Before the internet (yes, such a dark time once existed), movie goers had few choices when it came to getting information about new movies on opening weekend. Sure, you’d get a 30-second commercial, the same clip from the actor on the late-night shows, and a printed review from your local critic, but it’s a pretty limited view. Now, with trailers online, and more entertainment blogs than newspapers, fans can get a broader scale of feedback.
Twitter, the short text messaging community that asks “What Are You Doing?” is often criticized for being full of meaningless answers to that question (”buying a stapler”, “waiting in line at starbucks”, and the like). But the immediacy of the interface, and the fact that you can use your phone to post, makes it a handy tool for the instant movie review.
You can find out what people are saying across Twitter by using filters and tools like Tweetscan. A quick search there tells me: uniquefrequency : Really enjoyed speed racer! but other Twitics noted bad reviews and were thinking about staying away. One avid Twitter fan jazzychad has developed a page where he scans tweets and compiles them into a quick graph of positive/negative/neutral reviews for the latest movies.
If you think the summer movie season is going to heat up all that tweeting on Twitter… just wait until the 2008 elections, which sites like twittermeter.com are tracking already.
A rather gloomy box office in April inevitably leads to the blossoming month of May, and this year will be no exception. Last week Iron Man showed us that an ex-playboy with a substance abuse problem can play a fictional playboy with a substance abuse problem with superpowers and net over 100 million in one weekend. Join us on a fantastical spring journey that will take us to the future, Narnia, and even Connecticut (one of the settings for the highly anticipated Indiana Jones sequel).
Oh, and check out these YouTube trailers too.
Redbelt - A Jiu-Jitsu teacher with a strict code of honor is forced to battle for his life in an illegal underground fighting circuit. Learn the true meaning of being a warrior while seeing someone’s teeth kicked in, all for just $10.
Speed Racer - An old childhood cartoon is remade by the Wachowski brothers, the creators of the Matrix trilogy. Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) stars in a that dares to ask: Would an adolescent fantasy make money if we put it on the big screen?
What Happens in Vegas… - Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz star in a movie that proves Dude, Where’s My Car doesn’t have to be the pinnacle of an acting career. Kutcher wins big on the slots, but Diaz is the one who pulls the lever. The two battle over the winnings as they look for a solution to their monetary disagreement.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - In a year where Mr. Potter is on hiatus, the nation’s youth can look towards the newest installment of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy epic. Previews show the new Narnia as a darker, more disturbing place, populated with fearsome creatures and men with heavy Spanish accents.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Let’s face it, we’re all waiting to see if Indy can still beat up Nazis and crack a whip like he used to, all while explaining to his young sidekick that social security does matter. Yes, there is a crystal skull involved, and yes, Shia LeBeouf will continue to establish his growing status as a hearthrob.
War, Inc. - John Cusack is a mercenary/assassin who falls in love with Marisa Tomei while charged with protecting Hillary Duff (who plays a pop-star). All this takes place in the future, in the fictional country of Turagistan. Palme d’Or, anyone?
Sex and the City: The Movie - Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are back, hoping to show that you don’t need superpowers or a fast car to be a summer blockbuster. What’s the deal with Mr. Big? Is someone going to die? Does this mean there’s going to be a Sopranos movie?
The Strangers - If you missed Funny Games, never fear. Liv Tyler stars as a woman who comes home one night, only to find three masked murderers waiting to terrorize her and her husband. Don’t look for the sequel.
Yesterday was the last day to take our Ultimate Pop Culture Trivia Challenge and we want to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated. We had over 5,000 members test their knowledge a few dozen pop culture geniuses (or is it geniusii?) got all of the questions correct. We’ll be doing a random drawing next week for a prize winner, so keep checking back for more updates.
We also couldn’t have done this without the help of our amazingly savvy pop culture bloggers who all contributed great questions to the quiz. Still stumped by some of the questions? We’ve posted the answers to the quiz along with all of the participating blogs. Thanks again to everyone… more fun contests and prizes are on the way this summer.
Robert Downey Jr. straps on the iron while Patrick Dempsey picks out wedding dresses. It’s an all out Action Flick Vs. Chick Flick showdown!
Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. stars as a weapons man who becomes a weapon, man! Gwynneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard round out the cast.
Made Of Honor: Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) stars as a playboy who’s not feeling great about the fact that his BFF (that’s best female friend) is getting married.
What exactly is a “Pop Waffle”? Well, you can’t eat it and you probably won’t find it on any breakfast menu. Pop culture gormandizers Erika Brooks Adickman and Adam Chase have taken their loves of celebrities, entertainment, blogging, and Crayolas to create animated mini webisodes of weekly pop culture goings on. The pair use stop animation, the latest indie music track, and a marble notebook to produce each edition. We asked Erika some questions about Pop Waffle and pop culture and she was kind enough to make us our very own Pop Waffle episode! Take a look at our interview below and check out the Pop Waffle site to see some past Pop Waffles. Oh, and would you mind passing the syrup?
Ingredients: Kids Incorporated, Tina Fey, David Pogue, Miranda July, Ira Glass, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Demetri Martin, Guitar Hero, Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, Mates of State
One of the new features we’ve quietly rolled out on the site in the last week are the Tags and the Related Links. While we’re just getting started on both, you should have noticed them just below the Score info for each topic on their main page. This is where we’ll list things like type of show, what night it’s on, and personalities or other related topics for you comment on. For example, if you go to a page for an actor, you can see the recent movies that actor is linked to, and vice versa. We also break it down by network as well next to the web link on that page as well.
One of the cool things this system lets us do is group topics like sports and link up a number of personalities and movies and TV shows with sports-related themes.
There are literally thousands of connections for us to make on these topics but we’re busy putting it all together (and working on making it faster — yes, we read your feedback). If you have a grouping you’d like to see or items you think should be related, let us know. We hope that it gives you more to consider and comment on when browsing the site.
Ever wonder what Britney Spears is doing at 4 am? How about Lindsay Lohan’s newest fling? Or even perhaps what John Mayer had for lunch? Vera Sweeney, editor and creator of pop culture/celebrity/gossip blog I’m Not Obsessed knows. It’s her job to troll the web and get the dirt on the newest celebrity happenings and post about it on her blog. Though Vera claims she’s really NOT obsessed, we picked her brain on some pop culture hot topics, her favorite Hollywood goings on, and what it’s like to be a celebrity blogger. Read on.
Have you ever come face to face with the celebrities you blog about? What did they say when you told them you were a gossip blogger?
I’ve met Carmen Electra who was very nice and appreciated the press I was giving her. That was a great experience. Then I met Mira Sorvino and was lectured for 10 minutes about the right way to report news. Then she practically made me pinky swear I wouldn’t write anything bad about her. It was embarrassing. She had an idea of what a gossip blogger was and hated me before she got to know me. I try so hard to keep it clean and pleasant, so that was really upsetting to me.
What are your favorite blogs to read?
Truth be told, I don’t read a lot of blogs for personal reasons. I am online so much for work that when I have some free time it’s spent with my kids. But Dlisted.com is the one site that I find to be hysterical. He really is a funny guy.
Do you ever get any crazy celebrity fan mail a la YouTube “Leave Britney Alone” guy?
Every single day of my life. I also get the “Where does X live?” or “Give me X’s email address” from younger readers. I think they think I am taking the pictures of the celebs.
How do you stay up to the minute on breaking celebrity news?
I don’t sleep. I have great sources and feeds that come directly into my inbox. Lucky for me, the INO community helps out as well. Readers are always sending along breaking stories. Not to mention my entire family and most of my friends are all on payroll. 
What is your favorite celebrity-based reality show?
“The Hills“! Does that count?! My husband and I have quiet time during that show.
What has been the story that you’ve gotten the most reaction about (good or bad) on your site?
Big ticket items - Anna Nicole dying, Britney losing her mind, Heath dying etc. Anything that basically makes it on CNN.
How do you feel about Ashton Kutcher’s new show, “Pop Fiction,” designed to trick celebrity bloggers and paparazzi?
At first I thought it was such a great idea. But now it’s boring. We end up finding out that it’s fake before it even airs. Ruins the fun of it all.
Who is your favorite Hollywood couple right now?
Angie and Brad always put on a great show when they hit the red carpet. But I’m more of a Ben and Jen kind of fan. They seem so down to Earth.
