"Epic Movie" dropped to third as some weak new films came out. "Dreamgirls" is crawling towards $100 million, with only the performances at the Oscars to look forward to as a final boost. The Top 10, per Box Office Prophets:
1. The Messengers -- $14.5 million total
2. Because I Said So -- $13 million
3. Epic Movie -- $8.2 million ($29.4 million total)
4. Night At The Museum -- $6.8 million ($225.4 million total)
5. Smokin' Aces -- $6.3 million ($25 million)
6. Stomp The Yard -- $4.2 million ($56 million total)
7. Dreamgirls -- $4.0 million ($92.8 million total)
8. Pan's Labyrinth -- $3.7 million ($21.7 million total)
9. The Pursuit Of Happyness -- $3.1 million ($157.4 million total)
10. The Queen -- $2.7 million ($45.5 million total)
Monday, February 05, 2007
Super Bowl Recap
The fun of discussing Super Bowl ads has dimmed in the last few years now that everyone pays so much attention to them. And the ads aren't as good either. But here goes. First: the music.
Billy Joel * 1/2
My dad called to say, "He can't sing!" and darned if he wasn't right. (I taped everything and fast-forwarded.) Joel was pitch-y as they say on :Idol," changing keys several times, with his voice cracking and generally the sort of National Anthem singer that makes you more nervous than proud. Not sure what was up, but at least he didn't try to mimick the Ray Charles version.
Prince ***
With only two dancers on stage, it looked like a low-budget half-time show (despite the zillions of fireworks). But at least Prince concentrated on the hits, belting out "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby I"m A Star," "Proud Mary," All Along The Watchtower," a song I didn't recognize but which I'll call "Best Of You," [NOTE: It's a Foo Fighters song] and of course "Purple Rain." The marching band added oomph, the guitar solo against the flowing sheet where you could see his silhouette was a simple and neat effect, and his falsetto was great. It was good to see the director just stay with the cameras, even though rain kept misting up on them --once or twice they even played with the focus and created some coll effects. It gave the performance some extra energy. And Prince was in fine form, kicking away his mike and demanding the crowd sing along to "Purple Rain" at the finale and of course they did. It's easy to forget most of those songs came out 23 years ago and are oldies to many people.
The ads, in order
Bud Light -- Rock, Paper, Scissors ***
guy throws rock at another to get beer. Bud Light definitely the champ of the night. This ad was simple and silly.
Doritos -- Guy and Girl Act Out Doritos taste, like Cheesy and Spicy **
This one left me cold and ended poorly, but apparently many others thought it was clever. At least it was focused on the product, something many ads failed to do. Created by a customer.
Blockbuster -- Computer mouse a real mouse ** 1/2
Kind of funny as rabbit and hamster use real mouse to try and go online. Alec Baldwin's voice.
CBS Evening News -- Katie Couric on the "Nice" stories they'll talk about *
Couric says "We hear so much about what's wrong with America." Really? Personally, I don't hear a lot of America bashing, especially on network news programs. But she promises us stories about that "can-do" spirit, and about "good people doing great things" all this week on the CBS Evening News. I guess next week she'll go back to all negative stories?
Sierra Mist Free -- employee with beard comb-over *
The worst ads of the night came from Sierra Mist, which repeatedly associated their product with losers and freaks.
Salesgenie.com -- Cool business guy has it together, gets girl and approval of boss *
The images of the guy with it all (great car, blonde who wants a date, etc.) were so cheesy I thought it was a parody ad. Instead it was for some website that offers you sales tips? Dreadful.
Sierra Mist -- karate class to protect soda *
Another group of weirdos like Sierra Mist.
Toyota Tundra --Truck brakes before going off cliff. * 1/2
John Goodman's voice tells us how tough the Tundra is and the screen tells us we're watching an "actual demonstration" of their testing. Uh, they set up their truck testing like a Hollywood movie, where the truck has to go fast enough to get past crushing steel doors, etc? How stupid is that? And what's the point? Are we supposed to think that if the truck failed the test, they would show us that?
FedEx -- Moon office; FedEx on moon *
Dumb, obvious images of the difficulty of working on the moon, with Fed Ex providing delivery service at the end. The sort of ad that barely focuses on the product at hand.
Bud Light -- auctioneer at wedding to speed things along *** 1/2
One of my favorites of the nigh. Another Bud Light winner. Simple, effective, easy to track, with a modestly amusing kicker at the end.
Snickers -- two guys accidentally kiss *
One of several gay panic ads, with one guy starting to nibble on the other end of a Snickers bar sticking out of another guy's mouth until they accidentally kiss. In panic, they rip out their chest hair to prove they're men. Uh, guys, there are no accidents. If you start gobbling on another guy's candy bar, something's up. First one with website action, sending you to AfterTheKiss.com. What happens there, they go to therapy? Actually, it shows four different endings to the ad -- each one less funny than the next.
Schick Quattro -- Asian and German scientist study razor *
You know Germans and Asians are really scientific,so they must know about razors. All we really see is a girl fall off an exercise machine because a guy's cheek is shaved so smooth (I guess). Stupid.
Pride -- movie trailer for story of black swim team *
Wow, how can one ad make a movie seem so ridiculous? The shot of the coach (Terence Howard) urging on his swimmers with tears streaking down his face makes this hokey flick seem absolutely dreadful. And I'm all for hokey sports flicks and swim teams.
Chevrolet -- Celebrities sing songs that mention Chevys **
A good idea, intellectually, but it just never really caught me. Maybe they should have done a series of ads, each one using just one song.
Bud Light -- Language Class **
One of several with Carlos Mencia. Not bad as he teaches them how to ask for Bud Light with New York, LA etc spins.
Letterman Oprah -- watching game on couch *** 1/2
Unexpected, amusing little quickie with Dave stuffing his mouth full of popcorn and saying, "You're rooting for the Bears and I'm rooting for thge Colts but we both win because we're in love." Camera pulls back to reveal he's cuddled on couch with Oprah, who chides, "Dave, don't talk with your mouth full." "Sorry," he mumbles. Hilarious and a nice play off his softer image.
Rules Of Engagement -- new sitcom ad and then the announcers cut to shots of the three male leads (David Spade, etc.) sitting in the stands, with Spade having an especially doofus-y look on his face. The announcers say, "Ooh," as if they're surprised to see the guys at the Super Bowl with a camera on them right after their ad airs. Then the announcers obnoxiously talk about how if the show's a hit they'll get a suite, but right now they're "stuck" in the stands. Since even with the rain 99% of your viewers can't even DREAM about going to the Super Bowl, mocking the idea of sitting in the stands as kind of lame is just obnoxious.
GoDaddy.com -- marketing dept is sexy chicks *
Not very sexy shots and too obvious and tired a Supr Bowl cliche.
Coke ad -- spoof on Grand Theft Auto ***
Most people didn't seem to like this. I thought it was a clever spoof, with the guy in the video game doing good deeds and the song "Give A Little Love" a nice spin on Coke's "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing." For me, the main problem was that I've seen this ad about a dozen times in movie theaters.
CSI -- ad says it's "the most watched show on TV." They're trying to pretend it's the #1 show when it isn't the #1 show, "American Idol" is. (By far.) Nice try. What are they doing? Adding up reruns or the total audience for 52 weeks (since Idol doesn't air all year) to try and pretend they're America's favorite?
Budweiser -- loser dog becomes dalmatian ** 1/2
Not bad, though I almost thought it was a rerun, they've done so many animal ads related to Bud.
