Charlize Theron and Will Smith: Hancock in Moscow
Charlize Theron and Will Smith: Hancock in Moscow
With the opening of the Moscow International Film Festival today, Will Smith and Charlize Theron received a warm Russian welcome as they arrived at the premiere of their new movie “Hancock.”
The “I Am Legend” stud looked dapper in a black suit/white shirt/black tie combo topped off with some ear bling, while his beautiful blonde co-star did her thing in a rose-patterned sleeveless red dress with a rosy sash.
Of his character in the movie, Smith recently told press, “Hancock is a bit of a drinker and he’s super, which is a bit of a dangerous combination because he flies drunk. We tried to just break genre and create something that was different.”
“Hancock” opens the same day (July 2nd) as “Kit Kittrege: An American Girl” which co-stars Will’s daughter Willow Smith. And the “Men in Black” stud says he had a heart-to-heart with his little girl.
“I just told her ‘sweetheart, daddy loves you but I’ve got to stop you at the box office.’ She was like, ‘Well daddy, you get us a lot of nice things, so you do what you have to do.’”
Supernatural: Long-Distance Call
(S03E14) Last week the Supernatural team went off the reservation and delivered an episode that seemed to split the fan base. As evidenced in the comments here, and at other Supernatural haunts around the web, there were a number of fans that just weren’t sold on the Ghostfacers. I suspect that this week was a welcome turnaround for those folks. With “Long-Distance Call” we had a classic episode.
There was the monster of the week, the boys having a heart to heart in a cheap hotel, impersonating detectives, and even a reference to our favorite Asian porn site (platinum membership, worth every penny). They’re playing the hits. And if all that wasn’t enough, they even managed to tie it all in to the season long arc.
Let’s start with our monster of the week, Clark Adams (Tom O’Brien), a crocotta. I liked this story from the creature aspect as well as the mystery in discovering him. Clark was a well disguised suspect when we first met him. Stewie Meyers (Anjul Nigam) seemed like an obvious red herring even before Sam headed back to the phone company, but I still hadn’t fingered Clark. I was looking for something lurking in the shadows. It’s worth noting here, Stewie had a great moment with, “Yeah, Clark! That’s what happens when you mess with the phone company, dillweed.”
As to the crocotta’s end game, it was clever as well. The modernization they put on the legend by allowing him to interface with the technology worked very well. There is just something about a ringing phone that lends itself to the creepy. What really sold it though was Clark’s little speech to Sam. It kind of had a taste of Bond villain to it, with him explaining the machinations instead of just killing the good guy, but that’s ok. The real hook was the line, “You’re all so connected, but you’ve never been so alone.” It really worked for the crocotta’s story, and it kind of rings true in my little corner of the world as I sit here alone writing this review, all the while responding to IMs, tweets, and emails from friends scattered across the landscape. That Sera Gamble is a clever one.
Of the victims, I liked the Lanie (Cherilyn Wilson) story the best. She did a nice job, but the real kicker was that scene with her dead mother coming up behind her, all captured on the webcam. Creepy, man. The filling of the screen with “Come to me” was a nice touch as well, and I’m sure anyone that ever programmed in BASIC wrote that little gem in their head as the text scrolled. She also had a nice back and forth with Sam as they felt each other out. Lanie not wanting someone to think she was nuts, and Sam preferring to not have the cops called.
Of course, the big phone call, the one teased by the promos, was the one from John. Sure, at the end of the day, it wasn’t really John. It was all just a ruse to lead Dean down a path. But you can certainly see how he could be taken in by it. I was taken in by it. The idea that John could have learned an exorcism that will kill a demon doesn’t seem so far fetched. And with the clock ticking down, desperate times call for desperate measures. The only thing I found a little disappointing in all of it was that we didn’t see John. When Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s name appeared in the credits, I was expecting a little more. Understandable though, given the story.
The call from John also laid the groundwork for a great Sam and Dean scene back at the motel. Dean was clearly reaching, and Sam was stuck in the unfortunate place of being the voice of reason. Sam crushing Dean’s hope, as well as the revelation of what Ruby had told Dean, made for some crazy Winchester tension. That, by the way, is something I’m still not completely sold on. There may still be more for us to learn where Ruby and the deal are concerned.
