We can't believe how fast half a decade flies by. We have high hopes for this celebratory year as we forge ahead, report from the trendy trenches of Tinseltown (say that five times fast), and reflect on where we've been, whom we've met, and what we've done.
Thanks for your tweets, your shout-outs, and your continued overall support.
We're just getting started.
HIH
*Where were you in 2007?
Make that, the first great music video of 2012 (C'mon, scary mannequin people?). That is all.
Now that the festivities at Sundance have wound down, our very own Xaque Gruber shares his thoughts on the annual (and snowy) event in Utah...
For anyone who loves the silver screen as much as they love silver snowscapes, the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah is Mecca. I’ve attended each January for the past five years, but 2012 was the first time I attended as press, and (cue Dinah Washington) what a difference a press pass makes.
I hit the frozen ground running – and running. Attending Sundance (especially as press) is a marathon, not a sprint.
The first perk my shiny new pass gave me was entry to The Raid, THE BEST FEATURE FILM I saw at Sundance. An action masterpiece.
In a nutshell, The Raid follows a group of heavily armed police invading a crimelord’s bleak tenement fortress led by a kickass, white knight of a hero played to knife-fighting perfection by Iko Uwais. The Raid, which also features one of the year’s best scores, opens in limited release March 23rd.
Another highlight was Detropia (Sundance Award winner for documentary editing). A chilling, ghost town-like tour of a city that, in the 1930s, was the fastest growing in the world. Today, Detroit holds the distinction of fastest shrinking city in America. Decimated by its own industries – the very things that built the city up, Detropia is a real American horror story.
I felt fortunate to get into the premiere of Jake Schreier’s directorial debut, Robot & Frank, and you heard it here first, it’s the next great science fiction indie. Set “in the near future,” Robot & Frank is anchored by a touching and funny Frank Langella, and a strong ensemble (Susan Sarandon, Liv Tyler, James Marsden, Ana Gasteyer, Jeremy Sisto - and of course the robot).
Interestingly, Robot & Frank originated as a short film in 2003. As an avid fan and believer in shorts, I kept a keen eye for the newest crop at Sundance.
One short in particular that stood out was “Spielzeit” (“Playtime”) an impressionistic gem by director Lucas Mireles, the film follows the lives of innocent German youths on a Sunday afternoon in Cologne. Mireles beamed about his first Sundance entry, “I got to meet Robert Redford, go to his house, and tell him about my piece. We’re all storytellers and we really want to share. This is our playtime.”
Playtime indeed! Looking forward to next year already!
- Xaque Gruber
It is Broadway’s longest-running production of all time, and for the first time ever, you can experience the hypnotic musical score, lavish costumes, and emotionally charged performances in the comfort of your own home with the crisp image and soul-tingling sound that Blu-ray has to offer.
You no longer need to sit through Joel Schumacher’s lackluster 2004 film starring Gerard Butler or bust out your outdated 1986 Original Cast recording of the soundtrack...Well, I guess you can still do that, but never before has Phantom looked and sounded better:
Star Ramin Karimloo - in and out of costume
The 25th Anniversary performance stars Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as the talented yet naïve Christine. Boggess is nothing short of spectacular in her performance as the scintillating soprano.
This Blu-ray is a must have for any musical theatre lover. The picture is sharp, the colors are vibrant, and the sound makes the hauntingly powerful overture shake your walls and send chills down your spine. If you have yet to experience Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, this Blu-ray is much more economical than a night out at the theatre and still gives you an overwhelming experience. Turn the lights down low, the volume up high, and surrender to the music of the night. You will not regret it.
- Garytt Poirier
*GIVEAWAY ALERT! In order to win your very own copy of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall on Blu-ray, simply answer the following question: Who produced THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL?
Tweet us the answer @HotterInHwood or send us some love (and the answer) on our Facebook page!
Holy casting news!
Demonstrating how popular this PBS period drama is quickly becoming, ITV and Carnival films announced today that Shirley MacLaine is joining the U.K. series for its upcoming third season. The Oscar winner's addition makes her the second American cast member (and character) on the British serial.
She's set to play Martha Levinson, the American mother of Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), and joins the cast as they begin shooting the new season next month.
Downton Abbey is currently in its second stateside season on Masterpiece Classic. The latest batch of episodes saw a 20 percent jump in viewership for British audiences, and the American ratings are up by nearly 30 percent, with the premiere bringing in 4.2 million viewers.
We can't WAIT for the verbal tennis match between Shirley's character and Dame Maggie Smith's. We haven't been this excited since...when?
It appears Glee leading man and Broadway veteran Matthew Morrison and White Collar star Matt Bomer have joined the cast of the Los Angeles reading of Dustin Lance Black's Prop 8 play, "8." Morrison will star as Jeff Zarillo and Bomer as Paul Katami in the reading, which will play the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3. They join previously announced George Clooney.
