Movie Review: Men in Black 3

The Men in Black are back and if you are worried about MIB 3, just knowing that it’s better than MIB 2 should ease your mind. The movie is far from perfect (it would take an alien to jump over some of those potholes) but it’s a lot of fun and that is the basis of a great summer movie!

An almost unrecognizable Jemaine Clement (star of HBO’s quirky Flight of the Conchords) is Boris the Animal a criminal, locked up on the moon, with an axe to grind against Agent K. Boris only has one arm and it seems that 40 years ago, Agent K was responsible for him losing it. Boris wants to travel back in time to the day before the unfortunate amputation and kill K.

At first, his plan seems to work. Agent J wakes up to a world without Agent K. With some help from Agent O (Emma Thompson) goes back a day earlier in time to stop Boris. In the process, he meets the young Agent K (played by Josh Brolin). This K isn’t the reticent, unfeeling K that J knows from the present. This guy has emotion. This guy has feeling.

Brolin’s Tommy Lee Jones impression is the best thing about MIB 3. It is so spot-on that you think he’s lip synching. Will Smith is back to playing the wise-cracking Agent J. The movie is fun and enjoyable. It even tugs at your heart toward the end. I missed Zed (Rip Torn) who is now dead and Frank (the dog), he could have at least had a cameo!

The problem I had was that as we left, we had a lot of questions that revealed a lot of major plot holes. This is definitely a movie that you can’t really think about because if you do, you’ll find yourself saying, “Hey, wait a minute…” at several junctures (especially at the end).

Men in Black 3 is a light, fun movie. However, if you go, check your brain at the door, you won’t need it.

A Winner I Can Get Excited About!

I called it during his audition!
I knew it was Phil Phillips for the win!

Well, American Idol Season 11 is over and Phillip Phillips is the new American Idol. After a disappointing Celebrity Apprentice, AI got it right!


Since his audition, I was a Phil Phillips fan! When compared to Jessica Sanchez, there really wasn’t a comparison. Yes, she is hands-down the better singer but to me they packaged her all wrong. She’s a 16-year old girl, not a pageant singer, not a Celine Dion wannabe. Yet, there was nothing about this girl that said teenager. From her song choices to her gowns, they chased away anything that was youthful about her. I think she suffered from it. No doubt the girl has a future, I just think the way she was portrayed, it wasn’t going to be as the American Idol.

However, why cry for the runner-up? Clay Aiken has had a much bigger career than Ruben Studdard. Adam Lambert has left Kris Allen in the dust. So, crying about Number Two doesn’t make much sense.

Phillip though, I loved his way of interpreting a song as well as the way he remained true to himself. From song choice to wardrobe, he always seemed to have a clear idea of who he was. Personally, I liked his take on Matchbox 20’s disease last week.

The thing I really respected about him was the way he kept the focus on the music. He’s suffering from a very serious kidney ailment and is having major surgery in the next day or so. The illness is so severe that he missed several Ford commercial shoots. He had a stent put into his kidney so that he could continue in the competition but now he’s headed for surgery and that would also require a six-week recovery period.

A lot of contestants would have milked the illness angle to garner a slew of sympathy votes but even when Ryan attempted to mention his illness, he also put it back on the music.

Anyway, I’m happy with this outcome. And when he got so choked up singing after his win and put down the guitar and went to embrace his family, I thought it was the best Idol finale ever!

 Now the only Idol question that remains is who will replace J Lo next season?

Girlfriend can Work a Pole

A couple of years before Glee, Naya Rivera was a simple college girl.. doing what simple college girls do ... being sexy on video. Well, at least she wasn't a Girl Gone Wild. Yet, here is a clip of Naya in an amateur pole dancing competition.

What a Letdown!

Clay was robbed! He was robbed!

Every year I watch the finale of Celebrity Apprentice, I remember how annoying the ‘live’ episode is. It was even worse this year because of the outcome. Arsenio is the Celebrity Apprentice?

I’m no Claymate but he, hands-down won the challenge. True Arsenio might not have suffered a loss as a project manager, but lets not forget the fact that he went through one fundraising tasks and didn’t even raise $5! Clay trounced him in fundraising, conducted a fun, family-friendly event and was all around a better project manager.

What did Arsenio have? As far as I could tell, he used those lipsticked lips to kiss The Donald’s arse (that’s British for ass!).

So I’m sitting though the painful Q&A with George Takei and Dayana. Enduring the equally grueling ‘interview’ with Donald all to find out that Arsenio is the frickin’ Celebrity Apprentice. Ugh!!!

