MIAMI - Rapper DMX has pleaded out a Miami drug case and now awaits extradition to face more charges in Arizona.
The 37-year-old rapper and actor pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted marijuana and cocaine possession and was sentenced to time served. His lawyer Bradford Cohen says DMX is still in custody waiting for Arizona authorities to pick him up on drug and animal cruelty charges he faces in Phoenix.
Cohen says the rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, decided to plead guilty when he was denied bail earlier this week due to the outstanding Arizona warrant.
Cohen says if he hadn't pleaded out, Simmons would have had to sit in jail in Miami until an October trial date.
Marion “Suge” Knight, the 43 year old gangsta’ rap mogul, and former CEO of Death Row Records has been arrested in Las Vegas on a variety of felony and misdemeanor charges including assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
According to an AP wire report, the rap promoter was booked into Clark County Jail, but later posted a $19,000 bail bond on the promise he would appear in Las Vegas court on September 26.
The incident reportedly took place when Knight was arrested by police in a parking lot near the Las Vegas strip, where he was found beating a woman said to be his girlfriend and brandishing a knife. The woman was not stabbed, but was treated at a nearby hospital. Police also discovered the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone in Knight’s possession. Knight surrendered without incident.
During the nineties, Knight was arguably the hottest rap promoter in music with this label Death Row Records. The label specialized in gangsta rap records by such pioneering west coast rappers as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and the late Tupac Shakur. Knight also became just as well known for his violent reputation, which over the years has included rumored gang affiliations and several brushes with the law.
Knight was in fact present the night that Shakur was gunned down gangland style in 1996, also in Las Vegas. Shakur’s murder was never completely solved, and less than a year later Christopher Wallace, a rival East coast rapper better known as Notorious B.I.G., was gunned down in similar fashion. Conspiracy theories connecting the two murders have proliferated on the internet and in music circles in the many years that have passed since, and in fact continue to this day.
Oasis are pleased to announce that for the first time ever they will be making available a special, fully-loaded limited edition box set of the new album, 'Dig Out Your Soul'. This amazing looking set contains four heavyweight 12" vinyl discs, two CDs, a DVD and hardback book all housed within an embossed hardback box. In fact, this is the only way to get the album and the complete set of all 9 bonus songs, remixes and films that were recorded during the album sessions.
This unique collector’s item is available now for pre-order exclusively through the band’s website for delivery on October 7th. Go to the U.S. & Canada Store now!
SCI FI Channel and MGM Television Entertainment have reached an agreement to extend MGM's Stargate brand with a new series for the Channel. Production on the first season of Stargate Universe, a weekly series based on the popular Stargate franchise, will begin in early 2009, with the show targeted to premiere that Summer. Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and who both currently serve as executive producers on Atlantis, will serve as executive producers and writers on the new series.
"SCI FI has enjoyed tremendous success with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and we're proud to be the home of the new Stargate Universe," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "Universe will continue the Stargate legacy of vibrant storylines and compelling adventures, but will re-invent the format in a whole new way."
"The Stargate franchise enjoys a loyal and substantial fan base that welcomes each new installment with fevered enthusiasm," said Charles Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Development for MGM. "We are delighted to be working again with Brad and Robert and look forward to seeing new adventures with the launch of Stargate Universe on SCI FI Channel next year. Stargate Universe will continue the longstanding relationship between MGM's stellar science fiction franchise and cable's premiere destination for all passionate science fiction fans."
Thomas Vitale, Senior Vice President Programming & Original Movies said, "Stargate Universe is a natural progression for the Stargate brand and for our network. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis have been key drivers for SCI FI and we are looking forward to seeing where this next chapter leads, as each new installment of the Stargate franchise further engages the SCI FI audience."
Wright and Cooper said: "In Universe, we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humour, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping off point for telling stories."
After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a team of explorers travels to an unmanned starship called the Destiny, launched by The Ancients at the height of their civilization as a grand experiment set in motion, but never completed.
