Check out the Amazing Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Mis Medley from the Oscars Again

My favorite moment of Sunday’s Oscar telecast was the musical medley of the fantastic and Oscar-winning musical films Chicago, Dreamgirls and Les Miserables. Oscar winner Catharine Zeta-Jones did a nice job opening the segment with “All that Jazz” but it really kicked into gear with an astounding performance by Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson singing her iconic Dreamgirls song “And I Am Telling You I am Not Going”. It was a brilliant moment that netted her a much deserved standing ovation. Following J Hud, was the wonderful ensemble of Les Miserables featuring newly minted Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crow, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveitt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter with a medley of “Suddenly/I Dreamed a Dream/One Day More” that also yielded a standing O. I have to say that Barks and Tveitt stole that number which is not too surprising considering they’re the seasoned stage performers of the group. All in all, I absolutely loved the whole musical shebang and I’m thrilled that these amazing movies and performers were singled out again. It’s an incredible moment and I have it for you again below. Enjoy!

Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Miserables Oscar Medley

Take an Extended Look at Oscar Bait Film Les Miserables

The movie I can’t wait to see more than anything in the world opens on Christmas day and wouldn’t you know it, it’s a musical! Of course it is and I am so excited for the big screen adaptation of the Tony winning masterpiece Les Miserables. The film is directed by recent Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and stars Golden Globe nominee Hugh Jackman, Oscar winner Russell Crowe, Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, Tony winner Eddie Redmayne, Golden Globe winner Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia), Aaron Tveitt (Broadway’s Next to Normal), newcomer Samantha Barks (who has done Les Miz on the West End in London) and Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway. It will be the first filmed musical to feature the actors singing live as opposed to lip synching to a track and if you’ve watched the trailer, the results are stunning. Hathaway who sings the iconic “I Dreamed a Dream” is already being hailed as the front-runner for the Supporting Actress Oscar, and I think the film is gonna clean up at awards season. For an in-depth look at the making of this incredible musical, watch the clip below and head here for more on Les Miserables.

Les Miserables extended preview

And while I’m talking about Awards season, here’s how I see Les Miserables Oscar chances…

Good Bet Nominations~
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean)
Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway as Fantine)
Best Supporting Actor (Russell Crowe as Javert)
Best Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design (formerly know as Art Direction)
Best Costume Design
Best Sound Mixing
Best Original Song (“Suddenly”… yes the original musical composers wrote a brand new song for the film)

Likely Nominees~
Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Barks as Eponine)
Best Sound
Best Makeup
Possible Nominees~
Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Redmayne as Marius)
Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried as Cossette)
Best Supporting Actor (Aaron Tveit as Enjolras)
Best Adapted Screenplay

“Les Miserables” is Singing Out for Oscar

My second favorite musical of all time, Les Miserables, is finally coming to the big screen. (In case you’re wondering, my favorite is Rent). Due to hit theaters on Dec. 14th, this big budget adaptation of the Tony winning classic is directed by recent Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and features an All Star cast including Golden Globe nominee Hugh Jackman, Oscar winner Russell Crowe, Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway, Golden Globe winner Sacha Baron Cohen, two-time Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, Tony nominee Eddie Redmayne, Broadway vet Aaron Tveit and British stage newcomer Samantha Barks as Eponine. The film is sure to be a tear-jerker, and judging from the first trailer below. It looks like a big Oscar contender. I foresee a ton of nominations across the board with best bets for Acting nominations going to Jackman and Crowe in the Best Actor Category and Barks and Hathaway in the Supporting Actress Category… Tveitt, Baron Cohen and Redmayne will likely have to fight for a nod in the Supporting Actor category while Seyfried and Bonham Carter will have uphill battles in the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories. Regardless, I have high hopes for this film and I think it will be fantastic. Just listen to the heartbreak in Hathaway’s beautiful voice on the iconic “I Dreamed a Dream” in the trailer for Les Miserables below. It’s gonna be good!

Les Miserables (2012) trailer

“Act of Valor” storms the Box Office

Leave it to the marines to invade the box office… Yes, active duty marines are arguably the biggest stars at movie theaters this weekend as Act of Valor, the new critically maligned action pic starring the aforementioned active duty marines, easily hit # 1 with a bigger than expected $24.7 million. That was far more than Tyler Perry’s latest film, the dramedy Good Deeds, which opened to a decent $16 million. Both low-cost films are on their way to nice profits. The same can’t be said of the other two new pictures debuting this week as Wanderlust and Gone out right bombed. Wanderlust, the new comedy with Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston from the Universal stink factory, took in a paltry $6.6 million while the Amanda Seyfried thriller Gone barely made out with $5 million. For more on all these numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Act of Valor Rela. $24,700,000 – 3,039 – $8,128 $24,700,000 $12 1
2 N Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds LGF $16,000,000 – 2,132 – $7,505 $16,000,000 – 1
3 4 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island WB $13,475,000 -32.1% 3,350 -150 $4,022 $76,731,000 $79 3
4 1 Safe House Uni. $11,400,000 -51.8% 3,052 -69 $3,735 $98,100,000 $85 3
5 2 The Vow SGem $10,000,000 -56.6% 3,038 +80 $3,292 $103,007,000 $30 3
6 3 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Sony $8,800,000 -60.2% 3,174 – $2,773 $37,832,000 $57 2
7 5 This Means War Fox $8,500,000 -51.2% 3,189 – $2,665 $33,571,000 $65 2
8 N Wanderlust Uni. $6,600,000 – 2,002 – $3,297 $6,600,000 – 1
9 N Gone Sum. $5,000,000 – 2,186 – $2,287 $5,000,000 – 1
10 9 The Secret World of Arrietty BV $4,503,000 -30.1% 1,522 – $2,959 $14,660,000 – 2

