Google and Creator of ‘Family Guy’ Strike a Deal

By BROOKS BARNES
Published: June 30, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Google is experimenting with a new method of distributing original material on the Web, and some Hollywood film financiers are betting millions that the company will succeed.

In September, Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy” on television, will unveil a carefully guarded new project called “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.” Unlike “Family Guy,” which is broadcast on Fox, this animation series will appear exclusively on the Internet.

The innovative part involves the distribution plan. Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.

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Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Jacket: (2007) "Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away, while Archie is in a prison of another kind - addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to reveal the whereabouts of more of her victims.

When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, Heartsick makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory."

New York Times Review 9/2/07 Excerpt: "One of the challenges for the thriller writer who takes on the catch-the-serial-killer subgenre is the ever escalating ante, one author’s diabolically perverse criminal demanding the next's invention of a murderer just that much more diabolical and perverse. In Gretchen Lowell, Cain has created a femme fatale with an appetite for cruelty that will be difficult to surpass…Heartsick is a dizzying novel. Lurid and suspenseful with well-drawn characters, plenty of grisly surprises and tart dialogue, it delivers what readers of this particular kind of thriller expect."

Dominick Dunne: "Completely entrancing and totally original -- what a read. Heartsick is utterly unforgettable. Cain is a wonderful -- and terrifying -- storyteller."

Chuck Palahniuk: "With Gretchen Lowell, Chelsea Cain gives us the most compelling, most original serial killer since Hannibal Lecter."

The Restless

Between heaven and earth, where love became a legend.

Wikipedia: "The Restless is a 2006 fantasy South Korean film directed by Jo Dong-oh, starring Kim Tae-hee and Jeong Woo-seong. The films Korean title literally means "Midheaven".

In fictional ancient Korea, Yi Gwak is a demon hunter who lost his lover, Yon-hwa, and colleagues of demon hunters in the past. He enters the Midheaven, a transitory place for spirits, only to find the spirit of Yon-hwa who has forgotten about him. His deceased former mentor, Ban-chu, masterminds a demonic rebellion in Midheaven, wishing to invade the living world."

IMDb: "It is AD 924, at the end of the United Shilla Dynasty. Continuous riots sweep the land ruled by a corrupted government. Evil forces are rampant and malicious demons roam the land. YI Kwak, born with the powers to see spirits, joins the royal demon hunting squad, 'Chuh-yong-dae' after losing his fiancée, Yon-hwa to evil demons. YI Kwak excels as the most talented warrior of Chuh-yong-dae and the royal squad seems to gain momentum as powerful fighters against the forces of darkness. Then one day, YI Kwak drifts into Joongcheon, the world of the dead through a strange shrine. Joongcheon, the intermediate world between Heaven and Earth, a place souls remain for 49 days, preparing for reincarnation."

You need the really big screen to appreciate all the fight scenes and special effects.

The Fall

Landmark Theatre: "In Los Angeles circa 1915, a little immigrant girl (Catinca Untaru) is in a hospital recovering from a fall. She strikes up a friendship with a bedridden man (Lee Pace), who captivates her with a whimsical story that removes her far from the hospital doldrums into the exotic landscapes of her imagination. Making sure he keeps the girl interested in the story he interweaves her family and people she likes from the hospital into his tale. Shot on location in 18 countries around the world, The Fall is a moving, visually sumptuous fantasy of exotic bandits, evil tyrants, dream-like palaces and breathtaking landscapes. Directed and co-written by Tarsem (The Cell)." Official Web Site
Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review...

The first half of the film dragged and then it picked up and kept your attention. Aside from that, the colors and landscapes were breathtaking. Each frame was an art piece.

You'll recognize the leading man, Lee Pace, from Pushing Daisies, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Infamous and Wonderfalls.

Spielberg looks to direct film of "39 Clues"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The DreamWorks studio on Wednesday said it has acquired movie rights to the book, Internet and card game series "The 39 Clues," with Steven Spielberg looking to direct a film version.

