4waystop

"As a Film Junkie, you cannot tamper with greatness?" Why Fuck with the Great Gatsby?

This I just don't get. I mean, I just don't fucking get.  I understand Spielberg with his Scientology infused War of the Worlds.  I understand comic book inspired spiderman and xmen and fantastic 4 and the ultimately inferior ironman and incredible hulk. All of thes movies sucked, but the first two franchises inspired unlimited sequels to fuel the coffers of the studios rather than nurture and infrastructure bank for low budget and indepentent films.

  But the remakes of the Tim Burton/Joel Shumacher Batman films...were equally frivilous and follow my statement about filling the coffers of the studios who produce and distribute the films.  Which brings me to my point.

What really shocked me though, was the greenlight of the early 1970's classic "the Great Gatsby", that featured Robert Redford, Paula Prentiss and Mia 'Farrow and a wardrobe by Ralph Lauren that ignited his career.

Now according to Paste Magazine below you can see the theme that a new Great Gatsby will take:  How Sad.  Even though, it is revived for modern times

Baz Luhrmann's latest cinematic offering might not have been as well received as he would have liked, but that's hardly going to stop him: he recently purchsed the rights to a film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby.

Luhrmann told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview why he's decided to adapt the great(est?) American novel: "If you wanted to show a mirror to people that says, 'You've been drunk on money,' they're not going to want to see it. But if you reflected that mirror on another time they'd be willing to. People will need an explanation of where we are and where we've been, and The Great Gatsby can provide that explanation." (Fitzgerald's novel was actually published a full three years before the Great Depression, but details, details.)

Besides juxtaposing the Roaring Twenties with the recent stock market collapse, The Great Gatsby will also spend far less time incubating in the studio, Luhrmann says: "I'm going to move faster than I have before. I'd be surprised if it's another seven years." Gatsby will be the second of Luhrmann's three planned epics, although he recently confided that "I was a fool to say I was doing three epics because one has nearly killed me." (To hear the denizens of Australia tell the story, it sounds like they wish it had.)

"But what I will say is this - I do have them. I have a room full of things I want to make before I shuffle off this mortal coil and they're of varying sizes

The Music Video--A first Hand account: By the Explorers Club

We have been following the Explorers Club for quite some time, in fact they are damn near just about one of our favourite bands in the musical universe.  They are just simple and pure and good, kind of the way peanut butter and nutella go together on fresh wheat bread on a rainy day while watching short-form Hanna Barbera.  They just kind of make you feel better.

This sextet from the Charleston, South Carolina has worked hard to hit the bigtime and has done a fine job at it by taking the indie label route by signing with the Dead Oceans imprint.  They released their first full length album this year to widespread critical and fan acclaim and culminated with a cross country tour that ended the famed Troubadour in Hollywood, California with legendary Beach Boy Brian Wilson in the audience singing their praises.

But even before the fame and fortune came knocking on their doors the boys in The Explorers found their music on the hit television show "The OC".

Now the time has come for the Explorers to become tv stars themselves and they have just shot their first music video.  Quite frankly, we didn't know you could see those anymore, however our sources tell us that they are still very big in Europe and Asia where the band has a huge following so the video should do extremely well.  The short form film is for the single "Do you love me?!"   Band member Stefan Rogenmoser chronicled the experience for the band's myspace blog and we thought we would post  a link for you to read all about it: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=2254713&blogID=430972064

Also, the guys provided the soundrack for a hysterical new soon to be released film called "Stealing Second".  To watch the previews, click here:  http://web.mac.com/katierichanbach/Stealing_Second/Stealing_Second.html

The Explorers Club truly has the potential to fill a void that was left in music a long time ago.  I don't know what it is about them, I am just drawn to their music like a moth to a flame...I am waiting for them to put out their bounce, Pet Sounds---Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band...What is next? This band may have the answer who knows.  At this point they at least have the right rudimentary components.

Check them out:  http://www.myspace.com/explorersclub 

As always, buy the cd and if I am wrong write and tell me why.  I will send you a 4waystop tshirt compliments of Dixie Creme Sugar Biscuits.

