February 21

Conan O'Brien retires from Late Night

I was thinking about it and realized that today is going to be a pretty front-loaded film/television media type post. First off, earlier this morning (last night) Mr. Conan O'Brien signed off from Late Night for the last time. We all know he's going to be back at the desk on June 1 when he takes over the Tonight Show, but I'm going to miss Late Night. In fact, the only talk show I ever recall any of my friends and I talking about the next day was Conan's. This last week was basically a highlight reel of the fan's and staff's favorite moments, with special guests popping in from time to time. The destruction of the set each day to give to an audience member was hilarious - especially when it involved pulling down LaBamba's podium (with hot mics still attached) and handing it out. The White Stripes were the last band to perform and it ended with a very heartfelt goodbye from the host (see above). Can't wait until June 1 when we can see Conan O'Brien - and the Max Weinberg 7 - back on the tele. On a somewhat similar note: Jimmy Fallon...really?

Yesterday, as well, it was reported that The Dark Knight had surpassed the $1 billion worldwide revenue mark. It may not be winning best picture (snub) on Sunday, but $1 billion isn't bad. Not bad at all. If I had 0.1% of that I'd be happy.

I spy...a few good actors.

Terry Gilliam's new film - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - has just released a "new" promotional poster. I'm excited for a lot of movies this year, but this is one I've truely been waiting on for a while. Most people know this as Heath Ledger's last picture (he passed away in the middle of production) but didn't realize what steps were taken to push this feature ahead. Instead of recasting the role and reshooting the previous scenes, Terry Gilliam added multiple actors - Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell - to finish Heath's work and, potentially, completely alter the final product. When I first heard this I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm still not, but quite anxious to see it. For some reason I can't help but think it could be similar to I'm Not There, where multiple actors/actresses (including Heath Ledger) were cast to play Bob Dylan in different times in his life. It wasn't as simple as that, but I could go into an entire post about that movie. Man, I love it. So yes, needless to say I hope this turns out great.

Denny Duquette is funny...(get it?)

Watchmen is going to be released in 2 weeks. Jebus, I'm excited. I don't read many comics or graphic novels but once I started this one, I didn't go to bed until I finished it. No joke. Less than one day. It's amazing and I recommend it to all of you. Seriously. Read Watchmen then see Watchmen. Sooooo complex. Amazing. Do it.

Last week I bought 3 DVD's and I just finished one of them today: Changeling. I have not seen Doubt, Frozen River, The Reader, or Rachel Getting Married (all "performance by an actress in a lead role" Oscar nominees) but after watching Angelina Jolie in this, well...the other actresses better be damn good. Now, I still don't understand how you can fairly say one performance was better than another when you're comparing 5 different characters...***

***Let's just say, hypothetically, that a movie was made 5 times and 5 different thespians portrayed the same character; Then you can judge each actor/actress on their performance and, based on certain parameters, say which you believed did the best job. But to say Angelina Jolie did a better job in Changeling than Kate Winslet in The Reader, well, it really is a bit absurd. Did Angelina play Kate Winslet's character? No. Did Kate play Angelina's? No. So what are you judging and how can you judge the two fairly? It's comparing apples to oranges. Kate Winslet never was that character in Changeling, nor was Angelina in The Reader. So, what the Academy is doing is comparing 2 different performances played by 2 different actors/actresses and thinking, "Hmmm...well, Angelina showed more range in..." but it doesn't make sense. You can't guess how one actor would do in another role that he/she never played. Therein lies the flaw of award shows. And...rant finished.***

...but Angelina has raised the bar pretty high this year. (Comedic contradictions are the best.)

Well, that's about it for tonight. I'm headed out to meet with Joe, see the new kitten, and watch a little UFC 95 action.

Who's on first,
B