“Dreamgirls” are going on tour

Source: Variety.com

“Dreamgirls” is set to hit the stage for a national tour. Considering the success of the movie remake “Dreamgirls”, it was only a matter of time before they revived the stage show. Former Americal Idol contestant, Syesha Mercado will be part of the national tour cast. According to Playbill.com, the national tour will kick off in November 2009 at the Apollo theater in New York City. In further news, the Academy Award nominated song “Listen” will also be part of the tour. For more information on the tour, visit the tour’s official website.

BBC remakes “Emma”

Source: Variety.com

BBC is planning to remake “Emma”, starring Romola Garai (“Atonement”). Johnny Lee Miller (“Eli Stone”) is also set to star in the film as well as Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter Series”). Miller is no stranger to Jane Austen, as he played Edmund in the big screen version of “Mansfield Park” which premiered in 1999. Also the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps”, starring Rupert Penry-Jones (“Persuasion”, “MI-5″) will air on Masterpiece according to the Variety article.

Legend of the Seeker – Book vs. Show

Season 1 of “Legend of the Seeker” has come to a close and summer reruns has commenced. Before the 2nd season starts, I thought this would be a good time to go through the season as a whole and how it relates to the book. Season One is based upon the first book, “Wizard’s First Rule”, of the “Sword of Truth” series by Terry Goodkind. While the show has taken some creative liberties, for the most part…I feel the core of the book is well adapted to the small screen. For those who haven’t read “Wizard’s First Rule”, this post is chock full of spoilers. I am going to try to relate the book to the relevant episodes on the show. Some of the questions that I will answer in this Book vs. Show rundown are: Is Darken Rahl really dead? Are Darken Rahl and Richard Cypher brothers? Finally…my thoughts on what to expect for Season 2 of “Legend of the Seeker”.

Summer Movie Season: July 2009

July is almost upon us, so what potential blockbusters are waiting in the wings? Two words: Harry Potter. I cannot wait to see this film! The trailers and clips look amazing and the book is awesome! Potter fans unite! If you haven’t read the books, or have yet to see any of the movies…you need to see this film! “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is one of the best books of the Harry Potter series and the film is going to be epic (if done right).

Other films that will challenge for top of the box office, in my opinion, will include “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”, “Bruno” starring Sasha Baron Cohen (“Borat”), and “Public Enemies” starring Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (“La vie en rose”). There are a few comedies and romantic comedies to look out for including “I Hate Valentine’s Day” which reunites the stars of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Nia Vardalos has also written and directed this film, so I am intrigued. Heroes’ star Hayden Panettiere is Beth Cooper in the book to movie adaptation of “I Love You, Beth Cooper” by Larry Doyle (“The Simpsons”). Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”）and Gerard Butler (“300″) pair up on screen for “The Ugly Truth”, which looks like a cross between “Someone Like You” meets “Broadcast News”. Judd Apatow’s latest film, “Funny People”, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan will be in theaters at the end of the month which looks to be both funny and possibly a tear jerker. What kind of summer would it be if there wasn’t an animated comedic cartoon by Disney? Disney’s “G-Force” in 3D will be premiering later in the month.

Two movies of note are “In the Loop” and “(500) Days of Summer”.  Both movies were official selections at the Sundance Film Festival this year. “In the Loop” looks hilarious and “(500) Days of Summer” looks really cute and it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) and Zooey Deschanel (“Yes Man”). To find out the complete list of July releases, click to continue reading on.

AI Encore to pay tribute to the “King of Pop”

During yesterday’s broadcast (June 25, 2009) of Fox’s reality show “So You Think You Can Dance”, host Cat Deeley announced that Fox will re-air the performance show of the Top 13 American Idol Season 8 contestants performing Michael Jackson songs as a tribute to the “King of Pop”. The American Idol: Michael Jackson special will air on Monday, June 29, 2009.

More Nominees…but only one can win

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Next year there is going to be a change to the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced that 10 Best Picture nominees will be named instead of 5. I think this is really exciting news! Of course only one movie can be crowned “Best Picture”, but at least more movies will be acknowledged because it is an honor just to be nominated, right?

The Magic of “Merlin” was not quite magical

Colin Morgan as "Merlin" - Image courtesy of NBC.com

Yesterday, June 21, 2009, was the series premiere of “Merlin” on NBC and I have to say…I wasn’t quite impressed. The trailers and clips made the show seem “magical” so I was a bit underwhelmed after watching the premiere. Coupled with the premiere of “Merlin” was the promise of showing an exclusive clip of the upcoming movie, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”. Unfortunately, this was not exactly a “new” clip – it was just an extended clip of a scene from the movie’s many trailers that was shown at the MTV Movie awards recently. The scene is the memory of Dumbledore’s first meeting with the young Tom Riddle for which he wants Harry to see. For those who missed the clip; it can be seen here.

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**

“Greek Wedding” stars reunite on screen

Nia Vardalos and John Corbett from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” reunite on screen for a new romantic comedy called “I Hate Valentine’s Day”, which was written and directed by Vardalos. The film is set to open on July 3, 2009 as a limited release.

Here is the plot from IMBD.com:
A love story set in Manhattan, where a florist who abides by a strict five-date-limit with any man finds herself wanting more with the new restaurateur in town.

Watch the trailer on Apple.com. Ian Gomez (Nia’s husband) makes a cameo.

Zachary Levi talks “Chuck”

Michael Ausiello from EW.com recently interviewed Zachary Levi from “Chuck” on what to expect for their upcoming third season. With Subway being the major sponsor for “Chuck”, Levi shares how it will be incorporated into the show including the possibility of Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) working at a Subway instead of the Orange Orange. Levi also talks about the possibility of NBC picking up the back 9 episodes.

Check out the full video interview here.

Trade in time for “Cashback”

Posted with vodpod. Video courtesy of AOL.com.

Ben Willis (Biggerstaff) is an art student, and after a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. With his new found time, he decides to work the night shift at a local supermarket. The night shift workers are a quirky bunch and while some pass time with antics, Ben imagines that time freezes which allows him to see the beauty in life and in people.

“Cashback” was originally a short film which was turned into a feature film due to its success as a short film. It won 14 awards at international film festivals and was also nominated for an Academy Award in 2006. I really enjoyed this film. It was very artistic and the ensemble cast were great. The cast includes Sean Biggerstaff from the “Harry Potter” series, Emilia Fox, and Michelle Ryan (“Bionic Woman”).

Watching this film is like the feeling and memories you get when you see a picture just before it was captured. I think the underlying message of this film is very true. Even though life can get crazy sometimes, you have to be able to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the life and the people around you. I would definitely recommend renting it if you haven’t seen it. It was heartfelt, funny, and honest. I give this movie 4 stars!