Garmin -- GPS ad spoofing Ultraman with GPS guy fighting Map Monster. * 1/2
I actually watched "Ultraman" but have to assume this seemed more like an odd Godzilla parody to most. And is this goofy ode gonna really draw th attention of middle-aged men and women who are presumably the main GPS audience?
Grammy Awards-- numerous ads touting all the stars -- "And That's Only The First Hour!" **
Got the job done, but not terribly exciting. And the Police is not a super group.
Careerbuilders.com -- series of ads set in jungle **
Not great, but by the third ad I enjoyed it a little more. But for al its cleverness, didn't realy help me remember the product being sold.
Doritos -- cashier making riffs on different Doritos flavors **
I liked this a little better than the first Doritos ad, even though there's no payoff. Another customer generated ad.
Chevy HHR trucks -- men strip to caress car *
I had no idea what was going on or why and didn't care. Just dumb.
Bud Light -- fist bump turns into bitch slap **
Not bad, but one of their weaker ones.
Heart ad -- different diseases beat up heart *
Looks like it cost about $5 to make. I'm reading too much into it, but the heart was a white guy and the diseases were represented by an Asian chick and a black guy, among others.
General Motors -- robot arm loses job *** 1/2
I liked this one a lot. Very clever, amusing, with pay off at ending as robot arm wakes up from bad dream. Best use of music, in this case "All By Myself."
Coke -- Black History Month tribute * 1/2
So pro forma and obvious, they almost shouldn't have bothered. "Especially today" Because it's so important that two black coaches are facing off at Super Bowl. As someone joked, call me when it's two black OWNERS facing off.
Wild Hogs -- movie trailer *
Dumb, slapstick.
Sprint Mobile Broadband -- compares no connection to erectile dysfunction **
Not bad.
Motorola -- camera phone shows clips *
Big deal. That's like getting excited it can place calls or play songs. And ahven't they seen the iPhone? Now THAT'S cool.
How I Met Your Mother sitcom ad -- trying to avoid Super Bowl results ** 1/2
But then, I'm a modest fan of the show. Easy to relate to concept, though.
Dortitos -- another ad excited about two black coaches ** 1/2
This one, with images of people watching game, much more effective than Coke's cheap, text only ad.
Coke -- never had a coke before; old man tries everything * 1/2
Old guy tries running with bulls, etc after tasting Coke. Somehow, felt like a rerun.
Rules Of Engagement -- sitcom ad *
Not a good sign when an ad for a new sitcom can't sport one funny line.
CSI return of Grissom ***
Fun, energetic ad.
Dunkin Donuts -- maple cheddar breakfast sandwich *
To me, the guy with the maple syrup tree was gonna get some great tasting all natural maple syrup as fresh as possible. The guy with the Dunkin Donut sandwich was gonna get a nasty looking artificial flavored piece of junk. They should WANT to associate themselves with a maple tree because that's fresh and genuine, not pretend their fake maple flavor is better.
FootLocker -- basketball star sort of dismissive while signing autographs *
Couldn't care less, and what's the point of having guys star-struck but then upset that he signed their sneaker?
Honda Trucks ad -- Shots of trucks * 1/2
Boring.
Criminal Minds -- tv ad for two-parter after game **
Pretty good ad, that failed to tell viewers if they actually watched game they would only be seeing part one of a two parter, which will probably annoy most of them.
Acura ad -- playing Supertramp's "Dreamer" *
Helping people fulfill their dreams. How exactly did the Acura help the computer industry evolve, to choose one example? Idiotic and confusing.
PNC Bank -- help new businesses **
Fine, if bland.
Toyota Tundra -- John Goodman's voice again, more stunts. *
Realy want to associate your truck with bags of manure?
Bud Light -- girl's night during Super Bowl ** 1/2
Mencia replays all their insults to each other to break up party. Not bad.
Meet The Robinsons -- Disney animated movie ** 1/2
Okay ad, but why in god's name would you save an ad for a family film until late in the evening?
E-Trade-- bank robs customers * 1/2
Vaguely clever, but all you can remember is trauma of being robbed, which isn't exactly a good image for your product.
Coke -- inside machine a wonderland to create your soda ** 1/2
Pretty good and clever. I seem to be alone in liking these animated ads.
Bud Light -- talking gorillas **
Running out of steam.
Revlon -- Sheryl Crowe singing "Not Fade Away." *
Extremely complicated buildup to sell hiar coloring product. Sent you to iTunes, where the sale of the song will benefit Breast Cancer Research. That's nice, but I was expecting a free download and now feel like a jerk for not wanting to spend a dollar on breast cancer research for something I thought I'd get for free.
Taco Bell -- talking lions in Africa watching people eat Taco Bell *
Talking animals are a mainstay but awfully overused. I couldn't believe the ad didn't do the obvious: have the lions roar and scare away the people so they could eat the Taco Bell food.
Van Heusen -- lucky guy wears Van Heusen * 1/2
I can barely remember it. That can't be good.
Toyota Tundra -- another "actual" demonstration *
Emerald Roast Nuts -- Robert Goulet trashes office *
A classic example of a high concept ad (Robert Goulet trashes your office while everyone is sleeping because they didn't eat a snack) that completely fails to help you focus on the product they're selling. All you remember is Robert Goulet.
T-Mobile fave five with Charles Barkley *
Dumb and obvious.
Fed Ex -- can't judge people by names **
Bob, Eileen, Joy w Turkey Neck kicker. Kind of funny.
Nationwide Annuities -- Kevin Federline dreams of stardom working at fast food **1/2
Not bad and reinforces purpose of product.
Bud Light -- picking up hitchhiker with Bud Light and an ax ***
Another amusing one with good kicker.
Mercedes Benz cusotmer testimonials * 1/2
Did nothing for me.
PNC Bank -- 24 hour service **
Nothing special but at least it focused on the product.
Toshiba HD-DVD -- feels like you're in the movie *
I could barely tell what this ad was about and I'm already familiar with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray and what that all means. Must have left most people confused.
Bud -- lobsters worship cooler with Bud * 1/2
Okay visual joke, but many others loved it.
Prudential -- uses of rocks **
Reinforced brand, to me,so pretty good.
Honda -- Elvis singing "Burning Love" *
Pointless.
Hewlett Packard -- tying in with "American Chopper." * 1/2
Just didn't come together.
Izod -- sports outfits * 1/2
Whatever
Bud -- Don Shula playing futuristic video game *
No point or payoff.
FloMax -- *
No ad about this could ever be anything but silly.
E-Trade -- one finger * 1/2
Sort of clever, but doesn't really stick with you, because who uses one finger when working a computer?
Hanniabl Rising ** 1/2
Pretty good ad that reinforces the Hannibal Lecter brand. Could have used a sexier closeup on the impossibly handsome star and costar Li Gong.
Honda -- trucks swerving around gas pumps * 1/2
Boring, though it got across idea of fuel efficiency and good handling.
Snapple Green Tea -- guy goes to guru to ask question * 1/2
Dumb ad with very mild payoff.
NFL -- fans of teams that didn't get to Super Bowl mourning and trying to move on ***
Funny, clever and focused.
Billy Joel * 1/2
My dad called to say, "He can't sing!" and darned if he wasn't right. (I taped everything and fast-forwarded.) Joel was pitch-y as they say on :Idol," changing keys several times, with his voice cracking and generally the sort of National Anthem singer that makes you more nervous than proud. Not sure what was up, but at least he didn't try to mimick the Ray Charles version.
