Week 13 NFL Picks

SF @ BUF | BAL @ CIN | NO @ TB | NYG @ WAS | MIA @ STL | IND @ CLE | CAR @ GB | ATL @ SD | DEN @ NYJ | PIT @ NE | KC @ OAK | CHI @ MIN | JAC @ HOU

2008 Winter Movie Preview

December-February tends to be the time Hollywood unloads its Oscar candidates and big budget summer hold over’s. There’s also the occasional independent movie that gets rave reviews and a few holiday blunders as in this year’s Four Christmases. Now that the turkey has been digested and the christmas shopping is getting done, its time we look forward to to the future. The following is a preview of what movies will actually be worth your time over the next couple of months through the long and cold winter season:

Milk (December 5) | Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch

Gus Van Sant directs this Oscar frontrunner which is already getting critical acclaim for Sean Penn’s performance as Gay rights activist Harvey Milk. With a solid cast of good actors and a story that usually tugs at the Academy’s heartstrings, Milk will be almost certainly be nominated in this year’s awards in one of the categories. Van Sant movies are always strong (i.e. Good Will Hunting) and Milk will be worth checking out especially in this climate of political change.

Che (January 2/February 20) | Benicio Del Toro

Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Trilogy) directs this biopic of Ernesto “Che” Gueverra who was the face of the Cuban revolution in the late 50’s / Early 60’s. Benicio Del Toro is perfect for this part and this is a movie that is also certain to get Oscar consideration. The run time is close to 4 hours and IFC Films will be splitting it up into two parts to come out in January and February.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (December 12) | Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly

This is a remake of a 1951 movie by the same name and is said to stay pretty close to it’s source material. The trailers have looked promising but Keanu Reeves is still one of the worst actors in mainstream Hollywood. I remember seeing a trailer in front of the new Bond and people in the theater were laughing at his every line. Let’s hope that this turns out to be a decent action flick and can live up to the hype.

The Wrestler (December 17) | Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

There has been a lot of indie hype surrounding this movie as Mickey Rourke plays a washed up 80’s wrestler confronted with having to retire from the sport. If there’s someone who can play an aged washed up star battling their demon’s, then its Mickey Rourke. Director Daron Aronofsky was a big wrestling fan growing up and got a cast of professional wrestlers to bring some realism to the fight scenes. This is only going to be limited release, but it’ll be worth treking to a theater to check it out.

Macys Parade Gets RickRolled

I fucking hate this viral video shit with Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Now this nobody has his own float in a parade? When I’ve got my trousers around my ankles and a handfull of Jergen’s watching some thonged skank shake her dumper in front of a webcam, it is neither funny nor amusing when I am interrupted by this unappealing load singing a catchy little tune. I guess the idea was to get bloggers such as myself to talk about it, but it was a damn shame the terrorists didnt decide to drop an H bomb on that street….now THATS a viral video.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from CurryPopTart. Enjoy this day to be thankful we don’t stay in the Taj Hotel, aren’t traveling out of Penn Station, and who needs a retirement package anyways? Take this day to spend with some loved ones and try to forget about the problems of the world for one day while you watch sub par football games and stuff your face full of trans fat. This is the American dream and we should be happy that we are atleast in good health and in good spirits. Where would this country be if its citizens didnt line up like cattle infront of the mall tomorrow at 4 AM and wait in line for 6 hours to save 20 bucks on a blender?!?

Oh and for any fellow degenerate gambler’s here’s some Thanksgiving Day NFL picks to make your holiday that much more special:

Tennessee @ Detroit (Tennessee lost big time to a Favre lead up and coming NY Jets. They will have a lot to prove as their dominance is already being questioned by sports writers. Look for a bloodbath in the Motor City.)

Seattle @ Dallas (TO is back baby! After a huge game last week and Romo returning to form in the pocket, look for Dallas to stomp Seattle into submission)

Arizona @ Philadelphia (‘Zona is coming off a big home loss and headed to the East Coast where they have struggled all season, Philadelphia was slaughtered by Baltimore last week, I would say that Arizona will inch out on top with a stronger run game/pass def)

Mudvayne – The New Game Review

Illinois quartet Mudvayne were one of the few excellent bands to come out of the nu-metal wave of the early 00’s.  With their major label debut L.D. 50, Mudvayne created a new form of music called “math metal” which involved intricate time changes and hard pounding vocals.  They wore costumes on stage and were often compared to Slipknot but as metal fans soon began to realize, Mudvayne had far more musical and song writing prowess. 

Somewhere over the course of the last 7-8 years, Mudvayne has managed to squander all of that potential.  For a band that cites heavy influences from Tool and other prog rockers, they certainly couldn’t have strayed further from the genre.  Gone are the 4-4 time changes and the 7 minute opuses, and instead with their last album we began to get hook friendly radio hits which were the comparison of bubblegum pop for  a new metal generation.  Is it the major label influence from Epic Records, or are the boys (Chad Grey, Ryan Martini, Greg Tribett, and Matt McDonough) just plain phoning in run of the mill tracks to make a buck?

For their 4th major release “The New Game” its fair to say the band’s name should be changed to Mundane.  The album starts off with promise on “Fish out of Water” but quickly goes into repetitive choruses, riffs, and vocals that might as well have come from a 3rd grade novel.  “All work and no play makes me a dull boy” is chanted like a mantra in the song “Dull Boy” which was also on their release of demo’s and live cuts so way to give the fans a recycled song on two albums guys.  

