TWILIGHT’S Female Director is Now #1
November 23, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under MOVIES
Based on estimates made on Sunday, Catherine Hardwick (THIRTEEN, LORDS OF DOGTOWN) now has the largest opening weekend for a female director. TWILIGHT brought in approx $70.6 million dollars, beating the old record held by Mimi Leder. whose film, DEEP IMPACT, had opened at $41.1 million dollars back in 1998.
Plans for a sequel based on the 2nd book, NEW MOON, are already under way, but it’s not known if Catherine Hardwick will helm it. She’s said, “I want to be sure that it’s going to be done right. I don’t want to rush into it. It’s not like “FRIDAY THE 13TH” or “HALLOWEEN,” you can’t just do it super fast and knock another one out. I want to understand their plans and all that.” However, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are already on board for the second installment.
AUSTRALIA – Lose Yourself in the Movie
November 14, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under MOVIES
I’ve always had an affinity for all things Australian, especially their movies and actors. A few of my all-time favorite Australian movies are THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, MAD MAX, GALLIPOLI. CROCODILE DUNDEE, PITCH BLACK, BREAKER MORANT, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA – QUEEN OF THE DESERT and STRICTLY BALLROOM. (They seem to have a little something for everyone: drama, sci fi, horror, comedy, crossdressing, comedic dancing… And the gorgeous scenery! Wow…)
And the actors that have come out of Australia are amazing: Cate Blanchett, Claudia Black, Bryan Brown, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Paul Mercurio, Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are just a few of the people I will go out of my way to watch–and listen to. Gotta love that accent! (Must be something in the water that keeps churning out all that talent…)
Speaking of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, they have a new movie coming out in theaters November 26th: AUSTRALIA.
According to the synopsis:
“AUSTRALIA is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in this country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat (NICOLE KIDMAN) travels to the faraway continent where she meets a rough-hewn local (HUGH JACKMAN) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbour. With his new film, director Baz Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvas, creating a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.”
It should be interesting to see how Lurhmann does with such dark subject matter as the bombing of Darwin. I loved STRICTLY BALLROOM (quite twisted, yet touching), but MOULIN ROUGE! didn’t quite hit the mark and both were musicals, not large-scale dramas. (I only saw a little of ROMEO+JULIET – I’m not a huge Leonardo diCaprio fan.)
Russell Crowe was to be in AUSTRALIA originally, but the part went instead to Hugh Jackman. Rounding out the main cast are Bryan Brown, David Wenham, Essie Davis, and Jack Thompson.
“Lose yourself in the movie, find yourself in Australia…” (Tagline from the movie)
One of these days I’ve just got to visit that country and see it for myself. Films just aren’t enough…
2008 CMA Award Winners Announced
November 12, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under MUSIC
For the 4th time in 5 years, singer Kenny Chesney went home with the big prize: Entertainer of the Year. He beat out Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland and Keith Urban to take top honors in this year’s Country Music Awards. Other winners included:
TWILIGHT Already Setting Records
November 12, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under MOVIES, MUSIC
The movie hasn’t even come out yet, but TWILIGHT, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, has already set a record – its soundtrack album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, outperforming AC/DC’s Black Ice at #2, followed by the soundtrack to Disney’s High School Musical 3 at #3, Hinder’s Take It to the Limit at #4 with Pink’s Funhouse taking spot #5.
It’s highly unusual for a soundtrack to top the charts before the movie has even hit the screens, much less take the #1 spot.
The movie, based on Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling series, comes out in theaters November 21st. Stewart (ZATHURA) plays Bella Swan, a teenager who finds herself in love with a vampire played by Pattinson (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE).
Based on the reception the album has already received, it’s probably a safe bet the movie itself will also score big at the box office. (Pattinson has been continually mobbed at pre-screening events by hundreds and thousands of young girls trying to get a glimpse of the actor bringing the supernatural “Edward Cullen” to life.)
If you want to check out the music for yourself, click on the box below:
Now That Obama’s President, Will the Next Doctor Be Black?
November 9, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under ACTORS, Doctor Who, TV SHOWS
Ever since David Tennant has said he’ll be passing the reins of The Doctor on to another actor after 2009, speculation has been rife as to who the next Doctor might be. In the wake of Barack Obama’s election to the highest office in America, will it now be time to have a black actor take over one of the most beloved sci fi roles in Britain (and the world)?
Book Pricing – How to Determine Book Values Part 3
November 8, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM
Filed under AUTHORS/BOOKS
So, you’ve decided you want to sell books online after all, but need to find out what price you’d have to set on each to make a profit. So, where do you even start? Here’s some ideas of how you could get to the numbers you need.
(The following examples are based on selling on eBay as of November 2008, with the fees in effect at that time and the given that only PayPal will be accepted from now on, and are only a guideline. You’ll need to put in your own actual expenses to get your possible income/profit.)
HEROES Shake-Up
November 3, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM
Filed under Heroes, TV SHOWS
According to Variety, the catchphrase from the first season of HEROES was “save the cheerleader.” This season, it could be “save the scripts.”
Tim Kring, the series creator and executive producer has axed his co-exec producers and writing team, Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, in an effort to prove to the network that he will be taking a more personal hands-on approach to the upcoming season. NBC has been hinting that he’d delegated too much of the story development to the two and that the series had gone from a fan-favorite good-vs.-evil virtual live comic book to an overly convoluted, overly plotted confusing mess. Given the $4M an episode price tag, NBC is definitely interested in getting the show back to its old numbers. (Viewership dropped almost 21% from season 2 in the main demographics.)
The firing, however, may now prove a little awkward: On Nov. 15, Kring is supposed to appear at the Screenwriting Expo at the L.A. Convention Center, with Alexander and Loeb. (Oops.) However, it looks like it may be great for us fans if we can get back to the characters we all love to hate and hate to love…
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
November 3, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM
Filed under MOVIES
Coming January 2009, this prequel to UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION brings back Bill Nighy (Viktor), Michael Sheen (Lucian), Shane Brolly (Kraven) and Kevin Grevioux (Raze – he also helped write the original story the first movie was based on).
Rhona Mitra takes over the part of Sonja, Lucian’s love. (Her character was only previously seen in flashback, played by Jazmin Damak.)
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS gives us the backstory of the Death Dealers and their slaves, the Lycans, taking us to where it all began. (UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION already gave us some of the origin story, but this provides the entire tale.)
THE INTERNATIONAL (2009): Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
November 2, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under ACTORS, Clive Owen, MOVIES
They control your money. They control your government. They control your life. And everybody pays. THE INTERNATIONAL tells the story of an Interpol agent (Clive Owen) who attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution’s role in an international arms dealing ring. It also stars Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl and James Rebhorn. Here are some stills from the upcoming movie, due out February 13, 2009: 
Boy, Clive Owen is easy on the eyes… (Even when it looks like he’s been dragged behind a car…) He’s one of my favorite actors: intense, believable, classy and intelligent.
Bio Fuels – Are They The Answer?
November 2, 2008 by Spotlight-On WM
Filed under Bio Fuels, ENVIRO, Solar Power, Wind Power
As the term suggests, bio-fuels are fuels that are formed when biological matter decomposes. The bio-fuels are mostly derived from plants. Bio-fuels exist in all the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Difference between bio-fuels and fossil fuels Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways: Read more
