Entertainment Today and Beyond

Expect FUNNY PEOPLE to make sizable dent at box-office, BRUNO Backlash, Portman cast in THOR, IRON MAN Entertainment Weekly cover and EMMY nominations announced

I would be very surprised if Judd Apatow’s latest, Funny People, isn’t a nice sized hit with legs. Considering that his name has been on a lot of product as a producer, Funny People is only the third film that Apatow has actually helmed. Since his other two films were the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up there’s no reason to believe that his fan-base won’t show up for this one expecting a solid story with a laugh. The Universal release opens on July 31 with the marketing campaign already in full swing. By the way, according to Forbes the star, Adam Sandler, pulled in $65 million in 2008. Not bad for a guy most critics hate. Not me. I can put on Mr. Deeds any day of the week and laugh myself sick.

Despite the fact that I believe Bruno is a wildly funny movie, the backlash against it’s over the top content will certainly cause a sharp falloff at the box-office this weekend. Barbara Walter’s went to see it and discussed it on her gabfest morning show The View this week. Her reaction is priceless. Let’s face it how often do you hear a 79 year old women talk about anal sex. Check it out…

Natalie Portman signed on to play the female lead and love interest of Thor in the big screen version of the Marvel comic book superhero movie The Mighty Thor this week. My question is; does the general movie going public really care about this project. While any and all comic book movies are going to get big time play on the fan boy sites Thor, at least to me, doesn’t come across as overly exciting. Give me Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man and Superman but Thor? I don’t think so. Marvel might be overestimating the audience for it and should think twice about spending a $150 million before marketing costs. I could be wrong but that’s my gut feeling.

Speaking of Superheroes, Entertainment Weekly has the three major players on its cover of the highly anticipated Iron Man 2 as part of their Comic-Con coverage issue. This is the first pic of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. My only fear for Iron Man 2 is that they might be making it a year too soon. I would have had a lot more confidence if they took a full year or two just to write the script before going into production. We’ll see how this thing turns out.

One disappointment for me on the Emmy Nominations was the omission of Friday Night Lights. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton got the shaft again. Also unacceptable – the show didn’t get a best drama nod. Clearly the voting members are not watching. It’s high quality television week in and week out. In a bright spot, I was glad to see Cherry Jones get recognized for her fine work on 24 as President Taylor. She was nominated for best supporting actress in a Drama. Well deserved! Also Lost was nominated for best Drama. For my money it’s the best show on television. Here’s a complete list of nominees.

July 17, 2009 Posted by Entertainment Today & Beyond | And Beyond - Trailers & News | BRUNO Backlash, EMMY nominations announced, FUNNY PEOPLE will do well at the box office X BRUNO Backlash X Natlie Portman cast in THOR X IRON MAN Entertainment Weekly cover X EMMY nominations announced, IRON MAN Entertainment Weekly cover, Natlie Portman cast in THOR | 3 Comments