Wednesday July 28, 2010, 10:14 (GMT) Comic-Con Videblogisode 4
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Tuesday July 27, 2010, 13:24 (GMT) Comic-Con Videblogisode 3
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Monday July 26, 2010, 17:36 (GMT) Comic-Con Schwag Spotlight
Some people claim that much of the success of Comic-Con is down to the extended childhood of its attendants. To that we say - whatever, grandad. Bring on the toys!
As ever, as well as being a venue for film announcements galore and the launch of the occasional comic book, Comic-Con also saw the debut of hundreds of cool new toys, many of them from recent or upcoming movies like Predators, Kick-Ass,Green Hornet, Tron Legacy and Avatar. Check out the full gallery below, and prepare to awww at the adorable Toy Story Duplo. Yes, now you can get Toy Story Lego for even smaller children, because it's never too early to start that Pixar indoctrination.
{Comic-Con Toys} (6 comments)
Monday July 26, 2010, 04:13 (GMT) Comic-Con Videblogisode 2
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Sunday July 25, 2010, 14:30 (GMT) Panel Report: Captain America, Thor and The Avengers
There have been a great many weird and wonderful panels at this year’s Comic-Con. Tron Legacy saw an 8,000-strong queue stretching around the block and a crowded auditorium all shouting “De-rez!” at Joe Kosinski. Scott Pilgrim ended with Edgar Wright leading a bunch of fans out of the panel to a screening of the film like some kind of bearded pied piper. Resident Evil: Afterlife even resulted in someone getting stabbed. But none of that (not even the latter, which the surreal sight of a guy in a Harry Potter t-shirt being handcuffed and frog-marched out of the hall by a phalanx of San Diego's finest) could measure up to what has been the most fan-pleasing event of all at this year’s Con.
The Marvel Studios panel kicked off with Joe Johnston’s adaptation of The First Avenger himself, Captain America. The director referenced Raiders of the Lost Ark as an influence for the film (never going to go down badly) and insisted that he wants it to have a modern feel - "We're going slightly more modern than the original Cap, which was basically a pair of pyjamas with stars and stripes on them."
Given that the film’s only been shooting for about a week that Evans himself has been on set for just five days, we didn’t expect anything in the way of footage for this one. We were wrong. Not only did they show a quick promo, which showed Evans in the WWII version of the Cap costume hurling his shield at the screen (cue rapturous applause), but Johnston had even cut together the first few weeks of filming and screened it for the fans – timecode and all. The scene in question showed an SS contingent break into a crypt and Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull (sans rouge cranium at this point) come in to steel Odin’s Tesseract (a more geeky person could probably telly you what, exactly the Tesseract is and why Odin had one but for now just know that it was all glowy). The Asgardian nod went down well and provided an excellent segue into phase two of Marvel’s Hall H showcase.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the god of thunder: Chris Hemsworth!” it was, as Feige phrased it, ‘hammer time’ and Thor himself was in attendance, accompanied by Kenneth Branagh, Kat Dennings, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg and his own ridiculously bulbous biceps. Branagh – bless ‘im – cites his comic influences as Eagle, Beano and Dandy and confesses to being a Comic-Con virgin – probably not the only one in the room, we’re saying. Portman states for the record that she won’t be in The Avengers but she will be in future Thor movies. Branagh and Feige confide that, while Thor’s alter-ego Donald Blake, doesn’t share his body with the thunder god in this movie, he will feature in a different form.
The Thor footage is queued up and shows Thor kicking eight shades of crap out of SHIELD agents, battling his way towards Mjolnir. The shots are intercut with a scene of the now captured Thor being interrogated by Agent Coulson. Cut to sweeping shots of Asgardian architecture. We see frost giants, Thor, Loki and the Warriors Three before hearing Thor get a proper telling off from his father, Odin. For his selfishness and cruelty, Thor is cast down from Asgard and stripped of his powers. Cue the Odinson waking up in the desert with Natalie Portman leaning over him. “This is Earth, isn’t it?” he groans in a plummy English accent - hey, at least Branagh shied away from traditional Thor speak, "Forsooth, 'tis the Earth realm. Surely thee jests!"
The action shifts back to the SHIELD base with Thor standing before Mjolnir and reaching to pick it up as Odin’s voiceover intones that if someone worthy can wield the hammer, they will inherit the power of Thor. But he can’t lift it. Denied! Some of what followed leaned towards the outskirts of spoilertown, showing Frigga sitting over a dying Odin (he appears dead but may just be in Odinsleep) and announcing Loki as next in the line of succession. Loki takes the throne of Asgard and the Warriors Three bow before him. The final shot, and the one that brings the house down, is of The Destroyer arriving in the New Mexico desert. Coulson and the SHIELD agents think it’s Stark tech and demand its surrender. The Odin-forged killing machine responds by opening its visor and blasting the shit out of the SHIELD vehicles before blasting the screen, which dissolves into the Thor logo. So, Thor falls to Earth, kisses Natalie Portman and is subsequently unable to lift his hammer? Are we watching an elaborate allegory for poor sexual performance? We'll have to wait till next year to find out. It’s great material, though it has to be said that the 3D looked extremely ropey. We're hoping it was a very quick 3D conversion just for the Con but if the finished product is no more convincing then it'll be another kick in the balls for stereo filmmaking. Honestly, If Paul W S Anderson can shoot Resident Evil: Apocalypse in 3D with a proper 3D camera then can't everybody? Please?
The snippet of Thor went down thunderously well but nothing could have prepared the Marvel fanboys for what followed. The hall went dark and footage played with a voiceover from Sam Jackson as the Avengers logo is revealed (see below). Seconds later, Jackson himself comes on stage and proceeds to introduce not one, not two but ALL of the Avengers: Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man). “Nobody stab anyone till I’m done talking!” Jokes Downey, before calling out the film’s director (finally confirmed just 24 hours earlier), Mr Joss Whedon. By this point not a single person in the hall was left in their feet as people stood, jumped and climbed on chairs to get a better look at the stage.
"I have had a dream all my life and it was not this good!” Says Whedon. “This is the Avengers, the team is more than the sum of its parts! The cast is more than I could have dreamed of and… I’m going to blow it! Seriously, though, I need all of your love and support." With that the entire auditorium went into some kind of orgasmic nerd meltdown and screamed till they were hoarse. For comic book fans this stuff is like crack – God help Whedon if he really does cocks it up! (42 comments)
Sunday July 25, 2010, 14:22 (GMT) Panel Report: Green Lantern, Harry Potter and Sucker Punch
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!”
The sizzle reel didn’t include a shot of him in his signature emerald costume – after last week’s controversial Entertainment Weekly cover, it’s possible that the CG work is being tweaked – but Ryan Reynolds did treat Comic-Con to a rendition of the Green Lantern oath. He was actually delivering it directly to the cutest child in the known universe, a boy named Connor whom Reynolds also invited backstage with his parents after the panel. The sight of the movie star and the pint-sized Lantern fan flashing their green rings at each other was easily the most adorable sight seen in Hall H this weekend.
The aforementioned reel was a flurry of rapid shots (they really should have shown it twice), including Reynolds’ Hal Jordan spinning directly up into the air, an alleyway brawl that’s concluded by Jordan using his ring to summon up a giant green fist, and a look at baddie Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), notable for his Elephant Man-esque noggin.
Equally cool: Mark Strong’s chilly voice narrating a short instructional clip: “Focus your willpower on the green orb in front of you, it will begin to glow…” Strong, of course, plays Sinestro, who in this movie acts as mentor to Jordan, but will (as his name suggests) become less friendly in any sequels. “He really puts Hal through his paces, as he doesn’t believe a human can become a Green Lantern,” Strong told the crowd. “Whatever happens later, happens later.”
Director Martin Campbell addressed the costume issue by saying, “What you’ve seen is very much a work in progress. The lines on the outfit follow the lines of musculature on the human body. It’ll eventually look extremely cool.” He described one particularly spectacular scene they’ve already shot, in which Jordan and love interest Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), who are both pilots, go up in F35s to dogfight with pilotless robotic planes. “By the end of it Hale does what Hale does best, taking things to the limit. It’s one of my favourite sequences in the movie.”
The whole panel were keen to emphasise that this isn’t just another superhero movie - with much of the action taking place on the planet Oa, it’s just as much a space opera. “We’ll take the audience to the centre of the universe,” promised producer Donald De Line. “You’ll see 3,600 alien Green Lanterns.” Including, it seems, Kilowog, Tomar-Re, Salaak, Boodikka and (Campbell’s favourite) Bzzt, who is, of course, a big ol’ fly.
It all sounds enticingly daft, and Reynolds certainly has enough charisma to fill Jordan’s boots. “The character feels like an amalgamation of Chuck Yeager and Han Solo,” said the star. “He’s a classic hero. He can throw a punch, tell a joke and kiss a girl. Who wouldn’t want to play that in a movie… or two or three?” Who indeed?
After an extended preview of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, presented by star Tom Felton (who also operated a tombola - TomBola? – to give away a Potter prop to a lucky audience member), it was time for the first ever look at Zack Snyder’s latest project, Sucker Punch.
The Watchmen and 300 director has, of course, also been working on Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, a family-friendly flick about nocturnal birds. So has Snyder toned down his act? From what we see on screen, it appears the answer is hell no. The tale of a bunch of girls locked in a mental asylum, who create worlds in their minds to escape the grim reality, Sucker Punch looks utterly, awesomely loco. There’s a dragon. There are zombified German soldiers. There’s a giant mech-suit shooting down bi-planes. There’s Jon Hamm being cruelly sleazy. And yes, there are lots and lots of scantily clad ladies dancing in a way that might make you feel funny in your tummy. All set to the stomping drumbeat of Led Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks. Needless to say, more than a few Harry Potter fans fled for the exits with hands clasped over their eyes.
“I’ve been working on this thing for eight years, maybe longer,” said Snyder, grinning at the reaction to the footage. “I’m a huge fan of fantasy and in this climate, to be able to make something completely original, that’s not based on a breakfast cereal, is really cool.”
Carla Gugino rubbed her eyes, before gasping, “That footage was crazy! It’s the first time I’ve seen it, and it’s really hard to form a coherent thought now.” Nevertheless, she did reveal a few things about her character. “She’s a Polish psychiatrist, who in the dream-world becomes part choreographer dominatrix, part madam. If you can believe that.”
The effects are already looking incredible, but Snyder describes Sucker Punch as first and foremost a character piece, praising the girls he dropped into his asylum: Emily Browning, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens and Jenna Malone. “You might think the movie’s just about these huge action sequences, but it’s not,” he claimed. “If I took all the action out, it would still be satisfying because of how good the girls are. They never flinched, no matter what crazy shit I asked them to do. They’d just go, ‘Which of these guys do you want us to kill?’” (4 comments)
If Guillermo del Toro is the undisputed king of Comic-Con’s Hall H, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the top jesters, then Jon Favreau is easily the ringmaster.
Or maybe the rockstar, since he arrived to roaring approval and pounding music. Thanking the fans of Hall H for getting behind Iron Man and its sequel, he was quick to raise a cheer by admitting that they’d considered filming Cowboys in 3D, but that he wanted to shoot on film, and that post-converting a movie was, unless you take the time to do it properly, like colourising a black and white film. Gawd bless ‘im for voicing what we’ve all been thinking recently. There was even room for a zinger: “Take the money you save and see it twice!”
And Favs wasn’t alone. He brought out stars Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach out, and even called up writers Rob Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
But there was a bigger surprise on the horizon: yes, Harrison Ford was in the house. And with a gag that was both inspired and, given the stabby events earlier, slightly ill timed, the man the geek world adores as Han Solo and Indiana Jones arrived shackled with a police escort. Planned as a joke on Ford's previous comments that Favreau would need to drag him to the Con in handcuffs, it was quickly re-interpreted as a joke about the Hall H stabber! Context aside, the reception for the Comic-Con first-timer was loud enough to rival Twilight actor appearances from last year. The audience got to its feet to welcome Ford, who ended up saying little, but flashed his trademark grin to winning effect. Who needs words when you’re an icon?
