Rashmi

The words “delicious”, “dreamy” and “edible” come to mind, however, not in this case.  Today Butterfinger announced they are going where no candy bar has gone before, leaping from the concession stand sidelines to the big screen spotlight. “Butterfinger the 13th” will be the first-ever film produced  by one of America’s iconic candy brands and not by a major studio or filmmaker.  Partnering with the candy maker to make movie-making history with Butterfinger is none other than actor, producer, New York Times best-selling author, and now, first-time comedy-horror film director, Rob Lowe.

“Butterfinger’s history with irreverent comedy drew me to this really unique, fun project,” said director Lowe, who plays ‘Chris Traeger’ on hit comedy ‘Parks and Recreation’ and recently guest starred on three episodes of ‘Californication.’ “As an artist, I get to explore the world of horror movie-making with a comedic twist. It’s going to be a psychological thriller that will leave you laughing.”

Banking on Lowe’s brilliant instincts and compatible sense of humor, the comedy-horror will bring to life Butterfinger’s “Nobody’s Gonna Lay A Finger” tagline while warning fans that “You Can’t Scream With Your Mouth Full.” “Butterfinger the 13th” will take its audience on a perilous journey with the film’s hero, whose paranoia leads him to believe that someone wants to lay a finger… in more ways than one.

“Butterfinger is always looking to deliver new and exciting entertainment experiences for fans, mixed in with a heavy dose of clever fun,” said Butterfinger spokesperson, Tricia Bowles, Nestle USA Confections & Snacks. “With Rob Lowe behind the camera for this humorously horrific masterpiece, ‘Butterfinger the 13th’ is sure to be a hit, and we can’t wait for Butterfinger fans everywhere to be scared funny.”

Lowe’s uniquely clever sense of humor made him a top choice to direct the Butterfinger film, in addition to his knack for being on the cutting edge of entertainment trends. His starring roles in “The Outsiders” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” blazed the trail for myriad teen angst-ridden films in the ’80s. In the 90s, Lowe leant his comedic chops to films such as “Wayne’s World” and “Tommy Boy.” In the last decade, Lowe went on to co-star in the hit TV drama “The West Wing” largely credited for paving the way for political dramas to become ratings successes on televisions worldwide.

On the heels of publishing his memoirs in The New York Times best-selling Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Lowe will begin production this month on the 25-minute short film “Butterfinger the 13th,” which is being kept tightly under wraps. Expected to deliver a movie-making experience “unparallel to any known to mankind,” according to Lowe, the film will give fans laughs, screams, tears, fears, and even a special opportunity to participate in the production. Lowe also will be making an exclusive public appearance this summer to meet with fans and share the movie-making experience with them.

“This film will be a great opportunity for me to entertain and interact with fans in a uniquely humorous way,” added Lowe. “Personally, I’m just glad Butterfinger finally will help me pay back my folks for all the times when, as a kid, I let my favorite candy get stuck in my teeth and ruin God-knows-how-many sets of braces.”

The top-secret “Butterfinger the 13th” production is coming soon to an undisclosed location near you, which you may or may not be able to find on a map, but if you really know Butterfinger, you can probably figure out where, and besides Rob Lowe says he really wants to go there. More information about the film is available online at Facebook.com/Butterfinger.

Hopefully by now you will have had an opportunity to listen to episode 83 otherwise known as the episode where we review the film “POM Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold” the new docu-buster by one of my all time fave film makers Morgan Spurlock of “Supersize Me, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden” and one of my all time much loved shows “30 days” fame.

So not only were moviewallas lucky enough to meet with the docu-master himself, but I was fortunate enough to catch a live chat when Mr. Spurlock attended a session a few weeks ago on TED.com.  I discovered TED.com through tweeting.  TED is a nonprofit organization “devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading” and puts on events with people who literally change the world.  All talks and live chats are available online so check them out if you get a chance.  In addition, a link to the live event that Morgan Spurlock did on TED.com below

http://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_spurlock_the_greatest_ted_talk_ever_sold.html

The live chat was open to the general public and provided an opportunity to have a live exchange with Morgan Spurlock.  As promised in our podcast, below excerpts from the live chat where I was able to ask a few more questions related to the now released “POM Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold”

Rashmi: Hi Morgan, hope you are well and not too exhausted from all the travelling; do you have a list of documentaries that you want to make or do you wait for inspiration to hit?