Prince ***
With only two dancers on stage, it looked like a low-budget half-time show (despite the zillions of fireworks). But at least Prince concentrated on the hits, belting out "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby I"m A Star," "Proud Mary," All Along The Watchtower," a song I didn't recognize but which I'll call "Best Of You," [NOTE: It's a Foo Fighters song] and of course "Purple Rain." The marching band added oomph, the guitar solo against the flowing sheet where you could see his silhouette was a simple and neat effect, and his falsetto was great. It was good to see the director just stay with the cameras, even though rain kept misting up on them --once or twice they even played with the focus and created some coll effects. It gave the performance some extra energy. And Prince was in fine form, kicking away his mike and demanding the crowd sing along to "Purple Rain" at the finale and of course they did. It's easy to forget most of those songs came out 23 years ago and are oldies to many people.
The ads, in order
Bud Light -- Rock, Paper, Scissors ***
guy throws rock at another to get beer. Bud Light definitely the champ of the night. This ad was simple and silly.
Doritos -- Guy and Girl Act Out Doritos taste, like Cheesy and Spicy **
This one left me cold and ended poorly, but apparently many others thought it was clever. At least it was focused on the product, something many ads failed to do. Created by a customer.
Blockbuster -- Computer mouse a real mouse ** 1/2
Kind of funny as rabbit and hamster use real mouse to try and go online. Alec Baldwin's voice.
CBS Evening News -- Katie Couric on the "Nice" stories they'll talk about *
Couric says "We hear so much about what's wrong with America." Really? Personally, I don't hear a lot of America bashing, especially on network news programs. But she promises us stories about that "can-do" spirit, and about "good people doing great things" all this week on the CBS Evening News. I guess next week she'll go back to all negative stories?
Sierra Mist Free -- employee with beard comb-over *
The worst ads of the night came from Sierra Mist, which repeatedly associated their product with losers and freaks.
Salesgenie.com -- Cool business guy has it together, gets girl and approval of boss *
The images of the guy with it all (great car, blonde who wants a date, etc.) were so cheesy I thought it was a parody ad. Instead it was for some website that offers you sales tips? Dreadful.
Sierra Mist -- karate class to protect soda *
Another group of weirdos like Sierra Mist.
Toyota Tundra --Truck brakes before going off cliff. * 1/2
John Goodman's voice tells us how tough the Tundra is and the screen tells us we're watching an "actual demonstration" of their testing. Uh, they set up their truck testing like a Hollywood movie, where the truck has to go fast enough to get past crushing steel doors, etc? How stupid is that? And what's the point? Are we supposed to think that if the truck failed the test, they would show us that?
FedEx -- Moon office; FedEx on moon *
Dumb, obvious images of the difficulty of working on the moon, with Fed Ex providing delivery service at the end. The sort of ad that barely focuses on the product at hand.
Bud Light -- auctioneer at wedding to speed things along *** 1/2
One of my favorites of the nigh. Another Bud Light winner. Simple, effective, easy to track, with a modestly amusing kicker at the end.
Snickers -- two guys accidentally kiss *
One of several gay panic ads, with one guy starting to nibble on the other end of a Snickers bar sticking out of another guy's mouth until they accidentally kiss. In panic, they rip out their chest hair to prove they're men. Uh, guys, there are no accidents. If you start gobbling on another guy's candy bar, something's up. First one with website action, sending you to AfterTheKiss.com. What happens there, they go to therapy? Actually, it shows four different endings to the ad -- each one less funny than the next.
Schick Quattro -- Asian and German scientist study razor *
You know Germans and Asians are really scientific,so they must know about razors. All we really see is a girl fall off an exercise machine because a guy's cheek is shaved so smooth (I guess). Stupid.
Pride -- movie trailer for story of black swim team *
Wow, how can one ad make a movie seem so ridiculous? The shot of the coach (Terence Howard) urging on his swimmers with tears streaking down his face makes this hokey flick seem absolutely dreadful. And I'm all for hokey sports flicks and swim teams.
Chevrolet -- Celebrities sing songs that mention Chevys **
A good idea, intellectually, but it just never really caught me. Maybe they should have done a series of ads, each one using just one song.
Bud Light -- Language Class **
One of several with Carlos Mencia. Not bad as he teaches them how to ask for Bud Light with New York, LA etc spins.
Letterman Oprah -- watching game on couch *** 1/2
Unexpected, amusing little quickie with Dave stuffing his mouth full of popcorn and saying, "You're rooting for the Bears and I'm rooting for thge Colts but we both win because we're in love." Camera pulls back to reveal he's cuddled on couch with Oprah, who chides, "Dave, don't talk with your mouth full." "Sorry," he mumbles. Hilarious and a nice play off his softer image.
Rules Of Engagement -- new sitcom ad and then the announcers cut to shots of the three male leads (David Spade, etc.) sitting in the stands, with Spade having an especially doofus-y look on his face. The announcers say, "Ooh," as if they're surprised to see the guys at the Super Bowl with a camera on them right after their ad airs. Then the announcers obnoxiously talk about how if the show's a hit they'll get a suite, but right now they're "stuck" in the stands. Since even with the rain 99% of your viewers can't even DREAM about going to the Super Bowl, mocking the idea of sitting in the stands as kind of lame is just obnoxious.
GoDaddy.com -- marketing dept is sexy chicks *
Not very sexy shots and too obvious and tired a Supr Bowl cliche.
Coke ad -- spoof on Grand Theft Auto ***
Most people didn't seem to like this. I thought it was a clever spoof, with the guy in the video game doing good deeds and the song "Give A Little Love" a nice spin on Coke's "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing." For me, the main problem was that I've seen this ad about a dozen times in movie theaters.
CSI -- ad says it's "the most watched show on TV." They're trying to pretend it's the #1 show when it isn't the #1 show, "American Idol" is. (By far.) Nice try. What are they doing? Adding up reruns or the total audience for 52 weeks (since Idol doesn't air all year) to try and pretend they're America's favorite?
Budweiser -- loser dog becomes dalmatian ** 1/2
Not bad, though I almost thought it was a rerun, they've done so many animal ads related to Bud.
Garmin -- GPS ad spoofing Ultraman with GPS guy fighting Map Monster. * 1/2
I actually watched "Ultraman" but have to assume this seemed more like an odd Godzilla parody to most. And is this goofy ode gonna really draw th attention of middle-aged men and women who are presumably the main GPS audience?
Grammy Awards-- numerous ads touting all the stars -- "And That's Only The First Hour!" **
Got the job done, but not terribly exciting. And the Police is not a super group.
Careerbuilders.com -- series of ads set in jungle **
Not great, but by the third ad I enjoyed it a little more. But for al its cleverness, didn't realy help me remember the product being sold.
Doritos -- cashier making riffs on different Doritos flavors **
I liked this a little better than the first Doritos ad, even though there's no payoff. Another customer generated ad.
Chevy HHR trucks -- men strip to caress car *
I had no idea what was going on or why and didn't care. Just dumb.
Bud Light -- fist bump turns into bitch slap **
Not bad, but one of their weaker ones.
Heart ad -- different diseases beat up heart *
Looks like it cost about $5 to make. I'm reading too much into it, but the heart was a white guy and the diseases were represented by an Asian chick and a black guy, among others.
General Motors -- robot arm loses job *** 1/2
I liked this one a lot. Very clever, amusing, with pay off at ending as robot arm wakes up from bad dream. Best use of music, in this case "All By Myself."
