Screw Summer! Anticipated Fall Releases
by Rick Duran
Time to talk about the last four months of 2008. We've got two films starring Frat Pack members (Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson) and two from Judd's boys (Seth and Paul) among the high profile releases. We've also got Stiller doing his Lion schtick in Madagascar 2 for the kids.
I was on the fence about including Nick & Norah (Cera, Dennings, Baruchel), but my rule of thumb was "Has Kev Blogged About it? Then It's In." Plus... I included Madagascar, so why not?
Will it be a blowout for Vince? Will Seth + Porno + Halloween be this fall's big money shot?
Which is your most anticipated Frat Pack / Team Apatow-related Fall Movie? Take the Poll.
FunnyOrDie Video Features Kightlinger and Harris
by Kevin Crossman
I think I might be the only person in the world who loves Will Ferrell's Kicking & Screaming. Sure his 2005 family soccer comedy is a flawed movie. Deeply, deeply flawed. But you know there isn't a week that goes by that I don't think about the situations (Starbucks line, anyone?) quotes ("I'm like a tornado of anger!"), or characters (Byong Sun!).
One of the highlights of Kicking & Screaming is the lesbian couple played by Laura Kightlinger and Rachael Harris. Both have Frat Pack relations. Harris had a small part in Starsky & Hutch, while Kightlinger was Jack Black's main squeeze for many years. So, the latest video from Will Ferrell's video site, FunnyOrDie, definitely struck a nerve. And, uh, let's just say that I think Harris is pretty sexy. Fans of Showtime's Weeds are familiar with the video's star, Hunter Parrish.
Frat Pack Tribute Review: Tropic Thunder (
)
by Drew Hunt
Before the credits even hit the screen, Tropic Thunder is already skewing mainstream Hollywood culture. As the faux-commercial for the energy drink Booty Sweat ended, my fellow audience members vocalized their bewilderment: “What was that? Was that a commercial?”, “That wasn’t real, was it?”, “No, I’m pretty sure I’ve had Booty Sweat before”, “No, that was fake. Wasn’t it?”, “I dunno, it looked pretty real”, “I’m confused…”
And with that, writer/producer/director/star Ben Stiller’s bitingly satirical romp was in full force. Straight out of the gate, Tropic Thunder is a pure comedic thrill ride.
Tropic Thunder is Weekend Winner
by Kevin Crossman
Though the results were perhaps a bit less than expected, overall this is good news for Ben Stiller and company. The film was number one at the box office this weekend, finally ending Dark Knight's reign. Tropic took an estimated $26 million this weekend, and a total of $37 million since opening Wednesday.
Tropic's first five days are comparable to Pineapple Express, which opened to a larger Wednesday opening day gross but less over the entire weekend. But Tropic seems to have affected the second weekend gross, which dropped nearly 60% for a $10 million weekend and about $63 million total.
Step Brothers dropped only 45% in it's fourth weekend for another $5 million and a new running total of $90 million. Luke Wilson's latest indie release Henry Poole is Here opened weakly with $800,000 in 527 theatres.
Happy Birthday Steve Carell
by Kevin Crossman
Steve Carell turned 46 yesterday. To celebrate, let's take a look at this 1989 commercial for Brown's Chicken uncovered by our tipster, Karen Pok.
AMC channel’s basic cable premiere of
Starsky & Hutch on August 16th at 8pm/ 7c
And thanks to our friends at AMC we have Starsky & Hutch DVDs available as a giveaway.
To enter the drawing, just send us:
Tropic Thunder Is Amazing ()
by Kevin Crossman
This isn't a full review but I will say that Tropic Thunder is (almost) everything we hoped it would be. First off, it is a true "Ben Stiller movie" much in line with his past projects. In fact, there are number of parallels to Zoolander, including some of those fun celebrity cameos. Which, unfortunately, is the one tiny problem with Tropic Thunder: no Owen Wilson. While Matthew McConaughey is servicable in a role written for Wilson, it is clear how Owen would have played the role and how much better he would have been.
Nontheless, Tropic Thunder is really funny stuff, especially the "big actor" cameo. Jack Black has some really funny stuff too, but his role isn't much bigger than Jay Baruchel or Brandon Jackson's - he's headliner only because he's "Jack Black - movie star."
Robert Downey Jr. is the co-lead here, and he's great. And given that Downey apparently stayed in character even when cameras weren't rolling it seems the satire of method acting is a fine line indeed. There's actually real emotion in the relationship between Downey and Stiller's characters. While Stiller's "Speedman" character has a lot of similarities to Der-ek-Zoo-Lan-der, this isn't a retread. Tropic Thunder is a tour-de-force for Ben as the movie plays well as a farce, a satire, and a very serviceable action picture. Lots of fun!
5 Beer Mugs! Frat Pack Classic.
(there are a couple cool cameos that I won't spoil...)
Steve Carell to Costar with Tina Fey in RomCom
by Rick Duran
If you asked me what two stars would be perfect for a romantic comedy, this is the combination I'd suggest.
According to Variety, Steve Carell and Tina Fey are set to costar as a married couple in a romantic comedy from director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum). Date Night centers on a couple who find their routine date night becomes much more than just dinner and a movie. Film is set to film in early 2009, after Levy finishes Night at the Museum 2 and during filming hiatus' for Carell and Fey's TV shows.
"I wanted to do a relatable, grounded character comedy about marriage and the lengths we go to preserve the spark," Levy told Daily Variety. "Tina and Steve are smart and relatable, and the tone of their comedy perfectly fits this film."
Tropic Thunder Is Here!
by Kevin Crossman
We've been waiting with incredibly high anticipation for this one for over a year and today we can see Tropic Thunder in theatres everywhere. The action comedy stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr.
Tropic Thunder in South Park by Karen Pok
Of course, any film starring Ben Stiller and Jack Black will be of interest. But considering this film is written and directed by Ben and costars a host of A-list celebs and Frat Pack friends, our interest level is through the roof. Of course, we view this with a large degree of melancholy, since Owen Wilson was unable to film his cameo (replaced by Matthew McConaughey).
Despite the protests by advocates for those with mental disabilities, the film is getting fairly good buzz, especially by those who appreciate the storyline that skewers the Hollywood elite. This is sort of a return to form for Ben Stiller, who made a name for himself satiring pop culture with The Ben Stiller Show, and for the next ten years made a regular habit of staying in the satire genre with projects like Reality Bites, Mystery Men, The Cable Guy, Heat Vision and Jack, and Zoolander. So after a long run of popular maintstream comedy farces, it is nice to see Ben return to his roots.
Have you seen Tropic Thunder? Talk about it on our Forums.
Tropic Thunder Premiere Photos
by Kevin Crossman
No surprise appearance by Owen Wilson, but all the principals were in attendance. Here are some of the best shots from the premiere held in Los Angeles last evening.
Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller
Jack Black with wife Tanya Haden
Brandon Jackson, Jack, Tom Cruise, Bill Hader, Ben, Matthew McConaughey
Hader, Stiller, McConaughey, Robert Downey Jr.
