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Tom Cruise Rocks Out With His Rock of Ages Trailer

Damon Houx — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:28:42 +0000

The hit musical Rock of Ages took many of the kitschy but lovably sincere rock anthems of the 1980′s and Broadway-ized them. So who better to head up the film adaptation than Adam Shankman, who gave Hairspray a similar stage-to-screen treatment? The film – which stars Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand and Malin Ackerman – hits theaters June 1, 2012, but now there’s a trailer. Check it out.

The premise is in the trailer: there are young kids who want to be stars, and a Tipper Gore-esque politican who thinks that this new-fangled rock and roll leads to sex, which then ties it into Hairspray while still hitting that 80′s nostalgia button. Then there’s Tom Cruise with his long hair, and making jokes about being a rock and roller. Anyway, check it out:

This script was worked over by Oscar winner Michael (Little Miss Sunshine) Arndt and Justin Theroux, so this is definitely an A-list wanna-be blockbuster, but it’s currency will probably be strongest with people who love the modern musical, and those who didn’t live through the era. Perhaps it’s time for those from the 1980′s to experience their own version of Grease, where the things that seemed real become cartoon versions of history. Alas, what kills my interest is the cutesy versions of those songs. But it could be fun.

What’s your favorite modern musical?

Video: Alec Baldwin Mocks American Airlines On ‘Saturday Night Live’

traviswoods — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:50:17 +0000

Well, you’ve got to give it to him—Alec Baldwin might be an entitled jerk prone to highly public temper tantrums, but he’s a funny and charming entitled jerk prone to highly public temper tantrums. In case you didn’t catch it last week, Baldwin was booted from an American Airlines flight because he refused to turn off his electronic device upon which he was playing Words With Friends. He then slammed a bathroom door in anger so hard that it reverberated in the cockpit, alerting the captain, who then ordered that Baldwin be removed from the plane before takeoff. Baldwin’s response? Make fun of the captain, and his airline, on Saturday Night Live.

Adopting the mustache and accent of Captain Steve Rogers, Baldwin came onto the Weekend Update portion of SNL as the captain to apologize to Baldwin. Baldwin goes on to refer to, well, Baldwin as “an American treasure, and I am ashamed at the way he was treated.” Dig the video below:

He may be a bit of a jerk, but you’ve got to admit—that’s pretty funny. At least Baldwin is able to have a sense of humor about the fact that he’s kind of a madman, you’ve got to give him that.

What do you think of the video?

Source: CBS News

Alec Baldwin Kicked Off Airplane For Playing ‘Words With Friends’

traviswoods — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:25:18 +0000

American Airlines might want to think about hiring a new PR firm—after news broke over the past week that the airline’s parent company AMR would be filing for bankruptcy, along with the fact that they are being sued for a bad airline meal that allegedly killed a passenger, AA is in the news again, this time for kicking actor Alec Baldwin off of a Los Angeles to New York flight.

Apparently, the actor was removed from the flight “over using electronic devices prior to take off.” You see, it’s something of a no-no to have electronic devices activated prior to take-off, but Baldwin couldn’t be bothered to turn off his iPad, on which he was playing a Scrabble-esque game “Words With Friends.”

Allegedly, “a flight attendant asked Baldwin to power down his iPad several times before deciding to remove him from the flight.” However, Baldwin asserts that the plane was still at the gate, “appearing to suggest that he felt he should have still been able to use the device.”

Boxer Oscar De La Hoya was also on the flight, and noted that “I actually felt Alec Baldwin was turning off his devices and he just got a little angry.”

American Airlines has reached out to Baldwin, and is currently investigating the incident.

What do you think of Baldwin’s behavior?

Source: USA Today

Alec Baldwin to Host SNL for the 16th Time

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:44:09 +0000

In September, Alec Baldwin is going to do one of the things he does best, host “Saturday Night Life.” The show will return for its 37th season on the 24th of that month, and the “30 Rock” star will host for the 16th time, making him SNL‘s top host. He’s the SNL cast member that never was.

Once Baldwin hosts the show, he will out-beat Steve Martin. Right now, the two are neck and neck with fifteen shows each, under their belt. Come September 24th, that will all change. But who knows, perhaps Martin will show up an interrupt his monologue. That’ll be entertaining.