Coke -- Black History Month tribute * 1/2
So pro forma and obvious, they almost shouldn't have bothered. "Especially today" Because it's so important that two black coaches are facing off at Super Bowl. As someone joked, call me when it's two black OWNERS facing off.
Wild Hogs -- movie trailer *
Dumb, slapstick.
Sprint Mobile Broadband -- compares no connection to erectile dysfunction **
Not bad.
Motorola -- camera phone shows clips *
Big deal. That's like getting excited it can place calls or play songs. And ahven't they seen the iPhone? Now THAT'S cool.
How I Met Your Mother sitcom ad -- trying to avoid Super Bowl results ** 1/2
But then, I'm a modest fan of the show. Easy to relate to concept, though.
Dortitos -- another ad excited about two black coaches ** 1/2
This one, with images of people watching game, much more effective than Coke's cheap, text only ad.
Coke -- never had a coke before; old man tries everything * 1/2
Old guy tries running with bulls, etc after tasting Coke. Somehow, felt like a rerun.
Rules Of Engagement -- sitcom ad *
Not a good sign when an ad for a new sitcom can't sport one funny line.
CSI return of Grissom ***
Fun, energetic ad.
Dunkin Donuts -- maple cheddar breakfast sandwich *
To me, the guy with the maple syrup tree was gonna get some great tasting all natural maple syrup as fresh as possible. The guy with the Dunkin Donut sandwich was gonna get a nasty looking artificial flavored piece of junk. They should WANT to associate themselves with a maple tree because that's fresh and genuine, not pretend their fake maple flavor is better.
FootLocker -- basketball star sort of dismissive while signing autographs *
Couldn't care less, and what's the point of having guys star-struck but then upset that he signed their sneaker?
Honda Trucks ad -- Shots of trucks * 1/2
Boring.
Criminal Minds -- tv ad for two-parter after game **
Pretty good ad, that failed to tell viewers if they actually watched game they would only be seeing part one of a two parter, which will probably annoy most of them.
Acura ad -- playing Supertramp's "Dreamer" *
Helping people fulfill their dreams. How exactly did the Acura help the computer industry evolve, to choose one example? Idiotic and confusing.
PNC Bank -- help new businesses **
Fine, if bland.
Toyota Tundra -- John Goodman's voice again, more stunts. *
Realy want to associate your truck with bags of manure?
Bud Light -- girl's night during Super Bowl ** 1/2
Mencia replays all their insults to each other to break up party. Not bad.
Meet The Robinsons -- Disney animated movie ** 1/2
Okay ad, but why in god's name would you save an ad for a family film until late in the evening?
E-Trade-- bank robs customers * 1/2
Vaguely clever, but all you can remember is trauma of being robbed, which isn't exactly a good image for your product.
Coke -- inside machine a wonderland to create your soda ** 1/2
Pretty good and clever. I seem to be alone in liking these animated ads.
Bud Light -- talking gorillas **
Running out of steam.
Revlon -- Sheryl Crowe singing "Not Fade Away." *
Extremely complicated buildup to sell hiar coloring product. Sent you to iTunes, where the sale of the song will benefit Breast Cancer Research. That's nice, but I was expecting a free download and now feel like a jerk for not wanting to spend a dollar on breast cancer research for something I thought I'd get for free.
Taco Bell -- talking lions in Africa watching people eat Taco Bell *
Talking animals are a mainstay but awfully overused. I couldn't believe the ad didn't do the obvious: have the lions roar and scare away the people so they could eat the Taco Bell food.
Van Heusen -- lucky guy wears Van Heusen * 1/2
I can barely remember it. That can't be good.
Toyota Tundra -- another "actual" demonstration *
Emerald Roast Nuts -- Robert Goulet trashes office *
A classic example of a high concept ad (Robert Goulet trashes your office while everyone is sleeping because they didn't eat a snack) that completely fails to help you focus on the product they're selling. All you remember is Robert Goulet.
T-Mobile fave five with Charles Barkley *
Dumb and obvious.
Fed Ex -- can't judge people by names **
Bob, Eileen, Joy w Turkey Neck kicker. Kind of funny.
Nationwide Annuities -- Kevin Federline dreams of stardom working at fast food **1/2
Not bad and reinforces purpose of product.
Bud Light -- picking up hitchhiker with Bud Light and an ax ***
Another amusing one with good kicker.
Mercedes Benz cusotmer testimonials * 1/2
Did nothing for me.
PNC Bank -- 24 hour service **
Nothing special but at least it focused on the product.
Toshiba HD-DVD -- feels like you're in the movie *
I could barely tell what this ad was about and I'm already familiar with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray and what that all means. Must have left most people confused.
Bud -- lobsters worship cooler with Bud * 1/2
Okay visual joke, but many others loved it.
Prudential -- uses of rocks **
Reinforced brand, to me,so pretty good.
Honda -- Elvis singing "Burning Love" *
Pointless.
Hewlett Packard -- tying in with "American Chopper." * 1/2
Just didn't come together.
Izod -- sports outfits * 1/2
Whatever
Bud -- Don Shula playing futuristic video game *
No point or payoff.
FloMax -- *
No ad about this could ever be anything but silly.
E-Trade -- one finger * 1/2
Sort of clever, but doesn't really stick with you, because who uses one finger when working a computer?
Hanniabl Rising ** 1/2
Pretty good ad that reinforces the Hannibal Lecter brand. Could have used a sexier closeup on the impossibly handsome star and costar Li Gong.
Honda -- trucks swerving around gas pumps * 1/2
Boring, though it got across idea of fuel efficiency and good handling.
Snapple Green Tea -- guy goes to guru to ask question * 1/2
Dumb ad with very mild payoff.
NFL -- fans of teams that didn't get to Super Bowl mourning and trying to move on ***
Funny, clever and focused.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Coming Monday: The Best Films Of 2006
Now that I have the official list of every film released in 2006, no more excuses. On Monday, I will release my much-anticipated list of the best films of the year, along with a complete list of every film I did see (about 130 of the 626 films, so far) and a rating. Oooh, the suspense is mounting!
The Official Movies Of 2006
Here it is, the official list of every film released in New York City in 2006. It's compiled by Damien Bona, the co-author of the best-selling , critically acclaimed books "Inside Oscar," the awards book that has served as the template for every other awards book written in the last 20 years. Bona keeps meticulous records of every film that screens in New York City commercially, everything from blockbusters to one-week airings at Anthology Archives. It's used as the official source for eligible films for the annual IRA awards, of which I'm a proud member. Some comments for first-timers: this list is as much a puzzle and playful mystery as it is a list. The names of directors and stars and movies excuses for some awful (and awfully funny) puns. Damien also happily indulges in mocking the movies and directors and actors he doesn't like by referring to them by derogatory means. You can sometimes spend hours puzzling out what some fo the movies and directors are. But don't worry, after a year or two you'll get a handle on his likes and dislikes (not a fan of Mel Gibson, for example). Friends of Damien also get pride of place, hence the special status for his pal Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls." Finally, Damein has a deep and abiding respect for Ethan Hawke and that means that Hawke's films also get special status and that the films of Hawke's ex-wife Uma Thurman are treated with especial venom. It's all in good fun. I think. And now, the official list. Enjoy!