What starts as a simple reconnaissance turns into a never ending mission, as the Stargate Universe crew discovers the ship is unable to return to Earth, and they must now fend for themselves aboard the Destiny.
The crew will travel to the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, thus fulfilling the Destiny's original mission. Challenges will arise though as the ship comes into range of Stargates placed centuries ahead of the Destiny and the crew is unable to control the ship's navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them, adding to the drama of encountering new races, enemies and adventures.
Stargate Universe will debut as a two-hour movie event on SCI FI. Following its premiere, Universe will assume a regular hourly slot in Summer 2009.
Universe will be distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.
The SCI FI Channel is ending Stargate Atlantis after five seasons, Multichannel News reports.
The show will go on, though, with a 2-hour movie that will air on SCI FI in 2009, and be released on DVD by MGM. The film will be written by executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie.
It's intended to be the first of an on-going series of Atlantis movies, according to the report. Stargate SG-1 has released two very successful movies direct-to-DVD this year, though neither has aired on U.S. television yet.
"The show will live on as a network franchise," the report also says. This could indicate that future Atlantis movies are a lock for SCI FI, or it may be a general statement about the cable network's commitment to the Stargate franchise.
Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who created and executive produced Atlantis, pitched a third television series in the 11-year-old TV franchise to the network last year. While SCI FI has not yet announced a green light for that show, the end of Atlantis may clear the way -- the dollars available for original programming, that is -- for the next series.
Though Stargate Atlantis has been a solid ratings performer for SCI FI -- and was its highest-rated original program ever when it premiered in July 2004 -- in recent years series like Eureka have supplanted it in the "Live" ratings.
Atlantis remains an extremely strong performer in DVR-delayed viewing, though, often building as much as 25 to 30 percent on its premiere night audience.
Season Five will go out on a cliffhanger, with "Enemy At the Gate" expected to premiere in January. Expect the first Atlantis movie to wrap up that hanging storyline.
Stargate Atlantis airs Friday nights at 10 p.m. (9 Central) on SCI FI.
SG-1 was canceled on August 21, 2006. SGA was canceled on August 20, 2008.
August isn't a good month for Stargate. Go sign the petition to save the show here.
Philip Kindred Dick, aka Philip K. Dick, aka PKD, was often considered a science fiction writer that was way ahead of his time. He was critically acclaimed and won several writing awards, but was not particularly successful commercially for most of his career. Much of his writing was dystopic and unnerving, but filmmakers have found a fair bit of commercial success with film adaptations of his writing, starting with Blade Runner. (PKD died during the production.)
There have been more than 10 movies made directly from PKD’s writing (excluding documentaries), and three more are in the works. Here’s a quick rundown of PKD movies, in chronological order, and with relevant video clips and posters / stills when available.
1. Blade Runner (1982). Director: Ridley Scott. Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” aka D.A.D.o.E.S.), Hampton Fancher. Release Date: Jun 25, 1982. Actors: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah. IMDB: Blade Runner. Video: Final Cut trailer.
2. Total Recall (1990). Director: Paul Verhoeven. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”), Ronald Shusett. Release Date: Jun 1, 1990 Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone. IMDB: Total Recall.
3. Screamers (1995). Director: Christian Duguay. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story “Second Variety”), Dan O’Bannon. Release Date: Jan 26, 1996. Actors: Peter Weller, Roy Dupuis, Jennifer Rubin, Andrew Lauer. IMDB: Screamers. Video: The video clip below is of a Cinefiles episode in which they explore films based on Philip K. Dick stories. Screamers is mentioned.
4. Total Recall 2070: Machine Dreams (1999). Notes: Pilot for TV series. Director: Mario Azzopardi. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story), Art Monterastelli. Release Date: Jan 5, 1999. Actors: Michael Easton, Karl Pruner, Cynthia Preston, Michael Rawlins. IMDB: Total Recall 2070. Video: Possible spoilers.
