December 19th, 2008
Snow!!! And lot’s of it falling out there today. Please be safe if you have to travel! On a brighter note, it’s finally Friday which means new movies in theaters. Here’s what’s out this weekend:
SEVEN POUNDS (PG-13)
In the dramatic film Seven Pounds, Will Smith plays Ben, a depressed IRS agent mourning the loss of his wife and filled with guilt over the mistakes of his past. Ben decides to commit suicide, but before he dies he wants to help improve the lives of seven struggling individuals. All goes as planned until he begins to fall in love with a heart patient named Emily, played by Rosario Dawson. The movie also stars Woody Harrelson as a blind pianist who befriends Ben.
In Seven Pounds, Smith reunites with the producing and directing team of Pursuit Of Happyness.
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX (G)
The Tale Of Despereaux is an animated film about a brave little mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, voiced by Matthew Broderick. Despereaux lives in a castle with the princess he loves, the servant girl who wishes she were a princess and a scheming rat. The film is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and also stars Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman and Dustin Hoffman as the rat.
YES MAN (PG-13)
The comedy Yes, Man stars Jim Carrey plays Carl, a man who challenges himself to say “yes” to everything in his life for a year. The story is based on Danny Wallace’s autobiographical book and also stars Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (R, Playing at Cinemapolis)
The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love.
MYSPACE NAMES MOST POPULAR CELEBS
Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez and Zach Braff are among the celebrities with the most friends on MySpace. The social network revealed that Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Jenna Fischer, Criss Angel, Hayden Panettiere, Shanna Moakler, Travis Barker and Lauren Conrad are also amongst the bold face names who have found digital popularity. Some of the top-searched terms on the site include Twilight, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Taylor Swift.
E.T. BELIEVERS BEAM TEXT MESSAGES TO ALIENS
Alien hunters in Britain are taking advantage of an unusual messaging service to contact extraterrestrials. www.SentForever.com lets people type messages on their Web site that are then beamed into space via satellite — for a fee of $20. People who send messages receive a Certificate of Transmission and a code so they can track their message’s journey through space. But the owner of the company says many of its customers are sending messages in hopes that an alien will text them back.
2008 A GREAT YEAR FOR “GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS”
2008 has been a banner year for the spectacular and unique. For years the “Guinness World Records” has kept track of amazing and bizarre accomplishments across the globe, and 2008 provided plenty of material. Guinness’ editor-in-chief, Craig Glenday, discussed the past year saying, quote, “Guinness World Records has spent over 50 years chronicling remarkable record-breaking feats and 2008 was one of the best years yet.” After taking some time to reflect, Guinness released what they believe are some of 2008’s best moments.
Here is “Guinness World Record’s” list of the ten best record moments of 2008:
1) He PingPing, the World’s Smallest Man, met the World’s Longest Legs in Svetlana Meet. Meet’s legs are 51-point-nine-inches long, more than double the stature of PingPing who is a mere 21-point-nine-inches tall.
2) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie rising to become Hollywood’s most powerful actor and actress.
3) On August 29, 2008 Chris Chike set the record for High Score on a Single Song for “Guitar Hero III.” Chike played DragonForce’s “Through the Fire and Flames,” totaling a staggering 899-thousand-703 points.
4) China’s Bao Xi Shun regained his crown as world’s Tallest Living Man at seven-feet eight-point-95-inches.
5) 116 people gathered at St. Pancras station to set the record for Largest Gathering of People Wearing Underpants.
6) “Grand Theft Auto IV” hit shelves in May earning 310-million-dollars in its first day, making it the winner of Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours.
7) Ludacris and Tommy Lee joined hundreds of people at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood Hotel to form the Largest Group Shower.
Topping out at 69-miles-per-hour, Edd China piloted the Fastest Bed.
9)Florida’s Joel Waul possessed the Largest Rubber Band Ball. It weighed nine-thousand-32-pounds and measured six-feet-seven-inches tall.
10) Scotland’s Mark Beaumont pedaled around the world in 194 days and 17 hours to earn the Fastest Circumnavigation Cycled Around the World.
Movie Clip Trivia Answer: A Muppet Christmas Carol