Katie Holmes Speaks
She talks with Harper's Bazaar, per USA Today. Not mentioned: the rumor that she won't be appearing in the next Batman movie. She's certainly conspicuously absent from the IMDB credits for "The Dark Knight," but no other woman is listed either and surely someone will have a romantic role in it.
"The Color Purple" Hurting At Box Office
I just don't understand why "The Color Purple" has slumped dramatically at the box office this winter. Since the show has been on for more than a year and already recouped, it will always be a success story. But I don't buy the Post Michael Riedel's claim that it's hurting now because the show never caught on with New Yorkers. Actually, avid New York theater-goers can only provide an audience for about the first three to six months of a show. After that, you've got to be building group sales and reaching tourists or the show will close. So it's tourists that are not showing up. Mind you, it's the winter when shows slump, but "Purple" is slumping more than most. I'll bet it bounces back and runs another year at least, but it won't be the megasmash that its $1 million+ weeks at the start were indicating. What do I think of the show? No idea -- I haven't seen it.
"Daily Show" Clips Leaving YouTube?
That could be the fallout after Viacom and YouTube fail to reach an agreement. Viacom is being dumb, frankly. Those clips are basically just free advertisements for their TV shows and DVDs. Viacom has ordered YouTube to remove clips from all their shows on Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and so on.
"The Dark Tower" Comes To Comics
My college friend Geoff Boucher has a typically interesting, well-done piece on Stephen King's foray into comic books for the LA Times. His magnum opus "The Dark Tower" is being turned into a series of comic books, with King collaborating on the title with the Marvel artists who have done most of the work. There's a suggestion King might fiddle with the ending of the books, which were apparently deflating to some, but King himself doesn't address that. I just started reading the cycle in anticipation of ComicCon coming to New York and the possibility I might speak with King. I found Book One to be very flat and uninvolving, but Book Two was a massive improvement and will keep me reading. Now I know not to hope for too much from the finale.
Democrats Try To Mommy America's TV Habits
Senate Democrats behaved like idiots with their first chance to deal with the FCC. People like Sen. Rockefeller of West Virginia insisted that tv was filled with "junk, sex and scandals" and that the FCC should be doing MORE policing of the airwaves. Sen. Lautenberg of New Jersey reportedly chimed in with their agreement. Are they insane? If there's any problem with the FCC it's that they've been doing too MUCH policing, delivering record fines for "obscenity" when they don't define obsceneity, CAN'T define obsceneity for 300 million people and act on the complaints of a tiny handful of activists. TV is filled with more options for more people for all types of programming now more than ever. The most popular show on TV? The wholesome "American Idol." The biggest TV phenomenon last year? "High School Musical." You can also watch adult shows like "Nip/Tuck" or edited "Sopranos" on A&E, both at 10 p.m. or family programming on ad-free Disney Channel or countless nature documentaries or C-SPAN or Pat Robertson or "7th Heaven" or "The L Word" or a million other different shows that cover every range of taste. Because of the FCC, PBS is afraid to show the new Ken Burns documentary on World War II because a few salty words spoken by soldiers about battle might mean massive, back-breaking fines that would put some local stations out of business.
We don't need the FCC or Senators to be our parents. That's OUR job, to decide what we want to watch and what's appropriate for our children.
Call Senator Rockefeller at 202-224-6472 or go to his website.
Call Sen. Lautenberg at 202-224-3224 or go to his website.
Tell them TV is filled with diversity like never before, that the FCC interferes too much with what Americans are free to watch and we don't need the US Senate to be our Mommy and Daddy. More freedom, not less, please.
We don't need the FCC or Senators to be our parents. That's OUR job, to decide what we want to watch and what's appropriate for our children.
Call Senator Rockefeller at 202-224-6472 or go to his website.
Call Sen. Lautenberg at 202-224-3224 or go to his website.
Tell them TV is filled with diversity like never before, that the FCC interferes too much with what Americans are free to watch and we don't need the US Senate to be our Mommy and Daddy. More freedom, not less, please.
Hugh Grant Is Writing A Book
Not an autobiography but a proper novel. He's typically self-effacing and charming while promoting his new movie "Music and Lyrics." Apparently, the British love/hate him? What's to hate -- other than behaving like a cad sometimes, which is another reason to love him. He sounds quite sane, actually, which is a bit odd for an actor.
Daniel Radcliffe On "Equus"
He doesn't comment much on the "controversy" -- made up mostly by the media I'd say -- over his performing in the acclaimed play "Equus, " which involves frontal nudity and sex with a horse. Not for the kiddies, obviously but teenagers would be fine. But Radcliffe comes across pretty appealingly; he says he spends all his money on books, so it would have been nice to hear what he's reading. Radcliffe struggled a bit with the more dramatic demands of Harry Potter but Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon in the films and Radcliffe's costar in the play) says Radcliffe will be fine: he's the same basic age as the protagonist so Radcliffe doesn't have to act, he just has to react. Let's hope Griffiths is right, but even if the critics are cruel, Radcliffe will see nothing but full houses and standing o's this first time out.
Weekend Box Office Preview -- Will People Enter The "Labyrinth?"
Not any new movies to get excited about, but Box Office Prophets looks at the continuing prospects for the long-running smash "Night At The Museum," "Dreamgirls" (which is certainly good counter-programming against the Super Bowl) and "Pan's Labyrinth." That's one of my favorite movies of the year and they're expanding it to more than 1000 screens this weekend. It's also very disturbing and dark, so it'll be interesting to see how it does.
New Eagles Album Due In Spring
The new Eagles CD will come out in the next two to three months, Don Henley tells Billboard. The noted environmentalist goes on to defend working with Wal-Mart, saying they can't be any more evil than a major record label. Uh, that's setting the bar rather low, don't you think?
Overnight TV Ratings -- "Anatomy" Beats "CSI" Again
A little while ago, some bloggers tried to pretend that the gay slur controversy meant people were turning off "Grey's Anatomy" in favor of "CSI." I proved to you that was bollocks and in fact this week "Anatomy" beats "CSI" pretty darn decisively. Why shouldn't it? The show is gay-friendly, has a main actor who just came out, gets kudos from gay rights groups like GLAAD and as everyone will tell you, in Hollywood there's no such thing as bad press. I really enjoyed last night's "Office" by the way -- it wasn't riotously funny, but the combination of the stripper and Ben Franklin just amused me to no end. For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Mark Berman.
8 p.m.
1. Ugly Betty -- 13.98 million viewers
2. CSI (r) -- 12.16 million
3. My Name Is Earl -- 10.66 million/The Office -- 10.1 million
4. Smallville -- 4.94 million
4. (tie) Til Death -- 5.42 million/The War At Home -- 4.47 million
9 p.m.
1. Grey's Anatomy -- 23.92 million
2. CSI -- 21.29 million
3. Scrubs -- 6.88 million/30 Rock -- 5.66 million
4. The OC -- 3.82 million
5. Supernatural -- 3.34 million
10 p.m.
1. Shark -- 14.08 million
2. ER -- 11.77 million
3. Men In Trees -- 10.64 million
8 p.m.
1. Ugly Betty -- 13.98 million viewers
2. CSI (r) -- 12.16 million
3. My Name Is Earl -- 10.66 million/The Office -- 10.1 million
4. Smallville -- 4.94 million
4. (tie) Til Death -- 5.42 million/The War At Home -- 4.47 million
9 p.m.
1. Grey's Anatomy -- 23.92 million
2. CSI -- 21.29 million
3. Scrubs -- 6.88 million/30 Rock -- 5.66 million
4. The OC -- 3.82 million
5. Supernatural -- 3.34 million
10 p.m.
