Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday Report: 'Focus' Steals Away with $6.5 Million
On another quiet Friday at the box office, newcomers Focus (2015) and The Lazarus Effect both started off a little bit slower than expected.Opening at 3,323 locations, Focus took first place with an estimated $6.47 million. That’s nearly identical to Crazy, Stupid, Love. ($6.58 million), which was the previous outing from directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. It’s also generally on par with star-driven, adult-friendly thrillers Limitless ($6.6 million) and The Adjustment Bureau ($6.7 mill…
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Friday, February 27, 2015
Photos: Leonard Nimoy, 'Mr. Spock', dies at 83
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Thursday, February 26, 2015
Discover Your Talents at Scottsdale Artist’s School
Are you looking to develop and refine your artistic skills? Learn from artists specializing in drawing, sculpture, oil and pastel, and more! The Scottsdale Artist’s School, the only school of its kind in Arizona located in the heart of the Scottsdale Arts District, offers a fun and relaxed environment for enthusiasts seeking professional art training.
The Artist’s School focuses on developing the capabilities of artists and aspiring artists of all ages by teaching the applied fundamentals of fine art. Approximately 3,000 visitors come to the school each year, with repeat visitation from both domestic travelers and foreign students who continuously return for classes and workshops.
The Scottsdale Artist’s School occupies the historic Loloma School, the second grammar school established in Scottsdale, and has six fully equipped studios. A variety of learning opportunities are available, so find one that’s right for you!
- Workshops: From October-May, the School offers more than 100 three- to five-day programs in the areas of painting, drawing and sculpture. All of these workshops are led by professionally working artists who travel to Scottsdale from all across the United States. Class sizes remain small (fewer than 20 students) and allow students to get one-on-one attention, critiques and guidance from the instructor. Workshop range in price from $500 to $800 depending on the length of the workshop and subject matter.
- Weekly Classes: Featuring prominent local instructors, weekly classes range from four to six weeks and are offered morning to evening, all week long. Classes are arranged to fit even the busiest of schedules and are geared towards all types of artists – from beginner to advanced. Weekly classes slightly range in price from $50 to $350 depending on the length of the class.
- Youth & Teen Academy: Youth & Teen Academy provides a stimulating fine art program for youth, ages 6-18. Children are taught to develop critical and conceptual thinking skills while expressing their artistic creativity. The School offers year round weekly classes and action-packed weeklong summer programs, all of which are taught by professional artists. Youth and Teen Academy range in price from $90 to $200 for mid-year classes and $275 to $300 for week-long summer programs.
- Open Studio Sessions: Open Studio provides an opportunity for artists to practice their skills independently, outside of the classroom. The School provides the model and students bring their own supplies to paint, draw or sculpt. Open Studio ranges from $10 to $15 per session and is offered four times per week.
Guests are always welcome, so stop in for a visit and take a tour of the property. Go to http://ift.tt/17Msqo1 for more information.
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Award-Winning Scottsdale Arts Festival Returns for 45th Year
The Scottsdale Arts Festival has been recognized as one of the nation’s top arts festivals, and 2015 marks the acclaimed event’s 45th anniversary. Held annually in the Civic Center Park in Old Town Scottsdale, this gathering of artists and vendors offers fun for the whole family!
The event features 175 jury-selected artists from North America who create art in many forms, from paintings and sculptures to glass, ceramics, jewelry, photography and other media. Artworks are available for purchase directly from the artists during the event and through the Festival’s online art auction.
In addition to works by various artists, Scottsdale Public Art will reveal the newly commissioned interactive piece, Shifting Sand Land by artist Bobby Zokaites. The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) is also offering free admission all weekend. Check out murals by James Marshall (aka Dalek), James Turrell’s Knight Rise skyspace, and much more!
Guests can enjoy continuous live music and entertainment on two stages, including blues, country/folk, jazz, R&B, rock and much more. Among the musical acts are ’56, Alan Jones Jazz Quintet, Ashley Wineland, Big Nick & the Gila Monsters, The Blue Goats, Blues Review Band, Carmela y Mas, Jan Sandwich Band, Str8 Up Band, Robby Roberson Quartet, Teneia Sanders, Traveler and Whiskey Kiss. Kids can enjoy the family area where they’ll have the opportunity to engage their creativity through free arts activities, storytelling, dancing and more.