Great closeup of Ben
Jack Black acting... like Jack Black
Alright, alright, alright
Amy Adams
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
Protesters who don't understand satire
Gorgeous Christine and Proud Ben
Starsky & Hutch Basic Cable Debut and DVD Giveaway
by Kevin Crossman
Remember back to 2004 when it seemed like the Frat Pack stars were popping up in places that you'd least expect them? Oh, we remember those times fondly, even as 2008 has sort of brought that vibe back a little thanks to a cool cameo in Step Brothers and all sorts of stunt-cameos in Tropic Thunder.
Nonetheless, 2004 was really the "it" year for Frat Pack cameos, perhaps most superbly shown in Todd Phillips' Starsky & Hutch. Nominally a Ben Stiller / Owen Wilson buddy comedy, the film also featured Vince Vaughn in a juicy role as the film's chief villian. Old School alumni Juliette Lewis, Snoop Dogg, and Matt Walsh also appear.
But the highlights of Starsky for me was the hilarious scene featuring "Big Earl" (Will Ferrell) being interrogated by Starsky and Hutch. Ferrell really brought the funny in this scene and Stiller and Wilson played off him perfectly. Of course, Will had great cameos in Wedding Crashers, Boat Trip, and The Wendell Baker Story too, but even though Chazz Reingold has his fans ("Ma! The Meatloaf!") I think I still prefer Big Earl.
While it is true that most Frat Pack fans have seen this cinematic gem already, it is still kind of cool to see this classic scene on basic cable. And thanks to AMC you can tune in to Starsky & Hutch this week.
AMC channel’s basic cable premiere of
Starsky & Hutch on August 16th at 8pm/ 7c
And thanks to our friends at AMC we have Starsky & Hutch DVDs available as a giveaway.
To enter the drawing, just send us:
Tropic Thunder EW Cover Story: A 'Delicious Guava Nectar'
by Rick Duran
The
boys of Tropic Thunder are hamming it up on the latest cover of EW. The issue
features a great interview with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey
Jr. Here's a sample exchange between the guys:
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: I have been so wantonly, flagrantly humiliated [in my personal life] that anything that could happen as a result of a movie doesn't even register.
BEN STILLER: [To Downey] Does that give you more fearlessness working — because you're just, like, Who gives a s---?
DOWNEY: It's pretty effective.
JACK BLACK: Look, humiliation hurts. So on the one hand, you have the pain of humiliation. But on the other, you have the delicious guava nectar of laughter. You have to balance it out: How much of this are you willing to endure to get that? Certain people have that thing where they need that guava so badly they'd do anything for it.
DOWNEY: Ben? Humiliation?
STILLER: Yeah, it's definitely been a part of my career. We've all gone for that guava. But I don't know if anybody has a high tolerance for it personally or enjoys it.
DOWNEY: [Shrugs] I do. I like it.
You can find the full
interview on EW.com or newsstands now. EW.com's coverage of the story
features some great outtakes from the cover's photoshoot.
Vice President Koechner
by Rick Duran
Can't wait for SNL to return with their parodies of the Presidential campaign? Just days after FunnyorDie had 6 million viewers watch their infamous Paris Hilton "attack ad," they now give us a hilarious video series starring Frat Pack Pledge David Koechner. In these clips, Koechner stars as "Senator Sam McCletchen" a Vice Presidential candidate. He doesn't care if picked by Obama or McCain, he just wants to be invited to the party!
Pineapple is a Hit! Sets Record for August Wednesday Openings
by Rick Duran
Who said stoners lack ambition? Seth Rogen's Pineapple Express opened to a huge $12.5 million opening night. Variety
reports that the stoner buddy comedy set the record for the biggest
Wedneday opening in August. Industry analysts are predicting the film
could make upwards of $40 million by Sunday. BoxOfficeMojo
reports that Pineapple had the 20th biggest Wednesday opening
ever, taking the spot previously held by Meet the Fockers. Ben
Stiller has a great chance of re-entering the Top 20 Wednesday Openings
next week with Tropic Thunder.
Pineapple Express in Theaters Today. "Thug Life!"
by Rick Duran
Team Apatow is back in theaters today with Pineapple Express,
the stoner action comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. Our early
review was a rave, but what do YOU think? We want to hear your thoughts.
Where does it rank in the Team Apatow pantheon: Anywhere near Superbad?
Funnier than Sarah Marshall? Log-on to our Frat
Pack Tribute Message Board and post your reactions.
The Express Team (from left to right): Seth Rogen, James Franco, producer Judd Apatow,
director David Gordon Green, producer Shauna Robertson, writer/executive
producer Evan Goldberg
Reminder: Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, which also features Pineapple co-stars Danny McBride and Bill Hader, opens a week from today.
Tropic
Thunder News: Simple Jack Site Yanked, Cast Visits the Troops
by Rick Duran
Tropic Thunder has finally caused controversy, but not for the
reason you'd expect. Dreamworks
has pulled simplejackmovie.com off the web, the promo site for Simple
Jack, a fictional film in Tropic that Ben Stiller's character
Tugg Speedman had starred in. The concept, in which Speedman played
a mentally handicapped man, is a spoof of Hollywood actors' Oscar-chasing
cliche of playing disabled people. Advocacy groups for the disabled,
including the Special Olympics and the Down Syndrome Assn. of Los Angeles,
are scheduled to meet with Dreamworks.
It appears the offense is with the tagline on the Simple Jack poster: "Once upon a time... there was a retard." We hope the grievances are settled reasonably becase the site really was hilarious and Tropic Thunder features fictional trailers for films starring its characters, including Stiller's Simple Jack.
In more positive news, the stars of Tropic Thunder attended a special screening of the film at Camp Pendleton this past Sunday. Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. introduced the film to a packed audience of stationed Marines and Navy Members, after arriving in military humvees.
Stiller on the event:
"We were really excited to show this movie to the military personnel who do so much for our country. I think they really got a kick out of seeing a bunch of spoiled actors complaining about how hard it is to do a war movie. But seriously, it was really hard. We almost did a boot camp, but then decided on a cast dinner instead."
Paul Rudd's Role Models Trailer Premiere
by Rick Duran
As promised, MTV.com has premiered the trailer for Role Models (opening November 14th), the film starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. In past interviews, Scott has compared the film's tone to Old School and Wedding Crashers, and the trailer does hint at that (ie. the "reformed bad boys" concept), but it looks more like School of Rock in tone. In the film, two energy drink salesmen are sentenced to serving community service in a Big Brothers program (look for 40 Year-Old Virgin's Jane Lynch as the program director.) Banks is looking cute as ever, and Chris "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse has some choice scenes as the creepy kid assigned to Rudd. However, it looks like the big scene-stealer is Fred Claus' Bobb'e J. Thompson as the kid assigned to Scott. He walks away with the trailer's best quotes ("You white? Then you Ben Affleck.")
Early test screenings suggest the film is a hard R-Rated film; if this
true, we'll keep you informed if a redband trailer pops up (the current
trailer leans towards PG-13.) This is Paul Rudd's first credited screenwriting
effort (co-writing with Ken Marino and director David Wain), so we've
got high expectations.