And we can’t forget the big showdowns. It kind of felt a little weird having the two of them separated and both in their own fights. Usually, you’re expecting the other one to kick in a door and save the day, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. I was pretty happy to see Sam get to handle the crocotta all on his own. It also called back to Ruby and Dean’s conversation about getting Sam ready. It’s working.
Finally, in another classic scene we have the wrap up conversation. It dovetailed well with the earlier argument in the hotel room. It also had that familiar transition from very serious as Dean explained, “I’m staring down the barrel at this thing… I’m scared Sam.” and took a lighter turn as he chided Sam for not having a touching response. It left us knowing that things are as good as ever between the two boys.
So, there we are. The clock is ticking. For Dean, and the season. Something big has to happen quickly. With any luck we’ll start to get those answers next Thursday, when the ghost of John Bly shows up to raise a ruckus.
Ugly Betty: Burning Questions
(S02E15) You can add “glamourtunity” and “preg-nasty” to the Ugly Betty lexicon. While this episode gave us some cute moments and clever dialogue, I felt like it was light on plot. Yes, we got Renee’s storyline out of the way, but the rest of it was build-up to the season’s bigger issues. I’m ready for things to start happening.
I’m a bit let down by the Renee character. At first she seemed like a bigger threat to Wilhelmina, but Wili took her down with very little effort. I also hoped that Daniel would get more of a serious love interest this season. Sofia broke his heart in season one; did Daniel need another bad relationship? More could have been done with Christina and Betty’s raid on Wili’s files, too. I expected them to find a file that would introduce a new mystery or storyline. Instead, we got a neat-and-tidy explanation of Renee’s personal history. Still, Gabrielle Union deserves credit for taking the character as far as she could.
Christian Siriano provided most of the comic relief in this episode. He fit into the Mode world as well as some of the fictional characters. Becki Newton took advantage of limited screen time (what’s up with that, by the way?) to ham it up around Siriano’s models. I wish they had given Christian a bigger cameo and taken some time away from Renee’s inevitable breakdown. Perhaps he can come back for a short story arc. Wouldn’t it have been great to see him and Marc in the same room? Mode hasn’t been nearly as funny during Wili’s absence. Not only did we lose Wili and Marc, we lost Christina. I was relieved when I heard that Christina will be released from baby jail once the baby is “safely on the way.”
I’m glad that the writers let us in on Henry’s side of the Charlie problem. He’s been going about things with Betty all wrong, and he finally figured it out during his heart-to-heart with Gio. Betty and Henry should make the most of their limited time together; with or without Gio, their relationship is going to change. To be fair, I don’t think that Betty developed feelings for Gio because Henry was less available. Gio appeals to her in a way that Henry doesn’t, plain and simple. It’s interesting that Gio and Betty seem to talk more often than Henry and Betty do. Gio told Betty about Henry’s visit even before Henry did.
The reunion between Hilda and her frenemy, Gina Gambarro, felt tacked on at first. I understood its purpose once Hilda admitted that she wanted the kind of love that Gina and her chiropractor husband shared. It’s time for Hilda to get back out in the dating world. Until Mode gets back to normal (Wili and Marc’s return, in other words), Queens needs to pick up the slack in the plot department.
If you’re the kind of fan who wants Betty and Daniel to get together, this was the episode for you. It was sweet that, even after Renee’s meltdown, Daniel still believed that Betty had feelings for him. Didn’t he understand that it was all a misunderstanding? The episode ended on a sad note for Daniel. He sat alone in his office watching Henry and Betty kiss. I wish that something good would happen to Daniel before the season is over. His father is dead, his sister is his boss, and his latest girlfriend tried to kill his assistant. This guy needs a break!
My favorite lines of the night:
- “Give Betty enough food and it’s just a matter of time before she falls in love.” –Amanda
- “The House of Siriano has arrived. Worship me, bitches.” –Christian Siriano
- Christina’s thoughts on Wili’s Ryan Seacrest file: “I don’t know why she’s sitting on that. Someone needs to take him down.” Truer words were never spoken.