The fan questions were largely quick and painless, with Craig asked about Bond (“it’s on hold but I want to get going with it as soon as possible”) and Ford quizzed on whether he thought his career would go this way. Short answer: no.
Still, you know what you want to hear about. Did they show any footage? Despite having only shot for four weeks so far, Favreau did not disappoint. Introducing what he described as a “rough collection of scenes”, he explain his intent to make a very traditional Western in the Ford/Leoni style blended with the type of sci-fi he grew up with - Close Encounters and those films that verged on horror: Predator and Alien.
And what a show he put on. We start with a very raw Craig wandering into a Western town, injured and sore. Arrested, he ends up in jail with Paul Dano, all acid-tongued and attempting to threaten him. Seems Craig is the reason he’s behind bars. But Craig soon shuts him up by grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the cell’s bars.
Cut to Harrison Ford’s character arriving to claim his wayward child. But before he can also claim Craig, strange lights flicker in the sky. The Close Encounters-style sighting soon turns nasty as alien ships begin to blast the town.
Seemingly nothing can stop them – certainly not the six-shooters and shotguns of the townsfolk – until Craig, freed from a prison wagon by an explosion, uses an unusually futuristic bracelet that has the power to shoot down one of the ships. And… Cut.
The crowd, predictably went crazy for the footage. It truly lives up to Favreau’s promise of mixing Western traditions with sci-fi to solid effect. And if that’s what it looks like after four scant weeks, I can’t wait to see the rest. Next year? Too far away!
Sunday July 25, 2010, 05:12 (GMT) Panel Report: Paul
There was drama even before the Paul panel began, as, sometime near the end of the Resident Evil panel, there was a stabbing incident, apparently between two con-goers fighting over chairs. Our innocence is broken…
Still, despite a 45-minute delay, the Paul team arrived to brighten our spirits and make us forget about blood-spilling incidents.
Introduced by the panel’s moderator, the cast arrived to righteous applause. But what do you expect when Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are one stage? Greg Mottola (happy), Simon (mellow) Nick, (triumphant), Jason Bateman (sprightly), Bill H (gawky), Sigourney weaver (big cheers), Jeff Tambor (stately), Joe Lo Truglio (State-ly… because he used to be in US comedy troupe The State. Geddit? Oh, nevermind.), Seth Rogen (some mild cheers, though maybe that was due to leftover Hornet animosity).
Simon got proceedings off to a suitably audience-grabbing style by quickly name-dropping Shaun of the Dead (a trick Nick pulled shortly afterwards).
The pair quickly ran down where the genesis of Paul came from – producer pal Nira Park is partly responsible, having griped during the shooting of the record scene in Shaun that she wanted to film somewhere warm. One quick spit ball session later and the idea of an alien in the desert was born. Eight years later, as Simon says, here we are. The two took a road trip to research the journey taken by the main characters in the film. Along the way, they apparently hit stretches where almost no one was around, excepting, in one instance, an old lady on crutches, hitchhiking. Of course they didn’t pick her up… Safety first.
The rest of the cast were asked about their characters. Bateman is Lorenzo Zoil (think about it) and he’s the government agent tracking down the alien Paul and our two hapless heroes. Bateman admitted he loved being the bad guy. He compares his presence to Yaphet Kotto in Midnight Run, only 100 pounds lighter and with slightly slighter skin. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio preferred to be seen as Peter Coyote from ET, but you see all of him. Weaver was excited to be a “bad ass”, while Tambor admitted his part, pompous jerk sci-fi writer Adam Shadowchild, “was not a stretch for me.” Seth, meanwhile, quipped that he had trained with Andy Serkis for months and was using advanced technology to jack off with it.
And with that, we were shown some footage, which, if I’m honest, looks fantastic. Fast, funny, action-packed (things fall down go boom), the sizzle real made me extremely excited to see the whole thing. Paul the alien, who looks like a crossed between a traditional “grey” extraterrestrial and the little alien inside “Rosenberg” in Men In Black, is a foul-mouthed delight, with all of Seth Rogen’s comic timing. “Yo, fuck nuts! It’s probing time!” is destined to become a quotable favourite. And his explanation for why Simon’s Graeme Willy can understand him “because I’m talking English, you fucking idiot” is also great. Plus bonus Jane Lynch!
The rest of the panel was devoted to fan questions, which ranged from people asking Simon how he first knew he wanted to act (a blend of his mother and the less-than-serious recollection of the ghost of Shakespeare knocking at his door) to whether the cops from Superbad could face down Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman. No contest folks –the British coppers would f**k their s**t up. But Nick fears for a universe where that can occur. “When police start turning on each other, that’s when the world’s gone crazy. Let’s hope it never happens.”
Con memories (such as Ken Foree cuddling Simon and Edgar), Seth smoking a joint with Ed Brubaker and Method Man (a pot joke from Rogen? Surely not!) and Bill Hader meeting Neil Gaiman as a fan in 2000.
Sadly, all good things must end, and the cast had to leave the stage. But not before Nick’s parting shot. “The Hershey Kisses here are laced with ketamine.” Thanks for that.
Saturday July 24, 2010, 17:41 (GMT) Panel Report: Priest
Priest carries with it a certain amount of baggage in that it’s the second collaboration between director Scott Stewart and star Paul Bettany after the angelic/apocalyptic Legion, which was shown off to positive effect at last year’s Comic-Con but ended up a damp squib in reality and at the box office.
But when Stewart was introduced by Stu Levy, the head of Tokyopop comics (the company behind Priest’s hefty, sixteen-volume source material), the crowd was surprisingly positive. The pair were quick to cut the chat and get to the meat- some footage from the film, which is apparently in the middle of a months-long conversion to 3D. And yes, Stewart tried to convince us all that this won’t be another Clash of the Titans.
The teaser revealed the movie to be a rough cross between Mad Max’s dusty future and something out of Dark City. It looks like it could be fun – particularly when you watch Bettany and co-star Maggie Q kick arse. And the 3D actually did seem to be decent. Warrior priests battling beasts? Nice concept. Can it work in practice? Well, if you enjoy shruiken crucifixes and monster vamps with lightning reflexes, you should be happy.
Once the lights came back up, Stewart was quick to bring on his big guns – cast members Bettany, Q, Karl Urban (fast becoming a Hall H stalwart, and who probably would have gotten the biggest squeals if Cam Gigandet hadn’t been there and the Twilight crowd briefly rallied, probably happy to have some reason to shout at last since the franchise is absent this year), and Stephen Moyer.
What followed was peppered with decent comedy and some of the most obvious questions known to man from both the fans and the moderator (yes, they were asked about their training) form, drily commented that in fact he’d “been practicing mostly my beer and cheese skills” since shooting concluded. “Left unattended, my figure reverts to that of a reader.” Urban got to describe the fun he had as the villain, Blackhat: "I spend most of this film wreaking chaos in the wastelands.” And Gigandet mostly just looked handsome. Moyer got in a nice shot about playing Bettany’s “shorter, better looking brother”, a scientist estranged from his sibling who lives out in the wilderness.
Oh, and there were inevitable comparisons between vampires. Yawn.
But the undisputed highlight was the announcement that Clone Wars/Samurai Jack animation god Genndy Tartakovsky, had been asked to provide an animated prologue for the movie. On walked the man himself to explain, and detail his delight at working on something that doesn’t have to consider the kiddies when making it. “I was like, "Wow, we get to show decapitation and blood and violence," he said. "You take the shackles off and just for it." Stewart then introduced the work-in-progress prologue.
Tartakovsky’s bloody, and bloody fantastic work outlines the basic concept: Priest is set in a world where man and vampires (a separate species) have always been at war. The subterranean enemies have evolved into something more like the beasts of Alien that anything the Twilight crowd would recognize. Centuries of conflict have left the world ravaged, and mankind has retreated behind walled cities controlled by the church, which has largely taken over government, and also formed the Special Forces in terms of fang slaying. Not hundreds of heavily armed Buffy clones, but tough-as-nails warrior priests. But since the handy clergy largely vanquished the eyeless, yet extremely violent vamps, the Priest programme has been shut down and, like Vietnam vets, the warriors have tried to re-integrate into society.
Claret splashes, characters are torn apart and it’s all a lot of fun. But for Stewart’s sake, I hope it’s not the best part of the movie. (1 comment)
Saturday July 24, 2010, 08:32 (GMT) Panel Report: Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark
There is no getting away from it: Guillermo del Toro is one of the true kings of Comic-Con.
Even when he’s the surprise guest (such as Thursday’s Tron Legacy panel), he can command the audience like few other filmmakers, blending raw, funny language with passion and insight into the business. So when the event is focused on a film that the beloved Mexican multi-hyphenate has co-written and produced, it was hardly a surprise that he dominated the time and got the lion’s share of the questions.
Despite the presence of director Troy Nixey (who was introduced as “from Canada, so be gentle”), it was del Toro’s domain. The reaction was nothing less than rapturous as he was announced and arrived on stage to proclaim that he was delighted with the chocolates left waiting for him. “That’s how they attract fat people,” he quipped. “They put f****ng chocolate here and I’m driven.”
But ever the magnanimous collaborator, he was quick to acknowledge how impressed he was with Nixey’s work in comics before they ever worked together, and to single him out as a solid talent behind the camera.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a modern update of a vaguely obscure 1970’s TV movie that had a big impact on the young del Toro and his brothers, who for years were convinced that they were the only kids who had seen the thing. The basic plot finds a girl named Sally sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend, who discovers that the creepy old house that she’ll spend her days has an even darker, fairy-flavoured secret in the basement. And, tapping into classic stories of stolen children and changelings, these little monsters aren’t as friendly as they claim to be.
As producer/moderator Nick Nunziata kept things moving (though even he yielded the lion’s share of the mic time to the man that everyone wanted to talk to), del Toro cued up a first look montage that set the scene for the film’s tone more than the plot. Whispery voices bring the fairytale feeling, and there’s a distinctly creepy feeling to everything. The big scare moment comes as the young heroine of the film (Bailiee Madison) exploring under her covers, only to be confronted by a sudden beast. Cue loud jump scare and cut to black…
“Did you s**t your pants?” del Toro asks the crowd. “I did.” He goes on to explain how it’s been a long, tough journey to the screen for the movie, which he wrote with Mimic co-scribe Matthew Robbins back in 1997. He’s been struggling to get to a place where he has creative control. But that’s not the only thing on his mind. While he announces, far too late given the salty language so far, that children should leave the room, admitting, “It’s like Sesame Street, but Motherfucker is the word of the day. I’m not Elmo…” The man is a born entertainer. The warning, however late, is well intentioned, since the director/writer/producer next assures us all that no-one associated with the film is “f*****g chickening out.” He goes on to relate the comical tale of the film’s rating: “we didn’t have any profanity, except on the set, and no sexual situations, just lots of scares. The MPAA struck back an "R" for "pervasive scariness" and when they asked if anything can be done, the board said, "Why ruin a perfectly scary movie?" Del toro says that horror is like a pirate ship, the more "R" the better… Cheesy, but he made it work.
Oh, and this too: “Horror movies need to have balls and those balls need to be sweaty and wrinkled!” Quote of the day, anyone? Possibly only matched by “this movie is as serious as a case of Gonorrhoea…”
Most of the rest of the panel was a parade of fans asking the cinematic icon about every aspect of his work (with a few throwing Nixey the chance to answer). But it was del Toro’s candid, easygoing style that won the day once more, including stories about nearly going broke making Chronos.
And should you be harbouring your own ambitions to crack into movies or comics via his patronage, you can approach him in public or email him. No, honestly… he invites it.