Delicious dishes from around the world will be available at gourmet food trucks throughout the weekend. Participating mobile eateries include The Grilled Cheese Truck, The Maine Lobster Lady, Paletas Betty, Short Leash Hotdogs, The Traveling Monk and Whiskey Ranch BBQ.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and kids 12 and under get in free. Two-day passes are $15. Tickets are available in advance or at the Festival entrances.
For a full list of artists and a complete schedule of events, visit http://ift.tt/1Bh6xu5.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Arizona Bike Week
Get ready for the streets of Scottsdale to start vibrating March 25-29, as over 40,000 bikes roar into WestWorld of Scottsdale for Arizona Bike Week. This year’s event features everything from stunt shows to the Miss Arizona Bike Week Pageant. Harley Davidson will be debuting some of their newest bikes to take a look at and test drive. Nightly concerts feature names like Randy Houser, Social Distortion, Stone Temple Pilots and Ted Nugent. 5 Day passes are $60 and single day tickets start at $15..
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Judd Apatow and Netflix to Venture on 'Pee-Wee's Big Holiday'
The long-gestating return of Pee-Wee Herman has an official name, an official synopsis, an official director, and an official release strategy.
Netflix announced Tuesday that it would release “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday” worldwide, and production is slated to start in March. Judd Apatow, who was previously confirmed by Pee-Wee actor Paul Reubens to be involved with the project, will co-produce the film with Reubens.
The plot, per Netflix’s press release: “In ‘Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,’ a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, said in a statement that the streaming service is “delighted by the opportunity to introduce such a beloved character to a new generation.” Apatow noted that he was “thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the brilliant Paul Reubens on this film. It is a dream come true.”
“Judd and I dreamt up this movie four years ago,” Reubens added in his own statement. “The world was much different back then - Netflix was waiting by the mailbox for red envelopes to arrive. I’’ve changed all that. The future is here. Get used to it. Bowtie is the new black.”
Comedy Central veteran John Lee (“Broad City,” “Inside Amy Schumer”) will make his feature directorial debut on “Holiday.” Reubens co-wrote the script with Paul Rust (“Arrested Development,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!”).
[via: Netflix]
Photo credit: Pee-Wee Herman
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14 Epic 'Game of Thrones' Memes
“Game of Thrones" hardly needs an introduction.
George R.R. Martin’s ongoing epic will make you shout in anger, cheer in victory, and mutter obscenities in disbelief. After it’s all over, it might even make you laugh because the only alternative is to cry.
Here are the best (and funniest) “Game of Thrones” memes around.
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Oscars 2015: Best Picture 'Birdman' Soaring Back to Theaters Following Big Win
Audiences who missed out on “Birdman” the first time around are in luck: The newly-minted Best Picture Oscar winner is returning to theaters this weekend.
According to TheWrap, Fox Searchlight is expanding the film to 1,000 theaters beginning this coming weekend in celebration of its big win at Sunday’s Academy Awards. The dark comedy also collected statuettes for Best Director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
“Birdman” made $26.6 million in its initial domestic release last fall, eventually ticking up to $37.7 million when Searchlight re-released it in select markets in January, capitalizing on its nine Oscar nominations. The flick has also made $39 million overseas.
The Best Picture winner is also currently available on DVD and VOD.
[via: TheWrap]
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James Gunn Responds to Oscars, Awards Season Superhero Critics: 'You Are Mistaken'
There’s been a lot of high-profile superhero hate going around Hollywood lately, with Jack Black’s song about sequels and “formulaic scripts” at the Oscars garnering the most attention. Now, “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn is firing back at sharp-tongued critics, writing an open letter on his Facebook page in defense of the genre and its passionate filmmakers (himself included).
Black’s remarks weren’t really what set Gunn off, the director explained, writing that while the song seemed a bit lazily-written, it was obviously a joke. What really got him mad, he said, were remarks from “Nightcrawler” director Dan Gilroy, who said during the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday night that the industry was plagued by a “tsunami of superhero movies.”