Zack and Miri Get an R-Rating
by Rick Duran
In
further Team Apatow news, many of you have read Seth Rogen's disappointment
with the MPAA over a preliminary NC-17 rating for his next film Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Fans can now throw their hairy palms
in the air, as director Kevin Smith has won
an appeal with the Motion Picture Association of America to lower
the film's rating to an R. This is great news because if Smith's appeal
had been turned down, he would have had to make cuts on one certain
scene that is apparently one of the funniest. Rogen, Elizabeth Banks,
Craig Robinson and Justin Long can all be seen when Zack and Miri opens (in its original form) Halloween Weekend 2008.
Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder and Henry Poole
is Here television appearances
by Laura Telles
Crap. I have a lot of tv to watch. (Links to the shows' websites
have been provided where you can watch full interviews and clips)
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN
Mo 8/4: Seth Rogen
Tu 8/5: Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder)THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO
Mo 8/4: Ben Stiller
Tu 8/5: Robert Downey Jr.
We 8/6: Jack Black
Th 8/7: Nick Nolte (Tropic Thunder)LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON
Th 8/7: Jack Black
Mo 8/11: Robert Downey Jr.
We 8/13: Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express)LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN
Mo 8/4: Judd Apatow
We 8/6: Danny McBride (Pineapple Express)
Th 8/7: Seth RogenTHE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Tu 8/5: Seth RogenJIMMY KIMMEL LIVE
Tu 8/5: Rosie Perez (Pineapple Express)
We 8/6: Luke Wilson
Th 8/7: James Franco
Fr 8/8: Ben StillerLIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY
Tu 8/5: Luke Wilson
We 8/13: Ben Stiller
Fr 8/15: Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell
For all the latest Frat Pack-related television appearance listings,
bookmark the "TV
Alerts" thread from our message board.
No Olde Times for Jack Black
by Rick Duran
The
long-troubled Ye Olde Times project has seen its worst news yet.
In an interview
with the Orlando Sentinel, Jack Black reveals that he's dropped
out of Ye Olde Times, a project he was only attached to as "a
favor for a friend."
It was to star or at least feature Jack Black. But he says "not happening, dude," to me in an interview last weekend. "I was doing that as a favor for a friend'o mine. Now, he's not involved. I won't be, either."
While the film wasn't exciting in concept, Jack was originally going to narrate this tale of two rival Renaissance Fairs, we're bummed because the supporting cast was going to feature Frat Pack familiar faces John C. Reilly, Will Arnett and Tim Robbins. We knew this production was in danger last summer, when our own Kevin Crossman investigated and learned that its Northern California shoot had been completely scrapped. Trouble was also evident when Lindsay Lohan suddenly dropped out less than two months of signing on for a key role. Here's hoping Jack, John, Will and Tim will be seen together in a different film. Lindsay... we're not holding our breath for. It should be noted that just a couple weeks ago, Jack Black also dropped out of Todd Phillips' Man Witch.
Role Models Trailer Premieres Tomorrow; MTV Debuts
New Stills
by Rick Duran
The new trailer for Role Models, the new Universal
Pictures comedy starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott,
will premiere tomorrow on MTV.com. The film, previously titled both Little Big Men and Big Brothers, is a more mainstream
comedy from director David Wain (The Ten, Wet Hot American
Summer.) We're excited for the trailer since familiar faces Christopher
Mintz-Plasse, Elizabeth Banks and Jane Lynch are part of
the ensemble cast. MTV's
Movie Blog has some exclusive stills, including shots of Rudd and
Scott with Mintz-Plasse and Fred Claus' Bobb'e J. Thompson.
Role Models hits theaters on November 14, 2008. Check back on
the Frat Pack Tribute tomorrow (Tuesday) for links (and hopefully an
embed) of the trailer.
Click to photo below to check out the new
images
Jack Black on Cover of USA Weekend
by Kevin Crossman
This was a nice surprise in the Sunday paper today - Jack on the cover of USA Weekend. The article is revealing, as Jack talks about his legacy and being a dad. He also finds time to talk about a little film called Tropic Thunder and confirms rumors of another Tenacious D album and DVD release. There are also some incredible photos and you can even see more in this video montage (boy, it sure takes a lot of shots to come up with the few that are in the magazine).
Anchorman 2 Chatter; Applegate Sympathies
by Kevin Crossman
The Tribute would like to extend deepest sympathies and best wishes to Christina Applegate who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ame Van Iden, publicist for the 36-year-old actress, released the following statement late Saturday:
"Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery."
Applegate is familiar to Frat Pack fans from her costarring role opposite Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The timing of Applegate's announcement is ironic since Anchorman 2 chatter is increasing. Entertainment Weekly recently speculated about the sequel.
According to the article pointed out by our tipster Beth Millman, Adam McKay tells the magazine that he and Will are ready to bring San Diego’s classiest newscaster back to the screen, possibly jumping ahead to the 80's. McKay states, "The audience will now allow us to do even crazier stuff, and that’s really all we’re looking for in our careers." Who else can see Ron Burgundy in a white Miami Vice suit?
Meanwhile, McKay and Ferrell's latest collaboration, Step Brothers, is doing well at the box office. The second weekend drop was a low-ish 47% for a $16.3 million second weekend and $62.9 million total.
EW Highlights Everything Apatow
by Kevin Crossman
Entertainment Weekly is one of our favorites and they did a great job with a full-page look at Frat Packager Judd Apatow. The highlight of the piece is a "Circle of Buds" that is a look at how often some of the Apatow regulars have actually worked with the man. Of course, the Circle is woefully incomplete (where is Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, John C. Reilly, etc. etc. etc. and do we even care about Busy Phillips?) but still we like the concept and it's nice to be reminded that Ben Stiller is a key player in Apatow's orbit, too.
Some may think this diagram is a rip off the similarly named Frat Pack Circle of Trust that we're awfully proud of in these here parts. But, you won't hear any complaining from us. First, this isn't exactly the first time this sort of diagram has been used. Plus, we "kind of" co-opted the Circle of Trust name from the Fockers movies. So, who are we to complain, eh?
Will New Film From Old School Director End Box Office "Hangover?"
by Anthony Jones
Fans
of the Pack should look forward to the new film from Frat Packager Todd Phillips, The Hangover. It's currently set to open
in later 2009, and the plot details a Vegas weekend at a bachelor
party in which three groomsmen lose their friend who's about to get
hitched and must retrace their steps to find him (think Dude, Where's
My Groom?). The two stars signed onto the film so far should both
be familiar to Frat Pack fans: Ed Helms of The Office, Evan Almighty and Semi-Pro, and Bradley Cooper of Wet Hot American Summer and Wedding Crashers fame.
Todd Phillips is, of course, recognized as the man who brought us Old School and Starsky & Hutch.