The panel wrapped up with another look at the movie; this time, the entire prologue, set in 1918. We’re introduced to an ill-fated maid whose master has a rather urgent need for her “beautiful precious teeth.” Which he proceeds to chisel out of her mouth in a scene that, even if it doesn’t linger on the violence, had most of the audience grimacing. Which, we’re guessing, was exactly what Guillermo was hoping for… (1 comment)
Saturday July 24, 2010, 08:15 (GMT) Panel Report: Drive Angry, Skyline & Super
After Thursday’s procession of hyped-up heavy-hitters, from Scott Pilgrim to The Expendables, Friday morning saw three less well-known projects flaunt their wares in Hall H. First up, Drive Angry. It may be Nicolas Cage’s first 3D movie, but otherwise this looks like business as usual for the Czar of Zany. In fact, seeing as it’s the tale of a supernatural avenger driving a car around at breakneck speeds, it appears to be positioned exactly equidistant between Gone In 60 Seconds and Ghost Rider. Cage plays a man whose daughter has been murdered and grandchild kidnapped. He’s on a mission to get bloody payback – and he’s not going to let the fact that he’s dead put him off. As he flees Hell in a classic ’69 Charger, he has to contend not only with twisted criminals but a demonic foe known as The Accountant (William Fichtner), who’s been sent by Satan to drag him back to the netherworld.
The footage we’re shown is a pretty even mix of cool and corny. On the minus side, there’s that none-hoarier chestnut – a shot of our hero walking nonchalently away from a fireball – which suggests that Cage doesn’t watch Saturday Night Live. But also a fair amount of ‘70s exploitation-style carnage, with the Charger doing some spectacular leaps and spins. Fichtner also shows why he’s one of the best support actors in the game, eking cool out of every scene he’s in and doing a surprising amount of action – he not only wields a shotgun so huge that he calls it ‘the Godkiller’, but gets to dodge a bullet in ultra-slo-mo.
Despite it being first thing in the morning, Cage gracefully handled all queries thrown at him by audience members. One chap wanted advice on buying a haunted house. Another asked which film had the better car chases: Drive Angry or Gone In 60 Seconds (“I preferred to shoot the ones in this,” replied Cage, “because I had Amber Heard on the hood of my car”).
One thing’s for sure: the movie will be batshit crazy. And at least there are no bees in sight.
Next up on the stage was Skyline, a movie which was barely on our radar before we saw the gigantic billboard covering an entire side of a San Diego hotel earlier this week. Like Battle: Los Angeles (whose marketing team has also gone full-pelt, parking military helicopters and tanks around the convention centre), it’s about an alien invasion of LA. Unlike Battle: Los Angeles, it doesn’t look particularly promising, mostly because it’s directed by the pompously self-titled Brothers Strause, the gibbons behind Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem.
The set-up sees supporting characters from popular TV shows (Eric Balfour from 24! Donald Faison from Scrubs! David Zayas from Dexter!) get stuck in a high-rise building as spaceships descend from above and start to wreak havok. There’s one nice touch in the footage we see – shots of thousands of humans getting sucked up into the alien crafts as if they’re giant vacuum cleaners – but otherwise this looks like cheapjack genre fare with boring characters. The easily impressed Hall H still ate it up, but Skyline looks worryingly like District 9 for dullards.
More exciting was the presentation for Super, directed by James Gunn (the maniac behind Slither and PG Porn) and starring Rainn Wilson, Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion and Ellen Page. Wilson stars as a man whose wife (Tyler) leaves him for a sleazy drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), prompting him to don a homemade superhero costume and attempt to get her back by force. Page is a seemingly bonkers girl who persuades our hero to let her tag along as a Robin-style sidekick. And Fillion is a TV star who plays a superhero – he appears, clad in spandex, in visions to our increasingly unstable hero.
“It’s a very edgy film,” said producer Miranda Bailey. “It’s a dark, violent and underground look at a character trying to make something of his life. “The one thing that is good in his life — his wife — is stolen from him. And he feels like he is fighting evil, in all its forms, to get her back.”
The footage the team unspool is the first glimpse anyone’s had of the film. If it’s an accurate indication of the final product, Super is going to be a truly dark ride – one shocking sequence sees Wilson viciously attack a man who has butted ahead of him at a queue for the cinema. Then his wife. Using a wrench. Liv Tyler also reveals that her character gets hooked on heroin: for one scene the actress actually injected her foot with saline.
Thugh no-one actually drops the ‘K’ word, the movie that immediately springs to mind is Kick-Ass. At one point Gunn mentions that he wrote the script eight years ago – he’s probably kicking himself for not making it earlier as the premise doesn’t feel as fresh as it should. But with a cast this winnngly oddball, hopefully Super will live up to its name. (2 comments)
Saturday July 24, 2010, 07:37 (GMT) Comic-Con Videblogisode 1
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Saturday July 24, 2010, 07:23 (GMT) Panel Report: The Other Guys
Panels come in a great variety of shapes and sizes here at Comic-Con. Some are deathly dull (anything in room 9, for example), some are punctuated by bombshell exclusives (Del Toro to direct Haunted Mansion) and others stand out thanks to the explosive footage on display (Tron Legacy). The rarest of panels are those that, thanks to the chemistry, wit and charm of the participants, are simply entertainment in their own right. Sony’s The Other Guys was one such panel.
Director Adam McKay and stars Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell were electric, all four of them slinging zingers left and right and generally taking the piss out of each other and the audience (in an extremely good natured way.) Fanboys and girls were treated to a selection of Anchorman quotes from Ferrell, who announced what a pleasure it was “to be here in the Whale’s vagina.”
But as amusing as Ferrell (who stole the show with his Megamind panel performance and continued his stand-up routine here) was, it was Mendes who stepped up and made The Other Guys the best panel at the Con so far. When one kid stood up to ask a question, things took a turn for the wrong…
Boy: “This is for Mark Wahlberg. I just wanted to ask…” Mendes: “Awwww, you’re really cute.” Boy: “I’m available!” Mendes: “Are you legal?” Boy: “Does 16 count?” Mendes: “Hmmmm.” Wahlberg: “You are so in there.” Ferrell: “BONER ALERT! BONER ALERT!” An older lady steps up to the mike next to the boy. Lady: “Eva, I’m his mother!” Cue raucous laugher both on and off the panel. Lady: “Actually I think you’re great.” Mendes: “Thank you!” Wahlberg: “You know, Mom. When the door’s locked and he’s in his room by himself don’t come in. It’s just him, a picture of Eva and some lotion. It’s just natural.” Extreme blushing from the mortified boy. Boy (Struggling bravely on): My question was… Wahlberg: “It’s for me he wants to know how she smells. She smells good, she smells like she looks. Dude, you’re in - she’s ready to go! You can both have my room at the Hard Rock.” Mendes: “You’re setting me up with an underage boy!” Wahlberg: “His mom said it was okay!” The boy and his mother sit down and a man approaches the mike. Ferrell: “Is the next person asking a question your dad? Cause now it’s getting really weird.” Wahlberg: “It’s his parole officer!”
The wrongness continued throughout - including a creative line in Hebrew swearing and the emergence of yet another underage suitor for Mendes - providing what was arguably the most laugh-packed hour of entertainment Hall H has yet to see this year. Early word on the film itself has been rather mixed but if the cast manage to be half as funny on screen as they were during this Q&A then The Other Guys will be nigh on unmissable.
You can watch the entire panel - thanks to one industrious attendee - below.
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Friday July 23, 2010, 02:49 (GMT) Panel Report: Scott Pilgrim vs The World
It’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. Hall H! With the burly men-beast of The Expendables having recently evacuated the stage, it’s time for Edgar Wright and gang to rock the joint. “I’ve never had to follow Sylvester Stallone in anything,” says Wright, who’s stepped up to moderate his own panel. “I may have to challenge him to an arm-wrestle, Over The Top style. I have 13 guests coming out and I’m not sure they all add up to one Dolph Lundgren.”
First to join him was Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the graphic novel and whose final SP book, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, was just released this week. “It’s currently number five in Amazon’s bestseller list,” says Wright. “If it was called Scott Pilgrim And The Dragon Tattoo, it would be number one.”
Next up: Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza and Kieran Culkin – plus, four of the seven evil exes, Satya Bhabha, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh (wearing a Clash At Demonhead T-shirt) and Jason Schwartzman, who is not only rocking a magnificent moustache, but uses the opportunity to drop the word “Comic-Conishly”. “Jason just dropped the C-bomb,” gasps Wright. “I don’t think anybody’s going to beat that adjective all weekend.”
That’s not all. Scott’s two ladyfriends, Ellen Wong and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, also stroll onto the stage. Chris Evans, sadly, is in London shooting Captain America. But Wright declares that someone is here who also auditioned for Cap and “got down to the final 500”. And with that, Michael Cera makes a spectacular entrance, clad in a padded Captain America bodysuit and foam helmet.
Can things get any funnier? Why, yes they can. Wright announces that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who also star in the movie, will also be on stage – and the dynamic duo march out to tumultuous applause. “Hang on, this should read ‘Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who do //not// star in the movie’,” says Wright. Pegg and Frost look shocked and sulk back off-stage, heads held low.
Cautioning that people who ask multi-part questions will be gunned down by snipers, Wright opens the floor up. Was it hard for the cast to play Canadians, wonders one audience member. Cera, Wong and Pill all reply that they are Canadian. “It was difficult to work with all these Canadians,” deadpans Routh.
Some salient facts emerge during the rest of the Q&A. During training, Cera became known as “the Push-Up King”. Wright kissed Culkin on the lips before his gay make-out scene. Schwartzman’s favourite moment on-set was his shower scene with Cera, which was shot over two weeks. Not all of the above are true.
Thursday July 22, 2010, 23:08 (GMT) Panel Report: RED
Retired Extremely Dangerous is what RED’s title stands for, but while a film about aging, retired CIA spooks might not seem like a kick-ass property, even those unfamiliar with the graphic novel have got to respect the film’s cast pedigree. Representing the stellar lineup, Helen Hirren, Karl Urban and Mary Louise Parker are all in attendance at the panel, not to mention John McClane himself, Mr Bruce Wilis.
You can’t help but respect Mirren, who turns up wearing a Harvey Pekar t-shirt (to explosive cheers) and goes on to joke that with her and co-star Morgan Freeman in the film, audiences “have got both the queen and God in this film.”
If the Pekar nod got Mirren mega geek props then Urban sets out to top that by shouting at the crowd: “Are you out of your Vulcan minds?” in his best Dr McCoy. Cue mass screamage and wailing as the Trek contingent makes themselves known. Urban really is geek catnip: every time he speaks, or if one of his co-stars even mentions his name there’s a shriek from somewhere in the room.
Perhaps the best question of the day so far: “This one’s for Bruce Willis and Hellen Mirren, what do you think it would be like to be John Malkovich?” Mirren: “I don’t know, Bruce? Which end would you like to be? Top or bottom?” Aaaaand that’s an image we won’t be rid of in a hurry.
The all-new trailer for the film debuts and it’s far more impressive than the teaser that’s been online for some time now. Standout moments include Willis stepping out of a moving car as if it’s stationary and casually firing at Urban as the swinging tailgate just misses him. Another scenes sees John Malkovich shoot an RPG out of the air with his pistol, he pauses and signs off the trailer with “too old my ass.”
A question for the girls on the hardest thing about doing action: “You know, the most difficult thing about shooting a gun on film is not pulling a silly face when it goes off,” says Mirren. “I found myself sticking my tongue out or squinting. So try to keep a straight face if you find yourself shooting a gun on film in the future.” “Alec Baldwin told me ‘just look like you constantly have to pee’”, chips in Parker. “That’s the best way to look like you’re in danger.”
On a side note, we can’t help but notice that the quality of fan questions is lacking a certain something this year. If we hear one more person ask a star about their training regimen we’re going to kick off. Where are the customary nutters demanding sex and talking about alien abductions? Very disappointing, let’s hope it picks up as the Con goes on.
Thursday July 22, 2010, 22:13 (GMT) Panel Report: Battle: Los Angeles
Last year an extended sizzle reel of District 9 footage blew the roof off Hall H. In 2010, it’s the turn of Battle: Los Angeles, an effects-heavy sci-fi/ war movie due out next summer. Our first look at the movie comes in the form of an extended trailer, setting up the premise: high-tech aliens are invading America – possibly even the whole world, it’s unclear at this point – and LA is a key battleground. The ensuing carnage is seen from the perspective of a squad of Marines, led by Aaron Eckhart. What we see is gritty, intense and hard-hitting, like Black Hawk Down with bloodthirsty ETs. As the Marines head into the heart of the city in an attempt to rescue a group of citizens before the whole city goes kaboom, they get sucked into full-on firefights against scuttling critters with insane weapons (not to mention the flying saucers in the skies above). The footage is coy about revealing the baddies – all we get is the odd blurry glimpse, though if pressed we’d say they resemble a cross between a lobster and ED-209.