It finally sux to be Hugh Hefner

I don't get this one.  For one thing, I vowed that I would never write about reality shows or their characters...now it appears that I am doing both purely because life is imitating art if you can call it that.  For christ sake I live a boring life.  I live at home sitting at my computer writing about pop culture and music for a living, so in theory I should care about this situation so in a nutshell here it goes.

Hugh Hefner is beginning to look like Monte Burns and has decided that he needs three cherries from the tree to look virile in the productive years he has left since he has ceded control of his empire to his heir Chrisite.  Since I cannot remember their names let's call the girls: wank him, wipe him, and blow him.  Things have been going swimmingly for Hef as the girls have spent his money, traveled with him and served as entertainment directors extrordinaire at the mansion.  At the end of the day, not quality television unless your charity of choice is the local Hooters or strip club down the block.

Last week, one of the girls, let's say it was wipe him decided to split for fellow reality show star Chris Angel the famed magician of the Las Vegas strip previously known for keeping time with Britney Spears.

I don't know which is better for this girls reputation, to be known as one of three girls who dated an 80 something Hugh Hefner or the girl who is now dating the "magician" who couldn't make Britney Spears mental problems disappear?

VOTEFORTHEWORST.COM

I dont know if anyone cought the 60 minute interview of Simon Cowel a few weeks back where he claimed to be more important than Bruce Springsteen well here is a way we can show Simon how important he really is. For the last two weeks, Stern has been promoting the site that encourages people to support the worst performer on "American Idol."
"We're corrupting the entire thing," Stern said on his Sirius Satellite Radio show, the day after Malakar was voted in as one of the top nine finalists. "All of us are routing 'American Idol.' It's so great. The No. 1 show in television and it's getting ruined."
So go to votefortheworst.com

BATTLESTAR VIDEO CONTEST

If  you are a Battlestar fan like I am and think that it is the best TV show today then this is for you.
Here is your chance to be able to create your own live action, animation or any other type of media video. The people at the Sci-Fi channel will supply clips and sounds for you to use. The prize your video will be aired on national TV.
More: Battlestar contest.

THE MULTITALENTED STEVE MARTIN

I bet you didnt know Steve Martin played the banjo. Well he does and he is a damn good banjo player. The fact that he plays a banjo is strange enough but the dude can play!
watch

FIREFLY STILL BURNING BRIGHT

I morne whenever a Sci Fi Show is cancelled. One that I liked, that lasted a very,very short time was Firefly. Firefly was cancelled in 2002 about as soon as it went on the air. But Fireflys light is still flickering thanks to the "Browncoats," as Firefly's most devoted fans are known, have been campaigning to bring the show back. Well these hardcore fans are one step closer to keeping their wish alive. Multiverse, maker of a free MMO-creation platform, plans to announce Friday morning that it's struck a deal with Fox Licensing to turn the show into an MMORPG in the fashion of Star Wars Galaxies or Eve Online. Hopefully this is one step on the journey to resurrecting the show!

THE BEST OF BORAT

If you are a Borat fan here are some of the best Borat sites.
Enjoy
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/15/best-of-borat-on-politics/

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/15/best-of-borat-throw-the-jew-down-the-well/

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/15/best-of-borat-a-visit-to-the-career-counselor/

JAMES BOND GADGETS

Now that we have a new James Bond maybe it would be a good time to review all the cool gadgets that have appeared in all of the James Bond Films. By the way Sean Connery is still the best Bond ever. I take that as a fact!
Gadget slideshow

THE WILD BLUE YONDER

From the director of one of my favorite movies, Fitzcarraldo, Werner Hertzog the director of 52 films over a 44-year career comes a new masterpiece, The Wild Blue Yonder. Its a science fiction fantasy about two interstellar voyages. The first is undertaken by an alien race fleeing a dying planet with hopes of colonizing Earth, the other by human astronauts who set out to explore the liquid world the aliens left behind.
Werner describes The Wild Blue Yonder like this: "Astronauts lost in space, the secret Roswell object re-examined, an alien who tells us all about his home planet - the Wild Blue Yonder - where the atmosphere is composed of liquid helium and the sky frozen, is all part of my science-fiction fantasy."
Well, this is one I cannot miss!!!!
via wired