Hills Week 3 Scores and Update

Nothing happened on this weeks show, so it was a success. Here are the top five idiots:

1.) Spencer - With buying an arcade game instead of furniture...and the following quotes:

"I always thought marriage was stupid...like give her half the money and she'll cook for you"

and my favorite...after seeing Heidi white wash his graffiti:

"This is what you do after I surprise you with a beautiful mural" (It says Hollywood)

2.) Justin aka Bobby

This guy is a douche. After being an idiot he uses this line on why he should stay with his girlfriend:

"I think truth and time tell all..."

3.) Heidi's Co-Worker

She had a half a min of screentime and still nabbed the three spot with using the Internet talk:
"OMG" after hearing about Heidi's engagement.

4.) Audrina

Just for dating Justin "Bobby"

5.) Heidi

In a bitch move, she paints over Spencer's masterpiece without asking him...this was the drama that closed the show...yeah, that's right, we're at war...but painting takes center stage.

WEEK THREE STANDINGS

NICK - 5PTS (Spencer)

ZACH-4PTS (Justin "Bobby")

NOELLE -0PTS (Whitney)

CORY-0PTS (Brody)

HANK-0PTS (LC)

Anyone at any point can join in the race.

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THE HILLS FANTASY LEAGUE

Hey all. Tonight is the greatest manufactured drama of all time, MTV's The Hills. I love this show because it makes me feel good about my life. I'm starting a Hill's Fantasy League where each week you can pick one member of the cast and based on drama, supporting the superficial world of the hills, and originality the three cast members will be ranked 1-5th. The points go 5-1 for their ending positions as ranked by myself. At the end of the season the numbers will be added up and a winner will get the ultimate prize: to never mention they won, ever. So post a comment and tell me you pick for the week. This closes every Monday, 10Et/9Ct.

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THE BOX OFFICE GAME

I'm starting a new interactive game through this blog that everyone should take 10-15 mins to play. I tried this weekend to predict the box office and going off projections...I failed. I want to get a weekly, guess the box office game going and need your participation. Each Monday a winner will be crowned and allowed their own acceptance speech printed on the blog. Here's how the game works, using my weekend predictions as a guide.

PICK THE TOP FIVE AT THE BOX OFFICE (I need your list by THUR @ 12 AM or it won't count)

PUT THEM IN THE ORDER YOU THINK THEY WILL PLACE WITH YOUR PROJECTED BOX OFFICE TAKE FOR THE WEEKEND.


1.) Superbad - 53.5

2.) The Invasion - 22.5

3.) Rush Hour 3 - 17.2

4.) Bourne - 16.9

5.) Stardust - 7

Then on Monday I will add up everyones scores using these pointing methods.

BUDGET NUMBERS

Within*

1mil=5 pts
2mil=4pts
3mil=3pts
4mil=2pts
5mil=1pt
6-8mil=0pts
9-10= -1pt
11-13= -2pts
14-16= -3pts
17-20= -4pts
21-30= -5pts
31-*= Automatic DQ


PLACEMENT

All five in the right order = 10pts

PLACEMENT

5pts for #1
4pts for #2
3pts for #3
2pts for #4
1pt for #5

Confused?

Let's look at a scoring breakdown of my weekend disaster.

Here is the Sunday prediction (bold) vs my prediction of the weekend:

1.) Superbad 53.5 - 31.2 = Diff of 22.3 (-5pts), #1 Guess (+5pts)

2. ) Invasion 22.5 - 6 = Diff of 16.5 (-4pts)

3.) Rush Hour 3 - 17.2 - 21.8 = Diff of 4.6 (+1pt)

4.) Bourne Ultimatum - 16.9 - 18.9 = Diff of 2 (+4pts)

5.) Stardust 7 - 5.2 = Diff of 2 (+4pts)

This is total score of 5 pts...very very bad score. You can see that not only did I only place one film correctly, but I lost nine points on superbad's and the invasions total gross.

Please do not post a comment with your predictions, people might steal your numbers/bid .1 above or below...please e-mail to zachatach@yahoo.com. Everyone's predictions will be listed Friday and the winner and their acceptance speech will be featured Monday night.

Let's get this thing going.

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Rep on The Line

I have a lot of fun making ridiculous claims about box office projections. I'm usually always right, hold that 100 million dollar projection for Snakes on the Plane. Well, continuing with these wild predictions, I'm going to say that Superbad will gross over 50 million in it's first weekend. That's right, it's an R rated high school comedy that 3/4 of high schooler's can't purchase a ticket too. Yeah, Bourne, Rush Hour 3, and the Simpsons are still popular choices and should take away from the take. Yes, Kidman's The Invasion should gross high in it's first weekend. Yes, a slue of highly rated indies for adults (Death at a Funeral and Rocket Science) go nation wide this weekend. Yes, Superbad is projected at 25.5-30 million. With all this said, I know the trends, the buzz, the reviews, that certain something in the air that puts all these facts to rest. Check the papers on Monday....over 50 million! Each week I'm going to try to do the top 5 here is how I see it:

1. Superbad - 53.5

2. The Invasion - 22.5

3. Rush Hour 3 - 17.2

4.) Bourne - 16.9

5.) Stardust - 7 flat

I'm looking at these numbers as I write them and I'm probably way off. What can you do....come on superbad....break the bank.