- “This is Prada. This is nada.” –Hilda
Next week–Wili and Marc take Mode by storm, and Betty throws Charlie a baby shower.
Ugly Betty: Twenty-Four Candles
(S02E14) That look says it all, doesn’t it? Betty spent part of her birthday with fellow dreamer Gio, and came home to Henry with a lot on her mind. The reappearance of Charlie reminded us that Henry’s baby is coming soon. There’s a difficult decision in Betty’s future. Who will she choose, Henry or Gio?
This episode gave us a lot of classic Ugly Betty moments, including some fabulous scheming by Wilhelmina Slater. Wili and Marc pulled the ol’ switcheroo with Renee’s meds to sabotage her relationship with Daniel. I can’t wait to see Gabrielle Union bring out her crazy side. Renee’s been a great foil for Wilhelmina so far. Apart from Claire, none of the other characters comes close to being a worthy adversary for Wili. Renee knew just how to exploit someone’s weakness. In this case, Marc’s love for chocolatinis gave Renee the ammunition she needed.
At least one family on this show knows how to stick together. I loved all of the heartwarming Suarez family moments. Ignacio and Hilda got a little more screen time this week. They were sidelined during most of the Henry-Gio love triangle and Amanda’s daddy search. I was so proud of Hilda for laying the smack down on Charlie. Henry was far too trusting when Charlie dropped in for a surprise visit, and Betty was far too accommodating. Someone had to put the manipulative mother-to-be in her place; Hilda was just the woman to do it. Ignacio did what he does best: be a loving father. The pouty look on his face when he couldn’t throw Betty a party was sweet. Betty will need her dad in the upcoming weeks.
Is it wrong that part of me wants Betty to work for Claire Meade? Claire is an ideal mentor for Betty (minus the drinking), and Betty brings out Claire’s softer side. Their heart-to-heart in the bathroom was one of my favorite scenes of the episode. There’s nothing like a Betty Suarez pep talk to set a Meade right. Will any of the ex-con employees of Hot Flash become Claire’s new Yoga? Claire could use a decent sidekick.
Betty’s dream revealed a lot about her relationship issues. She wants it all–the carriage ride, the fireworks, and the weekend in the Poconos. I believe that she truly loves Henry, but is beginning to realize that he can’t give her those things. Henry is becoming increasingly unavailable now that Charlie is in town and the baby’s on the way. On a side note, what possessed him to let Charlie answer the door? He let his baby mama crush his girlfriend’s dreams of a perfect birthday. Showing up in Queens with pink gerbera daisies was a nice gesture, but will it be enough this time?
Gio made an effort to give Betty her “ultimate birthday extravaganza,” but fell a bit short. I’m glad that Betty’s promise to avoid Gio didn’t take. I’m liking Gio more and more as a match for Betty. He’s a dreamer, too, but he knows how to work with what the world hands him. Betty was ready to give up on her fantasies after the improvised dinner didn’t work out. Gio managed to get her a horse-drawn carriage and a romantic fireworks alternative. Betty needs to reconcile what she wants with what is possible. She’ll either get a dream romance or Henry, but not both.
This episode left me with many, many questions. Who did Renee kill? What was the deal with the gratuitous scene of Rebecca Romijn in her underwear? Why does Justin have to grow up so fast? I also wondered if there was perhaps a grain of truth to Marc’s excuse for being in Daniel’s apartment. Remember when he blurted out that he fell in love with Daniel (in last season’s Thanksgiving episode)? I guess Marc’s keeping the crush alive. Did anyone else love Hilda and Gio’s new haircuts, by the way?
Just so I don’t end things on a superficial note, here are my favorite lines of the night:
- “He says now I owe him one. Someone has a short memory.” –Betty, on Daniel
- “What’s your favorite thing about getting old? Is it your hair thinning or kids asking you about Vietnam? –Amanda, back to her usual teasing
- “These are not just decorative.” –Hilda, laying the smack down
- “I try to keep up the appearance that I never use the bathroom. I hope you won’t think less of me.” –Claire
- “I’m too cute for prison. They’ll pass me around like a collection plate at a Catholic church.” –Marc
Next week–Renee gets crazy, fights break out all over the place, and Project Runway’s Christian Siriano guest stars.