Nevada’s Free-Movie Lovers Ambushed With ‘Valkyrie’ Screening [Building Der Buzz]
Nevada’s Free-Movie Lovers Ambushed With ‘Valkyrie’ Screening [Building Der Buzz]
Valkyrie. It’s that rare movie which, without even having been released, has already managed to break free from its celluloid constraints to become a genuine state of mind. (”How you feeling?” “Oh, a little Valkyrieish, you?” “Same.”) We all know the story by now: Odd flight of historical fancy by Nazi-obsessed director Bryan Singer; Tom Cruise signs on, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Col. Shtuffel Von Klingenhauser, the movie’s famed Hitler-hunter; mishaps and flatulence follow, Nazis are injured and sue; and its studio crumbles amid a round of musical release dates. But through it all, has anyone actually seen this thing? According to E! Online, top secret testing is currently underway at an undisclosed location somewhere in Nevada known only as Area Einundfünfzig—and what they are learning there is nothing short of astonishing:
Valkyrie, Cruise’s upcoming flick about the real-life failed attempt by high-ranking German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler, has been screen-tested for regular ol’ moviegoers in Nevada, I’m hearing.
The audiences weren’t aware of what they would be seeing because they had been blindly solicited to attend a free movie at their local multiplex.
I’m told most of the audiences were really diggin’ the flick. “They liked it,” a source says. “Most people said it was a suspense thriller.”
Indeed, 7 out of 10 Valkyrie viewers rated the film as “as good or better than Babylon A.D.,” though a majority of comment cards also found themselves disappointed by the less-than-uplifting ending, in which a captured Tom Cruise is fed to the Führer’s sows as punishment for his treasonous crimes. Look for a much more upbeat and high-octane climax when the film finally hits theaters this Christmas.
[Photo credit: MGM]
While we found yesterday’s 8,000 word New Yorker profile of Alec Baldwin to be an engrossing (if entirely too long) read, we were able to find one person who was less than impressed by Baldwin’s long-winded rants about the perils of being impossibly rich and famous: My Name Is Earl creator/executive producer Greg Garcia. In the piece, not only did Baldwin blast the suits who run NBC’s programming and promo departments for “wring(ing) the last drops” out of Thursday night comedy staples like Earl and Scrubs while 30 Rock is treated like a “red-headed stepchild”, he also indirectly criticized the quality of said shows by labeling both as “done” and “cooked.” Naturally, this irked Garcia, who spoke exclusively with Defamer this morning about his thoughts on his show’s performance, 30 Rock’s ratings and, of course, Baldwin himself:
“Maybe the reason enough people aren’t watching 30 Rock to make Mr. Baldwin happy is because Alec Baldwin is so unlikable as a person. 30 Rock is a really funny show. And Alec Baldwin is funny as long as someone else is writing his words. When left to his own devices, he sounds like a psychotic narcissist who whines about being rich for 8 pages in The New Yorker.”
“Instead of blaming NBC, I think Alec should consider that some people in America may not want to watch a man who cusses out his own 11 year old daughter on a phone message, calling her a “rude thoughtless little pig.” It’s a shame that the people who produce such a funny show have to put up with such a distasteful man on a daily basis. It makes me thankful to have such a wonderful cast on My Name is Earl, a show that is still going strong and has helped bring an audience to 30 Rock over the last few years. You’re welcome, Alec.
Oh, and the reason NBC occasionally puts on an hour-long episode of Earl is because an hour of Earl gets better ratings than an Earl followed by a 30 Rock. It’s called math, stupid.”
Huzzah! We’ve got to admit, nothing warms our cockles like a good ole fashioned catfight between two strong anchors of NBC’s Thursday night lineup. We would think that Ben Silverman would be able to bring peace to these warring factions, but then again, it’s a crapshoot as to whether or not he’s even showing up for work these days. Our only piece of advice at this point is directed to Greg Garcia: if Alec Baldwin decides to ring you up this afternoon, be sure to let that call go straight to voicemail.
PREVIOUSLY: Inside Alec Baldwin: A ‘Nudist,’ A ‘Homosexual,’ A Rock Music Aficionado, And a Tormented Soul
Russell Brand Offers Eva Longoria Parker a Water Sports-Soaked Threesome [Tinkling]
When we think of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, we picture a family-friendly forum where Republican candidates can come to read funny headlines out loud and maybe, finally, meet a real-life black musician. Lately, though, our G-rated suppositions have gone to hell as the lame-duck Leno has regaled the audience with stories about his interest in an underage Jessica Biel and his auto-erotic fantasies involving actress Scarlett Johansson. Into a more ribald chat show, then, does cheeky VMAs host Russell Brand walk — and boy, does he make the most of it:
When we think of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, we picture a family-friendly forum where Republican candidates can come to read funny headlines out loud and maybe, finally, meet a real-life black musician. Lately, though, our G-rated suppositions have gone to hell as the As he sits on the couch next to guest Eva Longoria Parker, a misheard reference to PETA sends the comedian on a tangent that splashes the audience with sexual offers they’ve likely never contemplated before bedtime. Bold talk when delivered to a Desperate Housewife, Russell, but we’re reserving your comedy credibility until you introduce Miley Cyrus to the concept of a Dutch Oven during this weekend’s VMAs.
Angelina is still pregnant
Fire Up Your Oscars: Here Come Da ‘Milk’! [Femmes, Homos, Leathermen, Lend Me Your Ears]
Here it is: The trailer for Milk, Gus Van Sant’s retelling of the swift rise and violent and untimely fall of America’s first openly gay elected official, set against a backdrop of the swinging San Francisco of the late ’70s. Everything here seems note-perfect, from Sean Penn’s Horshackian (with base notes of I Am Sam) vocal inflections, to the meticulously executed period gayfros, to the Anita Bryant file footage (here’s some more of Bryant getting a banana cream pie in the face; ah—that never gets old), to the portentous-but-not-too-portentous tagline: “His life changed history. His courage changed lives.” You thought a pair of lovelorn cowboys shot in silhouette were enough to nudge the Oscar envelope? Just wait until Sean Penn’s Best Actor clip—featuring the actor entwined in James Franco’s naked folds and delivering a stirring monologue on answering one’s higher calling—shows the Academy how one really gays their way to the gold.
Here it is: - Milk [Apple Trailers]
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