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THE COOLEST SITE EVER

This needs to be shared with the world:

CHECK IT

For my brother Nick, check out The National show and try not to have the same reaction I had to the Of Montreal show...would have given up half my DVD collection to be there.

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MAD MEN

The best show on TV is on Thurs at 10 ET. Watch it so it doesn't leave us too early like so many great shows.

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Simon Dawes

Daytrotter has to be one of my favorite sites so I was shocked to find the band Simon Dawes featured on there. It's at this point that I highlight the fact that my old band Toboggan Monster dominated Simon Dawes in our only battle of the bands. It looks like we got the best of it, seeing how they are on Daytrotter.

Check out the Second Place Band

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Darjeeling Limited Trailer HITS the Web!

After seeing the trailer, it confirms that the leaked screenplay is real and this film is going to be amazing.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/thedarjeelinglimited/hd/

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CHECK IT.

If you don't know Dan Deacon or own his new album then you don't know shit. If you don't, stop frettin and meet him:

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WHITE RABBITS PART 2

Look what happens when I make a post...a few mins later a golden ticket falls out of the sky. Here is a link to the White Rabbits Daytrotter session, some new songs included:

http://www.daytrotter.com/daytrotterSessions/891/free-songs-white-rabbits

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WHITE RABBITS

The White Rabbits were on Letterman last night, what a great show they put on. The new album is pretty spectacular, kind of reminiscent of The French Kick's first LP. Check out the video and enjoy Letterman interrupting the end of the song by saying, "You guys done? Everyone Done?"



Pitchfork Music Festival and recent indie film reviews to come soon. Keep an eye out.

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IT HAS A DATE!

Fox Searchlight has announced Sept 29th, 2007 as the release date for Wes Anderson's next masterpiece: THE DARJEELING LIMITED. Here is what we know:

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

Release: September 29, 2007
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Written by: Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola
Produced by: Scott Rudin, Lydia Pilcher, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Cast: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman

THE DARJEELING LIMITED starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman is an emotional comedy about three brothers re-forging family bonds. The eldest, played by Wilson, hopes to reconnect with his two younger siblings by taking them on a train trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India.

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I NEED YOUR HELP

Pitchfork's music festival is next weekend and unlike last year, the third stage (tent) has some great acts. The great thing about Pitchfork is you can bounce back and forth from the two main stages and get good placement. The third runs between the two so in order to catch an act in the tent you have to miss one of the main stage acts. Here are my head scratchers:

SAT:

Grizzly Bear vs Beach House

I'm not sure why Beach House is in the tent. I would usually pick Beach House but Battles goes on after them on one of the main stages and it would be tricky to get good placement. I want to see both of these bands...I'm leaning toward Beach House...but....ahhhh!

Clipse vs Dan Deacon

I'm a huge Clipse fan so I'm probably not going to miss his set...but Deacon's new album is pretty spectacular and one of those I need to see how he pulls this off live ones. Albums like that are a huge risk but the reward can be amazing (i.e. Fiery Furnaces remixing the entire Blueberry Boat album at the Echo).

SUN:

Menomena vs Brightblack Morning Light

I'm leaning toward BML but this one is a coin toss.

The New Pornographers vs Klaxons

This is tricky b/c TNP go on thirty mins before the Klaxons...but the tent fills up fast and The Field is playing before them so a lot of people will just stay. I've head TNP are really good live but the Klaxons are one of the bands, like Battles, that I'm dying to see live. This is the big decision!

Help me make the right choice, I trust in you.

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WALTER MURCH

The man behind Coppola's genius according to my buddy ADK and many film scholars has gotten the book treatment with: THE CONVERSATIONS (Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film). I've already ordered my copy and if you want a window inside the mind of a film genius, I suggest you pick this one up. Below is a link to the amazon page and another for his imdb page.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375709827?tag=craftyscreenw-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0375709827&adid=1RPERVTH5RMG9XJ6ANCB&

http://imdb.com/name/nm0004555/#director

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THE SAVAGES

Can't wait to see this film, looks like a breath of fresh air with all these "three" films. They keep pushing back the release date, it was shown at this years Sundance...looks like December until it will hit theaters.

