y'all.

Guillermo Del Toro Wants Original LOTR Cast Back for ‘The Hobbit’: “I want to be very clear about this. I am not going to recast any actor that is willing and able to work with us. It would be my hope to bring back the same actors to play the parts. The casting on the trilogy was perfect.” However: Del Toro Not Right for 'Hobbit'?

Carrow Sister Cast for "Half-Blood Prince."

New Mistily Lit 'X-Files: I Want To Believe' Photo; another photo and interview/article.

Clive Owen Talks 'Duplicity,' 'International,' and Career Options.

Favreau: Iron Man's Downey Is Perfect. I have to say, the moment I got interested in seeing the movie was that part early in the trailer when Downey's taking a picture with whichever soldier and says, "Please, no gang signs... I'm kidding, throw 'em up." That is someone I want to see a movie about.

"Roar!" available on iTunes (thanks, sigma7!); Behind the scenes with TJ Miller in Cloverfield; Cloverfield Ringtone and Monster Sounds. We rented the DVD over the weekend, by the way--just the plain Jane version, not any of the crazy retailer-"exclusive" versions. I was a little frustrated with the director's commentary because Matt Reeves tended to speak in generalities, rather than, like, you know, "Look at this part right here, you'll see that...," etc. I wanted some answers, dammit (What is the first explosion that you see from the rooftop? I mean, it's not like Clovie slam-dunked a building with dynamite. And did Lily's helicopter also crash or not? If Clovie was based off various real-world things--the eyes of a shark, like they mention--then where the hell did the long strider legs come from? Who in the ocean needs those? And what is he made of that bullets, bombs and missiles don't make a dent? Adamantium?), and I didn't get any.

Emile Hirsch Talks ‘Speed Racer’ Sequel Prospects.

Johnny and Marion - On the set of "Public Enemies."

First Look: Denzel Washington in 'The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three.'

Scarlett Heads to Ireland to Play the Famous 'Mary, Queen of Scots.'

Worth Watching - April 27: Alan Ball's 'Towelhead' Trailer.

First Look: 'When in Rome' & 'Amelia' Set Photos.

First Look at the Teaser Poster for 'Dragonball.'

7 Hurt in G.I. Joe Crash in Prague.

'Speed 3': The Non-Existent Sequel Nobody Wants.

Bruce Campbell is a Snuggly, White Angel.

Comments

[golden-d.livejournal.com]

mostly did fact-checking with the Cloverfield DVD

So, I definitely read that as "fart-checking", and I was all, "Uh...what? Sure, okay."

It's a tribute to my overtired brain that, somehow, fart-checking managed to make sense. I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the packaging.

[redpistolet.livejournal.com]

I was wondering what the Miley scandal was they were gossiping about on the radio this afternoon. They said her parents were mortified!

Like she really did the photo shoot without them, right?
I happen to like her, even though I'm far past the age of teeny-bopper. :D It's just a photo, it's not a sex tape. How many Disney viewers read Vanity Fair anyhow? Sheesh.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Actually, her father is IN one of the pictures (see the "More Miley from Vanity Fair" link).

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

And you know, this is the first time I've listened to "Roar" without insipid cinema blather in the background and y'all're right, it's pretty nifty. (Though I highly recommend making up your own lyrics, even if they're all derivations of OM NOM NOM NOM or I CAN HAS STOMPING NAO; it gets pleasantly Elfmanesque.)

And concurred re: Downey as Stark. That trailer made me like...not like Stark, but like Downey as Stark, and that's a tricky thing to do.

And I'm sorry, the Cyrus thing just makes me roll my eyes and chuckle and make me want to make some offhand comment about fifteen-year-olds and unclothed photography that would get me in a lot of trouble, probably with Roger Clemens (and is that a headline (http://www.cbc.ca/sportsnews/story/2008/04/28/clemens-report-mccready.html) out of the random headline generator or what? Insert "Cy Young" joke here).

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

"Roar" has seriously grown on me, yeah. At first I just wanted to hear it again just to hear it, but now I've had it on repeat for a day or so.

even if they're all derivations of OM NOM NOM NOM or I CAN HAS STOMPING NAO

Just on a tangent, you know the "Bridge of Khazad-dum" music in FOTR, when they're all running down the stone stairs away from the balrog? I swear it sounds like there's a chorus in the background chanting "JIGGLYPUUUUUUFF! JIGGLYPUUUUUUFF!"

[la-petite-singe.livejournal.com]

Oy, the Miley thing is so stupid. ONTD's been exploding over it. One minute she's saying it was fun and glamourous, and the next she's all ashamed. Frankly, I think she should just feel honored to be photographed by the incomparable Annie and STFU already, but I guess we need drama. And I think your point about it being a bedsheet is quite good; I didn't think of that before...but for heaven's sake, it's just her back. I hate that nudity = sex = dirty in this culture. :P

I also quite love that Iron Man quote. :D I can't wait for this weekend.

[phanatic.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I think she should just feel honored to be photographed by the incomparable Annie

My first thought upon seeing it was that, for Annie, this is a really weak photograph.

[missmiah.livejournal.com]

Amazon has a listing for Dracula starring Frank Langella (http://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Frank-Langella/dp/B0002KVULG/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1209434811&sr=8-7) on DVD. It's one of my favorite versions.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'What is the first explosion that you see from the rooftop?'

Wasn't that the Tagruato tanker being destroyed?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I mean the part on the roof, where debris starts raining down and everyone starts running. Is that the tanker? I thought it had already done whatever.

[phanatic.livejournal.com]

"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," she said.


Riiight, 'cause that's so much worse than deliberately manipulating a 15-year-old in order to sell albums.