This is not your Father’s Three Musketeers

Go ahead and blame Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes for this post… You see after the big success of his re-imagination of the classic sleuth as an action hero starring Robert Downey Jr. made a boatload of money, studios clearly went nuts trying to reinvent the classics. It worked well for Alice in Wonderland which grossed over $1 billion worldwide despite being an utterly dreadful movie. However, the new fangled Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Twilight’s disastrous helmer Catherine Hardwicke has been a critical and commercial disappointment…. And of course Hollywood has lots more in store for you with several updates of the Snow White story heading into production (starring various big names like Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron), a Holmes sequel due at Christmas, and a big 3-D effects laden version of The Three Musketeers hitting screens on Oct. 14th. This one features Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Matthew McFadden, Milla Jovovich, Ray Stevenson and recent Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) and is sure have literary purists spinning in their graves and/or classrooms that is. I, for one, am intrigued but have very low expectations. At least it looks fun if not totally ridiculous. So, check it out for yourself with the brand new trailer below.

The Three Musketeers (2011)

It’s easy for this Battle at the Box Office

The new alien invasion action pic Battle LA defied poor reviews to soundly destroy the competition at the box office taking in $36 million over the weekend. The film starring Aaron Eckhart easily held off Rango which dropped to second with$ 23 million in its second week and the lackluster debut of Amanda Seyfriend’s Red Riding Hood which only netted $14 million. At least Hood fared better than the massively expensive animated movie Mars Needs Moms which tanked in fifth place with only $6.8 million (and hello, it cost like $150 million~ Disney’s got some ‘splaining to do….). Also opening in limited release was the wonderful update of Jane Eyre which took in a hefty $182,000 on only four screens. Take a look at the new top ten below and for more numbers, head to Box Office Mojo.

TW	LW	Title (click to view)	Studio	Weekend Gross	% Change	Theater Count / Change		Average	Total Gross	Budget*	Week #
1	N	Battle: Los Angeles	Sony	$36,000,000	-	3,417	-	$10,536	$36,000,000	$70	1
2	1	Rango	Par.	$23,050,000	-39.5%	3,923	+6	$5,876	$68,653,000	$135	2
3	N	Red Riding Hood	WB	$14,135,000	-	3,030	-	$4,665	$14,135,000	$42	1
4	2	The Adjustment Bureau	Uni.	$11,459,000	-45.8%	2,847	+7	$4,025	$38,451,000	-	2
5	N	Mars Needs Moms	BV	$6,800,000	-	3,117	-	$2,182	$6,800,000	$150	1
6	4	Hall Pass	WB (NL)	$5,105,000	-42.4%	2,555	-395	$1,998	$34,936,000	$36	3
7	3	Beastly	CBS	$5,090,000	-48.3%	1,959	+7	$2,598	$16,980,000	$17	2
8	7	Just Go With It	Sony	$4,000,000	-37.8%	2,398	-522	$1,668	$93,982,000	$80	5
9	8	The King’s Speech	Wein.	$3,625,000	-41.8%	1,768	-472	$2,050	$129,062,000	$15	16
10	5	Gnomeo and Juliet	BV	$3,546,000	-51.0%	2,585	-399	$1,372	$89,031,000	-	5

They made “Mean Girls 2″… that is so NOT Fetch!

Remember when Lindsay Lohan was known for her acting and not her partying? Yes, back when she made the comedy classic (oh, I’ll call it a classic) Mean Girls. Well, it’s been over 6 years since that film became a surprise hit and sent Lohan and her costars Amanda Seyfreid and Rachel McAdams on their way to movie stardom, and of course Hollywood has decided it’s sequel time. Unfortunately, they’ve gone and made a quick cheap straight to dvd sequel, Mean Girls 2,  starring no one you’ve ever heard of. The most recognizable face is probably Maiara Walsh who plays Eva Longoria’s snotty niece-in-law on Desperate Housewives. At least, Tim Meadows is back, and after having viewed the trailer, it doesn’t look that bad. However, it certainly isn’t going to be fetch. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be getting to know these “mean girls” when the film hits stores in February, 2011.

Mean Girls 2 trailer

Robin, Channing and Julia named among People’s 50 Most Beautiful!

It’s that time of year again… yes, the time when People Magazine names its list of the 50 most beautiful people in the world! Or more accurately, the 50 most beautiful people in the entertainment world! There are several of the usual suspects on the list again like Julia Roberts (the cover girl), Jake Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Aniston and J Lo, but there are also several new folks riding hot buzz that land in the issue. Among the first timers are Amanda Seyfried, Zoe Saldana, Robert Pattinson, Channing Tatum, Sofia Vergara, Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper. Tween singing sensation Justin Bieber also merited a mention somehow. I’m most excited that my favorite actress (after the glorious Meryl Streep) is included on the list, Miss Robin Wright. I’ve been a fan of this brilliant and stunningly never Oscar nominated actress going all the way back to her Emmy nominated role on the best soap in history, Santa Barbara. She’s been giving great and critically acclaimed performances for years in films like Forrest Gump (SAG & Golden Globe noms), The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, State of Play and She’s So Lovely (SAG nom). She may finally get in the Oscar race with this fall’s The Conspirator co-starring James MacAvoy and directed by Robert Redford. It tells the tale of Mary Surrat the only woman charged in the conspiracy to kill President Lincoln. Sounds like Awards bait to me… Check out the first set picture below and click here for more info on the film.

For more on People’s Most Beautiful and the full list, click here.

Robin Wright and James MacAvoy on set in The Conspirator