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WES IS BACK

The first wave of production stills for Wes Anderson's new film, "The Darjeeling Limited" have been released. I've read the first draft of the screenplay several times and after this crazy pic, well, it seems like a mixture of all four of his films. I'm ready for a trailer.

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Up and Down

Great bands have released LP's/EP's this year...but did they take a step forward or backwards?

FORWARD

The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Iron and Wine - The Shepherds Dog
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Is Is (EP)
NIN - Year Zero
Trembling Blue Stars - The Seven Autumn Flowers
Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
The Cribs - Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever
Bishop Allen - The Broken String

STAYED ON THE SAME LEVEL

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
National - Boxer
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna
Dizzee Rascal - Maths and English
Crowded House - Time on Earth
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

BACKWARDS

Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder
Air - Pocket Symphony
Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
Feist - The Reminder
Editors - An End Has a Start
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

I know a lot of you are yelling right now....BIRD! FEIST! AIH! CYHSY! EDITORS! Whatever...I don't care. This list is not my opinion of the band or how I rank their album with the rest on the list. I took this years album and compared it with the band/artist's last release. If you need to yell at me, leave a comment...but please don't make a case for Places Like This, the most disappointing album this year.

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Mike Gravel

I'm a big Barack fan but oh man is Mike Gravel gaining ground with his new campaign videos that seem to be mixture between the cinema of minimalism and neorealism. These videos bring the same uncomfortable happiness that I get when watching a David Lynch film. Enjoy:

ROCK



FIRE

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Screen Scene

Once - The best film of 2007 so far. The film is beautifully simplistic and it's release date is very ironic as I watched the film sandwiched between two theaters projecting summer blockbusters. The star of the film is Glen Hansard...sound familiar indie rock fans??? That's right, he's part of The Frames, a very enjoyable Irish indie rock band. He plays a street musician who meets an immigrant (Marketa Irglova who was only 17 when they shot this film) in Dublin. Do they fall in love? No. I think this might be the first movie about falling in like. You keep looking for that sloppy Hollywood, they run into each other's arms...doesn't happen. The viewer simply enjoys seeing these two people admire each other and create something, beautiful music. The music in this film is mind-blowing...to the point where you watch them sing a full four-minute song and it never becomes dull. This is an impossible feet. Not to take anything away from John Carney, the director, but set the camera on a tripod and let Irglova and Hansard just sing for two hours and I will watch with a smile. Do yourself a favor...go see this film. It reminded me why I want to make movies, something that seems to be lost in today’s cinema of three's and explosions.

Ocean's 13 - This is an easy film to break down: The First hour...horrendous, zero stars. The Second hour...better, two stars. The result...one star. The film moves so fast, scene after scene, that none of these great actors have a chance to show off their chops. The director Steven Soderbergh's talent can never be challenged with such razor edge films like Traffic, Out of Sight, and The Limey. He is also responsible for one of the most influence indie films with Sex, Lies, and Videotape and the mind-boggling/mind-numbing Schizopolis. There is little trace that this same man who made such film was behind the camera on 13, after seeing the final product he was probably in the digital jungle eating a hoagie and giving thumbs up to every take while counting his cash. If you enjoyed the first two, then see the film, you will have a good time. Get popcorn, soda, and some candy, because you need to elevate every aspect of making this an enjoyable movie experience.

Spider Man 3 - Worse film of the year that I have seen in theaters. I'm not even going to give this film the time for analysis. If you liked this film...good for you.

Sicko - Oh, how I hate Michael Moore. His films are nothing more than propaganda. But, man, are they fun to watch. I was a big fan of his debut film, Roger and Me, but then panned Guns and Bush...OH...how could one go about doing that!?!? I'm not even going to get into the fact that you don't need to twist the footage or forge documents to prove that guns are dangerous or Bush has made many, many dumb mistakes, but it's Moore's meal ticket so he does it. And he does it again...this time with socialized healthcare. He makes his routine huge statements and dramatizes them with little support but set pieces that automatically makes his point the right one. My suggestion is see this film to witness a master at crafting an entertaining documentary, not to come out of the theater with conspiracy’s or how America needs to change NOW. Having directed and worked on several documentaries myself, trust me, almost all the truth is manipulated regardless of intent. Look at it this way; hundreds of hours of footage were edited down to two hours. Someone had to choose those particular scenes, add the voice over, and guide the viewer. In the end, Sicko is a very enjoyable watch (applause for Moore) but see it more as a narrative work then a case against America's healthcare...or as Moore would suggest, the lack there of.

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I'm BACK!

As you have noticed, or not noticed, my blog has been in a bit of a coma lately. Not anymore my friends, it's back and looking for revenge. There will be a new post or more everyday so check often and leave comments...they fuel more posts. Thanks for reading,

Zach

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