Renewed/Canceled: The List

ABC 

• "The Bachelor": Renewed 
• "The Bachelorette": Renewed 
• "Body of Proof": Renewed 
• "Castle": Renewed 
• "Cougar Town": Renewed and headed to TBS 
• "Dancing With the Stars": Renewed 
• "Desperate Housewives": Series finale airs this Sunday 
• "GCB": Canceled 
• "Grey's Anatomy": Renewed 
• "Happy Endings": Renewed 
• "Last Man Standing": TBD 
• "Man Up": Canceled 
• "The Middle": Renewed 
• "Missing": Canceled 
• "Modern Family": Renewed 
• "Once Upon a Time": Renewed 
• "Pan Am": Canceled 
• "Private Practice": Renewed 
• "Revenge": Renewed 
• "The River": Canceled 
• "Suburgatory": Renewed 
• "Work It": Canceled 

CBS 

• "2 Broke Girls": Renewed 
• "The Amazing Race": Renewed 
• "The Big Bang Theory": Renewed 
• "Blue Bloods": Renewed 
• "Criminal Minds": Renewed 
• "CSI": Renewed 
• "CSI: Miami": Canceled
•  "CSI: NY": TBD 
• "A Gifted Man": Canceled
•  "The Good Wife": Renewed 
• "Hawaii Five-0": Renewed 
• "How I Met Your Mother": Renewed 
• "How to Be a Gentleman": Canceled 
• "The Mentalist": Renewed 
• "Mike & Molly": Renewed NCIS: Renewed 
• "NCIS: Los Angeles": Renewed 
• "Person of Interest": Renewed 
• "Rob": Canceled
•  "Rules of Engagement": TBD 
• "Survivor": Renewed 
• "Two and a Half Men": Renewed
•  "Undercover Boss": Renewed 
• "Unforgettable": Canceled

FOX 

• "Alcatraz": Canceled 
• "American Idol": Renewed 
• "Bones": Renewed 
• "Breaking In": Canceled 
• "Family Guy": Renewed 
• "The Finder": Canceled 
• "Fringe": Renewed 
• "Glee": Renewed 
• "House": Series finale airs May 21 
• "I Hate My Teenage Daughter": Canceled 
• "New Girl": Renewed 
• "Raising Hope" Renewed 
• "The Simpsons": Renewed 
• "Terra Nova": Canceled 
• "Touch": Renewed 
• "The X Factor": Renewed 

NBC 

• "30 Rock": Renewed 
• "Are You There, Chelsea?": Canceled
•  "Awake": Canceled
•  "Bent": Canceled
•  "Best Friends Forever": Canceled 
• "The Biggest Loser": TBD 
• "Celebrity Apprentice": TBD 
• "Community": Renewed 
• "Grimm": Renewed 
• "Harry's Law": Canceled 
• "Law & Order: SVU": Renewed 
• "The Office": TBD 
• "Parenthood": Renewed 
• "Parks and Recreation": Renewed 
• "Smash": Renewed 
• "The Firm": Canceled 
• "Up All Night": Renewed 
• "The Voice": Renewed 
• "Whitney": Renewed 

THE CW 

• "90210": Renewed 
• "America's Next Top Model": Renewed 
• "Gossip Girl": Renewed 
• "Hart of Dixie": Renewed 
• "Nikita": Renewed 
• "Remodeled": Canceled 
• "Ringer": Canceled 
• "The Secret Circle": Canceled 
• "Supernatural": Renewed 
• "The Vampire Diaries": Renewed

J Lo Leaving Idol???

J Lo leaving Idol? Say it ain't so!

Just days after The X-Factor named Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as their pair of new judges, E! Online reports that Jennifer Lopez is leaving American Idol.

They claim she is starting an international tour with Enrique Iglesias that is scheduled to go through the end of the year (which means she'll miss the audition rounds). Afterwards, she wants to spend more time with her kids.

So this could mean one of two things ... a new judge for next season or a really big payday for J. Lo to get her to stay on for another season.

I'm Kind of Bummed

So what do I do now? All of my
favorite shows are wrapping up.
Does this mean I have to read a book????

Yes, it's that time of year. All of my favorite shows are wrapping up.

Last week, I said goodbye to The Voice. I wanted Tony Lucca to win but I can't be mad at Jermaine Paul. He was pretty good too. I am mad at Christina for being such a bitch to Tony. It was completely uncalled for. Next year I hope that Adam, Blake and Cee-lo come back and they find a better 'diva' to replace Christina, one that knows how to play well with others.

Castle concluded on a completely awesome note, with Castle and Beckett finally hooking up! Next season should be good. I'm interested to see where they will go as a couple.

Probably my biggest good-bye went to Once Upon a Time on Sunday night. This quickly became my favorite show. I absolutely fell in love with it. The finale was awesome. They finished the Season 1 story and then opened up a whole new one for Season 2, I can't wait! I really hope they replay all of the episodes from Season 1 again. For one, I've told so many people about the show and they really want to catch it. Plus, I want to watch all of the episodes again because I'm sure there are tons of little clues I missed the first time. Now that I know how it all comes together, I want to see it again.

Smash concluded a very successful season. Like OUAT, it gave a good deal of closure with a nod towards where Season 2 is headed. What can I say, I love a good musical and Smash did a great job with their original numbers.