"The 39 Clues" is a multimedia product set to be launched in September by U.S. publisher Scholastic Corp., which is the same company that published the wildly popular "Harry Potter" books about the British boy wizard.

The new series includes 10 books, more than 350 collectible cards and an online game in which kids compete for prices by unraveling a mystery that delves into the global power behind a family named the Cahills. The first book in the series, "The Maze of Bones," was written by Rick Riordan.

Click title for full article.

Blasphemy by Douglas Preston

This was an interesting read. I learned a bit in the feature interview following the book.

Jacket: "The world's biggest supercollider, hidden deep in an Arizona mountain will probe what happened at the very moment of creation: The Big Bang!

[Will] Isabella, the most expensive machine ever built, divulge the mysteries of the creation of the universe? Or is it, as the powerful televangelist, Reverend Don T. Spates thunders, a Satanic attempt to disprove Genesis and challenge God Almighty. The team of scientists who created Isabella make a discovery that must be hidden from the world at all costs. Wyman Ford, ex-monk and CIA operative, is tapped by the U.S. government to wrest from the team their secret, a secret that will either destroy the world ... or save it. The countdown begins."

Author, Douglas Preston: "The book deals with a much larger conflict. People say that religion and science operate in two separate spheres. That's completely false. Science for the last couple of centuries has been systematically disproving the central tenets of the world's great religions. For example, where do we come from? Well, evolution has shown that we are not created by god, but have [evolved] from animals. How was the Universe created? The Big Bang Theory says that the universe was created without the guiding hand of god. That it seems to burst out of nothing. The Big Bang Theory is far more blasphemous.

These are questions that religion used to deal with and the religion answered and answered wrongly. And now science has answered correctly."

Watch: Blasphemy Book Trailer

Podcast Interview: Douglas Preston speaks with noted Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie about the science behind the book, Blasphemy

"This baby roars... the pages simply fly."--Publishers Weekly

"Highly recommended... Preston joins Michael Crichton as a master of suspenseful novels that tackle controversial issues in the realm of science."--Library Journal"

An unusually alarming and thoughtful thriller... Clever and terrifying."--Kirkus

“A superb read! Blasphemy is both thoughtful and flat-out entertainment--a page-turning thriller about science and religion in which good and evil collide at the speed of light. You'll be up all night with this book.”--Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Sleeping Doll

Next on my list of books to read, "The Monster of Florence."

FROM PRESTON:

Dear Readers,

Some of you who can’t get to a booksigning have asked how you can obtain a personalized, signed copy of The Monster of Florence. Here’s how:

Call my local bookstore, The Maine Coast Book Shop, at (207) 563-3207, or toll free at (888) 563-3207. You can buy the book over the phone and give them instructions on how you want me to sign it. I will sign your book on my next visit to the bookstore, and they will mail it to you.

Best wishes,

Douglas Preston

Grace is Gone

Break out the tissues. You just may need them to get through this film.

Yahoo Movies: "A drama about a young father whose soldier wife has just been killed while in the line of duty in Iraq. Rather than tell his two daughters the news, he decides to take them on a cross-country road trip to an amusement park."

Cassandra's Dream

How far will you go to make your dreams come true?

Jacket: "Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell star as working class brothers whose dreams of better lives lead to desperation, greed and deadly betrayal. When gambling debt and an expensive courtship place them in a financial bind, a rich uncle offers them an out in exchange for committing murder. Woody Allen returns in razor-sharp form with this "intense, intelligently-written and directed" (Jeffrey Lyons, Reel Talk) thriller that challenges how far a man should go in the name of family."

Wikipedia: "Damon Wise of Empire magazine concluded that Cassandra's Dream was "A clumsy, clichéd morality play that may actually represent the lowest point of Allen’s recently chequered career."