One could say Phillips hasn't been having the best of luck recently. Last month, you may have read about Jack Black dropping out of his project Man-Witch, and it having to do with a "rift between his agent and the film's director [Phillips]." Prior to this, he was fired as director of Borat in 2006 after having already shot several scenes. He went on to co-write and direct School for Scoundrels that same year, which underperformed, grossing $23 million worldwide on a $35 million budget.
The film is set to be distributed by Warner Bros. and is penned by John Lucas and Scott Moore, who also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with Emma Stone (Superbad) and Noureen DeWulf (The Comebacks).
Pineapple Express Premiere Photos
by Kevin Crossman
These premieres are always fun to see who shows up (Jack Black) and who doesn't (Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, sadly). But there are some great shots here from the premiere last night in Los Angeles.
Stars and Producer:
Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow, James Franco, Danny McBride, Amber Heard
Writer/Producer Judd Apatow and wife Leslie Mann
Jack Black with wife Tanya Haden
Jonah Hill (looking a little "red" in the
eyes)
Gorgeous Elizabeth Banks
Pineapple heavy and Frat Pack regular Gary
Cole
Pineapple theme song singer Huey Lewis
Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, and Big Pot Leaf
Apatow acolyte Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Apatow regular Jane Lynch with Superbad's Emma
Stone
Pineapple Express Panel from Comic-Con
by Kevin Crossman
IFC has a really nice highlights clip from Comic-Con. The Pinapple Express crew includes Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, James Franco and more. There are some funny questions, including the Human Giant guys. Rogen also talks about The Green Hornet and other projects.
Pinapple Express opens on August 6. Read the Tribute's early review.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Trailer
by Kevin Crossman
Check
out the trailer for the film starring Michael Cera (Superbad)
and Kat Dennings (The 40 Year-Old Virgin). This looks to be
in the Superbad mold and isn't a stretch acting-wise for either
of the leads.
But this film definitely warrants attention, if for no other reason that the incredible cast-against-type role for Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder). In a way, the role kind of reminds me of Ben Stiller's dramatic performance in Permanent Midnight, especially since Baruchel as the same leather jacket and greasy look that Stiller had.
Nick
& Norah's Infinite Playlist
The film will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and then move to theatres everywhere in early October.
More Tropic Thunder Faux Goodness
by Kevin Crossman
Another day... another great clip from the faux-documentary ("fauxmentary"?) Rain of Madness and another faux website from one of the characters from Tropic Thunder.
Today, we're focusing on Cody Keith Underwood (Danny McBride), the film's special effects coordinator. The doc clip features a bunch of NSFW profanity and delves a little deeper into one of the supporting characters.
Learn more:
Webisode Contest Winner and Latest Office Webisode
by Kevin Crossman
Congrats to Nick Neumann of San Francisco. Nick wins one of these cool tshirts, which is great since his favorite character on The Office is Michael Scott.
This
week we are giving another "World's Best Boss" tshirt, featuring
Steve Carell of course. We'll be giving away one of these this week,
and have more coming with the launch of new webisode segments.
To enter the drawing, just send us:
And, here's another great Office webisode. This time we get the "full cast" (of the webisodes anyway), featuring smooth talking Darryl (Craig Robinson). This one provides a lot of the "awkward humor" that The Office is famous for!
Apparently this is the last of the Kevin's Loan webisodes. Which is kind of a shame because I was just starting to really get into it! I've been told there will be more webisodes later this year.
Learn About Jeff Portnoy
by Kevin Crossman
The latest segment from the Rain of Madness documentary shows the tensions between Tropic Thunder director Danien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) and star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black).
In addition, check out these new faux-websites:
More Comic-Con Notes: Tropic Kudos
by Nathan Hughes
Here are some pictures I took at the San Diego Comic-Con convetion of the The Office section that was set up in the NBC booth. One of the attached images is of the T-shirt that I bought, showing Michael with all of his "swag".
Also, I got a free ticket to Tropic Thunder last night, and I have to say this is the funniest film I've seen in the theaters for a long time. This is definitely rated R and the cameos abound. Tom Cruise was remarkable and Robert Downey Jr. was excellent in every scene. Jack Black started off kind of slow, but got really funny near the end of the film. Ben Stiller was great as well, and the faux trailers were hilarious.
Before the screening there was a small clip of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. introducing the film, actually welcoming the Comic-Con fans in the audience. Stiller joked about auctioning off Spock's ears and a monster head from Star Trek for all of the nerds in the audience. In the film, the ears can be seen on Matthew McConaughey's desk and the monster head is shown when Stiller is watching his Video iPod. I'm definitely going to see this again in theaters and I really hope it does well at the box office.
The Office Comic-Con Panel
by Kevin Crossman
You know, I haven't always said the kindest things about NBC in the past year. Yes, I'm still peeved about NBC pulling their TV shows from iTunes. But, I have to give credit where it is due, and this is one of those times.
The writers from The Office were at Comic-Con this weekend, along with star Rainn "I'm still promoting The Rocker" Wilson who moderated the panel. And NBC has the entire segment available on their website. That's a great thing for the fans of the The Office, so three cheers for NBC. Hooray!
The Rocker Review (
)
by Adam Stevenson
The
Rocker is the latest comedy from Fox Atomic under the direction
of Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty), starring Rainn Wilson,
Christina Applegate, Jane Lynch, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Bradley
Cooper, Will Arnett, and Fred Armisen, in what could be one of the
surprise comedy hits of 2008.
“Rocker” tells the story of Robert "Fish" Fishman (Wilson), a failed drummer who is given a second chance at fame.
Step Brothers Review ()
by Drew Hunt
Are
people getting sick of Will Ferrell? The question has certainly been
asked -- in reviews, to the blogs and back again. And it is certainly
a valid one: his previous effort, the basketball comedy Semi-Pro was both a box office failure and a painful watch. Seeing Ferrell
lose his footing was not exactly pleasant.
So has he returned to the well in his latest farce Step Brothers? Quite possibly -- but thank the heavens he did. Re-teaming with director and co-writer Adam McKay was a step in the right direction: as was adding his newest collaborator John C Reilly. With the last piece of the puzzle obviously being Judd Apatow, the super-producer behind his two most successful films, Ferrell has set himself up for yet another box office hit.
Big Opening for Step Brothers
by Kevin Crossman
With between an estimated $11-11.7 million in box office receipts, Step Brothers looks on track for a big $30 million plus opening weekend. That would place behind only Talladega Nights ($47m) and Blades of Glory ($33m) among Ferrell's releases. And quite a bit better than John C. Reilly's last wide-opening star-vehicle, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ($4m).
The film is getting great reviews, too. Look for a formal review here on the Tribute soon. In the meantime, check this great Moviefone Unscripted with Will and John (and check the bonus clips). Thanks to tipster Alex.
Of course Step Brothers won't open at number one, since a slightly popular film is already out in the marketplace. Thankfully, Will and John are prepared to tell you everything you need to know about The Dark Knight.
Everyone Celebrate! Step Brothers is Here!
by Kevin Crossman
Finally a straight-up comedy in a summer filled with action, superheroes, and retro franchises. Here is an original comedy from the team that brought you Talladega Nights and Anchorman. More importantly, for the first time in I don't know how long it is a Will Ferrell movie featuring "normal" Will Ferrell hair. Think about it. Semi-Pro: Will with afro. Blades of Glory: Will with long hair. Talladega Nights: Will with sideburns. You get the point.