Sure, I treat it like a red-haired stepchild and always DVR it but Fringe is a damn good show. I think I understand it but I know I enjoy it. The set-up for the fifth and final season leaves me with questions. Pregnant? Really?

The good thing about all the shows I've mentioned so far is that they'll all be back next season.What won't be back is a show that was really good fun and that was GCB? However, it kept losing its audience, so what can you do. I would have liked to have seen where the show will go.

I still have the finales of Grey's (meh) and Glee (yea!) to look forward to, but then what?

Well, in the next few weeks, the networks will announce their new fall shows. In the meantime, maybe I'll try to get into Revenge or a few other shows in reruns. Maybe, I'll see and review more movies. Or, maybe I should do something really bold with my summer and try to get a life ... Then again, I could always rejoin Netflix.

School’s Out, for Summer or Forever?

For next season? Lea Michelle, in. Amber
Riley, out. Dianna Argon, not sure.

So senior year is coming to a close for many of the New Directions on Glee. In the past, Ryan Murphy has said that graduation isn’t the end for several characters … but he hasn’t said who. It has been confirmed that Rachel, Finn, Kurt and Santana will be back for Season 4. The fate of the others has been left up in the air … or has it?

Yesterday Amber Riley who plays Mercedes tweeted, “That’s a wrap on Amber Riley! Just closed a chapter in my life, the only thing I’ve known day in and day out for three years. I’m going to miss the whole Glee family, seeing them everyday! I have so many brothers and sisters now But I am looking forward to a much needed and deserved summer vacation! SCHOOL’S OUT Glee Kids! Let’s play!”

Does this mean that she won’t be back. Adding to the discussion is this tweet from Dianna Argon who plays Quinn, "I don't know all that is to come, but I know what a day like this means. Four years of love, light and support. To the cast, crew and creators and to all of you that have shown your love along the way. We just can't thank you enough."

She did say four years and not three so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Movie Review: Marvel's The Avengers

Given the box office numbers this review is late. Marvel’s The Avenger has smashed box office records. Making over $17 million on its opening night and on pace to make $200.3 million this weekend – the biggest 3-day opening ever – you’ve probably seen it already. I went to a 10:00 a.m. Sunday showing and the theater wasn’t full but it was a lot fuller than a normal 10:00 a.m. showing. Given the responses during the movie and the applause at the end, it is pretty safe to say that The Avengers rocks!

The first part, of course, sets up the villain, Thor’s brother Loki. Loki wants to take over Earth and teach Earthlings the truth about freedom – that is we don’t really want to be free; we’d rather be ruled and told what to do. Meanwhile Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his team of scientist are working on unlocking the secrets of the Tesseract, a cube of energy that could be the answer to all of our clean and renewable energy dreams. It isn’t just an energy source, it’s a portal between galaxies. Loki uses it to transport himself (and later his army) to Earth.

He quickly shows Nick and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team the power that the Tesseract really holds. In the process, Loki takes over the minds of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) a S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin and archer and Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), the principal scientist on the Tesseract project. So, after Loki destroys their headquarters, Nick must call together, for the first time, The Avengers, a team that never had the opportunity to unite before the government jettisoned the project.

Natasha Romanov, The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) goes to find scientist Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who is hiding out in Southeast Asia in an attempt to control his anger. Nick recruits Captain Steve Rodgers, Captain America (Chris Evans) and his Fury’s right-hand, Agent Colson (Clark Gregg) seeks the support of billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr). The final member of the team is Thor, Norse demi-god who comes because it’s his half-brother Loki that needs to be stopped.

About the first quarter of the movie focuses on this exposition, where the Avengers have been, how they come together and how they are connected. For a non-comic book person, it was interesting for me to connect the dots. Tony Stark’s father was instrumental in the creation of Captain America and was the first to encounter the Tesseract. The same substance that powers the Tesseract also powers the object in Iron Man’s chest that keeps him alive. Bruce Banner was working with gamma rays which has something to do with the Tesseract as well.

The interaction between the Avengers, their banter and their chemistry, made the movie fun to watch. As an action movie, it takes its action seriously, but under the direction of Joss Whedon (who also has a wrote the screenplay), the movie itself doesn’t take itself too seriously. Downey’s Stark has most of the one-liners but the other Avengers and Loki have their moments too … most before the last quarter of the movie which is filled with non-stop, relentless action.

You know a movie is hitting the right notes when the audience laughs and gasps at the right moments. Of course, the applause is a good indication as well. However, the best news for The Avengers is satisfied moviegoers planning to see the movie again.

NOTE: As someone who was born and raised in Cleveland, I was excited to see my city featured in the film. Cleveland doubles as New York City. The wide shots are New York but the work on the ground is Cleveland. It was fun to notice some of the landmarks.

NOTE 2: Don’t get up when the credits roll, you won’t have to stay until the very end but midway through the credits you’ll get a glimpse of what could be the basis for The Avengers 2.