“When I saw 40 minutes of it the day before yesterday,” says co-star Michelle Rodriguez, “I tried to grab an imaginary Xbox controller to move the character out the way. It’s like the greatest first-person shooter ever.” Rodriguez plays an air-force tech sergeant in the movie. “I had to learn how to strip an M4 in less than a minute,” she laughs. “Modern Warfare doesn’t teach you that!”
Eckhart describes the brutal shoot, in 100-degree heat in Louisana — “We all put everything we had into it. We didn’t hold anything back” — and praises director Jonathan Liebesman, who’s hopefully stepped his game up since making The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Liebesman claims he’s taken his cue from sci-fi masters like James Cameron in creating his aliens. “They have medics, lieutenants, tactics. The way they interact with each other had to feel real.”
Keep your peepers fixed on Empire Online for more on Battle: Los Angeles soon.
Thursday July 22, 2010, 21:55 (GMT) Panel Report: Salt
Who is Salt? That’s the question surrounding the next film up at the Con. Although, to be honest, the answer seems pretty obvious to us: It’s Angelina Jolie, who’s here alongside director Phillip Noyce, Priducer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and improbably tall spellcheck nemesis, Liev Schreiber. The trailer for Salt gets people into the spirit of things and it's straight into the panel.
It probably goes without saying that Jolie’s entrance causes a geekgasm of tsunami-like proportions as she walks onto the stage. She’s the biggest star at this year’s Con and the fans here gave her a suitably A-list welcome, screaming an assortment of largely unintelligible greetings – most of which we’re assuming were complimentary. The person to Empire’s left is bouncing up and down like some kind of incontinent jack-in-the-box and… yes, he appears to be crying. At this point we’re feeling a little uncomfortable.
Schreiber steps in to joke that the recent US/Russian exchange of spies was the most elaborate marketing exercise for a film he’s ever seen. Oh Liev, you wag you. There’s little preamble from the host and it’s almost straight over to the audience. Hats off to the procession of fanboys who queue up behind the mike, all of whom have so far managed to keep themselves under control when faced with the object of all their sweaty fantasies. Hang on, this one looks a bit stalky…. No, no it’s all right, he just wants to know if she hurt herself while doing her own stunts.
“Actually yes! I had to jump through a door and shoot sideways and I rolled right into a desk and split my head open. I was bleeding everywhere! I thought I had a concussion and couldn’t hear anyone but it turned out I still had my earplugs in from firing the gun. So I was fine!”
Isn’t she charming? You know, if this laptop wasn’t so cumbersome Empire might just get up to ask something inappropriate ourselves. That is unless…. Yes, definitely dodgy this one – just look at that facial hair. He’s approaching the mike, he’s opening his mouth. And… nothing. Whatever he was going to say he got cut off by the guy who vets potentially rapey outbursts and the host hastily redirects one to Phillip Noyce. Nice save.
Another one for Angie. We missed the specifics but it went along the lines of “why are you so great, I think you’re awesome.” Hard-hitting stuff, this. Paxman could learn a lot. “Angie, I love you!” Says the next one. Oh come on, we’re pretty sure that’s not even a question.
A few queries about filming process and the shoot follow, but let’s be honest, these are all thinly veiled excuses for people to talk to Angelina – Honestly, do they honestly think a question about camera technology is usually prefaced with “uhhhh, this one’s for Angelina”? Unfortunately the host insists on reassigning them to Noyce and Di Bonaventura so they can feel like they’re contributing. Denied!
A guy in a Punisher costume has just asked what firearms Jolie got to use. There’s applause for his commitment to character but by the slightly crazed look on his face we’re beginning to think it was a serious question. Perhaps someone should call Homeland Security. Still, Angie’s game for it.
“I got to play with just about everything,” she says. “Including a fire extinguisher in a way I had never thought to use it. I’m picking up just about every gun, picking things up off soldiers and stuff. Hand-to-hand was my weapon of choice though, you know we’re basically just running around and punching each other.”
And with that image the Most Beautiful Person In The WorldTM leaves the stage. Or at least she tries to – about a third of the hall immediately rushes the stage to try and get a snap of her on their cameras - presumably planning to photoshop themselves in later. Salt is out tomorrow here in the States. Something tells us there will be at least 4000 people there on opening night.
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Thursday July 22, 2010, 19:32 (GMT) Panel Report: Tron Legacy
One of the buzziest panels of this year’s Con – Tron Legacy – commences with guest moderator Patton Oswalt, the voice of Ratatouille’s rodent chef and showbiz geek, urging the crowd to get Tron trending on Twitter. He also promises a topless knife fight between Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner in San Diego later tonight.
Then, with the words “Roll the package!”, he cues up a video montage of Tron-inspired clips, from South Park, Simpsons and Family Guy parodies to footage of Tron On Ice (!), all scored to Daft Punk’s Around The World (the Gallic electroheads are, of course, scoring the new movie).
Time for the talent to hit the stage: director Joseph Kosinski, director of the original Steven Lisberger, producer Sean Bailey and stars Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, Boxleitner and “the man who really ties the film together”, Jeff Bridges. Kosinski, who’s disappointingly wearing a smart suit instead of a glowy leotard, talks about the technical upgrades — “fully illuminated” suits and two Jeff Bridges facing against each other off in the digital world. “It’s pretty wild,” says Bridges. “You can now play yourself at any age, from an old man to an infant. To be there at the start of this technology, it’s amazing. Though the younger version of myself was badly behaved. He was always coming on to Olivia Wilde.”
Wilde herself hints that her character, Quorra, kicks a serious amount of phosphorescent ass in the movie. “She’s a fearless warrior. I’ve always wanted to play a warrior, so that was very cool. I had to learn martial arts and how to do crazy kicks.”
Michael Sheen, whom Oswalt claims has flown to San Diego in a giant teapot, marvels at the size of the crowd. “I thought everybody was supposed to dress up as someone here, so I came as Jeff Bridges,” he says, stroking his bushy beard. “But then he shaved and ruined everything.”
Tron himself, Bruce Boxleitner, promises we’re going to be thrilled by the footage coming up. Bridges concurs: “It makes the old one look like a black-and-white TV show. It’s spectacular.” “Remember what we were wearing in the original, Jeff?” says Boxleitner. “We had hockey helmets and were throwing frisbees at each other.” “Don’t forget our dance belts,” shoots back Bridges. “They were like thongs for men.”
Time for the footage – and there’s a whole eight minutes! The sequence kicks off with Hedlund’s character, Sam, descending into the neon-lit bowels of Tron World, feet shackled to some kind of platform that he’s been hustled onto by orange-striped guards. His fellow prisoners are a bizarre bunch, one muttering to himself insanely, another with a hole in his face. Their voyage through the alien universe is truly epic, the sky strobed by lighning, eerie buildings jutting out of gloomy clouds. Finally the craft lands and the prisoners are inspected, either approved (“Rectified”) or, in Sam’s case, pulled out of the line-up (“Games”). This is clearly not a desirable outcome, as the other prisoner who’s been pulled out screams, before leaping off a platform to his death.
Sam is transported to a slick, featureless room, where four sexy cyber-ladies emerge from the walls and strip him of his clothes, unzipping them with laser-fingers. Then, as a black body-suit digitally forms on his torso, they affix armour onto him and slink backwards. “What am I supposed to do?” asks a confused Sam. “Survive,” replies one of the hot but creepy women, disappearing back into the wall.
We then get a montage of money shots – Sheen as blond-wigged club promoter Castor (apparently based on Ziggy Stardust era Bowie); Sam using a lightdisc to shatter an enemy into pixels; a very sexy-looking Wilde stepping out of the shadows; and, finally, the promised appearance from a 35 year-old Bridges. The CG Clu, we’re happy to report, looks pixel-perfect, a major step forward from the glimpse we saw of him at last year’s Comic-Con. “I’m not your father, Sam, but I’m very, very happy to see you,” says the faux Bridges, with a sinister twinkle in his eye, before leaping off a platform and forming a mini neon plane (light aircraft?) around himself to make his getaway.
Before we can calm down from all that, Kosinski informs the crowd that there are Skywalker Sound technicians dotted around the hall. We’re to chant words that flash up on the screen, the results of which will feature in a sequence in the movie itself. So there’s a surreal interlude in which everybody shouts things like, “Disc wars!” and stomps their feet. Finally, a photo of legendary tubby funster Tron Guy flashes up on the screen, eliciting the highest quantity of whoops. “Anyone outside this hall is terrifed right now,” quips Oswalt. “They think there’s some kind of rally going on in here.”
Next, a double-whammy of hype bombs from Disney. First, a greeting — in 3D — from Johnny Depp, in character as Captain Jack. Sitting on a beach with a half-empty bottle of rum in his hand, Jack was here to hype up his new adventure, Pirates Of The Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, featuring “mermaids, buccaneers and the vicious, vivacious Penelope Cruz”. He signs off by ordering a round of Bloody Maries for everyone in Hall H, “on the Mouse”.
Then, a surprise announcement. Oswalt declares that Disney’s The Haunted Mansion ride will be made into yet another movie. But forget the woeful Eddie Murphy effort from 2003 – the man behind this one will be none other than Guillermo Del Toro, who appears on stage to explain why this will be his next directorial outing.
"I went to Disneyland when I was three years old," says Del Toro. "It was the year the Haunted Mansion opened and I've been there at least once eyery year for the whole of my life since. That's how freaky I am, unfortunately. I go there to think or relax. While I was making Mimic and having a horrible time, I went on the ride again and again. In my house I have my own Haunted Mansion room, with gargoyles and creepy wallpaper!"
The movie, which will be live-action and 3D, will be largely based around the character of the Hatbox Ghost. "I've always loved him," says Del Toro. "He's one of the scariest creations ever, but also whimsical. This movie will be scary, by the way. If you take the children, they will scream. But it'll be good for them."
So a proper haunted-house chiller from the maker of Pan's Labyrinth? Count us in. "This version will not be a comedy," promises the Mexican auteur. "We are not returning Eddie Murphy's calls."
Thursday July 22, 2010, 19:02 (GMT) Panel Report: Megamind
First up today was DreamWorks’ Megamind, which stars Will Ferrell as the voice of the titular uber-villain, who does the unthinkable and kills his arch-rival, Metro Man, and becomes all powerful – only to discover it’s far less fun when you’re on top. Co-stars Jonah Hill and Tina Fey were present, though largely upstaged by a blue-painted, prosthetic-craniumed Will Ferrell aping the look of his animated alter-ego. Fans lost their minds when the host mentioned that Metro Man himself, Brad Pitt, would make an appearance, only for Ferrell to walk on with a cardboard cut-out of Pitt (which Fey proceeded to caress throughout the panel). With Angelina here for the upcoming Salt panel, we imagine someone had to stay home and look after the kids.
A five-minute sizzle reel did a solid job of selling the film’s premise, showcasing Ferrell in top funny form. We’d love to comment on the use of 3D but, having arrived late, we managed to miss the glasses they were handed out and instead took it all in via the medium of glorious 2D fuzzivision. (Ferrell said that he, due to the face paint making his eyes go fuzzy, experienced it in 9D.) Nevertheless, the jokes came thick and fast throughout. Whether it will equal or surpass Despicable Me remains to be seen, but it’s certainly in with a good shout.
During the Q&A, the cast were asked to reveal their personal Hollywood nemesis. First up was Fey: “Betty White is my nemesis and one day we’re going to fight in a big ball of fire. She’ll probably win but it’ll be a spectacular battle. That’s it: I’m going to fight Betty White. On pay-per-view.”