Yeesh. This is "topless" nowadays? She's no more topless than any girl who's gone to a high school semiformal in a backless dress. The infantilization of teenagers keeps getting more ridiculous every day.

[swirlingchaos.livejournal.com]

SRSLY. I mean, look at the crap kids wear to school these days. The sheet shows less and suggests less than what she probably wears in the freaking show. Its not like shes stripping it off; instead it looks more like she's trying to cover up.

Frankly i find the over-application of makeup in the photo to be more tasteless than the sheet/towel, and the whole issue to be completely retarded. Of course that doesnt make it any less potentially destructive to her career than the Dixie chicks famous anti-Bush comments. The american media needs a good hard kick in the teeth.

[secretnthewings.livejournal.com]

"Apparently a group of bloggers and artists have had their artwork and interviews stolen by a Hong Kong publisher, and illegally bound into a book."

Grrrrr. That kind of stuff really gets me riled. Especially since the publishing company I work for (http://www.klutz.com/) is currently having an issue with someone illegally printing knockoffs of our books in China. Don't they know that piracy is only acceptable when it involves Johnny Depp and pervasive elements of the supernatural? Jeez.

[rectpropagation.livejournal.com]

That's the photo people are upset about? BOOO!
They couldn't find anything else to be offended by?

It would have been really awesome if her and her family had said "Boo" too instead of acting all horrified.

That Hong Kong publisher needs a dose of the old public humiliation. When a company fails to help a customer with a product a video smashing said product usually gets some attention. There's got to be an equivalent for when a company steals your stuff.

Dracula

[tacotoes.livejournal.com]

de-lurking to inform everyone that yes, Dracula 79 is on Netflix in DVD form, and is currently third in my cue. hope you get yours soon, cleo.
*re-lurking*

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

All Miley has to complain about is that Annie friggin Leibowitz was behind the camera and the photo stilled turned out to be a really unattractive one of her...

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Oh, Angela Bassett! I have such a crush on her, and we don't get to see her nearly enough. If only it were something that I might actually watch...

[pygmymetal.livejournal.com]

Have you heard the Prince cover of 'Creep'? It's AWESOME!! There are some mp3s on elbo.ws (yes that is the URL). He is an under-celebrated treasure. *sigh*

[lovefromgirl.livejournal.com]

...I'm sorry, but it's Annie freaking Leibovitz. You'd think allowances would be made for artistic license, given the woman's incredible talent, no?

I think it was brave and artistic. Instead of jumping on Miley's bare back, why aren't these worried people concentrating on the real at-risk teen population? [ETA: Like, for example, some of the talent coaches in Hollywood these days? I recently had a run-in with one -- who supplied talent for Hannah Montana -- who admitted to sexual frustrations regarding very, very young women. So why don't these grannies sodding shut him down?]

[sorchar.livejournal.com]

Mm, the 79 Dracula. Yes on DVD. If you lived closer, I'd lend you my copy. Heck, I'd lend it to you anyway.

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the moment I got interested in seeing the movie was that part early in the trailer when Downey's taking a picture with whichever soldier and says, "Please, no gang signs... I'm kidding, throw 'em up." That is someone I want to see a movie about.

Yeah, between that and the "let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing" moment in the newer trailer is what really sold me on seeing Downey as this character (seeing the sexy sexy armor design helped too), as someone who was never really that into Iron Man.

[punzerel.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for posting the link :)))

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

I was at the Los Angeles location for the trailer of TDK. TOTALLY WORTH IT! XD

But man, you ever watch 28 weeks later, when there's like hundreds of zombies at the beginning running after one guy? Picture that, but with clown make-up.

[jamaillith.livejournal.com]

Uh.. don't tell no-one I told you, but.. TDK trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqzL7Fc1gqM) has been 'tubed.

[alevai.livejournal.com]

Re: Miley Cyrus
To quote (I think) Benazir Bhutto: "the fault lies in your own nasty minds, and I cannot help that."
All I see is some kid in a towel. *shrugs* Exposed flesh=/(necessarily)=sex.

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for others, but to me it's not the exposed flesh. It's that combined with the rumpled hair and bedsheet that seems to pretty strongly imply it.

Although personally, I don't really care one way or the other because I'm as interested in the talent-vaccum Cyrus family (I had to suffer through her father's one-hit wonder soiling the airwaves when I was in high school) as I'm interested in swimming with great white sharks. It's just that I can see where other people are coming from, and I don't think it's because they're all secret kiddie porn enthusiasts.

[pinstripe-bindi.livejournal.com]

So ER's finally kicking the bucket? I gave up on that show when Abbie got pregnant. They can never think of anything to do with the female characters besides turn them into mothers.

ScarJo as Mary, Queen of Scots? Ugh, whatever. I just finished reading Alison Weir's book about her, and I gotta say: Not seeing it. Maybe if she wasn't such a horrible, wooden actress.

[quasar360.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you've already seen this, but I think it would be exciting news to any Star Wars fans in your readership (I know I found it squee-inducing):
Del Rey Offers Free Download of First Book in Legacy of the Force Series (http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/news20080428.html)

Just to clarify: it's a promotion for the upcoming release of the last book in the series (the first book has been out for some time), but it's a cool opportunity if you still haven't read the first book or don't own a copy.

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you're getting all kinds of links for this "Scarlet" fake-tv-show viral-marketing scheme. The idea of fleshing out an imaginary series makes me giggle like a schoolgirl, so here's a wiki I set up (http://scarletshow.pbwiki.com/) for exactly that purpose. I suspect I'm not the only one who'd love to take the concept and run with it. :)

[caersidi.livejournal.com]

Re the Miley Cyrus, Germaine Greer has written an article in today 'Guardian' newspaper about it.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/photography/story/0,,2276876,00.html