Baldwin is almost synonymous with SNL. He associates with the cast – he stars on a show with Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan, not to mention that Lorne Michaels is the executive producer of “30 Rock.” He’s also one of the only host, who’s not a cast member, who has his own “Best of” DVD – Martin also has a “Best of” DVD. Baldwin’s most memorable roles include Schweddy Balls and the Scoutmaster from Adam Sandler’s Canteen Boy.

Well, we can’t say we’re surprised about the casting. Baldwin is a favorite, all the time, and he’s perfect to launch the season. After Baldwin, Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy will act as host.

Ready for another season of “SNL”?

30 Rock: Season 5, Episode 22: Everything Sunny All the Time Always – TV Review

Joseph Oliveto — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:55:47 +0000

This week’s episode of “30 Rock” brings in two very special guests from the world of politics. Ok, to be fair, one of those “guests” is merely an actor impersonating a famed political figure, but the performance is so frighteningly spot-on that we’d be safe in pretending that it was the real thing. Sadly, the other guest didn’t quite deliver the goods, but that doesn’t ruin the episode by a long shot. Take a look at our review to see how we felt…

The Players:

Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Elizabeth Banks, Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski

Episode Title: “Everything Sunny All the Time Always”

Upon realizing that she could improve her life if she only devoted as much attention to herself as she does to her TV show, Liz embarks on a mission to clean up her apartment, dress nice, and perhaps even be happy. However, a plastic bag caught in a tree outside her window threatens to ruin her self-improvement project. In the meantime, Jack learns that Avery has been kidnapped by Kim Jong-il, and Tracy is upset to learn that his entourage has an inside joke that he’s unfamiliar with.

The Good:

Kim Jong-il: As a show that often tackles the absurdity of modern life, “30 Rock” is nearly peerless. However, while it tends to focus its satire on elements of pop culture, it is also tremendously effective when it tackes on politics. Thus, its interpretation of crazy dictator Kim Jong-il is brilliant, primarily because it barely seems different from the real thing. His insistence that North Korea is abundant in food, sunshine, and all things any growing country needs is eerily similar to the real man’s own misinformation. Kudos, Margaret Cho.
Talking Bag: Speaking of absurdity, Liz has an interesting conversation this week with a plastic bag. While in theory that sounds too ridiculous to work, it is actually pretty humorous. “I’ll still be up here when they take you out in my cousin: a body bag.” There is no reason why that should be funny, but somehow, it is.
Jack’s politics: Casting Alec Baldwin as an extreme conservative has always been genius, and we are reminded of that in this episode when he is fine with the fact that Avery has endured extreme physical torture at the hands of her captors, but horrified that she claims to have rejected capitalism. Baldwin pulls off the reaction perfectly.

The So-So:

Smooth move, Ferguson: Tracy’s unrelenting efforts to recreate the events that led up to his entourage creating an inside joke without him comes off as only slightly funny. It’s hard for anything involving Tracy to ever be unfunny, but this subplot feels like something that the writer threw in to fill up space, not exactly knowing where it would go. When it reaches its conclusion, we’re left a little bored.

The Bad:

Condoleeza Rice: Nabbing Condoleeza Rice for a guest appearance seems like it should be instant comedy gold, but the sad truth is that she lacks the acting skill to keep us entertained. She can’t deliver a line believably, and when paired against Alec Baldwin, who can bring the funny like nobody’s business, this becomes even more painfully apparent. It was a great idea, but in practice, it just didn’t work out.

Overall:

Hey, it’s no classic episode, but it was certainly funny, thanks primarily to the hilarious antics of Kim Jong-il. We’re not used to seeing “30 Rock” tackle the subject of crazy dictators, but given the way the show pulled it off this week, we’d love to see them revisit this territory. Thankfully, it looks like we aren’t through with the North Korean ruler just yet. Tune in to see what else has has in store.

Rating: 8/10

“30 Rock” airs every thursday on NBC!

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What did you think of last night’s episode? Tell us in the comments!

30 Rock: Season 5 Episode 19: I Heart Connecticut – TV Review

Joseph Oliveto — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:30:28 +0000

“30 Rock” is so attractive to fans of comedy because the writing is extremely sharp, reminding viewers that what goes on behind the camera is just as important as what goes on in front of it. Luckily, this week, both elements were pretty strong, and while there were a few missteps along the way, it generally made for a good half hour of entertainment.