5. Impostor (2002). Director: Gary Fleder. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story “The Impostor”), Scott Rosenberg. Release Date: Jan 4, 2002. Actors: Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tony Shaloub, Tim Guinee, Gary Dourdan. IMDB: Impostor. Notes: Sinise and Dourdan are now in CSI: NY and CSI, respectively; D’Onofrio in Law & Order: CI; and Shaloub in Monk. (Samantha Morton, who is in Minority Report, is in Cold Case.)
6. Minority Report (2002). Director: Steven Spielberg. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story), Scott Frank. Release Date: Jun 21, 2002. Actors: Tom Cruise, Max Von Sydow, Steve Harris, Neal McDonough, Patrick Kilpatrick, Jessica Capshaw, Samantha Morton. IMDB: Minority Report.
7. Paycheck (2003). Director: John Woo. Writers: Philip K. Dick (short story), Dean Georgaris. Release Date: Dec 25, 2003. Actors: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Kathryn Morris (Cold Case). Notes: My personal PKD movie favorite, displacing Blade Runner. IMDB: Paycheck.
8. A Scanner Darkly (2006, Animated). Director: Richard Linklater. Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel), Richard Linklater. Release Date: Jul 28, 2006. Actors: Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr., Mitch Baker, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson. IMDB: A Scanner Darkly. Notes: This movie is live-action with a layer of animation over the frames.
9. Next (2007). Director: Lee Tamahori Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel “The Golden Man”), Gary Goldman, Jonathan Hensleigh, Paul Bernbaum. Release Date: Apr 27, 2007. Actors: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann. IMDB: Next. Notes: Lee Tamahori directed Once Were Warriors (1995) about a family of Maori Warriors (which won 19 awards) as well as several other edgy movies.
10. Radio Free Albemuth (2008). Director: John Alan Simon. Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel), John Alan Simon. Release Date: Jun 11, 2008. Actors: Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Katheryn Winnick, Alanis Morissette, Hanna Hall, Frances Fisher, Julie Warner. IMDB: Radio Free Albemuth.
11. Owl in Daylight (2009). Director: unknown as of yet. Writers: Philip K. Dick (novel, unpublished), Tony Grisoni. Release Date: 2009. Actors: Paul Giamatti. IMDB: Owl in Daylight. Notes: Paul Giamatti, who was in Paycheck (see above), plays Philip K. Dick in this sort of biography that also discusses the Owl in Daylight novel, which was planned but not actually written before PKD died. Video: n/a
12. Screamers 2 (2009). Director: Sheldon Wilson. Writers: Philip K. Dick (original story), Tom Berry (story), Miguel Tejada-Flores (screenplay and story). Release Date: 2009. Actors:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214983/. Notes: A group of humans arrive on Sirius 6-B to investigate an SOS signal sent out from the planet, which has been supposedly deserted since the destruction of the man-made weapons known as "screamers." Once the squad arrives, they find a group of human survivors eking out an existence in an old military outpost, but more important, they discover that the threat of the screamers has become even more insidious, now that they're able to morph into human form. Video: n/a
That’s now 12 movies and counting. (You might notice the time between PKD movies becoming shorter and shorter.) Some guess the next candidate is “The Man in the High Castle“, which is based on an alternate Earth where the Nazis didn’t lose WW II and they and the Japanese jointly occupy the United States. However, others think that The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and/or Valis is being developed. Well, This blogger hopes every story he's written is given honor in production and not dragged through the dirt.
It’s hard to believe that anyone still cares enough about this story to even read what I’m about to tell you, but here at Cinema Blend we love a good niche crowd… wherever you are. So for the one or two of you who may actually be interested, here’s some good news: Punisher: War Zone will not be PG-13 as previously rumored, but will in fact be rated-R. Unfortunately that still doesn’t do much to change the odds that it won’t be any good.
The news of its R-rating comes from the film’s cinematographer Steve Gainer, who was recently discovered posting on a message board here by the guys from Screen Rant. Steve dropped the following knowledge on everyone:
“Lexi is not off the film. Lexi is still involved in the edit process. The film is not (nor could it ever be) PG-13. Today I saw a cut that ran 91 minutes.”