What are your thoughts on Perez Hilton’s “Queen of All Media” title that he’s given himself?
It’s deserving. Have you seen his numbers? He started out with just a computer in his bedroom and now he has his own shows and the paparazzi follow him. That’s truly an accomplishment.
Are you sure you’re not obsessed?
No… I’m not. 
Two notable movies this weekend have a built-in track record and duos with some star power.
Emmy winner Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock) teams up with her old SNL co-anchor Amy Poehler for Baby Mama, about a career woman desperate to be, er, knocked up. The box office will decide how painful/joyful this birth will be.
Burger-munching stoner homies Harold And Kumar return only to find themselves knocked up, sorry, locked up in Gitmo in Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Special (?) appearance from Neil Patrick Harris.
This BlogPulse chart shows the rising buzz on both as the release date nears, with Fey getting an extra boost from 30 Rock’s recent return post-writer’s strike.
In these trying times, it’s nice to know you have the Forces Of Good on your side. Run by Stefan Blitz (which is a pretty good superhero name if you ask us), FOG is an oft updated blog with interviews, features, and posts on pop-culture with a heavy emphasis on sci-fi, comic books, video games, and other noble nerdly pursuits. Stefan is known for asking his interview subjects five questions, but we’ve added two bonus questions here at no extra cost to you. Enjoy.
If you ran a network, what lineup would you put together for your best night of programming?
For shows currently being produced, we’d have to start at 8pm with “Heroes“, followed by “Lost” at 9 and “Battlestar Galactica” at 10pm, and we’d lose the news, instead showing “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” followed by an unedited “Dexter” at midnight.
If we’re using old shows, “Batman” starting at 7pm, followed by “Futurama” at 7:30. At 8:00 I’d have an Apatow Hour with episodes of “Undeclared” and “Freaks & Geeks.” Nine PM brings rotating episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” followed by “Kolchak the Night Stalker” rotating with other short lived series like “Firefly“, “Brisco County” and “Twin Peaks.” We cap off the night with “Seinfeld” followed by “I Love Lucy.”
What video game should be turned into a movie or tv show? What TV show or movie should be a game?
I’d really like to see a good Tetris movie. As for a property turned into a game? I’d go with Barry Levinson’s movie Diner.
If you could create and cast a reality show, what would it be like?
The reality show that I would pitch is called “Solitary.” One person. One empty room. The longer they stay, the more they make. Granted the room occasionally rotates and is filled with water and has vast temperature and extreme sound and light changes. Therapy not included.
What do you think about musicians like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails having fans name their price for music?
I think that Radiohead and NIN are smart. Get the music out there. The money for the artist comes from touring, not selling records. The artists make a hell of a lot more on a tour t-shirt than the album. Make the music free (or let the fans name the price). The artist gets the music out there, makes more of a profit in the long run and keeps the corporations from exploiting them further.
What summer movie are you looking forward to seeing the most?
There are more movies this summer that I want to see more than any other in recent memory. The Dark Knight, Speed Racer, Iron Man, X-Files 2, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy 2, Indiana Jones, The Happening, Get Smart, Wanted, and the documentary American Teen are all on my “must see” list.
How do you divide your entertainment time between screens?
I’m a pretty voracious reader, and I have stacks of dvds that I’m trying to catch up on. I see less and less in the theater, unfortunately, but I’m going to try and see Forgetting Sarah Marshall this week.
Who is your favorite person that you’ve asked the famous 5 (but most of the time 6) questions to?
I still haven’t asked some of my dream interviews (who are mostly childhood heroes) such as Adam West, Lee Majors, William Shatner, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and writer Robert B. Parker. Of all of the people who I have interviewed so far, I’m really thankful for everyone’s participation. On a personal level I’m really happy with writer Scott Rosenberg’s interview. As the writer of one of my favorite movies, Beautiful Girls, he was extremely gracious and humored me by answering several questions that weren’t part of the interview.
In a world with an increasing demand for ethanol… where corn supplies are tight.
Will there be enough popcorn for the nation’s theaters when this group of summer action blockbusters hits the screens!?
Take our new poll and tells us which one you’re most eager to see.