Hill: “Mel Gibson’s girlfriend is my nemesis. I thought I’d come out officially and support Mel.” Cue a comedy exit as Hill walks off stage in a huff, knocking over the Brad Pitt standee as he goes. “God, this is going to be really awkward when he comes back,” comments Fey.
“I feel guilty,” says Hill, upon returning a few minutes later. “I only heard what Mel said second-hand — now, after actually reading the transcript, I have to say that I only support a quarter of the things he was saying. I do think the Jews killed Jesus. That’s a fact, we can all agree on that and just move on.” Edgy material for an animation panel and the first of the Con but the audience ate it up.
“Oddly enough,” says Ferrell, “my nemeisis is Charlize Theron. I’m not going to get into it but there’s a lot of bad blood there.”
Lots of witty back-and-forth followed – and with two SNL alumni on stage we’d expect nothing less - continuing as questions were opened to the floor. “What was your most memorable moment as an actor?” asked one lady. “Will’s most memorable moment as an actor was a high-school production of Our Town, where he pissed himself,” chipped in Fey. “That’s so not made up.”
Hill interrupted with the following statement: “I’m officially announcing right now that I’m playing the Hulk in the Avengers movie. I’d just like to say thank you to all the fans who made this happen. It’ll be me and Downey and we’re gonna make this good. See you in 2012!”
“I would also like to announce something,” said the blue-faced Ferrell, as the panel reached its conclusion. “My face is on fire right now. If you’re going to do this at home then do it properly - don’t use a can of spray paint.”
Of course, most people will just have to take our word for all of this since the queue outside was more than 8000 people strong. Given that this is the first Con in three years that doesn’t play host to a Twilight panel, we thought the overnight queuing phenomenon would pass Conners by this year. Sadly that’s proved not to be the case and the draw of Tron legacy (up next) essentially meant that only the very keenest Megamind fans were able to get into Hall H at all, which is rather a shame. Will Tron be worth the wait? We’ll find out in ten minutes!
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Thursday July 22, 2010, 15:01 (GMT) A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words
It’s no secret that Comic-Con is absolutely huge. To get an idea of exactly how huge you need look no further than preview night. Two years ago it was just a case of the main floor opening for a few hours the day before the Con started so that those who’d flown into San Diego a day early had more to do than scarf Subways and wander the streets getting beaten up by sailors from the local naval base. Nowadays the ‘quiet preview’ of everything on offer at the Con is rammed from port to starboard, hordes of sweating bodies swarming the aisles in a geektacular stampede that rivals anything you’ll find on Saturday – the traditional ‘rush’ day.
As the seconds ticked closer to 6pm, there were queues backing out of the main doors at every single hall and when the doors finally swung open it was like the gates of Mordor had finally given way as the men of Gondor (and Anaheim and Delaware and just about every other corner of the US and beyond) pressed forward to take the fight to the Convention floor. Polite and orderly it most certainly was not.
Once inside, however, any indignation about being elbowed in the face by a 15-year-old dressed as Naruto soon faded away as a bounty of beautiful things hove into view. Games, films, comics, toys, TV, collectibles, t-shirts, maquettes and even, for reasons unknown, a stall dedicated to Nazi erotica were present, catering to geeks of every stripe and fetish. Whether you’re into mainstream geekery like Marvel or some obscure Japanese animation about a talking hubcap, there’s something for you here at Comic-Con. What drew us primarily, however, was the world of film.
The first film-related stand, bizarrely was the gaping, waggling orange form of Mr Timms – the clockwork fish from the Rango trailer. Timms has a stand all to himself this year, with no actual mention of Gore Verbinski’s bonkers animation in sight. There was a competition to win all manner of signed memorabilia but if there’s awareness of the film going on here then, frankly, we missed it.
What we couldn’t miss was the towering monument to all things Sony Pictures. Slap bang in the middle of all things screen-related, the stand boasted all-new posters for Scott Stewart’s Priest, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Battle: Los Angeles. Little has been released around the latter thus far (a film that’s been touted as Black Hawk Down Meets Independence Day) but it certainly drew more than a few interested eyes on the floor.{Priest And Resident Evil Posters}
Drive Angry managed to smuggle a new poster into the Con – one you could easily have walked right by had you not been paying attention. RED, on the other hand, had a wall all to itself.
Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch didn’t so much take a poster offensive as a collectible one, featuring a selection of character maquettes from the film – and one full-size costume.{Sucker Punch Models}
And while we’re on the subject of props. The Green Hornet car, the Black Beauty, made a return to the con this year, alongside the Priest Bike from Priest and, as if you could have doubted it, a Tron Light Cycle.
Tron Legacy was pretty well represented at the huge Disney stand, which not only showed off the upcoming tie-in video game but showcased a range of collectibles and accessories (Tron Wiimotes, Xbox Controllers and iPad cases, anyone?) to tempt the eye and the wallet.
{Tron Legacy Toys}
What was conspicuous by its absence was any Thor livery. There was nothing to herald the release of Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of the norse god of thunder – oh except for the thirty foot replica of Odin’s Asgardian throne! Perching on the godly seat may be the photo op of choice this year.
Eye candy wasn’t limited to the convention floor. Outside in the atriums a selection of banners hawked everything from The Walking Dead to True Blood and The Green Hornet. Resident Evil bagged the huge, circular banner in the atrium (last year taken up by the striking poster for Scott Stewart’s ultimately disappointing Legion).
The streets of San Diego play host to so much film advertising at the con these days, the area of the Gaslap Quarter near the Convention Centre feels like some kind of film-related Vegas strip. Flynn’s Arcade sits round the corner (in preparation for the Tron party), Battle: Los Angeles posters grace windows across the whole of one building, while every shuttle bus that passes carries bold livery for Showtime’s line-up of TV anti-heroes from Dexter, Californication, Weeds and Nurse Jackie.
{Battle Los Angeles Banners}
Biggest of all were the huge (and we mean HUGE) facelifts on the adjacent hotels. The Hilton is now touting Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim, while the Marriott Bayfront has given over one side to scream about the Brothers Strauss’ Skyline.
All in all a strong offensive for all things film-related and the Con itself hasn’t even begun yet. Tune in later on for reports from the first day of panels and parties – assuming we survive!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:56 (GMT) And that's it...right? "For everyone watching, keep making movies and keep going to see them!"
And that's all she wrote, folks (which is just as well, cause that's all I CAN write). Eight awards for Slumdog Millionaire, Kate Winslet finally rewarded, Heath Ledger commemorated. It may not have been a night of surprises, but it was by no means a bad Oscars, and while we're disappointed for a few favourites, we haven't thrown a single cupcake at the TV out of anger. Mostly cause we'd eaten them, otherwise Claudia Winkleman would've been pelted, but that's not the point.
The point is, films are great and even though the Oscars usually don't nominate or award the best people of the year, they still remind of us of that single, overarching fact. And with that, we're off to bed.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:53 (GMT) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!
They're mobbing the stage! Even the kids! Yay!
"Thank you so much. As you can see, our film was a collaboration between hundreds of people and I'm so happy that so many of them could be here tonight. Together we've been on an extraordinary journey. When we started, we had no stars, no power or muscle, not enough money to do what we wanted to do. But we had a script that inspired people, a crew that were talented and a shared love for the city of Mumbai. Most of all, we had passion and belief, and this shows that if you have those you can do anything."
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:47 (GMT) Best Picture "Please welcome the guy I've been trying to impress all night with my Australian accent, Steven Spielberg!"
Empire's The 'Berg is presenting the Best Picture montage, cleverly cutting films of yesteryear that relate to the nominees this year in with the normal footage: so for Frost/Nixon, we get Apocalypse Now and All The President's Men. Slumdog gets cut with Million Dollar Baby, Forest Gump, Casablanca. The Reader with Lost In Translation, The Graduate, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Life Is Beautiful. Milk is mixed with The Life and Times of Harvey Milk (the documentary), Braveheart, Network, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Gandhi, Raging Bull. Ben Button gets Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, It's A Wonderful Life, Shakespeare in Love.
Hmm, nifty.
And the Oscar goes to...SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!
YAY!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:43 (GMT) Sean Penn "Thank you. You Commie, homo-loving sons of guns. I did not expect this, and I want it to be very clear that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me, often. But I am touched by the appreciation. I did scribble down some names, in case you were Commie, homo-loving sons of guns. As all us actors know, our director either has the patience, talent and restraint to grant us a voice or they don't, and there are no finer hands to be in than Gus Van Sant. Finally, for those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted FOR the ban on gay marriage to sit and reflect on their shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue in that support. We've GOT to have equal rights for everyone. Last two things: I am very, very proud to live in a country willing to elect an elegant man president, and despite being tough, to create great artists - and this is with respect to ALL the nominees - to create great artists, he rises again, Mickey Rourke, he is my brother!"
Yay!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:37 (GMT) Best Actor An Actor montage at last. And there are some BIG names presenting.
Michael Douglas takes Frank Langella: "The pitfalls of playing a real figure are too numerous to mention. Minutes into the film all comparisons to the real figure or other portrayals falls away. Your work on this film is incomparable, and I salute you for that."
Robert De Niro on Sean Penn: "How did he do it? How for all those years did Sean Penn get all those jobs playing straight men? Being a movie star can get in the way of acting, but not for Sean. Sean brings the same commitment to his offscreen life, when he respectfully advises world leaders and calmly negotiates with the paparazzi."
Adrien Brody on Richard Jenkins: "If you google Richard Jenkins, you'll find sixty roles in the last 25 years. You're unquestionably recognisable, but tonight, I'm happy that you get the recognition."
Anthony Hopkins on Brad Pitt: "Brad Pitt, the leading man we all know, shows up about two thirds of the way through Benjamin Button. Before that, we've seen a great, great performance from a great actor. Magnificent job, my friend."
Sir Ben Kingsley on Mickey Rourke: "Randy the Ram Robinson gets a second shot in the ring and in his life. But why do we care for a bleached blond, battered bruiser? There's one very good reason: Mickey Rourke. Only a fiercely honest actor could be so effective as a guy who hasn't had it easy but gets a chance at redemption. Welcome back, the returning champ, Mickey Rourke!
And the Oscar goes to....Sean Penn.
We were pulling for Rourke.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:32 (GMT) Kate Winslet
(shook hands with Angelina before going onstage, so I guess they've made up after Kate forgot her at the Globes)
"OK, that fainting thing, Penelope! I'd be lying if I haven't made a version of this speech before - I think I was 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror, and this would have been a shampoo bottle. Well, it's not a shampoo bottle now! I feel very fortunate to have made it from there to here, and I'd like to thank the people who had faith in me - Mum and Dad. Dad, I know you're in this room somewhere, so whistle so I'll know where to look (there's a whistle) I love you! From Peter Jackson to Emma Thompson to my very own Sam and Stephen Daldry, I'm very lucky! To have been surrounded by a remarkable chain of people who provided unbreakable support, and I'm so lucky to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children who let me do what I love. And I want to thank Sydney and Anthony, looking down on us. And I want to thank my fellow nominees, these goddesses! I think we all can't believe we're in a category with Meryl Streep, my God! And Meryl, you'll just have to suck that up! My God! Thank you!"
That was kinda lovely, if emotional and over-enthused. Well earned at last!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:25 (GMT) Best Actress ANOTHER Best Actress montage? We've already had one of those. Previous winners are here to present again. A strangely long ovation greets them.
Shirley Maclaine salutes Anne Hathaway (a good fit, given how awesome Maclaine was at taking both comedy and drama together back in the day: "This is your first nomination but I think there will be many more after this. And by the way you have an extraordinary voice, so keep singing!")
Marion Cotillard takes Kate Winslet in a rather breathy speech. ("This is yet another unforgettable portrait from one of our most gifted actresses and one of our most inspiring. Thank you!")
Halle Berry takes Melissa Leo: ("I've been lucky enough to make a small, independent film that made it onto this stage at the Oscars. How wonderful it is to see it happen again.")
Sophia Loren does Meryl Streep: ("Her very name represents excellence. For this record you have had 15 nominations, and we behold the astonishing Meryl Streep.")