Morgan Spurlock: I’m always writing down new ideas for films, but most of them come from things I read or see in the news or am just excited to tell the story.  My next film, “Comic-Con Episode 4”, is just about something I’ve loved my whole life: comics

Rashmi: I loved “POM Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” one particular part I enjoyed was the piece in Sao Paolo – did you actually like not seeing adverts everywhere and do you think that’s a good way for cities in the US to go?

Morgan Spurlock:  It was a pretty overwhelming thing to see.  It will never happen in NY or LA or Chicago…but it would be really inspired for a US city, one with a real tie to the landscape like Seattle or Portland or SF, to try something like this

Rashmi: Why do you think documentaries aren’t so popular in the US?

Morgan Spurlock: It’s an uphill battle here.  Network TV doesn’t champion them the way they are in Europe and Asia and they’ve been tainted with an image of being “boring” or “medicine”.  When “Supersize Me” came out in theatres, I met theatre owners who booked a doc for the first time ever.  More are getting out there, but we need more outlets than one or two outlets to say they are valuable.

Rashmi: Agree, this was a stark difference we felt in moving to the US and were hungry for documentary – that’s why “30 days” was a revelation for us.  Is getting funding for documentary easier for you now?

Morgan Spurlock: It’s easier but you still have to hustle.  You’re still producing TV and film at a fraction of what they give narrative, but every new doc that gets on TV is one more that wasn’t there a week ago

Rashmi: You just indicated that you think targeted advertsing may be the way forward, did your research for this film show what the role of celebrity endorsement will be.  These days it feels like many celebrities can make a healthy income from endorsing just about anything vis-à-vis Brooke Shields?

Morgan Spurlock: I think that will continue to happen – believe me as long as there are things to sell, there will be famous people willing to hold them

Some other person: Who are your documentary heroes and why?

Morgan Spurlock: I love Steve James – he’s an amazing filmmaker and person.  Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky made my fave doc of all time (“Brother’s Keeper”) and Michael Moore and Errol Morris changed this world for all of us

Rashmi: LOVE Michael Moore because he is SO polarizing – don’t you think he has become a little bit of a dirty word though?

Morgan Spurlock: To some people yes but as a filmmaker, when you look at what he does you can’t help but admire him, whether you like him or not.  When he makes a film, it becomes front-page news, it becomes a lead story.  We want our films to ignite a conversation and no one has done that better than Michael

Given the session was an hour, I didn’t get to ask all my questions (OMG you had more you ask?) but this was a great medium to directly interact with one of my all time documentary heroes.

PS Just catching up with my other favorite program “Gossip Girl” and now that I am highly sensitized to product placement, I discovered sneaky placements for the following:-

Page six, Prada, “lucky” Doc Martins, Blackberry, pirogues in Queens thanks to Bing.com and Zagat and they were just te obvious ones in one episode, I wonder what else is hitting us subliminally  😆

I think we may have met one of the most fascinating chapters in the Twilight saga yet, leaked photos from the third installment of the tween mega hit “Breaking Dawn” have been released all over the world wide web.

I have to admit, when I saw the story break, I thought this could be one of two things, either a highly elaborate April’s fool joke or a stint of genius marketing. Turns out it was neither; the internet has been a-buzz all through the weekend with images showing details of important scenes in the film currently in production, including intimate moments between Edward and Bella, played by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. An image from the birth scene was also leaked culminating with Summit Entertainment releasing a statement late Friday and appealing to fans in a letter via Facebook to remove any photos and not re post