Noting that Gilroy’s wife, Rene Russo, actually starred in two “Thor” films, Gunn said the irony of Gilroy and Black’s comments was that they implied that all the makers of superhero films were lazy, unintelligent, or uncaring — a sentiment that Gunn vehemently denies. He writes:
Whatever the case, the truth is, popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite. … What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films.
[…]
If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we’re dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a “serious” filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.
Check out Gunn’s complete post below.
[via: James Gunn, h/t The Hollywood Reporter]
Photo credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez via Getty Images
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This 'Sesame Street' 'House of Cards' Parody Is Perfect (VIDEO)
“Sesame Street” has come up with yet another perfect pop culture parody with “House of Bricks,” a clever take on Netflix series “House of Cards.”
The segment stars Frank Underwolf, doing his best Kevin Spacey impression, in a spin on the classic tale “The Three Little Pigs.” Underwolf wants to blow down houses made of straw and sticks so he can get into the one he really wants: “The White Brick House.”
Underwolf’s southern drawl and penchant for delivering monologues into the camera — which confuses the Three Little Pigs — are a spot-on parody of the Netflix series, as is the twist ending, in which nothing is as it seems. Check out the clever clip below.
Season three of “House of Cards” debuts on Netflix on February 27.
[via: Sesame Street]
Photo credit: YouTube
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Monday, February 23, 2015
Neil Patrick Harris' 7 Best Moments from the 2015 Oscars
Well, this year’s Oscars was certainly full of surprises and one of the biggest was just how uneven Neil Patrick Harris’ gig as emcee went. At first it seemed like the actor, who starred in last year’s Oscar-nominated box office smash “Gone Girl,” would translate his boisterous, Broadway-honed song-and-dance routine into one of the more memorable hosting gigs of recent memory (in a good way). But the high highs also complemented by some incredibly low lows (like the overlong gag about his predictions, which culminated in a reveal that had us asking, Oh he likes magic right?) Still, NPH did more bad than good last night - and here are our seven favorite moments from the show.
1. Acknowledging the Race Discrepancy Right Away
Despite a number of films that tackled racially diverse issues (and just as many ace performances by nonwhite actors), this year’s Oscars was one of the whitest in recent memory (at least as far as the acting categories went). NPH acknowledged this early, saying that the show honored Hollywood’s “Best and whitest - sorry, brightest.” It wasn’t just a great joke but it allowed for some of the tension in the room to be released, establishing his mostly easygoing hosting style.
2. The Opening Number, “Moving Pictures”
Following a couple of spoken word gags, Harris went into the night’s big opening musical number, a jaunty tune penned by the Oscar-winning “Frozen” team of Bobby and Kristen Lopez entitled “Moving Pictures.” And this really was a showstopper, featuring some incredible projection-display technology, cameos from Anna Kendrick and Jack Black (who had us saying “Screens in your jeans” for the rest of the night) and Harris interacting with famous movies in a way that didn’t feel derivative or overly indebted to the similar shtick that Billy Crystal trots out every time he hosts. When the Lopezes involvement was originally announced, it was mentioned that they had written multiple songs. This never came to pass. But the one song we did get certainly brought down the house.
3. The Awkward Joke About How Much Money “American Sniper” Made
Early on there was a poorly worded and equally poorly delivered joke about how successful “American Sniper” was, when Harris equated half of the room to the other nominees and “American Sniper” to Oprah. Even Oprah looked a little dumbfounded as to what the joke meant and it certainly didn’t land the way the writers (or Harris) intended. So at the close of the joke, Harris sold it with an irrepressibly charming button when he addressed a visibly confused Oprah by saying, simply, “It’s because you’re rich.” And like that a potential bomb because a mini-triumph.
4. The Farmers Insurance Joke
It was short, it was simple, it was right after J.K. Simmons took home the award for Best Supporting Actor, it was Harris looking into the camera and saying, to the tune of the Farmers Insurance jingle, “He won an Oscar, bom bom bom bom bom bom bom.” Perfection.