Be Kind Rewind

Jacket: "Experience the antics of two outcasts, Jack Black and Mos Def, as they attempt to save a local video store in this outrageous and offbeat comedy. Amateur film director (Def) must find a way to save the business after his magenetized friend, Jerry (Black) erases every movie in the store. Using an outdated video camera and their own special effects, the two embark on an adventure to remake all the movies, from Ghostbusters to Driving Miss Daisy, turning the two town misfits into local celebrities!"

This was very cool! I just want to watch it again and again.

Director chosen for "Gears of War" feature

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - New Line is putting "Gears of War" in motion, setting Len Wiseman ("Live Free or Die Hard") to direct the video-game adaptation.

"Gears," developed by Epic Games, became an instant success when it debuted on the Xbox 360 in November 2006. It became one of the most popular games on the Xbox Live service, overtaking "Halo 2," and sold more than 3 million units worldwide in its first 10 weeks. It received numerous awards, including Gamespot's Game of the Year and the Interactive Achievement Awards' Overall Game of the Year.

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The Bucket List

Wikipedia: "Blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with cancer. They become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. Carter is a gifted amateur historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor, but in his youth had been "broke, black, and with a baby on the way" and thus never rose above his job at the McCreath (named after a healthcare consultant and friend of the writer) body shop. Cole is a corporate tycoon, eccentric loner, four times divorced, who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Matthew, whom he calls Thomas (Sean Hayes). He quickly befriends Carter, making Matthew serve Carter as well as him and ordering his doctor (Rob Morrow) to familiarise himself with Carter's health.

Both are diagnosed with a year or less to live. Carter begins writing a "bucket list," or things to do before "he kicks the bucket." After hearing he has less than a year to live, Carter wads it up and tosses it on the floor. Matthew comes in the next morning and picks it up with other things that are on the floor. Cole finds it among the items and reads it. Cole pushes Carter (by suggesting he add things like seeing the world, sky diving, "fun things," etc.), and promises to finance the trip, as he is very wealthy. Despite the protests of his wife, Virginia (Beverly Todd), Carter eagerly agrees."

Check out John Mayer video on site.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Jacket: "Based on the best-selling novel, The Other Boleyn Girl is a captivating tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal. Two sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlet Johansson), are driven by their ambitious family to seduce the King of England (Eric Bana) in order to advance their position in court. What starts as an opportunity for the girls to increase the family fortune becomes a deadly rivalry to capture the heart of the king and stay alive."

This is worth renting.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Once you start you WILL NOT be able to put this book down. I promise.

I really enjoyed this fresh and modern take on one of the most well-known fairy tales. Disney got nothing one this one! Check it out.


Wikipedia: "Flinn's newest book, Beastly, is a break from Flinn's usual realistic style, in that it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. In Beastly,, 16-year-old Kyle Kingsbury angers a witchy girl in his class and is surprised when she turns him into a beast. He must find true love in two years to break the spell . . . and unfortunately, MySpace doesn't work. When a robber stumbles into his garden Kyle offers him a deal; He won't report him to the police if the robber brings Kyle his daughter. According to the author's note in the back of the book, Flinn researched many versions of the Beauty and the Beast story in writing her book. Many of these are playfully alluded to in portions of the book, particularly the chat room transcripts in which the character of Kyle talks to other teens who have been transformed into creatures.

The novel has been optioned by CBS Films for a movie which could be released as early as winter, 2009."

Director Fleder looks into 'Deep Blue'

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Gary Fleder, the director of "Runaway Jury" and "Kiss the Girls," soon could be saying hello to "The Deep Blue Good-by."

Fleder is in talks to direct the Fox project, based on the first title in crime novelist John MacDonald's prolific Travis McGee series.

The 21 McGee novels, most of which were written in the 1960s and '70s and all of which feature a color in their title, could be turned into a franchise by Fox. They feature McGee, a free-living bachelor and reluctant hero who lives on a houseboat in Florida and works as a "salvage consultant," recovering property and money for clients and taking half the fee in return.

"Good-by" centers on McGee's efforts to track down a treasure that a solider escaped with and hid after World War II.