“Dear Twilight Saga fans,

As some of you may know, pictures and screen grabs of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn as a work in progress have leaked on the internet. We are extremely proud of this film and also extremely heartbroken to see it out there at this stage.
The film and these images are not yet ready or in their proper context. They were illegally obtained and their early dissemination is deeply upsetting to the actors, the filmmakers and Summit who are working so hard to bring these movies to fruition to you in November 2011 and November 2012.
Please, for those who are posting, stop. And please, though the temptation is high, don’t view or pass on these images. Wait for the film in its beautiful, finished entirety to thrill you.
Sincerely,
Stephenie Meyer, Bill Condon, Wyck Godfrey and Summit Entertainment”

Like us, Hollywood News is also asking if it is possible that the leak was staged to bring in even more interest to the films.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the film and I don’t think many are likely to be deterred by seeing scenes or photos (ready or not) prior, however one theory suggests that not all the fans were happy about the PG-13 rating applied to the film including Robert Pattinson who apparently thought it is more deserving of an R vs. the PG-13. Some fans would agree with him. Did someone at Summit perhaps organize the leak to generate new interest in the franchise? Clearly the statement and appeals from summit would make us think otherwise. In any case, it’s naive to think that once any highly prized material gets out onto the internet that it’s ever possible to retrieve it.

For some twi-hards, this has probably heightened the anticipation and been a treat and for those of us somewhere above the age of twenty-five, it’s definitely peaked our interest. So joke, clever marketing or porous firewall, “Breaking Dawn” is definitely on our minds again. For now, an endorsed photo from the film.

picture by THE HOBBIT on MARCH 21, 2011

Who can believe it’s been eight years since the last installment of the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy was bestowed upon us and how long my dear “Tolkien fandoms” have we been waiting for more from our beloved director Peter Jackson especially in the form of “The Hobbit”? Well, good news, on Monday filming finally began on the long-awaited movies, ending years of delay due to funding problems and a labor dispute which nearly saw the project pulled out of New Zealand.
“The Hobbit” is based on the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in the land of Middle-earth and journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug. The book, first published in 1937, is the precursor to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which also takes place in Middle-earth.
The cast for the movies will include Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Ken Stott and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.
Both films of course are being directed by New Zealand native Peter Jackson, 49, who made the hit Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Stone Street Studios in Wellington will be the home of the project whilst a number of other locations around New Zealand will also play host to the films (the exact whereabouts are a highly guarded secret). Unfortunately we still have some time to wait until the first of the two films is released in December 2012 and the second will likely follow a year later.
The movies have been plagued by a succession of problems, most notably the threat last year by Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. to move production overseas because of fears unions would impose a boycott to back demands for a collective contract.
The government last year changed labor laws to keep the estimated $500 million production and increased tax breaks for Warner Bros, citing the damage that might be done to the country’s small film industry.
Before that, in 2010 issues around the funding of the films saw original director Guillermo Del Toro quit. The final test came when Jackson was hospitalized earlier this year for emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer.
So onwards an up wards now, better go dust off my Anduril and find my Elven ear tips.

Penguin Books just announced that Valerie Plame (Former CIA operative) will co-author a fiction spy series of books with a female undercover espionage operative as the central character.   The timing of the announcement seems perfectly scheduled with the release of the movie “Fair Game” due out on DVD on March 29 2011

Fair Game was the thriller film directed by Doug Liman based on Valerie Plame’s memoir, “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House”.  It starred Naomi Watts as an uber stylish Plame along with Sean Penn as her husband, Joseph C. Wilson.

Penguin said in a statement Plame will write a “new international suspense series” with mystery author Sarah Lovett.  The first book in the as yet untitled series will be published in the United States and Canada next year by publisher David Rosenthal.

Plame’s status as a CIA agent was revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.

The film “Fair Game” was actually a Moviewalla favorite of 2010.  An epic David vs. Goliath political thriller where Goliath is the US Government. Watts and Penn gave excellent performances as the main protagonists and frankly I was rather surprised that neither got any 2010 Oscar love. Watts and Penn were not only believable as a married couple but inherently; they were able to convey that this tale is as much spy thriller as it is about a marriage under pressure.  This film captured perfectly the human cost of espionage AND it had a heart

Definitely a film to put in your queue or rent as it has the ability to rile you up and entertain all in one fail swoop which is not easy these days