The Players:

Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Jack McBrayer

Episode Title: “I Heart Connecticut”

Upon realizing that Tracy is not in Africa but is indeed in NYC, Liz enlists the aid of Kenneth to seek out the “TGS” star and save the show. In the meantime, Jenna spends her free time playing a victim in a torture-porn movie, but the project is low on funding. Back at the “TGS” office, Pete discovers an ability he never knew he had. Or, at least, so he thinks.

The Good:

Rob Riggle: Rob Riggle may never be the leading man, but he always makes anything he is involved in slightly funnier. He never plays clever characters, but he is good at portraying the loud, obnoxious and antagonistic types. His constant jokes about Pete’s wife aren’t funny in spite of their immature nature; rather, they make us laugh precisely because Riggle is so good at playing immature characters.
Torture Porn: The Saw ripoff which Jenna appears in feels eerily like the real thing. In an alternate universe, we could see ourselves heading to the theatre to check this one out. (Ok, no we couldn’t, but that’s only because these movies suck. If we liked them, we’d like this, though.)
Clever Writing: “30 Rock” always sports some commendable comedy writing, but tonight’s episode stood out in particular, with line’s referring to the “Bastille” of Bastille Day as a stripper and Jack commenting on the fact that “NBC has produced more failed pilots than the French Air Force.” Clever stuff.

The So-So:

Searching for Tracy: The quest to find Tracy brings a few laughs this episode, but overall, it doesn’t quite work. The scene at the pizzeria should have been a moment of midly absurd comedy, but instead it felt awkward and forced. The final confrontation between “Clemon” and Tracy is reasonably entertaining, but there aren’t any moments that had us really laughing out loud.
Corporate Interests: When Jenna’s torture porn movie fails to acquire sufficient funding, it seeks it out in unconventional places, and while this leads to a slightly clever commentary on the nature of corporate interference in Hollywood, it comes on a little too obvious. The jokes forecast themselves so that we know what’s coming. Good comedy involves being surprised, and this gag wasn’t all that surprising.

The Bad:

Pete’s fantasy: The show plays a major fake-out on us when we learn that an entire subplot occurred strictly within the imagination of Pete. This is definitely an example in which the writer was trying to gain some comedy out of the element of surprise, but sadly, this is a surprise which did not work at all, leaving us more baffled than amused.

Overall:

A very clever episode with a few weak spots, but certainly nothing noticeable enough to qualify it as a disappointment. The parts that worked did so very strongly, and those that didn’t work were still more or less admirable in theory. And of course, we’re just happy that Tracy is coming back.

Rating: 7/10

“30 Rock” airs every thursday night on NBC!

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What did you think of last night’s episode? Tell us in the comments!

Alec Baldwin Set To Star In New Woody Allen Film, Jesse Eisenberg May Join Him

traviswoods — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:13:11 +0000

When he’s not busy declaring that he’s retiring, that he’s quitting 30 Rock, and that 30 Rock itself is going off the air before not retiring, not quitting 30 Rock, and 30 Rock staying on the air, Alec Baldwin still takes time off from his busy schedule to act here and there. His newest project? Woody Allen’s new film.

/Film has it that Baldwin has signed on to Allen’s next film, which is as-yet untitled. Little is known about the project, beyond the fact that it will be set in Rome. Baldwin and Allen last worked together in the 1990 film Alice, which was a loose reimagining of Federico Fellini’s 1965 film, Juliet of the Spirits.

Rumor has it that The Social Network’s Jesse Eisenberg might be joining the cast, which makes sense—Eisenberg’s twitchy and nervous onscreen persona seems to perfectly align with the nervous and anxiety-ridden protagonists of Allen’s films, which are often stand-ins for Allen himself.

So there you go—based on this news, expect Alec Baldwin to declare that he will never, ever work with Woody Allen ever again, will never work on Woody Allen’s new film, and will never work with Jesse Eisenberg, ever.

What do you think of Alec Baldwin reteaming with Woody Allen?

Alec Baldwin Comes Under Fire For Claiming That ’30 Rock’ Is Ending

traviswoods — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:18:59 +0000

Yesterday, we reported that Alec Baldwin had announced that 30 Rock will be ending next year due to contract expirations. And today, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the 30 Rock star has come under fire for making the announcement, and is scrambling to backtrack.