Nicole Kidman does Angelina Jolie: ("a woman brought to life by the very modern gifts of Angelina Jolie. As one who would not let her son be forgotten, you were unforgettable")
And the Oscar goes to...KATE WINSLET!
AT LAST!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:21 (GMT) Danny Boyle
(jumps up and down) My kids are older now and probably don't remember this but once, years ago, I promised me kids that if I ever won this I would do so in the manner of Tigger, so that's what that was. I want to thank the Academy, you've been so generous tonight and put on a great show. I don't know what it looks like at home, but it's been wonderful here in the room. Finally, just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us make the film and all of you who didn't, thank you so much. You dwarf even this guy."
YAY!
No self-agrandisement, just sincere thanks to everyone else. He was here in the office a few weeks ago you know - couldn't happen to a nicer man.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:18 (GMT) Best Director The outgoing President of the Academy has, "as a gift to us" agreed not to make a speech tonight. Smooth, Jackman!
Reese Winterspoon, in an ace dress, is presenting Best Director and explaining what they do. "They can even play hostage negotiator when a certain actor is refusing to come out of their trailer. Not that I'm talking about myself. But you know who you are...Ben Stiller."
We're all like [Rob Schneider] You can do it Danny[/Rob Schneider]
And the Oscar goes to... DANNY BOYLE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!!!!
YAY!
YAY SOME MORE!
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:11 (GMT) Obituaries Queen Latifah is introducing the Obituaries. Here we go...
She's singing All The Old Familiar Places...
Cyd Charisse, Bernie Mac, Bud Stone, Ollie Johnstone, Van Johnson, J. Paul Huntsman, Michael Crichton, Nina Foch, Pat Hingle, Harold Pinter, Charles h. Joffe, Kon Ichikawa, Charles Schneer, Abby Mann, Roy Scheider, David Watkin, Robert Mulligan, Evelyn Keyes, Richard Widmark, Claude Berri, Maila Nurmi, Isaac Hayes, Richard Montalban, Manny Farber, Robert DoQui, Jules Dassin, Paul Scofield, Warren Cowan, Leonard Rosenman, Joseph M.Carrociola, Stan Winston, Ned Tanen, James Whitmore, Charlton Heston, Anthony MInghella, Sydney Pollack, Paul Newman.
RIP all.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:07 (GMT) Yojiro Takita "Thank you to all the Academy. Thank you to everybody who helped make this film, I am very very happy! I am here because of films! This is a new departure for me! And we will be back!"
Best Speech EVER! Even referencing Arnie (possibly not on purpose)
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:05 (GMT) Best Foreign Film Liam Neeson and Freida Pinto presenting? Why? Cause he starred in Taken about a girl taken into sex slavery and her character sort of was in Slumdog?
It's Best Foreign Film, cause they're both a wee bit foreign, see? After all, Americans don't really get the Ballymena accent and think he's speaking Gaelic even when he's not.
And the Oscar goes to...DEPARTURES, Japan.
Wow, the one no one's heard of! There's a turn up.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:04 (GMT) Thought For A Pause Here's a thought: it's looking like a Slumdog sweep, right? But then we seem to remember it looking like a Brokeback sweep a few years back and things went horribly askew, so....
On the bright side, Danny Boyle's shown genuine delight when his colleagues have won, so we think he'll leave feeling pretty good anyway.
Monday February 23, 2009, 04:02 (GMT) AR Rahman Again "I just want to thank again the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire, and all the people from Mumbai, and the essence of the film which is about optimism and the power of hope in our lives. All my life I've had the choice between hate and love. I chose love and I'm here. Thank you."
Dude! A R Rahman rocks. What a lovely speech.
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:56 (GMT) Best Original Song: And Another Medley! "If the score is the narrative of a movie, the song is the punctuation..."
God we hate these intros. But now it's a Songs medley! A R Rahman's back up, singing from the soundtrack: this guy's doing it all tonight. Singer M.I.A. gave birth this week, which rather complicated this whole number. The format's one Slumdog nominee, then John Legend singing Down To Earth (not a great fit. Remember Peter Gabriel earlier explaining that he didn't want to be part of a medley? Wait, Legend's got better as he hit the chorus) and then Jai Ho, also from Slumdog.
Seriously medleys are ALWAYS a bad idea - corny and bad. When will the world learn this? Or am I the only one who despises them with the fire of a thousand suns, however well put together technically?
Also, it may be fatigue hitting, but we can't let the TV say Wall-E without repeating it in Wall-E speak. Oh dear.
Ahem. But the Oscar goes to... JAI HO, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Gosh they're having a good night.
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:55 (GMT) A R Rahman "Before coming, I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt that was during my marriage. There's a Hindi film called 'I have nothing, but I have a mother', so she's here, and I want to thank her for coming all this way. I want to say God is great, thank you."
He loves his mum. Bless!
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:50 (GMT) Best Score
Hugh's quoting Audrey Hepburn, in preparation for this medley (shudder) from this year's nominated scores. Michael Giacchino is conducting. We wish it were Michael Cimino, cause that'd be impressive. Still, after writing frantically for however many hours it's been, I'm finding this quite relaxing.,fgccvsdaksldhfjlaiuwyhrhfvug
Hugh! Whoops, fell asleep and head hit the keyboard there. Where were we?
Zac Efron and Alicia Keyes are presenting this one. He looks wild around the eyes.
And the Oscar goes to...SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, A.R. RAHMAN
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:42 (GMT) The Jean Hersholt Award - Jerry Lewis Eddie Murphy!
"It's often said that comedians are just overgrown children, but it's also true that we like to raise a smile. And if laughter is the best medicine, here's a man who's had his own universal health-care plan for the last 60 years. Jerry Lewis has had a huge influence on my career and that of many other comics, but that pales in comparison to the effect he's had around the world on what are known as Jerry's Kids."
He's done lots of work for children with muscular dystrophy, raising over $2 million for the cause. Well done Mr Lewis!
"I will pass through this world but once, so any good I can do, let me do it now," says Lewis in a voiceover. We've just become big fans.
"From one Nutty Professor to another, it is my another, it is my honour to present the Jean Hersholt award to Mr Jerry Lewis!" says Murphy.
Lewis is actually looking rather hale.
"Thank you so very much. For most of my life, I thought that doing good for someone didn't mean you would receive commendation for that act of kindness, at least until now. This award touches my heart and the very depth of my soul because of who the award is from, and who it will benefit. The humility I feel is staggering, and will stay with me for my life. Thank you to the movie business - it's such a joy being part of you, and part of what you do. Thank you, and good night!"
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:34 (GMT) Chris Dickens - Film Editing "Yes, they still have me here," says Smith. "I think Hugh is napping."
And the Oscar goes to... SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
" Thank you so much for this, thank you everyone who voted for me. I just want to say I had a fantastic time working on this film. I had a wonderful time in India, so I'd like to thank my crew there and also in India. Thanks especially to Danny for just producing such great material, such fantastic stuff to work with. Thank you, you really inspired me."
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:31 (GMT) Resul Pookutty - Sound Mixing "Sound mixers have been called the superheroes of post-production, and not just by their mommas; other people say it too," says Smith. We heart him.
And the Oscar goes to...SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
"This is unbelievable (heavy breathing). I share this stage with two magicians who created the very ordinary sounds of Bombay in the heartrending sounds of Slumdog Millionaire. I dedicate this award to my country - this is not just a sound award, this is history being handed over to me. My sincerest thanks to my teachers, Danny Boyle...Thank you Academy."
We're saying he's the winner most likely to faint.
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:29 (GMT) Richard King - Sound Editing And the Oscar goes to... THE DARK KNIGHT.
Richard King accepts the award.
"As a kid growing up in suburban Florida I was obsessed by movies but Hollywood seemed to be a million miles away, I never thought I'd be here, but I'm thrilled to be part of a creative industry where it's fun to go to work every day. I'd like to thank Chris Nolan, who's fun to work with, very detailed-oriented and made going to work just a joy."
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:27 (GMT) Eric Barba - Outstanding Visual Effects "Oh my god. On behalf of us all, I'd like to thank the Academy for this incredible honour...To my kids, I'd just like to say, work hard and never give up."
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:22 (GMT) Specialest Effects Ever - It's Another Montage! Hugh, in the new format that goes through filmmaking stage-by-stage, has now reached post production. It's Effects time, people! In other words, say hello to all the films that made money and won't be nominated anywhere else.
Will Smith is presenting, weirdly being ushered on by the Dark Knight music.
"I asked to do this part because I love action movies, films with action and car chases and explosions and excitement and, what's the other word, FANS."
You tell 'em Will!
And Outstanding Visual Effects goes to... THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:17 (GMT) Best Documentary Short And the Oscar goes to...Smile Pinki.
"Waow! Oh, to be in a room with all this talent, lucky me, and to tell stories for a living, lucky me. Documentary like all filmmaking is a team sport, and I'd like to thank all my team. The same magic that happens for all film happens every day around the world for children with clefts because of a charity called Smiles. Thank you, thank you, what a gift!"
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:15 (GMT) Man On Wire "Thank you to everyone who was in the film, and who worked on the film. Nothing is impossible!"
Phillipe Petit: "The shortest speech in Oscar history: YES! But then I always break my own rules."
And then he thanks a few more people, performs a disappearing coin trick, and balance the Oscar upside down on his chin!
(Not even kidding about that last bit. What a dude).
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:11 (GMT) Best Documentary It's another montage, of the documentaries of the year, with the filmmakers talking about the explosion of documentary making in recent years. First bleeping of the night in one of those interviews!
Bill Maher: "Thank you very much - everyone's crying and now I have to go on! Now as a producer and star of a documentary of my own this year, the one about religion that wasn't nominated. It's a controversial one I know, but some day we have to accept the idea that our silly gods keep us apart... I wish you could join me in applauding all the documentarians. You should go see all their movies more - starting with mine!"
And the Oscar goes to... MAN ON WIRE!
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:08 (GMT) Heath Ledger - accepted by his family Kim Ledger (his father): First of all, I have to say this is ever so humbling, being amongst such wonderful people. Firstly, we'd like to thank the Academy for recognising our son's amazing work, to Warner Bros and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative licence to explore this character. This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be accepted by you all here, his peers, within an industry he so loved. Thank you."
Sally Bell (his mother) "We have been truly overwhelmed by the honour and respect being shown him with this award. Tonight we are choosing to celebrate and be happy about what he achieved."
Kate Ledger (sister) "We really wish you were here, but we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda."
Not a dry eye in the house, except for his family, who managed to hold it together and really make it a celebration.
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:03 (GMT) Best Supporting Actor We've got Christopher Walken, Kevin Kline, Cuba Gooding Jr, Alan Arkin and Joel Grey presenting Best Supporting Actor.
Alan Arkin gives a funny and touching tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt; Joel Grey salutes Josh Brolin ("Last year's winner of this award won for trekking through the desert with superhuman determination to shoot and kill this nominee..."); Cuba Gooding Jr stands for Robert Downey Jr ("Now let's talk about taking risks, shall we? To be a white actor, playing a white Australian actor, playing a black actor, in blackface, I'll say it: are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?! Enough taking work from the black man, brother needs to work. But congratulations on your nomination and on your upcoming photography on the new movie Shaft."); Christopher Walken takes Michael Shannon, who plays a role with "no filter between what he thinks and what he says"; and finally Kevin Kline talks about the late Heath Ledger as the "droll and diabolical" Joker.
And the winner is...HEATH LEDGER
Monday February 23, 2009, 03:01 (GMT) The Musical Number
Between the endless US ad breaks and the endless UK ad breaks and filler, this is dragging. Apologies if this blog is doing the same.
Jackman's back! "You're probably wondering why I'm wearing this suit." (white tie) "Mamma Mia has sold more tickets than Titanic in the UK. The musical is back! I can't wait to see Doubt: The Musical".
Now he's gone into a Astaire-alike Top Hat riff. With Beyonce. In a showgirl one-sie and top hat. Now they're singing Grease? Dearie dear. Minus marks there. West Side Story, Chicago, Lady Marmalade? Beyonce's now got backup from Vanessa Hudgens and Amanda Seyfried, and they're singing Hairspray. And she's reprising At Last from Obama's inauguration, but being sung over by Zac Efron and Hudgens with a HSM song. And Cooper and Seyfried with ABBA. And Beyonce's hitting Evita.