1. Shark -- 14.08 million
2. ER -- 11.77 million
3. Men In Trees -- 10.64 million
Ronald McDonald Is Smiling
Everyone knows that the coffee at Starbucks is bitter and unimpressive to afficionados. But now Consumer Reports says the best coffee at mainstream outlets is at...McDonald's. Better than Dunkin' Donuts? Not according to everyone I know. I wonder if this will boost their stock?
Renee Richards -- Changing Her Mind?
The NYTimes has a combative and somewhat tacky profile of Dr. Renee Richards, who made headlines around the world when she had a sex change and competed professionally in women's tennis. It's headlined "The Lady Regrets" (fair enough, since she ends her new autobiography listing a series of regrets), says talking to her you get the feeling "of that impatient male surgeon trapped in her body trying to get out" and so on. That's pretty amazing to say, since her entire life has been struggling with the fact that Richards had a FEMALE surgeon trapped in her body trying to get out. It twists an old comment into suggesting her sex change was a mistake. Richards has said very clearly she wishes she HADN'T been a woman trapped in a man's body that needed a sex change. She was practically the first person in the US to do so, it was an extremely difficult battle to win and took many years and she was vilified and treated like a freak by the media for years. She says clearly and repeatedly that she has never regretted getting the sex change -- she just says she wishes it hadn't been necessary in the first place. But because it WAS necessary, she's never wished she hadn't done it. Not for a moment. I have a profile of Richards in an upcoming issue of The Advocate, so maybe I'm just jealous: I got a cookie but the NYTimes got an entire lunch.
Nashville Star Recap
"Nashville Star" -- the singing contest show for people who like to say "Yeehaw!" -- was fun again last night. (It airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA and gets rerun several times.) Popsurfer Aaron pointed out to me what has to be the funniest product placement I've ever seen: one of the hosts is Cowboy Try, who wears a belt buckle the sixe of Texas. Last night, that belt buckle was simiply the logo for Chevy, one of the show's sponsors. Can't wait to see what he sports next week.
This week, the judges chose songs for the singers. There was an odd vibe, since this was presented as a "challenge" when presumably the judges would be choosing songs they thought would be great for artists and let them shine or bring out a side of them that was missing. Instead, everyone acted as if it were a trick.
Zak Hacker -- he bitched and moaned about singing Montgomery Gentry's "Something To Be Proud Of" in the video intro, before saying he'd come to find his own way into the tunes and was hoping he'd do it well. His performance was pretty good with a nice soulful finish. But the judges blasted him for his terrible attitude -- in country, you're supposed to shut up and do what you're told, which is exactly what keeps country so often cookie cutter-ish and dull. Besides, Hacker said he came around to their point of view at the end. He did a poor job of "apologizing."
Joshua Stevens -- he sang Alabama's "I'm In A Hurry And I Don't Know Why." I liked this more than his emoting ballads, but he still seems a little colorless to me. Ironically, I also felt for the first time he could win this thing.
David St. Romain -- he tackled "Listen To The Music" by the Doobie Brothers and was super-smooth. (It turns out he's been singing it in concert for years.) Another very good performance from the best male.
Whitney Duncan -- sang Dwight Yoakum's "Ain't That Lonely Yet" and was absolutely awful. It sounded like she started in a key that was too low, she brought almost nothing to it and her voice faltered repeatedly. Bizarrely, two of the three judges thought she did great (I think they meant she LOOKED great) while only one criticized her, but that was Anastasia Brown, the one judge you can depend on to be tough.
Angela Hacker -- the front runner from the beginning, she bitched about her song choice -- Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country before Country Was Cool" -- just like her brother. The Hackers do NOT like to be told what to do. But she delivered another GREAT performance and her semi-apology (in which she praised Mandrell) was much better than Zak's. Still my pick to win it all at the finals over David St. Romain.
This week, the judges chose songs for the singers. There was an odd vibe, since this was presented as a "challenge" when presumably the judges would be choosing songs they thought would be great for artists and let them shine or bring out a side of them that was missing. Instead, everyone acted as if it were a trick.
Zak Hacker -- he bitched and moaned about singing Montgomery Gentry's "Something To Be Proud Of" in the video intro, before saying he'd come to find his own way into the tunes and was hoping he'd do it well. His performance was pretty good with a nice soulful finish. But the judges blasted him for his terrible attitude -- in country, you're supposed to shut up and do what you're told, which is exactly what keeps country so often cookie cutter-ish and dull. Besides, Hacker said he came around to their point of view at the end. He did a poor job of "apologizing."
Joshua Stevens -- he sang Alabama's "I'm In A Hurry And I Don't Know Why." I liked this more than his emoting ballads, but he still seems a little colorless to me. Ironically, I also felt for the first time he could win this thing.
David St. Romain -- he tackled "Listen To The Music" by the Doobie Brothers and was super-smooth. (It turns out he's been singing it in concert for years.) Another very good performance from the best male.
Whitney Duncan -- sang Dwight Yoakum's "Ain't That Lonely Yet" and was absolutely awful. It sounded like she started in a key that was too low, she brought almost nothing to it and her voice faltered repeatedly. Bizarrely, two of the three judges thought she did great (I think they meant she LOOKED great) while only one criticized her, but that was Anastasia Brown, the one judge you can depend on to be tough.
Angela Hacker -- the front runner from the beginning, she bitched about her song choice -- Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country before Country Was Cool" -- just like her brother. The Hackers do NOT like to be told what to do. But she delivered another GREAT performance and her semi-apology (in which she praised Mandrell) was much better than Zak's. Still my pick to win it all at the finals over David St. Romain.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Barbara Walters Back On Oscar Night -- Where She Belongs
Last year, ABC screwed with tradition and told us that the annual Barbara Walters Oscar special would NOT be airing on Oscar night so they could do expanded red carpet and all that pre-show crap. The traditional kiss-and-cry interviews with Oscar nominees and famous legends was going to be shunted to a weeknight days before the actual ceremony. I, for one, was aghast. Were they really so peeved by the tiny inroads of the TV Guide channel and others who screened the Red Carpet feed that they would mess with Oscar tradition, dump a highly rated broadcast and take away a plum spotlight on one of their big and expensive stars?
Then a few weeks ago we found out that OPRAH would be doing a prime-time Oscar special just like Barbara Walters and it would air on February 22. In a twist, it pairs off stars with one another, so Julia Roberts chose to chat with George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe have a bite to eat and Jamie Foxx meets with the august Sidney Poitier (who should send Oprah a kickback: she also picked his autobiography for her next book club). It's unclear to me whether Oprah will mediate or just intro the pieces.
What the hell was going on with Barbara Walters? Well, apparently she pushed back and said "Not on my watch" or someone came to their senses because her special is back on Oscar night where it belongs, at 7 p.m. before the show on the East Coast and right after the Oscars on the West Coast. Her guests are Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren and host Ellen Degeneres. And all is right with the world.
By the way, everyone is now saying that BABEL will win Best Picture.
Then a few weeks ago we found out that OPRAH would be doing a prime-time Oscar special just like Barbara Walters and it would air on February 22. In a twist, it pairs off stars with one another, so Julia Roberts chose to chat with George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe have a bite to eat and Jamie Foxx meets with the august Sidney Poitier (who should send Oprah a kickback: she also picked his autobiography for her next book club). It's unclear to me whether Oprah will mediate or just intro the pieces.