So, will Step Brothers break the 2008 box office slump seen recently by our Frat Pack faves? Kudos to Steve Carell for helping make Get Smart a hit, but elsewhere it has been fairly bad. Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro opened at number one but only made a little over $30 million. Same for Owen Wilson's Drillbit Taylor. And the less said about the box office performance of Jack Black's Be Kind Rewind or Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show the better.
According to Tracking data, Step Brothers looks to be the weekend's top-grossing new release.
Stepbrothers will be the weekend's big wide-release opener, possibly snagging $30 million or so -- tracking at 89 general awareness, 40 definite interest and 19 first choice. X-Files: I Want to Believe is running at 81, 25 and 9...bomb.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (August 1) is running at 90, 39 and 9 -- showing promise, possibly decent opening. Kevin Costner's Swing Shift...I'm sorry, Swing State...I meant to say Swing Vote (also 8.1) is running at 58, 20 and 1 -- big trouble.
Pineapple Express (8.6) is running at 47, 37 and 5. (The 8.6 opening is about getting some traction before the Beijing Olympics begin on August 8th.) Sisterhood fo the Traveling Pants 2 (also 8.6) is at 78, 22 and 4.
Tropic Thunder (8.13) is at 59, 33 and 2 -- an okay number for now, opening in the middle of the Olympics.
Anyway, Step Brothers opens today in theatres everywhere. So go see it!
Webisode Contest Winner and Latest Office Webisode
by Kevin Crossman
Congrats to Kelly Briscoe of Yorktown Heights. Kelly wins one of these cool Michael Scott tshirts. Kelly's favorite character on The Office is Dwight Schrute.
This
week we are giving another "World's Best Boss" tshirt, featuring
Steve Carell of course. We'll be giving away one of these this week,
and have more coming with the launch of new webisode segments.
To enter the drawing, just send us:
And, now that we're all feeling good about the free tshirts, check out latest webisode from The Office. This time, Craig Robinson (Knocked Up, Walk Hard, Pineapple Express) is featured.
It's a Two-Fer
by Kevin Crossman
Will Ferrell was scheduled to promote Step Brothers on The Daily Show, but look who came out with him... John C. Reilly! Great interview, including a reference to our beloved Dewey Cox. There's also a very funny clip featuring Adam Scott (Knocked Up) as the younger brother of Ferrell's character Brennan. Thanks to Beth for the tip.
Also funny but lacking an embed code, was Will's recent appearance on David Letterman. In a surprising move, Ferrell seems to indicate he wants to leave acting behind and move into politics. Will Ferrell for VP?
Pineapple Express Moved Up Two Days - to Debut August 6
by Kevin Crossman
Thanks to our tipster Anthony Jones for this one. Following the lead of Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express will now debut two days early on August 6. This, no doubt, allows it to have a full-week of box office prior to Thunder's opening.
A reminder to check out The Tribute's early review of Pineapple Express:
Rogen on Cover of GQ; Upstaged by Wiig Hotness
by Kevin Crossman
Seth Rogen is on the cover of GQ's annual Comedy issue. There's Frat Pack goodness sprinkled throughout, including references to Heat Vision and Jack, Kyle Gass and Jack Black, Tropic Thunder, a Will Ferrell movie plotline generator, and more.
Oh, and this amazingly hot photo of Kristen Wiig. Amy Poehler is gonna need to work out pretty hard to get her "Best SNL tummy" title back.
Footage of Tenacious D's Tribute to The Who
by Kevin Crossman
Here's Jables and Kage performing "Squeeze Box" in their tribute to The Who on VH-1 Honors. There's great footage from this event, including Adam Sandler's signature reworking of "Magic Bus."
Will Ferrell at the ESPYs
by Kevin Crossman
Will Ferrell is at it again. He appeared at the ESPYs to collect the Male Sportsman of the Year for Tiger Woods who was unable to attend due to injury.
First Photo from Land of the Lost
by Kevin Crossman
This image comes from Entertainment Weekly's preview of ComicCon. And it's a great shot of Danny McBride, Will Ferrell and Anna Friel. And a whole lot of Sleestacks! According to Lost director Brad Silberling " 'The dinosaurs can't be wagging their tails like puppies. They have to be f---ing brutal.'' Ferrell notes, ''We still have Chaka and the Sleestaks that move way too slow,'' he says.
A teaser trailer is expected to debut at ComicCon (July 24-27) and the movie is scheduled for a July 17, 2009 release.
Meanwhile, Will is doing promotion for Step Brothers, now just a week away. One of the best things to check out is this video from New York Times Magazine. It is actually fairly revealing, as Will is notorious for never giving serious answers in interviews. Check it out.
Other NYTM videos from this series:
Seth Rogen
Elizabeth Banks
James Franco
Steve Coogan
Anna Faris
Two Deleted Scenes from Step Brothers
by Kevin Crossman
Two deleted scenes have surfaced over at FunnyOrDie.com. These are pretty funny, so let's hope that these were deleted because there was too much other funny stuff in the movie. Step Brothers opens next Friday.
Steve Carell Nominated for Emmy - The Office News Rundown
by Kevin Crossman
Once again, Steve Carell was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (for the episode, "Goobye Toby"). The Office received a total eight nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series ("Local Ad") and Rainn Wilson for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series ("Money"), along with additional nominations for directing, writing, editing, and sound mixing.
And, it should be noted, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski also picked up something today. Big ol' snubs.
Congratulations are also in order for Frat Pack pledge Amy Poehler who received a support actress nomination for her work on Saturday Night Live. Meanwhile, rumors were swirling today regarding the "The Office spinoff" that Poehler confirmed she'll be a part of. Nikki Finke had the best coverage and finally today it was confirmed that the show will not be a spinoff, but a show in the same style from same creative team.
The latest Office webisode launched today. This one is quite a bit funnier than last week's, and once again features Kevin (Briam Baumgartner) looking to get a loan. Check it out, it's pretty funny.
We also have another giveaway. Check out this cool "World's Best Boss" tshirt, featuring Steve Carell of course. We'll be giving away one of these this week, and have more coming with the launch of new webisode segments.
To enter the drawing, just send us:
Finally in our massive Office news update today, a reminder that the Season 4 DVD will be arriving in stores on September 2nd. The Season 2 and Season 3 DVDs were feature packed and this year looks to continue the trend. In addition to all episodes from this past season, there are great bonus features:
You can preorder now to get the very best price from Amazon.com.
Step Brothers Premiere Coverage
by Kevin Crossman
The premiere was held in Los Angeles last night and here are some photos featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly of course. Check the video and additional photos.
Costars John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell don't exactly look like step brothers
Director Adam McKay and Producer Judd Apatow with contrasting expressions
Ted Danson admiring wife and Step Brothers costar Mary Steenburgen
(looking awfully fetching...)