This is weird. After all, there's no way to do a musical montage without being cheesey, but this is four cheese with extra mozzarella. No disrespect to the performers, who are giving it everything they've got, just the arrangement. Penelope Cruz' eyebrow lift says it all.
That said, if the musical is indeed back like Jackman says, we want to see him star in one.
Oh. Baz Luhrmann created that particular number. Well, we don't want to kick a man while he's down.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:48 (GMT) Jochen Alexander Freydank "This is a surreal moment for me, because I grew up in East Germany behind the Wall. So West Germany was far away, and America was farther away, and this was too far to even think about. I spent four years of my life on this 14 minute movie, because it was a story I really wanted to tell. I hope this little guy here helps us in our future careers"
Well done you sir!
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:46 (GMT) Best Short Film "If you liked that piece, I'm proud to say that I helped to write it; and if you didn't, it was all Judd Apatow," says Rogen. He and Franco are joined by Kaminski again, smiling broadly and speaking brokenly for the joke. He's the first DoP to ever present - take that, Deakins!
And the winner is...SPIELZEUGLAND
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:43 (GMT) It's The Comedy Montage It's a Pineapple Express bit: Seth Rogen and James Franco watching pirated copies of all the comedies of the year. And, er, The Reader. Which they're laughing uproariously at.
"Who do you think is a better actor: Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama?"
"That's Robert Downey Jr, dude"
And now they're laughing at Doubt, and getting a bit misty-eyed as Franco's character in Milk gets his kissing on with Sean Penn. And stapling each other while watching The Wrestler.
"Why is there a film crew in my apartment? Look, it's Janusz Kaminski, the cinematographer from Saving Private Ryan" (waving two Oscars).
OK, you maybe had to be there, but that was chucklesome.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:39 (GMT) The Technical Bit! Jessica Biel appears to have left a giant dinner napkin tucked into her dress after her meal earlier - oops. She's giving a big up to the awesome Ed Catmull: the guy who built the technology Pixar uses and, we just learned, the technology used in 44 of the last 47 films nominated for Best Visual Effects. And now we've cut back to Sky. Sigh. Between British ads and US ads, this is a very slow show. As Johnny Carson once said, it's two hours of scintillating entertainment spread out over a four-hour show. Or, at this rate, a five-hour show.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:35 (GMT) Anthony Dod Mantle "I found that inspiring, Natalie and Ben. If I could use as few words on the set of Slumdog...I couldn't do it. I have to thank the Academy - I am very honoured by this beautiful thing. I'll try to thank people every day from now on - that's my new policy, to thank people more on set. I want to thank my wife, because she keeps the door open when I get home and doesn't slam it. Danny, it starts with you, but there are thousands of people with you and under you, and I want to thank you all tonight."
Nice speech!
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:30 (GMT) Best Cinematography Cinematographer's coming up. Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller (an odd pair) are presenting....wait, he's doing a Joaquin! He's got the beard and everything. She's playing professional, he's chewing gum and looking off to one side. Even Steven Spielberg is giggling. Stiller claims that he wants to retire from being "the funny guy" and maybe do cinematography. Stiller's wandering around now as Portman womanfully struggles not to burst out laughing as she works through the usual bumph.
And the Oscar goes to...Anthony Dod Mantle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:25 (GMT) We Need A Montage Amanda Seyfried and Robert Pattinson are talking about relationships with reference to their hits this year - "I had to become a vampire to find the right one", says he, while she follows with, "I had three fathers". Then it's a romance montage. Awwww. They're a week or so late on this one; it would've fit well for Valentine's Day.
Hmm, they've included Revolutionary Road quite a bit. That's not romantic. That's like the anti-romance. But then there's Wall-E, and we're seeing hearts and flowers again.
Great. Good-looking people gettin' some. That's what we all need to see.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:24 (GMT) Make-Up - Greg Cannom And the Oscar goes to... THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
He reads out a list of names very fast - ain't no way we're going to try to transcribe those. But it's a deserved win, eh? I mean, say what you like about that film, but the make-up's fab. That guy went FAST.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:23 (GMT) Michael O'Connor "It's absolutely unbelievable. I've got to thank Paramount Vantage and Pathe for promoting the work in this film. I was a risk, and I hope I've paid off."
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:20 (GMT) Costume Design This is totally why they got SJP to do this section. We see the actress, but we hear Carrie as she tries to deliver these boring lines with the conviction of someone used to saying, "I began to wonder..." every SINGLE WEEK on her show and make it work.
And the Oscar goes to... THE DUCHESS
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:18 (GMT) Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo "We'd like to thank the Academy for this wonderful honour, and our crews. Our producers were great, because they did what every good producer should do, which was leave us alone. I want to thank David Fincher, because he did so much to make this movie special."
First play-off of the night, as the music starts up.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:16 (GMT) Art Direction This feels like we're on an Oprah home makeover show, with the camera panning lovingly across random stuff from each nominated film.
Wow, SJP's dress is enormous.
And the Oscar goes to... THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:15 (GMT) Hugh's Back It's now Production Design, Costumes and Make-Up. Daniel Craig and SJP are presenting on an artfully backstage-stage. Bit laboured, eh?
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:11 (GMT) Kunio Kato LITERALLY every other word is "thank you", so we won't transcribe the whole thing. Except for at the end when he says "Domo arigato", which is of course Thank you in Japanese.
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:10 (GMT) Best Animated Short Jack Black and Jennifer Aniston are funny together! Give these two a movie!
It's animated short - can Pixar make it a sweep with Presto? Or can the fabulously morbid This Way Up nip in?
And it is...LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:08 (GMT) Andrew Stanton "It's been such an inspiration to spend time with a character who so tenaciously struggles to find inspiration in everything he sees - it's so important at times like these. I have to thank Lasseter, Catmull and Jobs for creating a haven where films like this can be made. And I guess I have to thank my high school drama teacher for 28 years ago casting me as Barnaby. Seeds are sown in the oddest places."
Yay!
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:05 (GMT) Best Animated Film Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black are presenting, and are doing rather well. "Do you have an animation strategy?" asks Aniston. "Oh yeah," says Black. "I take all the money I get from doing a DreamWorks project every year to the Oscars, and I bet it on Pixar!" Boom boom!
Now there's a specially-animated Wall-E Oscar clip, wherein he throws away the Oscar he finds in favour of an "Oscar Yearbook" animation showreel with Kung Fu Panda, Bolt, Horton Hears A Who, Madagascar 2, Clone Wars, The Tale of Desperaux and even Space Chimps. And suddenly they're all there in Wall-E's trailer - yay! He has friends.
Ahem.
And the Oscar goes to... WALL-E!
YES!
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:03 (GMT) Simon Beaufoy "There are certain places in the world that you never imagine standing - for me it's the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium and here, so thank you. I want to thank my wife Jane, for whom repressed English writers have to write love stories because they can't say what they mean. I want to thank the wonderful cast and crew who taught me so much about India, about writing, and who changed my life."
He mixed up Freida Pinto with her character name there, but otherwise ace!
Monday February 23, 2009, 02:01 (GMT) Best Adapted Screenplay Steve Martin's just warned Tina Fey not to fall in love with him. She's looking starry-eyed as he reads out the intro.
And the Oscar goes to... Simon Beaufoy, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:58 (GMT) Dustin Lance Black. "Oh my god. This was not an easy film to make, so first of all I have to think all the real-life people who shared their stories with me, and all the cast and crew for taking on this life-changing story. When I was 13, my family moved me from a conservative area to California and I learned about Harvey Milk and it gave me hope that one day I could live my life, and fall in love and get married. If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian children out there tonight that you are beautiful and valuable and that God does love you, and that one day you will have equal rights, Federal rights, across this country."
OK, we weren't happy about the win, but that was a beautiful speech. And we'd like to give him a big, "hear, hear!".
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:57 (GMT) Best Original Screenplay We're not sure we like the read-bits-of-screenplay-out lark - fingers crossed for In Bruges (we're not even pretending neutrality on this one) (OK, or Wall-E. Awwww).
And the winner is...MILK?! Wha?
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:55 (GMT) Screenplays And Animation. Tina Fey and Steve Martin are presenting, with their words appearing behind them as they speak. Fey gets a huuuuge cheer.
Fey: It has been said that a great writer lives forever
Martin: The man who wrote that is dead.
Fey: Every great film was once a screenplay
Martin: Or a really great idea for the poster.
Ooooh, and Martin went on to make fun of Scientology.
Now, Best Original Screenplay...
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:50 (GMT) Penelope Cruz' Speech
"It's not going to be 45 seconds, I can say that right now. has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one. I want to share this with my fellow nominees and the actors I had the chance to work with in this movie. Thank you Woody for directing me in this movie, and having written such wonderful characters for women. And I cannot talk of great female characters without talking about Pedro Almodovar! I grew up in a place called Alcovendas, where this was not a very realistic dream, and I used to stay up late to watch the show. I always felt that this was a very important ceremony because this is a moment of unity, because art unites the world and it's important to protect it.
In Spanish, she then added that she was sharing the award with all the Spanish actors and actresses of her country, and that it was for all of them as well.
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:46 (GMT) Best Supporting Actress! So the idea is that they've got five previous winners to announce the nominees, each winner talking about a nominee rather than showing a clip as usual. Hmm. This may not take longer than showing the clips would have done, but there's a fair chance it's going to feel like longer. Eva Marie Saint takes Viola Davis; Angelica Huston, Penelope Cruz; Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Adams ("It's not easy, being a nun. Your face never looks thin, you never get to wear pants and your love interest is always off screen" Well, at least that's funny); Goldie Hawn, Taraji P. Henson and Tilda Swinton, Marisa Tomei.
And the winner is...PENELOPE CRUZ!
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:42 (GMT) The Intro After the song, Hugh Jackman's keeping up the banter rather well. He's contractually obligated to mention Brad and Angie five times during the show, so we're totally keeping count. He's really coming across as one of the gang. "Meryl Streep - nominated 15 times in her career, a record. When someone posts numbers like that, it's hard not to think: steroids." Now that's funny.
Uh oh, technical glitch as they try to show a montage of Best Actress winners. Now here's Eva Marie Saint, Goldie Hawn, Angelica Huston, Tilda Swinton and Whoopi Goldberg to introduce Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:36 (GMT) The Song!
Goshdarnit! Hugh's just going to do the show right here. He just sang "I'd swim through a sea of excrement" to Kate Winslet, and is now singing that it's OK to be gay in reference to Milk. And busting some pretty funky moves. Ye gods, this is bizarre. He did a strange Benjamin Button thing, and has just carried Anne Hathaway bodily onstage (Swoon!) to play Richard Nixon (eh?). Girl's got pipes! And she finishes with Tricky Dick's salute. Now, still playing Nixon, she's making a move on him. This is bizarre in a good way.
Now there's a bunch of people in shiny body suits singing about how they haven't been to see The Reader. So instead he's donning elbow pads to play The Wrestler. "Cause I'm Hugh Jackman, and I've waited so long, and no recession, can stop my confession, or silence my song!" He finishes with a big "I'm Wolverine" and suddenly we're even more in love with him than we were at the beginning. The crowd goes wild.
He's going down into the audience now to chat with Anne Hathaway, Frank Langella. It's all very chummy and hands-on - in the case of Frank Langella, literally, since he drags Jackman onto his lap (and who can blame him?) (Stop that - Ed.)
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:35 (GMT) Begin The Beguine! We’ve never been so glad to see a lacklustre title sequence – but boy oh boy the stage is glittery! Hugh Jackman is here, looking dashing. “Good evening, and welcome. This really is the biggest movie event of the year and we’re hear to honour all this year’s incredible films. The Academy loves to salute range, like Kate Winslet. In The Reader, Kate Winslet, who is English, plays a German – nominated. Robert Downey Jr, an American, plays an Australian playing an African American – nominated. As you know, I am Australian, playing an Australian, in a movie called Australia – not nominated.” He says, “Next year, everything’s being downsized: I’ll be starring in a movie called New Zealand."