What the hell was going on with Barbara Walters? Well, apparently she pushed back and said "Not on my watch" or someone came to their senses because her special is back on Oscar night where it belongs, at 7 p.m. before the show on the East Coast and right after the Oscars on the West Coast. Her guests are Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren and host Ellen Degeneres. And all is right with the world.
By the way, everyone is now saying that BABEL will win Best Picture.
Final Harry Potter Book Coming July 21
It's called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows." Go here for more info.
"Night At The Museum" Gets Shunned By UK Exhibitors
In a move that is to my knowledge unprecedented, British exhibitors are pulling the movie "Night At The Museum" from their theaters. It was ranked #4 last week in the UK and clearly would still be profitable for everyone involved. Plus, the longer movies run in theaters the more of the grosses that stay with the exhibitor. There are no hard and fast rules, but in the first two or three weeks, more of the cut goes to the studio and that percentage switches in favor of the exhibitor the longer the movie is in theaters. In short, even though "Night" isn't number one any more, it is arguably entering the most profitable weeks as far as exhibitors are concerned. They love long-running hits. And WHY are they pulling the movie? Because FOX is breaking the traditional 4 month window and putting out the DVD of the film just 13 weeks after it debuted in theaters, three weeks earlier than usual. It's one thing to play around with release windows on indie flicks like "Bubble." But exhibitors are NOT happy that studios want to shorten the already tight window of four months. It's already darn quick -- it seems like movies come out on DVD in the blink of an eye now. What possible advantage does FOX gain by doing this? A similar standoff took place in Germany over "Eragon.
"Spamalot" In Vegas
Our friends at The Strip who blog and podcast from Las Vegas have some good stories this week. First, they've got the audio from a press conference touting "Spamalot's" opening on the Strip. With "Avenue Q" closing early and some other shows not catching fire, Eric Idle and King Arthur John O'Hurley (will he be the next host of "The Price is Right?") amusingly donwplay any expectations of success whatsoever.
I didn't realize it, but the guys at The Strip also tell me actors have been wary of going to Vegas for work. They felt the credits might seem weaker than a national tour and feared they would be off the radar when it came to new Broadway shows. Hence the excitement over the good news: The Strip broke the news that actress Sierra Boggess -- one of two actresses playing Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera" there -- will play Ariel in the new Broadway musical "The Little Mermaid." (It takes over for "Beauty and the Beast," which closes in June.) And of course they've spoken with Austin Miller, who starred in the Vegas "Hairspray" and is one of the finalists on the "Grease" reality show. Check them out.
I didn't realize it, but the guys at The Strip also tell me actors have been wary of going to Vegas for work. They felt the credits might seem weaker than a national tour and feared they would be off the radar when it came to new Broadway shows. Hence the excitement over the good news: The Strip broke the news that actress Sierra Boggess -- one of two actresses playing Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera" there -- will play Ariel in the new Broadway musical "The Little Mermaid." (It takes over for "Beauty and the Beast," which closes in June.) And of course they've spoken with Austin Miller, who starred in the Vegas "Hairspray" and is one of the finalists on the "Grease" reality show. Check them out.
Jennifer Hudson Disses "Idol"
Why? Hudson says, rather melodramatically,
"On American Idol, you go through this mental thing; you've got to get yourself back together. You've been abused, misled and brainwashed to believe whatever they want you to think," Hudson, 25, tells the new issue of Essence.Uh, it's just a silly show and the only thng we see is that they're taught they have to work hard, be professional, sing great and think about their image as well as their vocals. Is there anything we don't know about? I don't think so. Is it high-pressure and intimidating and psyche-crushing? Sure. It's also the launchpad that helped Hudson get to where she is today. Brain-washing? That's just silly.
Woody Allen's New Movie Headed To Cannes
"Cassandra's Dream" stars Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell and Tom Wilkinson. Woody's next movie will be shot in Spain and star Penelope Cruz or so sayeth FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman. Here's hoping "Match Point" wasn't a fluke.
Writer Simon Schama Survives Helicopter Cock-up
Historian/writer Simon Schama almost died when a helicopter -- apparently run by a company so awful it was blacklisted by the EU -- crashed to the ground shortly after take-off. The truly frightening part? The plane had plummeted 100 feet, flames were on the ground, people were scrambling for the lives out of the way...and the pilot apparently tried to take off again. The passengers thought maybe that was a bad idea.
"We were hovering at 100ft max - so it came down very quickly, but there was a bloody big bang, both before we dropped an after we dropped."
"It was very lucky the fuel tank didn't explode. It was amazing - it was so quick."
Schama added: "When he wouldn't open the door that was the scary part and when he seemed to want to take off again. It was bizarre and it was a complete death wish - we could see the flames and the grass on fire outside the helicopter."
"Some guy was saying, 'keep calm, nobody move' - and we thought, 'No! - this thing is about to burst into flames'. When we were on the ground and they wouldn't let us out the door everybody got very angry and people got very upset.
"One thing about Russians is that their incompetence is total - so there was no lock on the door to the cabin so we opened it and made it absolutely clear that they had better turn the bloody engine off and open the door to let us out."
Overnight TV Ratings -- "Friday Night Lights" Shows Strength
Last night, NBC's "Friday Night Lights" reached 6.86 million viewers. That's the most viewers the show has reached in its regular timeslot(s) since it debuted in October, when the show premiered to just over 7 million viewers. Despite a few dips to 5+ million, the show has been extremely dependable. Everyone who samples the show keeps coming back. ("FNL" did score more than 8+ million viewers when it aired for one time only on Mondays at 10 p.m. following the hit "Heroes" rather than opening the night on its own. It actually improved on the performance of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" from the previous week.) This sort of durability is exactly what networks look for when deciding whether to renew a show on the bubble, so the timing couldn't be better for "FNL." Last night's episode was another typically engrossing one, with the coach and his wife the most believable, lived-in and entertaining married couple on TV since the early days of "Mad About You." Go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman for a complete ratings breakdown.
8 p.m.
1. Bones -- 12.56 million viewers
2. CSI: NY (r) -- 8.55 million million
3. Friday Night Lights -- 6.86 million
4. George Lopez -- 7.82 million/The Knights Of Prosperity -- 5.25 million
5. Beauty and the Geek -- 4.07 million
9 p.m.
1. American Idol -- 31.45 million
2. Deal Or No Deal -- 11.42 million
3. Criminal Minds (r)-- 9.71 million
4. According To Jim -- 5.75 million/In Case Of Emergency -- 4.57 million
5. One Tree Hill (r)-- 1.56 million
10 p.m.
1. CSI: NY (r) -- 10.61 million
2. Medium -- 9.83 million
3. Primetime Live -- 6.05 million
8 p.m.
1. Bones -- 12.56 million viewers
2. CSI: NY (r) -- 8.55 million million
3. Friday Night Lights -- 6.86 million
4. George Lopez -- 7.82 million/The Knights Of Prosperity -- 5.25 million
5. Beauty and the Geek -- 4.07 million
9 p.m.
1. American Idol -- 31.45 million
2. Deal Or No Deal -- 11.42 million
3. Criminal Minds (r)-- 9.71 million
4. According To Jim -- 5.75 million/In Case Of Emergency -- 4.57 million
5. One Tree Hill (r)-- 1.56 million
10 p.m.