Step Brothers' dad, Richard Jenkins
Jason Bateman
Former Ferrell and Reilly costar Jane Lynch
The last thing John C. Reilly ever saw. We'll sure miss him.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly Fight Over Steve Carell
by Karen Pok
Click the image to see a fun little video that I made. You can make one yourself at Stepbrothersduel.com. Step Brothers opens on July 25th!
Tom "Crooze" Makes Another Appearance
by Rick Duran
Turns out the TuggSpeedman.com viral site is actually a parody of TomCruise.com
More Trouble for Andy Dick
by Kevin Crossman
We love Andy Dick's work. So much that we actually gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Frat Pack Earmuff Awards earlier this year. Which is why it is so sad that Andy's personal troubles are still continuing.
As widely reported, Andy was arrested earlier this morning in Murrieta, CA on charges of drug possession and sexual battery. Police found marijuna and Xanax in Dick's posession, shortly after he was seen urinating in the parking lot of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. More disturbing is the charge that Dick pulled down the tanktop of a 17 year old girl, exposing her breasts. Bail has been set for $5,000.
In a personal note, I have long been a fan of celebrity mugshots. Vince Vaughn had one where he looked quite a bit upset about the arrest. And with Tropic Thunder coming up, it's easy to remember Nick Nolte as the greatest celebrity mugshot ever.
But there's nothing funny about Andy Dick's mugshot. Consider what he was alleged to have done, the smirk is highly inappropriate.
Amy Poehler Set for Office Spinoff Related Show
by Kevin Crossman
Well, this is interesting news. Apparently Amy Poehler (Blades of Glory, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny) is being tapped for the new show from Greg Daniels and Michael Schur from The Office. Initially identified as a "spinoff" it now appears that the show is "a whole new series" and "not an extension."
There's no word on Poehler's intended role, or whether this means the end of her very successful run on Saturday Night Live. As noted in the article by Variety, Poehler recently co-headlined the modest hit Baby Mama and is toplining the animated The Mighty B.
Tropic Thunder Release Date Moved Up Two Days
by Kevin Crossman
Well, this is great news for those of us who have been watching news about this movie since last summer. And for some of us, every single day that goes by without seeing Tropic Thunder is a single day too many. So, we're pleased to report that Tropic Thunder will now be opening on August 13! This surely is a sign of strength for the movie to open on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Friday.
To celebrate, here's a segment from the faux-documentary, Rain of Madness featuring Steve Coogan (the director of "Tropic Thunder") and Ben Stiller ("Tugg Speedman"). Don't say it, do it!
The faux-website movie promotion trend continues. Check out the websites for:
Video of Jack Black's Blender Cover Shoot
by Kevin Crossman
Thanks to our anonymous tipster for setting us hip to this. I actually hadn't realized Jack's interview with Blender referened yesterday was for the the cover.
Watch Jack Black get into character while promoting his new film Tropic Thunder for the Blender Magazine cover shoot. In this video clip, Black discusses the film, breaking a guitar, and pays homage to King Kong and Angus Young. The commercial that plays is kind of annoying but the Jack stuff is top stuff.
It's Official! School of Rock 2: America Rocks
by Kevin Crossman
There'd been Rock 2 chatter for a couple months now but Variety has all the details tightly wrapped in a bow.
Paramount is developing a sequel to Jack Black's 2003 breakthrough comedy. All the principals are back: Jack to star, Mike White to write, Richard Linklater to direct.
Variety says "School of Rock 2: America Rocks," which picks up with Finn leading a group of summer school students on a cross-country field trip that delves into the history of rock 'n' roll and explores the roots of blues, rap, country and other genres." Jack had been rumored to start in Man-Witch for Todd Phillips (Old School) but recently left the project.
The Variety article also notes that Jack's comedy from Apatow Productions, Year One, is now slated for a June 2009 release.
Tenacious D Honor The Who
by Kevin Crossman
Here's a great shot of Jack Black and Kyle Gass performing as Tenacious D at the VH1 Rock Honors The Who, to be broadcast on July 17.
According to an AP report, Jack Black said before acoustically performing "Squeeze Box," "It's an honor to honor what I consider to be the greatest band of all time. Wanna know why they were the greatest? Because they were the first ones to really rock hard."
Danny McBride Stars in Drunk History Vol. 3
by Kevin Crossman
After antagonistic supporting turns in The Heartbreak Kid and Drillbit Taylor, Danny McBride takes the logical next-step in his career by playing George Washington in the lastest installment of Drunk History over at FunnyOrDie.com. This is funny stuff and McBride definitely brings the kind of gravitas expected while portraying the father of our country. Language NSFW.
Remember... Jack Black is a Rock Musician Too
by Kevin Crossman
Tenacious D will perform as part of the Vh1 Rock Honors The Who on July 12th at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. A few tickets remain available.
The show will air on Vh1 on Thursday, July 17th at 9/8c.
Also, Blender magazine has an interview with Jack, nominally about his role in Tropic Thunder. But, since Blender is a music magazine, they focused their excerpt on Jack's "rock and roll lifestyle." We have made a conscious effort to minimize "gossip" chatter here on the Tribute but since this is making the rounds and is an actual interview with Jack I guess we'd be remiss by not pointing it out.
Rogen Talks Superbad and Pineapple Sequels
by Kevin Crossman
With the "buzz" getting stronger for Pineapple Express, coming on the heels of the boffo August box office for Rogen's Superbad, Seth discussed the possibility of sequels to both films.
"They've been wanting us to do a sequel to 'Superbad' for so long – but we've held off," said Rogen. "We eventually said No. But this one, it's not a precious coming-of-age story like 'Superbad,' it's a weed action-movie and if it did well, and they gave us like $50 million dollars (as opposed to the $26M we got for this one) we could benefit from that."
So, looks like a sequel is a strong possibility if the movie does as well financial as it seems to be doing critically.
New Webisodes from The Office
by Kevin Crossman
Don't expect to see Steve Carell or any other of the "Big Four" on this summer's Office webisodes, but for Office fans this might still turn out to be a fun series.
This year's series is called "Kevin's Loan" and centers on accountant Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and his gambling debts. The first episode, "Money Trouble," also features Oscar Nunez and has a few funny moments. Frat Pack friend Craig Robinson is scheduled to appear in future episodes. Take a look!
Thunder Drumbeat for War Continues with Rain of Madness
by Kevin Crossman
Well, holy shit! Check out this amazingly brilliant mock documentary about the making of the movie in Tropic Thunder! Entitled Rain of Madness, there is an official website and a mock trailer (see below) for the film that is supposed to provide insight into the movie that after five days of filming was two months and $100 million over budget. The clip also provides insight into the characters played by Bill Hader and Justin Theroux.
This isn't exactly spoiler material per se, as I doubt this will be in the actual Tropic Thunder film. But it sure would be a hoot to see this trailer in front of the movie, eh?