The actor quickly laid down a blog at The Huffington Post to backpedal:

“I want to take the opportunity to state that although my days on network TV may be numbered, I hope 30 Rock goes on forever. Or at least as long as everyone involved desires…Next year hopefully won’t be the last… Kenneth can run the network. Jenna will get her own talk show. Tracy will become Mayor of New York. Then resign to go raise exotic reptiles. And Lemon will go do…. just about anything she sets her mind to. Here’s to five more seasons.”

It all sounds like standard-issue Hollywood backtracking, as sources close to THR state that there are no plans of 30 Rock to go off the air.

This isn’t the first time that Baldwin has stuck his foot in his mouth or declared the end of something—in 2009 he declared that he was quitting acting, and in 2010 he stated that he would not renew his 30 Rock contract in 2012. Now, only time will tell.

What do you think of the Baldwin news?

Alec Baldwin Claims ’30 Rock’ Will End Next Year

traviswoods — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:05:01 +0000

Well, fans of excellent television might have a reason or two to lament 2012 (aside from it being the end of the world, according to all the billboards I’ve been seeing lately)—according to Alec Baldwin, the next season of 30 Rock will be (brace yourselves) the last!

According to Coming Soon, Alec Baldwin was at the National Dance Institute’s annual fund-raising gala last night, where he dropped the following nugget reporters:

“I will tell you one thing… And that is our show next year is our last year of the show.”

“Our contracts are expired [in 2012], and Tina is gonna have a big career directing films and writing. She’s going to be the next Elaine May. She’ll be great.”

Both NBC and Tina Fey have yet to comment on the story, but I have a pretty good one: this sucks.

That said, maybe it’s a good thing for 30 Rock to come to an end while it’s still excellent, instead of just going on and on and on and on and grinding to a desperately unfunny lull for about ten years or so (I’m looking at you, Saturday Night Live).

What do you think of the 30 Rock news? Will you be sad to see it go?

Alec Baldwin Wins Comedy Award; Donates 1.5 Million To The Arts

traviswoods — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:14:56 +0000

Well, Alec Baldwin’s been shoring up some good karma lately—after donating more than a million dollars to the arts lately, the veteran actor just picked up a trophy at the first-ever Comedy Awards.

According to Playbill, the first-ever Comedy Awards were held on March 26^th at the Hammerstein Ballroom (and is set to air on Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1, CMT, Logo and Nick At Nite on April 10^th). And, in addition to dishing out awards to Eddie Murphy (Career Icon Award), David Letterman (Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence), and Modern Family (Best Comedy Series), the Comedy Awards bestowed Alec Baldwin with a Best Comedy Actor in Television Award, for his killer turn as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock.

And while it was certainly his insanely honed comedy chops that garnered him the awards, his good karma as of late certainly couldn’t have hurt—according to Ecorazzi, the actor has been donating massive chunks of moolah to the arts: he recently donated one million dollars to the New York Philharmonic, and $500 thousand to the Roundabout Theatre Company, which is all “part of his plan to draw awareness to the power of the arts – and help turn the tide in deep funding cuts slamming groups around the country.”

What do you think about Baldwin’s good deeds?

30 Rock: Season 5 Episode 18: Plan B – TV Review

Joseph Oliveto — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:50:56 +0000

“30 Rock” is the best kind of sitcom: one that lets us know that the writers are just as important as the actors. As we slowly (and thankfully) say goodbye to laugh tracks on our TV shows, it’s up to the writing staff to deliver comedy that is actually funny. Last night’s episode was another one that harped on this fact, but dammit, it’s difficult to harp on it enough.

The Players:

Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Will Arnett, Jack McBrayer

Episode Title: “Plan B”

With Tracy taking some time off in “Africa,” the network decides to put “TGS” on hiatus, forcing Liz and the rest of her staff to look for work elsewhere. Sadly, Liz discovers that show biz doesn’t exactly value its writers. In the meantime, Jack must seek out the assistance of a former rival after acquring TWINKS, a network for gay men which he finds himself unable to manage successfully.