5. Seat Filler Interaction
At one point Harris was set into the crowd, for a bit that was clearly supposed to be built around his casual interaction with some very famous and well-dressed people. But, for whatever reason, when Harris was supposed to mingle was also the moment that those famous people were using the toilet, since instead of giant stars he exclusively found himself confronted by everyday seat fillers. This could have been deathly, but instead it was an opportunity for Harris to expose one of the lesser-known oddities of the Oscars, the fact that nobodies in eveningwear fill in for celebrities if they have to go somewhere, so that when the cameras pan to the crowd, it always looks bursting at the seams. Harris salvaged the bit, too, when he came upon a more-than-game Steve Carell, who said that he was really looking forward to running into Edward Norton. “He’s right over there!” Carell exclaimed with impish glee. End scene.
6. Everything Sounds Better with a British Accent
There were a number of famous Brits at the Oscars last night, including but certainly not limited to the Oscar-nominated likes of Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and Felicity Jones. But for a bit where Harris had a British person recite the punch line to a really bad joke, the honor of “Brit being singled out by jolly American awards show host” went to David Oyelowo from “Selma.” Wearing a wine-colored three-piece suit (bold but lovable), the actor, who was not nominated but still an audience favorite (leading to one of Harris’ more pointed jokes, as the said, “Oh now you like him”), gamely played along with NPH. Harris started the gag by setting up the joke, saying: “This year, we said goodbye to some beloved movie franchises …” To which Oyelowo, reading from a note card clutched by Harris, uncomfortably finished by saying: “We saw the last ever ‘Hobbit’ movie, the last ever ‘Night at the Museum’ movie and the last ever attempt to remake ‘Annie.’” Even though the joke didn’t totally work, the combined charm of their interaction was pretty fantastic.
7. The Birdman Bit
Of course “Birdman” had to be parodied, even before it came away as the big winner of the night. In one of the evening’s more memorable moments, Harris restaged the famous centerpiece scene from the film (where Michael Keaton gets locked out of the theater in his underwear and has to parade through Times Square nearly nude), with Harris ducking and diving through the auditorium’s backstage area in his skivvies. Not only did it end with a surprisingly fit Harris, onstage, in his tighty whities, but it also had a nifty gag with Miles Teller playing the drums, a tip of the hat to the movie’s unconventional score that was only slightly less funny because they did the same joke a night earlier at the Independent Spirit Awards (which had the added benefit of Bill Hader impersonating Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu). Hey, a good joke is still a good joke, even when it is two days in a row.
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Sunday, February 22, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Best of Late Night TV: Snoop Dogg's Plizzanet Earth and Craig Robinson's Jam Session (VIDEO)
If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.
Time for another addition of Plizzanet Earth with Snoop Dogg, who stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to muse on — what else? An enormous cold-blood seal humping an innocent penguin. It goes without saying that his profound thoughts are not to be missed. Also, why hasn’t Animal Planet picked up this show yet?
Kelly Ripa also stopped by “Kimmel,” and Jimmy shared a super old-school clip of her chatting about how men and women should alternate paying for dinner. Sigh, a progressive feminist even when rocking an 80s perm and a turtleneck, guys. Also, please prepare yourself for the best dance moves you’ve ever seen.
Time for a game of Word Sneak on “The Tonight Show!” This week’s contestant was comedy legend Martin Short, who had to work random words into a casual conversation with Jimmy Fallon. Our favorites include Bill Paxton, fishsticks, enchiladas and back hair.
Mae Whitman visited “Late Night” (sob, RIP “Parenthood”), and told Seth Meyers that she’s made out with not one, not two, but three “Friday Night Lights” cast members. Living the dream, to be honest.
Over on “Late Show,” Don Cheadle chatted about the first time he went to The Oscars and was told by some angry paparazzi to “get the f— out of the way” because Cher and Jack Nicholson were coming through. Honestly, it’s a realistic hazard of trying to share the spotlight with Cher.
Finally, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Adam Scott teamed up on “Conan” to play a live rendition of the song from Flashdance…only with customized lyrics about “Hot Tub Time Machine 2.” It was literally, utterly and completely amazing. And no, those electric guitars are not plugged in.
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