Lindsay and Sam Swap Spit

These are exclusive photographs of Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson going at it in a DJ booth at a club in DC. These two fun loving lesbians are pretty good about keeping any PDA out of the public eye but I’m sure the mood struck between some pop music and over priced watered down drinks. Lindsay’s breasts are as big as ever and Samantha is as manly as ever. These two really make the perfect couple as nothing goes together better than chain smoking Parliament Lights and dry humping in front of 1000 people. Girl power.

For more pics head over to WWTDD.

Obama Gets Economical

President-Elect Barack Obama formally announced his economic team today in a press conference. He selected New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner as treasury secretary and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as chief of the National Economic Council. Summers served as treasury secretary in the Clinton administration. He was the chief economist of the World Bank from 1991 through 1993. Prior to his career in government, Summers taught economics at Harvard.

Obama on Saturday offered an outline of his economic recovery plan to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, saying American workers will rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy. Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to sign the two-year, nationwide plan shortly after taking office January 20.

The market has already begun to rally with this announcement as the past two days have been the highest rallies since 1987. The problem is that we’re coming up from being under 8000 points on the Dow which is a major issue. Job’s are going to continue to shed through ’09 and the global economy is shaky at best as well. I’m not sure if there’s any quick fix that will get us out of this mess and even in Obama’s blueprints for a new plan, there won’t be major noticeable changes until almost 2011. Atleast we have a president-elect committed to making an impact and even President Bush is playing nice as far as keeping Obama in the loop for these decisions. January 20th couldn’t get here soon enough.

My Thoughts on Gay Marriage

For more thoughts on the issues we really care about, look for “Practically White” my new comedy book/cd out in 2009.

Why is it so hard for our country to finally pass a law accepting Gay marriage?  Are we so afraid of the gay germs or the gay cooties?  What’s wrong with letting two Mary’s prance down the aisle together wearing matching tuxedos?  Is promising each other a life time of quarrels on who’s going to be on top and who’s going to refill the vat of industrial sized grape scented lubricant, just too much for us to comprehend? 

You would think that in the year 2008, Gay marriage would pass in a snap.  I mean we’re a country that’s highest rated show is about ballroom dancing!  Since when did watching 8 actors whose celebrity is quite questionable in the first place learning how to do the waltz considered mainstream entertainment?  When exactly did it become acceptable for man’s man Emmitt Smith to pirouette around a dance floor on primetime TV?  This should be an offense punishable only by public stoning or death by Dutch oven.

If we’re anti-gay than why is American Idol entering its 8th season?  Are there not enough fruits on that show to fill a farmer’s market?  I mean was anybody that surprised when Clay Aiken revealed he was gay, after fathering a test tube baby with a 50 year old woman named James?  The entertainment industry is chock full of gay’s, many of which we idolize without even knowing that they are homosexuals.  Would the world knowing that Barry Manilow enjoys the occasional Friday night romp full of scented candles, bubble baths, and throat fucking a 25 year old Puerto Rican drag queen really make us enjoy “Mandy” or “Copacabana” any less?

The gays have brought us many great inventions.  From show tunes, leather couches (as to not have their faces scratched up from cloth when getting pounded by their boyfriend into their sofa from behind), Will & Grace, and of course balloons (I mean come on, blowing up multi colored rubbers until they become the size of a watermelon and throwing them around the room saying you’re “ready for a party!”).  Where would we be without George Takei on Star Trek as Mr. Sulu?  So what if he wants to grease himself up and 69 a guy while listening to Judy Garland and watching old Burt Reynolds movies.   The guy is an icon!

Who cares if Ellen wants to bang a girl that’s too hot for even most straight guys to get?  Should Ellen not be allowed to walk down the aisle in her pant suit and sneakers, dancing like an epileptic, with her Jeff Foxworthy haircut, and the body frame of a 14 year old teenage boy?   Equality is her right as much as it is for anyone else’s.  Gay marriage is an issue I can endorse, because let’s face it, no law is going to stop two Broadway loving, Nathan Lane watching, John Tesh listening bear’s to stop from finding each other and treat each other’s assholes like a plunger digging into a backed up public stall.  Gay’s want to marry and raise kids and I say let them!  Most of us straight people are incapable of doing it ourselves and in the end without gays, who would really teach our kids Art in school anyways?

The Wrestler Trailer

We finally have an official trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler.  I’ve been anticipating this movie for a long time now, and Mickey Rourke looks perfect to play this lead.  They have been debuting the movie around film circuits and got a standing ovation at the New York Film Festival last month.  It comes out in theaters December 17 and Aronofsky will be screening it for Vince McMahon himself as well.  Here’s the plot synopsis:

Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life…

Oldboy

Ok so I’ve been sitting on breaking this story for a few weeks as I was not sure if this project would pan out but it seems as though its been fast tracked. Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are teaming up to remake the Korean classic “Oldboy.” Currypoptart fans would know that I picked Chan-Wook Park as one of the top 10 directors out there right now and its only fitting that Hollywood would see my post and pick up one of his best films for an American remake.

I don’t know if Smith and Spielberg will be able to convey the raw emotion and brutality that this film entails and they’re not so confident either, which is why they will be focusing on the manga comics that the series is based on. The film is being scribed by the guy who did I Am Legend, and I hope this can be a worthy remake to introduce audiences to a far superior film product that is coming out of Asia such as Scorsese’s version of The Departed.