Update: Here's the Rain of Madness one-sheet poster
Is Greek a Sarah Marshall Spin-off?
by Rick Duran
When the new Jonah Hill/Russell Brand film Get Him to the Greek was announced, we figured Brand's rock star character wouldn't be a stretch from his Aldous Snow role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. However, in a recent interview, Brand suggests that his role might actually be a reprise of Aldous:
"I'm doing another film with Judd Apatow, playing the character that I played in the first film Aldous Snow but back on drugs. And Adam Sandler is producing a film that I'm writing with Matt Morgan from my Radio 2 show that I'm doing myself. I'm doing the voice for a really big animation film that I can't tell you about because it's too big a deal, I've got a special on Comedy Central with my stand-up."
So was that a literal translation of Brand playing a back-sliding Snow? Or was it a sarcastic way of saying the character is basically Snow, but on drugs? Brand will next be seen in Adam Sandler's December comedy Bedtime Stories, but hopefully we'll get a solid answer on his Greek role before then. In the meantime, Sarah Marshall (which has grossed over $96 million worldwide to date) is tentatively slated for a September 30th DVD release date. Maybe director Nick Stoller, whom is also writing/directing Greek, will do some DVD-related press and answer the Aldous Snow question.
Frat Pack Movie Tie-ins Coming To Stores
by Kevin Crossman
Tropic Thunder is coming to theatres on August 15, and in addition to a slightly new international trailer over on the official international website, there's some big news for fans who can't get enough "thunder!"
E! is reporting via Advertising Age that the fictional drink seen in the movie is actually coming to stores. Yes, a few hundred thousand cases of the cherry-flavored drink Booty Sweat will be available in college bookstores, the retail outlets Hot Topic, Wherehouse and Coconuts and through Amazon.com.
This follows in the footsteps of the drink from the Luke Wilson cult-classic, Idiocracy. That film's Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator was licenced and is available for sale in some markets.
Meanwhile, there is also word that Sex Panther, the infamous cologne from Anchorman will finally be available in stores for the first time since the 1970's! Sex Panther, which is made from real panther so you know it's good, will be available in stores in September.
Thanks to tipster Nathan Hughes.
Steve Carell is a Gentleman but not in the Frat Pack?
by Kevin Crossman
Steve Carell has been overseas doing press for his hit film Get Smart, and there were two recent developments of note.
First is this video of a press conference. Thanks to our tipster Sonja from The Real Steve Carell Blog, check out this video from 1:03 - 2:04. He seems to indicate he doesn't think he's a member of the Frat Pack, because he doesn't have the other Fratters on speed-dial. Sounds like Ben Stiller needs to update his address book, eh? It's one thing to leave Luke Wilson off the list, but Steve Carell? Unforgivable.
In more positive news, Steve Carell proved himself to be every bit the classy gentleman that his reputation proceeds. At the Italian premiere of Get Smart, an uncouth reporter asked costar Anne Hathaway about her recent high-profile breakup by probing "Was the separation from your ex-boyfriend painful?"
According to People, Hathaway remained silent and attempted a faint smile.
But, as if on cue, her costar Steve Carell valiantly stepped in to declare: "In my role of agent [for] Miss Hathaway, I would like to say that she does not answer questions relating to this subject."
If that isn't a guy you want in your Pack I don't know who is!
Jack Black Working on New Tenacious D Material
by Kevin Crossman
After the woeful performance of the hilariously underrated Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, we feared we might not see another album from The D. The movie's soundtrack actually did fairly well, as it was the 200th most popular album of 2007 (which means there were a lot of albums that were less popular, right?). So, we're really stoked to hear that Jack Black and Kyle Gass are working on new material for their third album.
Apparently, Jack is being tightlipped about the project, according to the Post Chronicle. "The songs we come up with are so stupid. We've got one good song - that's it. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, though. I'm afraid someone's going to steal it!"
Jim Carrey Lets it All Hang Out
by Kevin Crossman
Yes, Jim isn't exactly a true Frat Pack member. But since The Cable Guy was directed by Ben Stiller and featured small roles for a couple of up-and-comers named Jack Black and Owen Wilson, let's just say that Jim is a friend-of-the-Pack.
Anyway, Jim's latest exercise in hilarity was to wear girlfriend Jenny McCarthy's bathing suit. Not bad, but I guess if I'm thinking about "Jim in Matching Outfits" I'd rather they actually went ahead and made Used Guys, the Sci-Fi comedy where Jim and Ben Stiller were the last two men on earth. Then again, I think Jenny looks better in a bikini than Ben Stiller does, despite his "good marks" in that department (see: Meet the Parents, Zoolander).
click for more photos
Night at the Museum 2 Cast Update
by Rick Duran
You know an ensemble cast has grown so large when it's hard to keep track of all the names mentioned in articles. Thanks to our tipster Beat Kiyoshi for noting that we missed the news item about French actor/director Alain Chabat will be playing Napoleon in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
Beat informs us:
Alain Chabat has been a very popular actor/writer/director here since he created the comedian group Les Nuls (in a TV Show which looked exactly like Saturday Night Live). He also directed the great blockbuster Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, and you might have seen him in Michel Gondry's third movie The Science of Sleep.
Any of our readers fluent in French are encouraged to visit
Beat Kiyoshi's comedy blog L'Antre
de la Comédie.
Yes Luke Can!
by Rick Duran
The new poster for Luke Wilson's Henry Poole is Here may look familiar to you. In a direct spoof of the Barack Obama "Change"
and "Hope" posters, the film beat the presidential campaign in claiming
the other "inspirational" buzzword: "Believe." In Henry
Poole, Luke plays a dying man reluctant to follow the religious phenomenon
taking over his neighborhood. This dilemma is further displayed by the film's
new domain for its Myspace page: www.WillHenryBelieve.com.
And in case the movie hasn't beaten its theme over your head enough yet, its
trailer prominently features The Bravery's hit song... "Believe."
Click the image to view a larger version
Henry Poole is Here opens in theaters August 15th.
Talladega Nights Team Rejoins for 'Sherlock Holmes' Comedy
by Rick Duran
Big news from Variety: Sacha Baron Cohen will play Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell will play his assistant, Dr. John Watson. The two comedy powerhouses will
join their Talladega Nights producers Judd Apatow and Jimmy
Miller for the Columbia Pictures project, while Etan Cohen (Tropic
Thunder, Idiocracy) will write the script. This isn't the only
high profile remake of Sherlock Holmes; Warner Bros. is currently piecing
together another version with director Guy Ritchie. Clearly, our money is
on the version with two of the world's biggest comedy stars. Being under the
watchful eye of Judd Apatow doesn't hurt either.
We're sure the fans will have a lot to say about this huge announcement, especially with Will playing assistant to Sacha. Want to chime in on this news? Discuss this story over on our message board.
Museum 2 Expands Cast, Alters Title
by Rick Duran
Lots
of updates for 2009's Ben Stiller sequel. Hollywood
Reporter notes that the title has now changed to Night at the Museum:
Battle of the Smithsonian (the original title was Escape from the Smithsonian.)