Click title for full article.

'Dragonology' spreading wings to big screen

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The children's book series "Dragonology" is headed for a feature version from Universal, which has acquired the film rights to the material and hired Leonard Hartman to write the adaptation.

The faux-nonfiction books by Dugald A. Steer are based on the conceit that dragons exist, as revealed by the Victorian dragonologist Ernest Drake. An underlying theme is that dragons should be studied and revered in the same way as any rare species.

... Templar recently signed a licensing agreement with video-game producer Codemasters, which will see "Dragonology" adapted into Nintendo Wii and DS games.

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Jumper

I should have jumped off the couch to remove this from the DVD player! The author commentary is interesting enough, so I'll have to check out Gould's novel.

Now on DVD. Jacket: "... David Rice is a younf man who knows no boundaries - a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to any place on Earth. When he discovers others like himself, David is thrust into the midst of an ancient war while being hunted by a bloodthirsty band of zealots sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, Davd's extraordinary gift may be his only hope for survival!"

Egoyan to explore love, technology in "Wonders"

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Writer-director Atom Egoyan will blend reality and fantasy in his next film, the love triangle "Seven Wonders."

The project centers on a woman named Pandora who, after her own relationship goes south, becomes consumed by a relationship between a commercials director and the director's boyfriend, even following the helmer as she shoots commercials at the Seven Wonders of the World.

... "It's an intimate story that I think can be harnessed on a larger canvas," Egoyan said. "The Seven Wonders are an escape from our lives, places where we can believe in something larger."

... Egoyan said he's interested in modern technology because of the idea "that it's so easy to be in contact (that) relationships can get complicated and confused."

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Eastwood's "Changeling" set for October bow

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Borrowing a page from the successful 2003 release of "Mystic River," Universal will debut Clint Eastwood's latest movie, "Changeling," in limited release October 24, followed by a wide expansion a week later on October 31.

"Changeling" stars Angelina Jolie in the true story of a single mom in 1920s Los Angeles whose son goes missing; when the police return her son to her, she insists they've found the wrong boy, and her case becomes a cause celebre. Eastwood directed the film from a script by J. Michael Straczynski.

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DiCaprio game for biopic of Atari founder

By Borys Kit and Jay A. Fernandez

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Leonardo DiCaprio has more fake IDs than Fletch.
The actor will star in and produce "Atari," a project about the godfather of the video game industry, Nolan Bushnell.

The engineering student, puzzle-lover and game enthusiast went from fixing broken pinball machines to launching Atari Corp., a video game manufacturer, in the early '70s. Its first product was a little game called Pong that transfixed kids in suburban rec rooms across the country and led to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of video game sales.

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National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets

AKA National Snoozer! I felt like I just replayed the first film. Wait, that would have been more interesting.

Scribe in talks for "Dune" resurrection

I'm getting a little tired of the re-makes that don't make the cut.


By Jay A. Fernandez
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter)-

We have wormsign.

Rookie scribe Josh Zetumer is in negotiations to write the latest incarnation of "Dune," Frank Herbert's sprawling sci-fi epic, for Paramount Pictures.

The award-winning 1965 novel -- the first in a series of six books about a futuristic struggle for control of a precious spice called Melange on the desert planet Arrakis -- was first adapted by David Lynch into a financially and critically disastrous 1984 film (though Herbert apparently liked it). It also was turned into a more successful Sci Fi Channel miniseries in 2000.

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Untraceable

Should be re-titled "Unthinkable," "Unimaginative" or "Unwatchable."

IMDb: "FBI agent Jennifer Marsh is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. As time runs out, the cat and mouse chase becomes more personal."

Now on DVD.

The Taking by Dean Koontz

Although we've seen or read this apocalyptic story many times, this version may have a few of the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. This audio book helped ease the monotonous commute to work.