The show premiered last September on Broadway with an all-star cast including Bob Balaban, Ellen Barkin, Matt Bomer, Anthony Edwards, Morgan Freeman, Cheyenne Jackson, Larry Kramer, Christine Lahti, and a slew of others at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
Rob Reiner, who directed the New York installment, will also direct the LA engagement. Proceeds from the LA reading will be granted to the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Proceeds from the New York reading similarly went directly to the fight for full federal marriage equality and to support educational efforts on the freedom to marry nationwide.
"8," a new play chronicling the historic trial in the federal legal challenge to California's Proposition 8 will have its World Premiere on Broadway in a one night-only staged reading to benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER). The play is written by AFER Founding Board Member and Academy Award-winning writer Dustin Lance Black and directed by two-time Tony Award-winning actor and director Joe Mantello. Black, who penned the Academy Award-winning feature film Milk, based "8" on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.
Following the New York debut on September 19th, AFER and Broadway Impact have been licensing "8" to schools and community organizations nationwide in order to spur action, dialogue and understanding. AFER and Broadway Impact will coordinate these staged readings across the country, so that "8" will live on beyond its September premiere.
The story for "8" is framed by the trial's historic closing arguments in June 2010, but features the best arguments and witness testimony presented by both legal teams. Scenes include reenactments of many of the well-documented jaw-dropping moments of trial, such as the admission by the Prop. 8 supporters' star witness David Blankenhorn that "we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before."
We may have kicked off our week with a bunch of nerds, but we're ready to finish it with some friends, cocktails...and a couple of hot dancers...
Walk down Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood on any given Friday or Saturday night, and you'll most likely hear a throbbing bassline emanating from the large warehouse-type monstrosity across the street from the Abbey. That would be Ultra Suede and The Factory, the 2-in-1 nightclub (Hype/Popstarz on Fridays, Cherry Pop on Saturdays) that has been drawing party revelers, dancers of all proclivities, and people who just wanna have fun for the past decade.
The Factory is also known for attracting some big names and even bigger performances. This past fall Nicki Minaj (pictured above) showed up to show her love to the crowd with a wild rendition of "Super Bass" and her remix of "Till The World Ends" (yep, with Britney hovering on the sidelines - you may have caught it on TMZ).
Robyn performs "Dancing On My Own"
And if you're looking to double your pleasure, take that disco nap, down a Red Bull, and check out Super Cherry Pop, the once-a-month Saturday night event during which both clubs merge into one, dominating the landscape of L.A.'s nightlife. As a matter of fact, this Saturday (January 28) heralds Super Dirty Pop. Expect amped-up remixes of Top 40 tunes with a little 90s thrown in, courtesy of DJ Josh Peace and DJ Brynn Taylor, AND a performance by Temper Tantrum.
See you on the dancefloors.
Nerds, geeks, dweebs (does anyone ever use that name anymore?), and similarly bespectacled intellectuals all gathered at Meltdown Comics on Sunset Boulevard last night to worship their Nerd God, Chris Hardwick, the man behind the podcast-turned-TV-show-turned-book, The Nerdist. Hardwick's literary contribution, which we will be reading ASAP, is called The Nerdist Way: How To Reach The Next Level (In Real Life). (and stayed tuned for some giveaways).
Right: HIH's Hiko Mitsuzuka with Wil Wheaton.
After Chris read a few passages from the book and chatted with pal Wil Wheaton during a hilarious Q&A session, fans moved into the store for a book signing. Specials guests, such as ourselves, were then treated to cocktails and Farmer John's hot dogs at the afterparty in Meltdown's rear gallery where 90s rock and ska (Holy high school flashbacks) blared from speakers adorned with William and Shady vinyl figures (below left).
Follow Chris on Twitter @Nerdist and Meltdown @MeltdownComics.
- Hiko Mitsuzuka
Meet Eddie Benji Arrazola. He's an L.A.-based boxer-model (careful with that handsome mug) who could've been one of those shirtless joggers you saw on Santa Monica Boulevard last summer. You know, the kind that like to stretch on the corners of busy intersections, distracting drivers and causing fender benders during rush hour. Yeah, those kind...not that we mind or anything.
And, as always, happy ogling.
So, Todd Phillips, the dude who brought us The Hangover, is taking the party back to high school, incorporating that "found footage" format that's all the rage nowadays, and giving moviegoers what promises to be the most epic party movie. Ever.
Feast your eyes on the new trailer, mofos:
Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.
She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.
"This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world," De Leon said. "She was a true original who could sing it all -- her music defied category. - CNN
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