Mid-Season TV Starts

Tomorrow is back to school for me as the Spring semester at USC kicks off. While this likely means the reviews I had hoped to post for Bride Wars, Revolutionary Road, and The Unborn will have to wait until I have time to write them on Thursday, I will find a few spare hours to watch the mid-season premieres of several TV shows. Here's what I'll Tivo (I have all night classes this year, blocking live viewings) this week:

Tonight:

• "24" (season premiere): Let's hope it's better than the last P.O.S. season. I have to watch all of Redemption (which unsurprisingly left tonight Globe-less) before I start on this.
• "Desperate Housewives": It's getting good.
  

Monday:

• "24" (FOX) (season premiere, part 2)
• "The Bachelor" (ABC): I normally hate this show as much as the rest of you probably do. But given this season's Bachelor is ten times as much of an idiot as the rest (taking the "hot single dad" promotion pitch), it seems like we pop-culture buffs must not skip the show this time around.
• "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS): It's nice to watch average sitcoms in an age when sitcoms are disappearing.

And if those aren't enough, maybe I'll catch "True Beauty" (ABC) (looks potentially funny but I missed it last week) or "Gossip Girl" (CW) (I like Blake Lively a lot, but I can never seem to catch this regularly enough to keep up with the saga).

Tuesday:

• "American Idol" (FOX): Can any self-respecting pop-culture enthusiast ever miss it?
• "Scrubs" (now ABC): I haven't watched this one regularly in a long time, but the station-shift intrigues me so much I'll watch just for that likely-unnoticeable detail.

Wednesday:

• "American Idol" (FOX) (part deux)
• "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Gary Unmarried" (CBS): CBS is really the only one churning out quality background-noise sitcomes, aren't they?

Thursday:

• "The Office" and "30 Rock" (NBC): Comedy Night Done Right is one slogan that actually lives up to its name.
• "Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House" (VH1): A diehard Dr. Drew devotee, I'm totally sold. After a great season of "Celebrity Rehab", this is just icing on the cake.

Friday:

• "Howie Do It" (NBC): Just watched the first episode, and it's one of the most annoyingly edited shows I've ever seen. But I'm a sucker for hidden camera stuff, so I'll keep watching. (Only after seeing the sure-to-be-awesome My Bloody Valentine 3-D, that is.)
  

Saturday:
Has this ever been a good night for TV?

There you have it. Hopefully at least 25% of the episodes are good. 1-in-4 is good by me.

Golden Globes Tonight (with live-'blogging)

The 66th Annual Golden Globes roll out the red carpet tonight and I have my picks and predictions to share. I'll also live 'blog the event with updates of the winners, my prediction-accuracy tally, and my commentary. Judging from the precursors, I think Slumdog Millionaire and Happy-Go-Lucky will be the big winners of the night. Without further adieu:

Final Prediction-Accuracy Count: 8/13 (62%).

Best Motion Picture- Drama: Slumdog Millionaire, well deserved if not my "pick".
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Motion Picture- Comedy: Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Nominees: Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Mamma Mia!, Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
My Prediction: Happy-Go-Lucky.
I Would Vote for: Happy-Go-Lucky.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) -- my record is going to hell and I don't care because the best are truly winning!
Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: Sean Penn (Milk).
I Would Vote for: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama: Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) -- screw that "clerical error", the best really did win!
Nominees: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long), Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road).
My Prediction: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married).
I Would Vote for: Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road).

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell (In Bruges) -- WOAH I KNOW.
Nominees: Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Colin Farrell (In Bruges), James Franco (Pineapple Express), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey).
My Prediction: Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona).
I Would Vote for: Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky).
Nominees: Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading), Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey).
My Prediction: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky).
I Would Vote for: Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona).

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).
Nominees: Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).
My Prediction: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).
I Would Vote for: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Kate Winslet (The Reader).
Nominees: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler), Kate Winslet (The Reader).
My Prediction: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona).
I Would Vote for: Viola Davis (Doubt).

Best Director - Motion Picture: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
Nominees: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road).
My Prediction: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
I Would Vote for: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).
Nominees: Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), John Patrick Shanley (Doubt), Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), David Hare (The Reader), Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).
My Prediction: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).
I Would Vote for: Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

Best Animated Feature: WALL-E.
Nominees: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E.
My Prediction: WALL-E.
I Would Vote for: WALL-E.

Best Foreign Feature: Waltz with Bashir.
Nominees: The Baader-Meinhoff Complex, Everlasting Moments, Gomorrah, I've Loved You So Long, Waltz with Bashir.
My Prediction: Waltz with Bashir.
I Would Vote for: I've Loved You So Long.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture: "The Wrestler" (The Wrestler).
Nominees: "I Thought I Lost You" (Bolt), "Once in a Lifetime" (Cadillac Records), "Gran Torino" (Gran Torino), "Down to Earth" (WALL-E), "The Wrestler" (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: "The Wrestler" (The Wrestler).
I Would Vote for: "Gran Torino" (Gran Torino).

Best Original Score - Motion Picture: A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).
Nominees: Clint Eastwood (Changeling), Alexendre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Hans Zimmer (Frost/Nixon), A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).
My Prediction: Alexendre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
I Would Vote for: A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).

I would make choices in the TV categories, but I'd just end up embarrassing myself. (Final score on those was 45% -- not as bad as it could've been.)

'Gran'd Box Office for Eastwood

Clint Eastwood's masterpiece, Gran Torino, opened wide yesterday in 2,808 theatres to a whopping $9.625 million, reports BoxOfficeMojo.com.