1. CSI: NY (r) -- 10.61 million
2. Medium -- 9.83 million
3. Primetime Live -- 6.05 million
NBC: Fans Of Certain TV Shows More Likely To Watch Them
Sounds pretty idiotically obvious, right? That's the only way I can characterize NBC's analysis of fans who use their website. NBC allows people to view the previous week's episodes of shows like "Heroes" and "Friday Night Lights." Their astonishing findings: that most of the people who go to their website to watch a show are fans who missed the original broadcast! Well, who the heck did they think would be using this service? People who hated the show? People who watched the show and saved it on their DVR but decided they wanted to watch it on their computer instead? Mind you, some people who had already watched the show also went online to watch it again -- probably at work or some other place as a form of entertainment. NBC also discovered that the site was used by people to sample shows they had never seen before. (As in, why does Michael keep going on and on about "Friday Night Lights?" Maybe I should watch one of the episodes.) Duh. Hey, NBC: people tend to watch the shows they like, people tend to avoid repeats, people like cake, people like money and people don't like to be poked in the eye with a stick. Just wanted to save you the money of doing another study.
Billboard's Top 10 Songs -- Beyonce Still "Irreplaceable"
For the ninth week in a row, Beyonce has the #1 song in the country with "Irreplaceable." Funnily enough, at one point it was claimed the studio was upset her solo album was coming out before "Dreamgirls." As if it would HURT a movie when one of its stars had a hit album on the charts. And the Shins -- who debuted at #2 on the album charts -- even have a hit single, with "Phantom Limb" debuting at #86. The top 10, per Billboard:
1. "Irreplaceable" -- Beyonce
2. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" -- Fall Out Boy
3. "Say It Right" -- Nelly Furtado
4. "It's Not Over" -- Daughtry
5. "I Wanna Love You" -- Akon featuring Snoop Dogg
6. "The Sweet Escape" -- Gwen Stefani
7. "Runaway Love" -- Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige
8. "We Fly High" -- Jim Jones"Smack That" -- Akon featuring Eminem
9. "Fergalicious" -- Fergie
10. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" -- Justin Timberlake
1. "Irreplaceable" -- Beyonce
2. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" -- Fall Out Boy
3. "Say It Right" -- Nelly Furtado
4. "It's Not Over" -- Daughtry
5. "I Wanna Love You" -- Akon featuring Snoop Dogg
6. "The Sweet Escape" -- Gwen Stefani
7. "Runaway Love" -- Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige
8. "We Fly High" -- Jim Jones"Smack That" -- Akon featuring Eminem
9. "Fergalicious" -- Fergie
10. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" -- Justin Timberlake
Russell Crowe To Play Robin Hood's Enemy
That's right, Russell Crowe is attached to play the Sheriff of Nottingham. No, he's not playing second fiddle. This movie is called Nottingham and is told from the Sheriff's point of view -- here, he's the good guy trying to stop a series of murders. Meanwhilke, the modestly successful TV version of "Robin Hood" begins a second season in the UK later this year.
Final Harry Potter Book Out July 21
So, do you read the first six again to get ready for the big finale? The title? "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. By the way, it's the tenth anniversary of the first Potter book and the movie version of "Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix" comes out July 13. It's gonna be a busy two weeks. I just saw Daniel Radcliffe's performance on "Extras," where he spent the whole show fruitlessly hitting on women and carrying around a condom already taken out of its package for quicker use. Hilarious, actually, especially when he accidentally tossed the condom onto the head of Diana Rigg. Per the New York Times, the Harry Potter books have sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. The JK Rowling's website, by the way, is great fun.
"American Idol" Recap
So Olivia Newton John is the guest judge and her first comment is, "I have no idea what to expect." That's rather an odd statement since just a few days ago she appeared on "Grease: You're The One That I Want" and worked as a guest judge where people performed and she and the other judges critiqued them. Uh, it'll be something like that, Olivia. And even if she HADN'T just appeared on an "Idol" ripoff, surely she watched an episode or two just to get her bearings. She would be the only person in America who DIDN'T know what to expect: gentleness from Paula, more direct and pointed comments from Randy, sarcasm from Simon and a parade of people, most of whom can't sing.
Is it my imagination, or have they spent a lot more time this season during the auditions showing losers? The stories seem to be taking longer to tell and far too many of them are about people who can't sing. Not counting montages, I saw only three people that got tickets. That's one ticket every 20 minutes. They put a lot more people through than that -- were their stories so boring we had to spend our time with the losers? And I don't even know what to say about the old man whose wife just died of cancer -- thank goodness he didn't expect anything more than appearing on TV and singing to her, but I hate to see this show turning into therapy. As for the three people who did go forward:
Alaina -- who sang Michael Buble's "Feeling Good," I thought she was okay, a borderline choice, though the song is very difficult to perform. But Simon thought highly of her, so maybe I missed something.
Brian Miller - who got cut in Hollywood last season. He seemed to start way to high for A Change Is Gonna Come, but cute and he can sing decently. It's interesting to see all the people who've gone to Hollywood more than once -- it's a phenomenon I hadn't really paid too much attention to before. But I'd like to know what's different just one year later -- did he take lessons? -- that makes it worth giving Brian another chance.
Brandon Rogers -- the backup singer who has turned with Christina Aguilera and others who did a lovely version of "Always On My Mind." By far the best performance of the night, though since he only had two competitors, that isn't saying much. We've heard a lot about "pros" getting in this year and of course winners like Taylor had released albums independently and even Kelly Clarkson had done backup singing (or worked on demos) and had a record deal that went nowhere. I'd say all that is fine, otherwise how would you define unknown. But per Entertainment Weekly, one contestant about been part of an r&b group that had scored a Top 40 hit -- now that seems over the line to me. If you've been in a group that's had a hit song on the radio, you should be ineligible.
All in all, another slow night. Only one more night of auditions to go, I think. Then they head to Hollywood.
Is it my imagination, or have they spent a lot more time this season during the auditions showing losers? The stories seem to be taking longer to tell and far too many of them are about people who can't sing. Not counting montages, I saw only three people that got tickets. That's one ticket every 20 minutes. They put a lot more people through than that -- were their stories so boring we had to spend our time with the losers? And I don't even know what to say about the old man whose wife just died of cancer -- thank goodness he didn't expect anything more than appearing on TV and singing to her, but I hate to see this show turning into therapy. As for the three people who did go forward:
Alaina -- who sang Michael Buble's "Feeling Good," I thought she was okay, a borderline choice, though the song is very difficult to perform. But Simon thought highly of her, so maybe I missed something.
Brian Miller - who got cut in Hollywood last season. He seemed to start way to high for A Change Is Gonna Come, but cute and he can sing decently. It's interesting to see all the people who've gone to Hollywood more than once -- it's a phenomenon I hadn't really paid too much attention to before. But I'd like to know what's different just one year later -- did he take lessons? -- that makes it worth giving Brian another chance.
Brandon Rogers -- the backup singer who has turned with Christina Aguilera and others who did a lovely version of "Always On My Mind." By far the best performance of the night, though since he only had two competitors, that isn't saying much. We've heard a lot about "pros" getting in this year and of course winners like Taylor had released albums independently and even Kelly Clarkson had done backup singing (or worked on demos) and had a record deal that went nowhere. I'd say all that is fine, otherwise how would you define unknown. But per Entertainment Weekly, one contestant about been part of an r&b group that had scored a Top 40 hit -- now that seems over the line to me. If you've been in a group that's had a hit song on the radio, you should be ineligible.
All in all, another slow night. Only one more night of auditions to go, I think. Then they head to Hollywood.
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