First Listen~ Mariah Carey “Almost Home”

Fresh from her new gig as an American Idol judge, Grammy winner Mariah Carey doesn’t want fans to forget her primary job~ that of an iconic pop star. To wit, this week she release a brand new single, “Almost Home”, that also serves as the anthem to the big new Disney adventure Oz the Great and Powerful. The single is hopeful and contemporary and showcases more of her lovely middle register without all of her crazy high octaves. Don’t worry, you won’t miss them as this is arguably her best song in several years. “Home” is available now at digital outlets now while Oz the Great and Powerful starring Oscar nominees James Franco and Michelle Williams, Golden Globe nominee Mila Kunis and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz hits theaters on March 8…. Check out Mariah’s latest below and let me know if you love it and how you think she’s doing on Idol. (By the by, I’m enjoying her quite a bit in her full divalicious mode.)

Mariah Carey “Almost Home”

“Zero Dark Thirty” and “Lincoln” Win Big with the New York Film Critics

This morning, the Oscar race really revved up with the first critics group naming their winners as the New York Film Critics Circle gave a boost to Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln with each film taking home three honors. Zero won Picture, Director (Kathryn Bigelow~ her second honor here following The Hurt Locker) and Cinematography while Lincoln took home Actor (Daniel Day Lewis~ his fifth win here), Supporting Actress (Sally Field~ her second win here after Norma Rae 33 years ago) and Screenplay (Tony Kushner). Two big surprises were found in the other acting categories as Rachel Weisz won Best Actress for the little seen The Deep Blue Sea and Matthew McConaughey was named Supporting Actor for both Bernie and Magic Mike. These kudos will give Weisz and McConaughey some much-needed buzz in their respective races as Weisz hasn’t been in much of the discussion of Oscar nominees this year and McConaughey’s category is very overcrowded…. For more on the NY Film Critics Circle, head here and check out all the winners below… Then, watch here all week as more critics groups and the National Board of Review weigh in with their best of 2012.

2012 New York Film Critics Circle Winners~

Picture: Zero Dark Thirty
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)
Actor: Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)
Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Bernie/Magic Mike)
Supporting Actress: Sally Field (Lincoln)
Screenplay: Tony Kushner (Lincoln)
Cinematography: Zero Dark Thirty
Foreign Film: Amour
Animated Film: Frankenweenie
Best First Film: How to Survive a Plague

Bourne is Reborn at the Box Office

Many considered it a huge gamble to try to continue the Bourne movie franchise without star Matt Damon. However, Universal has done pretty well with the opening of its rebooted franchise, The Bourne Legacy, starring Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz. The slick action thriller (which I totally enjoyed and give an “A-” grade to by the way) took in a good $40.2 million over the weekend. It led three new releases including the Will Ferrell/Zach Galifinakis comedy The Campaign which did well coming in second with a better than expected $27 million and Hope Springs which opened to a good $15.6 million. Springs, starring Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones who are both absolutely brilliant in the film which I gave a “A-/B+” grade to, has taken in a total of $20 million since opening on Wednesday and should have strong legs in the month ahead as most Streep and female-centered August films do. (For examples, see the femme-centric August hits Julie & Julia, Eat Pray Love and The Help.) … Holding up well in its second weekend was the latest Wimpy Kid film and The Dark Knight Rises while Total Recall tanked in its sophomore week. For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and take a look at 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 The Bourne Legacy Uni. $40,265,000 – 3,745 – $10,752 $40,265,000 $125 1
2 N The Campaign WB $27,440,000 – 3,205 – $8,562 $27,440,000 – 1
3 1 The Dark Knight Rises WB $19,540,000 -45.3% 3,690 -552 $5,295 $390,149,000 $250 4
4 N Hope Springs Sony $15,600,000 – 2,361 – $6,607 $20,053,000 – 1
5 3 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Fox $8,200,000 -43.9% 3,398 +7 $2,413 $30,554,000 $22 2
6 2 Total Recall (2012) Sony $8,100,000 -68.3% 3,601 – $2,249 $44,188,000 $125 2
7 4 Ice Age: Continental Drift Fox $6,750,000 -21.6% 3,102 -440 $2,176 $144,064,000 – 5
8 7 Ted Uni. $3,290,000 -41.7% 2,208 -559 $1,490 $209,915,000 $50 7
9 6 Step Up Revolution Sum. $2,850,000 -51.9% 1,898 -708 $1,502 $30,165,000 $33 3
1o 5 The Watch Fox $2,200,000 -66.3% 2,461 -707 $894 $31,374,000 $68 3

Get Ready to Return to “Oz”

As you all know, The Wizard of Oz is an iconic and incredibly beloved film. It’s been a touchstone in filmmaking for the ages and has inspired tons of books, works of art and a Tony Award winning musical, Wicked…. Now, Hollywood is ready to take us back to Oz with a new spin on the classic tale. This one is called Oz: The Great and Powerful and stars Oscar nominee James Franco, Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, three time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams and Golden Globe nominee Mila Kunis. Spider-man director Sam Raimi directs this adventure which could be considered a prequel to the original film as it follows a magician (Franco) who is flown away to the fantastical world of Oz during a tornado, and there he meets the three witches played by Weisz, Williams and Kunis. The first trailer for Oz just hit the web and it looks pretty fantastic. Check it out below and watch for the film to hit theaters next March.

Oz: The Great and Powerful