R.I.P. Best PTA Site on the Web

Well it seems that Coffee And Cigarettes has come to an end. I have visited the site at least two or three times a week for the last six years so I for one will miss it greatly.

Big props to Greg and CJ for all the hard work.

R.I.P. Ismail Merchant

Ismail Merchant died today. It is easy to mock his films, but anybody who produces The Remains of the Day, A Room With a View, and A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries has done better work than most people.

Some Kind of Little Monster

Faithful readers of the Memo will recall my enthusiasm and affection for Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, the best documentary of last year and one of the five best films as well. If you ever wanted to see the same story (minus the addiction/recovery angle) played out by mmmm-boppers Hanson, here is your opportunity. I am not making this up.

Big Thanks going out to the soon to be 28 year old Jeremy for the link to the trailer.

Where Aflac and Affleck Cross Paths

If you are a Hollywood watcher this article makes some things clear.

Yet Another Idiotic Decision by the MPAA

In the last twelve months we have seen many silly explanations from the MPAA for why films have gotten a particular rating. One of the best examples was Alien vs. Predator which got a PG-13 rating partly because of "slime" (seriously, click on the link and look it up for yourself).

They have given us yet another silly explanation. According to a stement from Warner Brothers, Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been given a PG partly for "quirky situations".

Best Quote by a TV Executive This Month

From an AP article about CBS' new fall line-up:

"CBS is trying two supernatural stories on Friday nights (a night that used to be home to the now cancelled Joan of Arcadia). "Threshold" features a team of experts called in when the Navy discovers aliens have landed in the Atlantic Ocean. Hewitt's "Ghost Whisperer," reminiscent of NBC's "Medium," is about a woman who conveys messages from dead people to the living. "I think talking to ghosts may skew younger than talking to God," Moonves said."

I love that quote but sadly it will probably prompt another unreadable screed by the world's most insubstantial cultural critic Michael Medved.

From that same AP story comes this frightening fact:
"Two and a Half Men," the highest-rated situation comedy left on broadcast television..."

Everybody Hates Britney

Yes of course I watched Chaotic. The bar for the worst celebrity reality show has been set at Empire State Building Heights by the trainwreck that was The Anna Nicole Smith Show so I have little hope that this could surpass that. That said, the first show was promising. All I wanted was one moment where Britney or Kevin would say something that would unintentionally reveal a great deal about the two of them and that moment came early when Britney, discussing the many things about Kevin that fascinate her, says in her southern drawl, "Nothin' fazes him." If I thought she were smart I might think she was simply deluding herself into thinking that his cluelessness is something else - but I'm fairly sure that she actually thinks he's engaged in some capacity with the world around him. The moral of the story is that Britney can't handle her own truth. Yes, I will keep watching. Why? Because there are only two types of TV worth paying attention to - the very best and the very worst.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Everybody Loves Raymond finale was first-class. I know it is unpopular in some circles to defend the show but it was consistently well-written and well-acted and how can anybody begrudge a show that give Peter Boyle a healthy paycheck for nine years.

I eagerly anticipate the Quentin Tarantino directed CSI finale Thursday night. His was still the best directed episode of ER ever.

Soon, a short note about the two worst films of the year so far.

Delpy Directs

I hope this happens

Ethan Hawke is terrible in anything other than Richard Linklater films, but maybe being directed by Julie Delpy will be close enough to Linklater that she'll get a good performance out of him.

Movies. Marketing. Math.

A lesson in what weekend box office numbers really mean.

Going to a Go-Go

My brother Scott went to an anime convention last weekend and because he loves me he sent me this:

What a Difference a Year Makes

In honor of Lindsay Lohan hosting the season finale of Saturday Night Live this weekend:




Good work Gawker

Arrested Development Lives! Arrested Development Lives!

If this story from E! is correct this is the best TV news of the year:

Earlier this week, a friend here at E! interviewed Jason Bateman at a charity event. When asked the status of Arrested Development, he lit up like a banana stand: "Actually, great. Supergreat. There is a heartbeat. There is no flatline. And there may be twins. I'm going to let Kristin figure out what that means. I can't comment any further, but there will be an announcement next week." After much badgering and pestering, two rock-solid Fox sources, who have
never failed me before, caved and gave me the lowdown. Though they're still dotting I's and crossing T's on the final documents, I'm told Fox network and 20th Century Fox studio are "99.9 percent of the way there" to reaching an agreement on the new season. According to these
highly placed sources, it looks very likely that Arrested Development will be coming back not only for a full season of 22 episodes but actually two full seasons of 22 episodes. How freaking fantastic is that? At press time, I can tell you this is precisely where the show's fate
stands. So, barring any last-minute switch-a-roonies or bad acts by Satan or
Rupert Murdoch, we will get glorious "twin" seasons of the best damn comedy
on TV. According to these insiders, even though the ratings weren't exactly
American Idol numbers, Fox's new prez, Peter Liguori, bless his perceptive
little heart, has faith that the show will do well in a different time slot.
He also wants to bring AD up to the magical episode number required for
syndication and feels the show will do very well in repeats and also in DVD.

The Best Mash-up of the Year

Hey, you got your Green Day in my Oasis! Hey you got your Oasis in my Green Day!

Thank you Jen for the link, you're fookin' ace. I'm mad fer it.

Nothing Has Made Me More Angry All Year

Whoever thought of this is going to hell, I'm making sure of it.

Thanks to Chris for the heads up.

How Committed Is Natalie Portman To Her New Part?

This is for the new Wachowski brothers film. That movie better be a billion times better than the Matrix sequels to make her do that to herself. This is a threat not a promise.

According to Stan

So my friend Stan (not his real name) called me Friday. Apparently he worked one day last week on the set of the music video that will be released as a tie-in for the upcoming Herbie: Fully Loaded. I asked outright if Lindsay Lohan was as much of a cocaine abuser as rumors indicate. Although he did not give me an answer he did say that she is, "A vicious spoiled (c-word deleted)." He also described her as, "A totally owned talentless tool of the Disney corporation." According to Stan, of the four hours she was on set she spent 90 minutes of that trying to leave her trailer, and then she shut down production for a different 60 minutes while she tried to figure out her text-message response the message she got from Christian Slater. Of the four hours shw as on the set, they managed to get one shot of her.

All this is just so everyone will remember that, though certainly not always, sometimes the gossip pages get it right.

Review of Crash tomorrow...and by review I mean scathing diatribe.

Pre-review of Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith

After attending a press screening of the new Star Wars film today I just wanted to share a few quick thoughts:

This film will thrill those who have made the films a major part of their life.

If I were doing something as silly as ranking the films I would put this ahead of Return of the Jedi.

After seeing Phantom Menace I assumed the Lucas made the film for seven year olds. Those kids are now thirteen and Lucas trusts them to deal with some darker aspects of life.

The film is basically plot heavy but the final thirty minutes or so should be slam bang enough t guarantee the film a summer-;long run at multi-plexes and make it the biggest box-office smash since Titanic.

Full review when it opens on the 19th.

Breathtaking Story in the Science Journal "Duh"

The movie rating system doesn't work.