That means the film will likely make at least $27 million over the weekend, probably closer to $30 million given its large senior audience's known preference for Saturday/Sunday matinees. That will be Eastwood's biggest opening by a long shot, putting Space Cowboys' $18.1 million in the dust, even when ticket-price inflation is considered.

Gran Torino had been posting record per-theatre-averages in limited release over the past month--it released in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 12 and expanded on Dec. 19--but experts pinned the wide-opening somewhere between $10 million and $15 million.

I have two words for those who underestimated the film: told ya.

I saw the movie on opening day in L.A. and again on Dec. 31 in Orange, and I'll probably go back again before it leaves theatres. It's a great Hollywood entertainment with lots of food for thought on the state of the American city. Since my first viewing, I knew mainstream audiences would love the movie.

But politically-correct left-wing critics clearly found it hard to sympathize with Eastwood protagonist Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War vet. The film opened to underwhelming press, despite a pretty strong initial 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating (now 76%). Detractors said Gran Torino was a flawed, overly simple effort for Eastwood. At least from my perspective, there seemed to be a great deal of doubt the film would do well, perhaps because critics think they're Gods when it comes to creating buzz on this type of WOM-effort.

The haters were wrong. The movie is a huge hit. A $30 million #1 weekend for the intimate drama is exceptional for a movie of its genre with zero star-power beyond Eastwood. Viewers love Gran Torino, too. With 9,501 votes as of this moment, the film ranks as #142 on the Internet Movie Database's Top 250 of all-time. (I invite you to cast a 10/10 vote.)

Prior to the release of Friday's box-office numbers, the film had been counted out for awards. While the first-of-the-season National Board of Review named Gran Torino one of the best films of the year and Eastwood best actor of the year, no other precursor to the Oscars paid much attention to it.

With voter nomination ballots not due until Mon., Jan. 12, perhaps the more-populist Academy will honor this amazing film when it sees moviegoers' love in action. In my opinion, Gran Torino derves nominations for Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Original Score, and Original Song.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, please do. You won't regret the decision, especially when the alternatives are The Unborn (my afternoon "treat") and Bride Wars (my torture yesterday). Gran Torino ranked as #4 on my Best of 2008, but I'm willing to bet you've already seen #1 and #3 (The Dark Knight and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and that #2 (The Wrestler) isn't playing in your city just yet.

Congratulations, Clint. If this really is your final appearance in front of the camera, then it marks a hell of a way to end your acting career.

To read my review of Gran Torino over on the Bucket Reviews main site, click here.

MTV Goes 'Inside the Circle'

MTV will show a terrific documentary this weekend. More on the specifics later. First, a story:

Every year, I kind of dread my ritual attendance of the San Diego Film Festival because the programmers allow a lot of poorly-done, amateur projects into the competition.

Back in 2007, I settled into my seat on the first day of the festival to watch Inside the Circle (now Inside the Circle: A B-Boy Chronicle), a b-boy break-dancing documentary that premeired at South By Southwest, an unusually seasoned pedigree for an SDFF entry.

What I saw was not only more compelling than expected given my bias towards the SDFF programmers, but the best film I saw that at the festival that year (Opening & Closing Night features included).

Documentarian Marcy Garriott followed two b-boys--once members of the same "crew" but competitors in the movie--for nearly four years to form a complex, involving portrait of an underexposed pasttime. (Back when I saw the film, media attention of b-boys was non-existent and the experience was even more fascinating than it will be now.) The doc also looks at the personal lives of the focal b-boys.

I had some complaints when I first saw the movie--some anti-Bush commentary and a sagging middle were both noticeably lackluster--but these will seem negligible watching it on the small screen on MTV this weekend. Also a perk if you haven't yet converted to HD: the doc was shot in 4:3, meaning its original state will fill the full frame.

The film will play on MTV with Planet B-boy, another acclaimed dancing doc. Planet B-boy played in theatres last year, but I missed it and am excited to play catch up.

Inside the Circle plays on MTV on Sun., Jan. 11 at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Mon, Jan. 12 at 1:00 p.m.; Weds., Jan. 14 at 10:00 a.m.; and Thurs., Jan 15 at 8:00 p.m. (All times EST)

If you haven't had your fill of documentary after Inside the Circle, Patrick Creadon's acclaimed "I.O.U.S.A." premeires on CNN this weekend as well. Check your local listings for showtimes.

Catch Danny Tonight on 'Geekgasm'

Left-to-right: 'Geekgasm' hosts Toby Richmond-Darbey, Mykel Pyles, and Reid Ackerman.

Those looking for an enertaining, well-circulated podcast on all fields of geekdom--movies, comics, video-games, et cetera--you should look no further than Geekgasm, the product of the three hosts seen above.

These guys know their stuff, especially when it comes to The Dark Knight, The Watchmen, Guillermo del Toro, and Frank Miller.

I listen every week. In fact, I like the podcast so much that I kept listening even after Reid criminally said Martin Landau played the Frank Langella role in Frost/Nixon...

But that's where I'll come in. I'll be appearing on tonight's episode to offer my thoughts on the wide releases of Jan. 9 and general geek-related commentary. It isn't available live, but should be posted by tomorrow.

To access Geekgasm, either type the name into the search box on iTunes or go to http://web.me.com/reidimus_prime/Geekgasm/Geekgasm_/Geekgasm_.html.