Steve also insists the movie will be good, but then he’s working on it so his opinion isn’t exactly unbiased. I’m not sure that it even matters if it’s good, it could be better than The Dark Knight and I don’t think anyone would be interested in seeing it. Two shots at making a viable Punisher movie was more than enough. That goes for anything by the way, not just Punisher. Captain America for instance has already had one crummy movie. He only gets one more shot before we all write him off. If Tim Burton’s first Batman movie hadn’t worked, we wouldn’t be swimming in Dark Knight fever right now, since that was Bats' second shot at stardom after the messy version done by Adam West and Burt Ward. It’s not fair, especially to Lexi Alexander who probably isn’t being given a fair shot to make this thing, but that seems to be the way the wind is blowing out there, whether it’s fair or not.
The Voltron movie may be in trouble. Variety reports that New Regency, a division of 20th Century Fox, has ditched the film. It may instead end up being financed by Relativity Media, which means the movie will still happen. Unfortunately if it happens, it will now happen with a much reduced budget.
They say they plan to slash the budget “utilizing the type of cost-effective technology employed in films including 300.” One problem there. 300 didn’t have a giant freakin robot ripping the Eiffel Tower out of the ground and spearin g his equally giant opponents with it. It’s a lot easier to make a few soldiers standing around in some dirt look good than it is to make giant, human piloted robo-lions fighting weird alien robots.
The action in this thing is huge, spanning the entire globe and even venturing briefly into outer space. Voltron roams the world ripping up cities to fight giant opponents all over the planet. Transformers had a massive budget, and it only really had to contend with giant robots fighting in New York City. I have no idea how anyone could possibly pull off a live action Voltron: Defender of the Universe on a reasonable budget, at least not if they want it to be any good.
A big screen adaptation of the video game Spy Hunter has been in the woks for almost five years now. Last year it was announced that Universal had hired hack director Paul W.S. Anderson (not to be confused with Paul Thomas Anderson) to helm the project, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attached to star.
Latino Review just interviewed Anderson for this Friday's Death Race and asked whether the Jason Statham action-thriller has prepared him for a car movie like Spy Hunter. His answer doesn't make it sound like he's on board anymore.
Robert Picardo is well known as the doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, but many people may not know he is now a cast regular on Stargate: Atlantis, which is in it's fifth season. All too often, wee see great actors who seem to avoid sci-fi after long stints in successful series, as not to pigeonhole them into a single genre, but in the excerpt below, the actor explains why it works for him.
Asked what made him decide to jump back into another sci-fi show after Voyager, Picardo said that enough time had gone by and he likes the routine of being on a television series, the sense of family. It gives you great freedom to do other things. "In your time off, if you want to go do a play, you have the money to go do that. You don't have to make decisions based on financial concerns because that part is taken care of. So, it gives you all kinds of freedom to do creative and different things, whether it's travel, take time off, write a book or do something with my children or go on an extended college tour. I have the freedom to do all this other stuff because I'm now working steadily for seven months of the year. But more than that, Star Trek has given me a dedicated group of fans who like to watch me and they watch me in any other show I pop up in. They're particularly gratified to see me pop up in another science fiction show that they like anyway. It's been a win-win for me. And I also think I'm the first actor to play a regular part in both of the major science fiction franchises. Straddling two studio franchises like a colossus!"
Check out the full set of Atlantis cast interviews at PopCultureZoo
Jerry Wexler, the legendary producer who along with Ahmet Ertegun built Atlantic Records from the ground up to become the dominant rhythm and blues label of its time has died of congestive heart failure. Wexler was the last living founder of the label. His one time partner Ahmet Ertegun passed away in 2006.
As a record producer, Wexler produced some of the greatest artists of his generation, nurturing the careers of such greats as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Solomon Burke, and ushering soul music into the mainstream. As a music editor for Billboard Magazine, Wexler is also credited with coining the term rhythm and blues, changing the name of the chart for such recordings from its original “race records” label. Obviously, the name stuck.