Next, it's been reported that improv veteran Christopher Guest will join the
cast playing Ivan the Terrible. A lot of dialogue from the first film was
improvised, so Guest's inclusion should offer some great material. In less
surprising casting, SNL's Bill Hader will join the film playing
General Custer. These are busy times for Hader, who will be seen next month
in Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, and next summer's Year
One. IMDb notes that another Pineapple Express cast member, The
Office's Craig Robinson, will be joining the sequel playing one
of the Tuskegee Airmen. Museum screenwriters (and Reno: 911 stars) Thoman Lennon and Robert Ben Garrant will also be making cameos as
the Wright Brothers.
This sequel just keeps growing. Just to round up this constantly growing cast, here's a list of folks that have been previously reported to appear: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Dick Van Dyke, Ricky Gervais, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Hank Azaria, Jonah Hill, Ed Helms and now Christopher Guest, Bill Hader, Craig Robinson, Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garrant.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian hits theaters May 22nd,
2009.
Pineapple Express Review ()
by Rick Duran
Pineapple Express may be the most mainstream stoner comedy in recent years. Exercising the male-bonding sensitivity of Superbad, excessive violence, and hilarious one-liners, Pineapple Express is a winning comedy that also prominently features casual drug-use throughout the entire film. What sets this adventure apart from previous pot comedies is an emphasis on real action, and two strong performances from stars Seth Rogen and James Franco. While there are some script and timing issues, this film is a high-energy comedy event that should appeal to fans of past hits under the Apatow Productions banner.
Patriotic Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert
by Kevin Crossman
Just in time to get ready for the upcoming July 4th holiday, and to celebrate Steve's hit movie Get Smart comes a great video with Carell along with his former Daily Show and Ambiguously Gay Duo pal, Stephen Colbert. Here they are singing "The Star Spangled Banner."
Get Smart Review ()
by Drew Hunt
To say I'm a fan of Hollywood interpretations of classic television series would not be a truthful statement - but then again, I'm not entirely against it. Sometimes, a revisit to a once popular show can revitalize lost spirit: the Brady Bunch Movie, per example, wasn't as much a remake, but more a cheeky look at the absurdities that made the show so loveable. But that's not the angle director Peter Segal took for his update of the classic Mel Brooks/Buck Henry 1960s spy comedy Get Smart: instead, he manages to bring the concept to a new era but still remain true to the show's original concept and feel (something those Charlie's Angels movies tried but miserably failed to do.).
Maybe it's
the nostalgic buzz generated by that awesome theme song; maybe it's seeing
the famous CONTROL shoe phone (rendered obsolete in the film, but skillfully
used at crucial point, paying homage to the classic image), but the fact
remains that Segal and co. somehow (and thankfully) managed to re-imagine
Get Smart without taking a proverbial leak all over their source material.
Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, a desk jockey who dreams of being a full-time field agent for the super-secret government organization known as CONTROL. He finally gets his shot after his fellow operatives, including the super-smooth Agent 23 (Dwayne "No Longer The Rock" Johnson) are outed by the evil group known only as KAOS. The Chief (Alan Arkin) teams Smart with Agent 99 (played by oober-fox Anne Hathaway) and together they follow the clues to track down KAOS and their mysterious leader, Siegfried (Terrence Stamp).
Quite simply, the casting of Carell as Maxwell Smart is perfect: he takes slight cues and ticks from the character's original portrayer, Don Adams, but tastefully creates his own persona. It's the perfect balance of paying homage to the past and embracing ones comedic sensibilities. The new Maxwell Smart is all Carell, but he's certainly not without its roots - not unlike his turn as Michael Scott on The Office: taking an already established character, but creating an entirely new personality. It sounds a little "too easy" on the surface, but Carell's sublime comedic talents are very much his own.
The rest of the cast shines as well: Arkin, Johnson and Hathaway are all pleasing as members of CONTROL, while Carell and Hathaway make a charming comedic duo. The always reliable David Koechner plays Agent Larabee, a great source of laughs during some effective scenes set in CONTROL's made offices, located deep below the Smithsonian.
While it remains an honest effort, Get Smart purists will likely be offended by the tinkering of the story line: CONTROL is portrayed as more of a dinosaur of an organization rather than an imperative aspect of national security, operating solely to combat KAOS.
This still does not change the fact that Get Smart rose above the constraints of its nature - because lets face it: it could have really sucked. But great casting paired with great performances mixed with great thrills and big laughs make this one of the best movies of the Summer.
Ask Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly a Question
by Kevin Crossman
Moviefone is doing another Unscripted session, this time with John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell from the upcoming Step Brothers. The taping is Wednesday, so Get Your Unscripted Questions in Now.
Get Smart is a Hit!
by Kevin Crossman
Congrats to Steve Carell and the gang from Get Smart for a great $39 million opening weekend, according to estimates. That literally crushes the comedic competition, The Love Guru who landed with $14 million.
This is Steve's best opening for a live-action picture, and easily outdistances the $33 million opening weekend of last summer's Evan Almighty. That movie went on to gross $100 million, so Get Smart would seem to be on track for that an beyond.
Frat's Eleven
by Kevin Crossman
Well, I guess we should have seen this one coming. Another cool parody video from Mike Simmers
Mike Simmers' Incredible Frat Pack Parody Movie Trailers
by Kevin Crossman
Every once in a while, all our hard work keeping up The Tribute site really pays off. Today I received a note from Mike Simmers, who produced two parody trailer featuring our beloved Frat Pack stars. His Dark Knight trailer with Vince Vaughn as The Joker is pure genius, and I love that Christine Taylor is featured! It is going to be awfully hard to top these "community generated content" videos when we do the Frat Pack Earmuff Awards early next year.
First off, I just wanted to say how big of a fan I am of The Frat Pack and your website. I have every Frat movie and friend movie available! Love it! I am such a huge fan, that I made 2 new fan made trailers. Looking around on YouTube, I found a bunch of "300" parody movie trailers. Stuff like Family Guy and The Simpsons using the audio from the 300 movie trailer with their shows. Well, it hit me...THERE'S NOT A FRAT PACK 300!!!!!! So, I made it! So, check it out...
Also, being on a roll, I figured...Why not do a Dark Knight trailer, too. So, of course, using The Frat Pack...with Ben Stiller as Batman & Vince Vaughn as The Joker. I hope you enjoy this one, too.
The Frat Pack Tribute vs. Trivia War Podcast: Old School
by Kevin Crossman
I had the pleasure of recording a segment for an upcoming episode of The Trivia War Podcast, where I battled one of the hosts with questions related to Old School. We competed in three categories: True/False, General Knowledge, and Who Said That?
You'll have to tune in to find out, but let's just say that in addition to my encyclopedic knowledge of the seminal Frat Pack film, I also had Rick and Drew down the street in a black van...
Get Smart Tracking For Steve's Best Opening Ever?
by Kevin Crossman
Rick Duran will be posting Get Smart box office updates this weekend while I am on vacation and ponder refreshing the Tribute site and upgrading to a true blog platform. But, before I leave I thought I'd post some of the latest tracking news from around the web.
Entertainment Weekly has a poll up with their "Most Anticipated Summer Comedies" and the results are fairly interesting.