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:25 (GMT) Now’s The Time To Reorganise Your CD Collection Here’s what’s happening right now: everyone’s busy taking their seats in the Kodak theatre, so instead we’re getting crazy filler from anyone they can get (yes, including Empire), montages about British Oscar winners, reminiscences, you name it. Essentially, there is NOTHING going on right now but TV can’t admit that. If you’ve been meaning to really get to grips with that sock drawer or paint your toenails, now’s the time…
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:01 (GMT) The Time Is Now…In A Minute Kee-rist, instead of cutting straight to Hugh Jackman, we’ve got Claudia Winkleman and Gok Wan on Sky. But at least we’re getting a montage of starriest stars from previous years. No, scratch that – now we’re having a talk through the fashions of the night, which are all pretty good so it’s a little dull.
Enough already. Give us Jackman or give us sleep.
Monday February 23, 2009, 01:00 (GMT) The Limitations of Seacrest Even Ryan Seacrest, one of the most famous men in US TV, can’t get Angelina to stop, or Brad Pitt to stop for more than one question. Robert Downey Jr’s a little more relaxed: he says he’s slaving away over a “hot script” for Iron Man 2. They’re still trying to get Mickey Rourke into the sequel. And that’s pretty much the red carpet show: the proper Oscars are due to start ANY SECOND NOW!
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:54 (GMT) Kate Winslet, Neurovore Kate Winslet may look fabulous, but she’s clearly on edge. She’s been asking her children for advice on what to say – frankly, we don’t think they have a big future as Oscar-speech-advisers, but they were very cute. Ben Lyon just said that Slumdog Millionaire has “got” to win. We’re worried he’s jinxed in, in conjunction with rumours we’ve heard over the last few days that older Academy voters (ie most of them) are voting in droves for Benjamin Button instead.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:47 (GMT) Angelina, Interrupted
OK, we take it back: Jolie’s hair was ace from the back but is way too bouffant from the front. Hmm, we’ve been watching the red carpet coverage for too long if this stuff is starting to matter to us. Thank god there’s only 15 minutes more, or we’d be starting to ask each other what we’re wearing (Warehouse and H&M, since you ask). But, like, OMG, Beyonce’s hair is far too severe and we’re not convinced by the big printed fishtail. The fashion dude on E! has just confided that “It’s molded, it’s high – but you know me, I love gel”. Ye gods this is shallow and banal, even by the standards of this industry.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:44 (GMT) Pitstop With Penelope Another star in white, Penelope Cruz is continuing her habit of dressing like Audrey Hepburn – to great effect. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s wearing a beanie, apparently because his hair needs both cut and washed. Daniel Craig is here, bizarrely credited with starring in Defiance rather than Bond this year. Kate Winslet’s looking classy in grey and black over one shoulder; we’re guessing she chose the dress because it matches hubby Sam Mendes’ rather fetching salt-and-pepper beard.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:39 (GMT) Did Peter Gabriel Just Spoil A Surprise? Peter Gabriel, nominated for Down To Earth from Wall-E, revealed that they’re planning on doing a medley of the nominated songs this year rather than performing each individually. Given the rumours that Jackman will basically be stripping singing his way through the show, that’s no bad thing.
Oooooh, BIG stars: Brad and Angie are here at last. She’s in black, again, but has livened it up with green earrings and great hair. Seriously though, just because you're the most beautiful woman around and don't need colour, doesn't mean you shouldn't experiment occasionally.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:35 (GMT) Shock! Jessia Biel’s on her mobile on the red carpet. Tsk tsk. At least it matches her dress. The “Glamastrator” has just been used to explain the make-up of Anne Hathaway’s dress. Ryan Seacrest has just claimed that Ron Howard can “make or break careers in a second”, which seems a bit harsh, given that Howard’s widely considered one of the nicer power-players in time, and isn’t so much with the breaking. Last year’s winner Marion Cotillard is here in black-and-blue (dress, not skin) in an alarmingly ballet shape with a massively pinched waist, and even darker lipstick, with serious arm candy on hand in the shapely shape of boyfriend Guillaume Canet.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:31 (GMT) Aaaaand We’re Back OK, it’s official: this is a boring-ass red carpet. There hasn’t been a single dress in the shape of a waterfowl; no men in drag…wait! Sophia Loren’s turned up as Kirk Lazarus! Or rather as Sergeant Osiris. We did not see that one coming. Mickey Rourke, showing slightly more signs of plastic surgery, is wearing a medallion with a picture of his beloved Chihuahua Loki on it. He says he’d rather have had Loki another two years than an Oscar – aw bless. Meryl Streep has hit the carpet, and the talent levels have suddenly spiked. Josh Brolin and Diane Lane are being interviewed – she looks stunning, which is probably why we have that one reader who’s obsessed with her and calls everyone in the office twice a year to ask us to feature her more often.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:17 (GMT) Finally! A Bona-Fide Star! Robert Downey Jr has hit the carpet – sadly, he hasn’t come in character as Kirk Lazarus, which we were secretly hoping for. Anne Hathaway’s also here, looking very beautiful in white; Robert Pattinson’s hovering behind Amy Adams who’s enthusing wildly about Doubt. Finally Pattinson gets his turn, and he’s as stunned and discomfited by his own fame as ever. James Franco has arrived, although it’s hard to tell under his enormous tower of hair. His co-star Sean Penn has arrived with Princess Buttercup Robin Wright-Penn, so the Milk crowd is all here. Sarah Jessica Parker's Madonna hair is strangely at odds with her oh-so-nice interviewing style. Downey Jr's making love to the camera with his eyes. We may have to pause for a moment.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:12 (GMT) Mr Sheen Shines Umpteen Things Clean Michael Sheen is being interviewed in his natural Welsh accent, which freaks us out a little. Despite being asked the same questions he’s always asked (“What’s it like playing a real person?”) he’s maintaining his charm and humour. The carpet just got funnier: Seth Rogen’s here, looking rather slimline and really quite good. Mickey Rourke’s already got his shirt collar undone cause he’s just so ROCK; Richard Jenkins is being self-deprecating and charming; Sarah Jessica Parker has come as Cinderella. Natalie Portman’s in old-fashioned hair but a rather fetching pink. E! is breaking out the Glamastrator again. Ye gods.
Monday February 23, 2009, 00:06 (GMT) Where Are The Stars? Marisa Tomei (in an awesome pleated dress) and Mamma Mia!’s Amanda Seyfried have arrived. Heidi Klum has gotten the first lol of the night by explaining how she had to balance “on one cheek” the whole way to the ceremony to avoid wrinkling her dress – “people don’t appreciate how much goes into these things!”. Miraculously, she managed to say that in a way that sounded amusing rather than totally vapid. She then spoiled it by wittering on about some charm she'd made for some drinks company that we're not even going to dignify with a mention.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:57 (GMT) The Carpet Hots Up Josh Brolin’s here, looking pimp with a ‘tache-and-goatee combo, and wife Diane Lane on his arm. Robert Pattinson’s arrived, and suddenly we’re glad we’re not in earshot of the screams. Seal and Heidi Klum are there, despite not working in film. Hey! Shouldn’t we get invited first? Gus Van Sant’s wearing Chuck Taylors; Michael Shannon’s still looking suspicious of everyone – is it just us or does he look like Jaws-from-Bond’s younger brother? Danny Boyle’s had a haircut for the occasion.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:52 (GMT) Actress Dress-Off Melissa Leo’s looking just OK in bronzey-brown, to match her hair; Viola Davis, up for Best Supporting Actress, is doing better in gold and a very plunging neckline. E! has a “Glamastrator” that allows their fashion guy to scribble on people’s dresses to demonstrate what works and what doesn’t, reaching new levels of lunacy. Thankfully Freida Pinto and Dev Patel are here to restore order, except instead Anil Kapoor has grabbed the camera to give a big shout-out to the whole of India. We’re having flashbacks to the 2003 Oscars, when the whole of New Zealand kept getting the love.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:46 (GMT) If I See One More... Hotel for Dogs advert, things are going to get violent. Or, for that matter, another Kathy Griffin advert. E! is boasting about having an exclusive shot of the “limo drop area” – ye gods. On the bright side, they now have the kids from Slumdog Millionaire on the carpet, looking absolutely adorable. Freida Pinto and Dev Patel are behind them, being glamorous. We’re totally loving the kids though, who never thought “this would be an Oscar movie”. Bless! My Hotel For Dogs anger levels have suddenly dropped away to nothing.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:40 (GMT) A Rare Outing Kevin Kline is there with marvellously wavy hair and also the elusive Phoebe Cate, looking about five minutes older than she did when starring in Fast Time At Ridgemont High in 1982, and wearing the same shade of red as that bikini. Slightly more tent-like dress though. Best Actor nominee Richard Jenkins has also arrived. E! are telling us the Oscar secret: there are going to have A-list stars who are previous winners, who are NOT going to walk the carpet, and who will dramatically appear to announce the nominees. Amy Adams is here in a fab turquoise necklace (and, y’know, also a red dress) and Michael Sheen’s looking dramatic. Apparently Madonna’s hosting an after-party tonight and “everyone wants a piece of Madonna’s after party”. That just sounds wrong.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:32 (GMT) Witter-ation NOTHING is happening except for filler. Sigh. Taraji P. Henson’s there, with a gorgeous necklace. Jennifer Grey is there, and she is officially completely unrecognisable as the star of Dirty Dancing. We thought she was Jennifer Love Hewitt for a bit. Zac Efron is there, with DREADFUL slicked-back too-long hair. Let’s hope he looks better for his dance routine in a bit. Vanessa Anne Hudgens follows him, looking astonishingly pretty but a bit too frilly. Best Supporting Actor nominee Michael Shannon is there, rocking some extremely casual hair and chewing gum. In fact, he looks like he's about to break into the sort of frank rant that his character in Revolutionary Road was known for.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:24 (GMT) All Cooped Up Dominic Cooper’s arrived, and Seacrest now has the celebs lined up. Dev Patel has arrived, looking as smiley as he had all season. Cooper’s talking about his Pink Spandex Hell on Mamma Mia! but we’re getting distracted by his designer stubble.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:21 (GMT) Hugh's The Man There’s so little happening on the carpet right now that we’re being subjected to massive onslaughts of wittering from the presenters. Ryan Seacrest is promising “big stars live on the red carpet” but so far he’s not delivering. Ryan, we’re disappointed. Must try harder. Seacrest is cutting to Hugh “hubba hubba” Jackman, who’s apparently been rehearsing for months and was already drinking early in the day. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it may be literally only once, so it’s exciting…It’s the Tonys on steroids.” He sounds nervous, but hey! We’re sure he can handle it. He’s singing and dancing with the High School Musical gang and the Mamma Mia! kids, as well as other surprises (Beyonce was rumoured). Can Wolverine’s hardman image survive this? Fingers crossed.
Wow, he just promised nudity! Our poll indicates that female viewing figures just shot through the roof.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:05 (GMT) America's Next Celebrity Adoptee
Miley’s dress weighs more than her – given that she’s in Hollywood, that presumably means that it’s a whopping five stone. She’d like Angelina Jolie to adopt her: of course, then she’d have to be renamed something crazy like Hannah Montana, which would TOTALLY confuse people so that wouldn’t be a good idea. Virginia Madsen's on the carpet, in red, and E!'s style guru turns out to have cleverly matched his hair to his white tuxedo.
Sunday February 22, 2009, 23:02 (GMT) First Arrivals On The Red Carpet The Red Carpet coverage has begun; some halfwits on E! are already boring us. This is not a good sign: more cupcakes are clearly needed! Miley Cyrus has arrived however, in a dress made of supersize fishscales, to lead off a Disney night: the High School Musical stars are also expected to attend, so as to keep da kidz interested (something that none of the nominated films will manage, with the possible exception of Slumdog Millionaire). Emile Hirsch is also there, raising the average age to, er, 18. But there’s lovely Ryan Seacrest to dazzle us all with his teeth.
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