The Good:

Aaron Sorkin: “30 Rock” has often been able to score some impressive guest stars, but writing geeks were thrilled last night when the one and only Aaron Sorkin, writer of The Social Network, made an appearance as himself. His dialogue wasn’t even that funny, but him being there was reason enough to get excited. The fact that he was applying for a job on a Nick Lachey show was icing on the cake, as far as we’re concerned.
Writers: Well, while we’re on the topic, we might as well once again commend “30 Rock” for being the kind of show that not only celebrates great writing by hiring skilled people, but also takes jabs at Hollywood for not giving enough respect to people who practice the profession. One of the best moments in the episode comes when Liz encounters a poster for Transformers 5 with the words “Written By Nobody” printed across the bottom. Sad, but probably close to the truth.
Will Arnett: It might be a scientific fact that everything from sitcoms to funerals becomes considerably funnier when Will Arnett is involved. His return to the show may have been brief, but his emotional breakdown when he thinks about his children is classic.
Tracy: Tracy’s attempts to convince everyone that he’s actually in Africa make for some of the funniest jokes on the show. He utters phrases like “Simba rafiki click click” and says he is hanging out with such people as “Invictus.” Who knew you could pack so many pop cultural references to an entire continent into only a couple lines of dialogue?

The So-So:

Pete’s jokes: No comedy show is ever perfect, and one of the few recurring problems that plagues “30 Rock” is the way in which it awkwardly sets up some of its jokes. For example, when Pete discusses returning to the profession of teaching, he says that his early experiences were just like Dead Poets Society, in that he got fired. That’s kind of funny, but it sounded a little forced.

The Bad:

Jack: Alec Baldwin wasn’t given enough humorous lines last night. That’s not a major complaint, but he has proved to us that he’s a terrifically talented comedic actor, and we want to see hom have more opportunities to deliver jokes.

Overall:

A very funny episode with an excellent guest appearance and some very clever lines. This is why we watch “30 Rock,” and as long as they keep delivering strong entertainment of this caliber, we’ll keep tuning in. Thanks for remembering the writers, guys.

Rating: 8/10

“30 Rock” airs every Thursday night on NBC!

Photo Gallery:

What did you think of last night’s episode? Did you enjoy it as much as we did?

Alec Baldwin Ditches Troubled Men in Black III, Heads to Rock of Ages

Damon Houx — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:50:50 +0000

One of the greatest books on film is easily Julie Salamon’s The Devil’s Candy, which chronicled every bad turn Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Bonfire of the Vanities took. At this point, one hopes there’s an author on set of Men in Black III, as there’s undoubtedly a great story to be told about its production. Having hired a new writer mid-shoot, and having delayed production again recently, the film took another hit when Alec Baldwin told Vulture Monday he had to drop out, but was moving on to the Adam Shankman-directed, Tom Cruise-starring musical Rock of Ages.

Alec Baldwin is one of the leads on “30 Rock,” and so his dropping out isn’t necessarily a slight against the beleaguered third film in the Men in Black franchise. Likely “scheduling conflicts” is not PR talk in this case as Baldwin is surely locked in to certain dates for his television show. And if Baldwin announced that he was out of Men in Black III, this is something that the filmmakers knew about prior to his announcement.

But still, it’s hard not to wonder what’s going on with the third film with all these public production problems. Even though the second film was viewed as a misfire by virtually everyone involved it also made over $400 Million worldwide, and Will Smith is still one of the world’s biggest movie stars, so if the third film recaptured the magic of the first film, surely all would be forgiven. But the third film seems a victim of franchise filmmaking, where a studio wants a picture for a certain period of the year and wants to make a release date above all else. And though a third film had been rumored and likely work-shopped shortly after the second film was released in 2002, it seems that they have yet to be happy with the material.

The Sydney Pollack film Tootsie was considered a tortuous production, as there were a number of writers brought on board, with few making star Dustin Hoffman happy. But now the film is considered a classic, so there’s evidence the film could be saved. With the public scrutiny that comes with this film’s troubled production its makers must be covered in flop sweat.

Adam Shankman’s adaptation of the broadway play Rock of Ages is supposed to shoot this summer, with Cruise, Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, and Julianh Hough currently attached.

Did Alec Baldwin choose the right movie?

ScreenCrave.com » Alec Baldwin

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30 Rock: Season 5, Episode 22: Everything Sunny All the Time Always – TV Review

The Players:

Episode Title: “Everything Sunny All the Time Always”

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 8/10

Photo Gallery:

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30 Rock: Season 5 Episode 19: I Heart Connecticut – TV Review

The Players:

Episode Title: “I Heart Connecticut”

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7/10

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30 Rock: Season 5 Episode 18: Plan B – TV Review

The Players:

Episode Title: “Plan B”

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 8/10

Photo Gallery:

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Alec Baldwin Ditches Troubled Men in Black III, Heads to Rock of Ages

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