Jacket: (2004) "Molly and Niel Sloan awake to find a drumbeat of golden rain on their rooftop. In their remote California mountain town, everyone is experiencing the same strange yellow storm. At first, from their television, the Sloans learn of enormous waterspouts and blizzards around the globe: then, the television ceases, as do all other forms of communication with the outside world. Overnight, they hear strange noises and see strange lights. The Sloans are left, together with their neighbors, in the midst of a purple fog, disturbed by a threat they cannot identify or understand. Then suddenly, they know. This world is being prepared for beings other than themselves - beings with vast technological powers at their disposal, who will stop at nothing to hunt them down and kill them all."

Read an Excerpt

Emily the Strange rides to big screen

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Counterculture icon Emily the Strange, a symbol of female empowerment and anti-conformity, is headed to the big screen with her four mysterious cats.

Dark Horse Comics, which has published several comic books detailing the goth teen's exploits, will produce a feature film that will detail her origins.

Skateboarder Rob Reger created the character among a multitude of designs he was printing up for stickers, T-shirts and skateboards in Santa Cruz, Calif,, in the early 1990s. The Emily design took off, with Reger's company, Cosmic Debris, going on to become a multimillion-dollar business with toeholds in fashion, books and comics, toys, school supplies, and accessories. Reger has remained the creative director behind the character and is one of several artists who work on "Emily."

Click link for full article.

Berkley joins "Darko" sequel

Seeing a trend of garbage here?

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Elizabeth Berkley, of "Showgirls" and "Saved by the Bell" fame, has joined the sequel to the 2001 cult movie "Donnie Darko."

"S. Darko" (a.k.a. "Samantha D") marks the return of Daveigh Chase in the title role as Donnie Darko's sister, Samantha. In dealing with her broken family, she flees town with her best friend (Briana Evigan) when they are plagued by bizarre visions.

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Eddie Murphy to return as "Beverly Hills Cop"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If Indiana Jones can make a successful comeback after almost 20 years, why not the Beverly Hills Cop?

Paramount Pictures has given the go-ahead for a fourth installment of its "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise, with Eddie Murphy on board to return to the role that launched his movie career, the studio said on Thursday.

Why, oh why?!

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Cryer, Spader get in Rodriguez's "Shorts"

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - TV stars Jon Cryer and James Spader are returning to the big screen, signing up to star in Robert Rodriguez's "Shorts," a family adventure movie that also stars William H. Macy and Leslie Mann.

Click link for full article.

Disney and Pixar: The Power of the Prenup

New York Times
By BROOKS BARNES
Published: June 1, 2008

Interesting article. Click title for link.

nip/tuck: Season 2

This is so addictive!

Amazon.com: "It's time for a follow-up appointment at McNamara-Troy, Florida's hottest--and most dysfunctional--plastic surgery center, and the setting for the controversial television drama Nip/Tuck, which gives audiences a peek into the professional and private lives of two driven doctors and their (mostly female) patients. If the first season had its share of shocking visuals and storylines, viewers should probably strap themselves into their easy chairs for the events in season 2. In addition to the usual offbeat medical issues (the team gives a man breasts, reconstructs a woman's sexual organs, restores a host of gruesome mutilations, and comes very close to undoing Joan Rivers's face work), Drs. McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Troy (Julian McMahon) must deal with a vicious serial killer known as the Carver, a vengeful former patient (Jill Clayburgh), a woman with alleged stigmata, and a life coach (Famke Janssen) who reveals a stunning secret past--all in the course of just 16 episodes. Guest turns by Alec Baldwin, Vanessa Redgrave (the real-life mother to series regular Joely Richardson), and Sarah Paulson (Deadwood) compliment the already high-quality performances by the cast, and the episodes seem to have ditched the glibness of season 1 in favor of a more serious tone, which makes for a more uniformly enjoyable watching experience. As with the season 1 set, The Complete Second Season includes several extras, most notably 45 minutes of deleted scenes, and a featurette titled "Recurring Pain," which explores the relationships between three female characters and Dr. Troy." --Paul Gaita