Mario and the Princess

Just thought this was a really cool rendering of the classic Nintendo couple. 

"This Watch is Exactly Two Days Slow."

Life has been a very strange and unsettling place for me during the past couple of months, kinda like falling through the Rabbit Hole and never quite hitting the bottom. In related news, and on a happier note, Tim Burton is shooting his version of "Alice in Wonderland" in Cornwall, England at this very moment. Using what Burton did with Batman as a reference, I cannot WAIT to see this. Unfortunately, it comes out in 2010. Lindsay Lohan really wanted the part of Alice, but (thank God) she lost it to some Australian wench. The flick will feature, among others, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and the best news of all...Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter! It's supposed to be a rather dark version of the role, which both Johnny and Burton are amazing at constructing. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books and movies, and this looks like it's gonna be GOOD. Check out a mock up of Depp as the Mad Hatter below. What do you think? Will you go and see this?

Caught on Tape

"So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees,' and he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I fucking changed the light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective.'" -- Barack Obama

I'm So Ready.

Apparently lots of people are saying that Heath Ledger could win an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in Dark Knight. Director Kevin Smith recently saw the movie, and here's what he had to say, courtesy of his blog:

"Courtesy of Peter Sciretta over at SlashFilm.com, I caught an early screening of "The Dark Knight" yesterday evening. Without giving anything away, this is an epic film (and trust me: based on the sheer size and scope of the visuals and storytelling, that's not an overstatement). It's the "Godfather II" of comic book films and three times more earnest than "Batman Begins" (and fuck, was that an earnest film). Easily the most adult comic book film ever made. Heath Ledger didn't so much give a performance as he disappeared completely into the role; I know I'm not the first to suggest this, but he'll likely get at least an Oscar nod (if not the win) for Best Supporting Actor. Fucking flick's nearly three hours long and only leaves you wanting more (in a great way). I can't imagine anyone being disappointed by it. Nolan and crew have created something close to a masterpiece."

He dissolves into the role? It's the Godfather II of comic book movies? Hmm...I'm excited.

Stuff You Might Wanna Know About

I love to watch movies, and I know some of you do, too. So you might be interested in the following news:

*Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films are teaming up to make a movie out of a Ubisoft video game. It will be called "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time," starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan and Gemma Arterton as Tamina. Production is slated to begin in July in Morocco and England. So they're going to make him look Persian? Hmm. I haven't seen a good video game adaptation since the first Resident Evil, but I played Prince of Persia (like twice) and might check this one out.

*Ben Barnes, who plays Prince Caspian in the new Narnia installment, has been cast as Dorian in the new adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "Picture of Dorian Gray," which will also begin production at the end of July. I'm very excited about this one because it's one of my favorite novels and I'm not into old movies, so I haven't seen the 1945 version, nor will I ever. They're "planning to make a visceral, dark horror story." Sounds delicious!

*Joseph McGinty Nichol, the director of the Charlie's Angels movies, has started up a new Terminator trilogy. The first movie will be called "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins." Ehh, sounds a little cheesy. The GREAT news is that John Connor will be played by Christian Bale (yum!). No word yet on whether or not Ahnuld will be making a return. Production has already started and the movie will probably be released in May 2009. Christian apparently loved the script so much, that he signed up for all three installments. Do you think it's going to be good? Would you like to see the Cali governor back in his most famous role? Are you as excited as I am to see Christian in "Dark Knight?!?!?!?"


*On Monday in Cannes, Spike Lee announced that he'll be making a Michael Jordan documentary, which he'd like to bring to Cannes for next year's festival. "The project will feature previously-unseen footage shot by NBA cameras during the final two years in Jordan's career, the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons." Jordan is arguably the best player in the history of the NBA, but he's been out of the limelight for some time now. Would you still be interested in going to see a documentary of him?

***UPDATE***

Word on the street is that Hugh Heffner has signed off on Robert Downey Jr. to play him in his biopic, which is tentatively being called Playboy. That Downey is so hot right now!

The Morning (Night) After

So, the concert was sick.


It opened up with Lupe Fiasco, who actually had a decent-sized audience for an opener. His album, The Cool, had just gone gold the day of the concert, which is perfect. (Pick it up; it's really, really good.) His performance was fantastic -- the flow and delivery were nasty, the words were clear and precise, his energy was nuts, and his set wasn't at all enhanced by any extraordinary lighting or stage props, but still GREAT. He mostly did songs from the new album, but also threw in some old stuff like, "Kick, Push." The audience showed him a lot of love, which I felt good about. He deserved it.




Next came Pharrell with N.E.R.D. The lights during this set were ridiculous. Just ridiculous. At some points it felt more like a rock concert than a rap one, with people tossing their heads back and forth, throwing up that Star Trek sign, and N.E.R.D. going nuts onstage. Lupe came out at one point to jump around with them. It felt like there should have been a mosh pit and the lights definitely reflected that frenetic/chaotic/sporadic feel, and it was awesome to be a part of. You couldn't help wanting to freak out with them.


Then Rihanna hit the stage, and the set was weak. She started singing other people's songs, including Beenie Man's "Girl Dem Sugah (Sim Simma)" and, in perhaps the night's worst moment, Lauryn Hill's "That Thing." Was she serious? But then Chris Brown made a guest appearance during "Umbrella" and I was appeased. Her set definitely brought down my high from an otherwise DOPE opening. A lot of people seemed to be enjoying her, though, so this is totally just my opinion. And her body was looking freakin' right in the black leather pants she changed into after this random goth ball gown.


Last, of course, came Kayne. Watching this dude perform is like watching a movie, or a Broadway play. The stage design kept changing, the lighting was intricate and fluid, and he weaved every song from "Graduation" into this plot about getting lost in space and finding his way back home. There was a talking spaceship, an ego-boosting alien ("We need the biggest star in the universe to save the ship...We need you, Kanye."), hologram video hoes and more. Kanye is a dramatist. I definitely felt bad for him at some points, laughed at his crazy dancing, felt inspired by his energy, and found myself screaming every lyric I knew, totally caught up in the whole thing. It was a show in the true sense of the word -- a true spectacle -- not a rap concert. It was really, truly something to see.


As a side note, the seats were great, and sitting a few feet to my left were Anthony Anderson, Jay-Z, Beyonce, John Legend, Quest Love, Angie Martinez, P. Diddy, and some other 'celebs.' It was kinda cool to see artists supporting another artist.


You can see more pics & some video clips here. And here's the Times review of the show, if you're interested. Tell me what you think. Enjoy!

You Can Be My Black Kate Moss Tonight

This is where I'll be tomorrow night. The stage design is supposed to be NASTY, including stuff from Jim Henson's Creature Shop (of Muppet Babies fame), holograms, a robot designed by Christian Colon, and some really sick lighting. I did hear that Kanye got pissed about some lukewarm review of the concert in some other city. What are your predictions?