In addition to producing great R&B, Wexler also had an ear for rock and roll. At Atlantic, he played a key role in the development of artists like Led Zeppelin and Crosby Stills & Nash. Wexler also produced records for Dire Straits and Bob Dylan, who earned his first ever Grammy for the Wexler produced “Gotta Serve Somebody” from the Christian themed album Slow Train Coming.
"No one really knew how to make a record when I started," Wexler told the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "You simply went into the studio, turned on the mike and said play." The fact remains that he is responsible for making some great ones, including such classics as Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour” and Dusty Springfield’s Dusty In Memphis album.
Wexler also was responsible for recording the great Aretha Franklin, signing her to Atlantic in 1967 and making a string of great records for the label that are still regarded by most fans and critics as her best, forever establishing Aretha’s reputation as the “Queen of Soul.”
Jerry Wexler, one of the last of a dying breed of great record men, dead at 91.
Marvel anti-hero, The Punisher, is taking another shot this week, and not the good kind. This year’s sequel, Punisher: War Zone, already had several things working against it - a crappy first movie, a lack of any names returning from the first movie, and recently rumors that director Lexi Alexander had been removed from her own picture. Now it sounds like the movie is about to get dumbed down a bit - a fatal flaw for a hero like Frank Castle, the Punisher. Latino Review says they have it on good authority that Lionsgate is looking for a PG-13 edit of Punisher: War Zone, cutting down violence and bloodshed, elements that are essential to the kind of hero the Punisher is. Just look at his name - “The Punisher”. He punishes people! That doesn’t mean he puts them in the corner or makes them mop floors. He kills, maims, and tortures people. The kind of thing that doesn’t play well in a PG-13 flick.
The suggestion is the desire for the lower rating is prompted by the success of The Dark Knight, which somehow managed to pull off a PG-13 despite some pretty gratuitous content. We’ve all admitted it’s the darkest Batman flick ever and probably deserved an R. Lionsgate is likely eyeing the success of that movie and figuring they can do the same with Punisher, despite the fact that Punisher should be even darker than Batman.
Don’t get me wrong, a PG-13 rating for War Zone would be a terrible mistake, but at the same time, it’s not a death knell. Live Free or Die Hard and The Dark Knight pushed the edge of the PG-13 rating, making it work without ruining their story. But they had a good story first, and I’m not confident War Zone does. Meanwhile, the first Punisher movie was rated R and totally misused that rating. Castle’s entire family gunned down and not a drop of blood to be seen.
I haven’t had high hopes for Punisher: War Zone and Lionsgate certainly isn’t doing anything to alleviate those concerns. I’m guessing the next move for the picture is a drop down to direct-to-DVD status, which is pretty much what most of us were expecting from the film in the first place.
I Want To See That lets you track what movies you want to see, discuss those movies, and even invite your friends to go see it with you. It's a neat service. Now all they need is a Facebook apllication and maybe other social netorking apps, perhaps it could twitter your movies you want to see?
Pineapple Express took some strong puffs against a burning box office this weekend, but couldn't inhale enough to beat out The Dark Knight. With a staying power very few movies enjoy these days, the Batman sequel dropped only 40% from last weekend, bringing in $26 million and holding on to the number one spot for a rare fourth weekend in a row.
The Dark Knight is within firing range of shooting down Star Wars as the second all-time money maker and will likely top its $461 million total this week. Rumblings that the film, now sitting at $441 million, will match or beat Titanic's number one $600 million record are still far-fetched, but not impossible.
Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen's pot-filled action/comedy flick opened on Wednesday, not making many waves but starting out as strong as some of their other ventures like Superbad and Knocked Up. With $22 million stashed on the weekend and just over $40 million since opening, Pineapple Express has covered its budget and is all set to line the studio's pockets for the next couple of weeks.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 saw a lukewarm reception. It took fourth place this weekend with $10 million, bringing the total to $19 million since Wednesday's opening. Like Pineapple Express it managed a low $27 million budget, putting it within range to make its bank by Wednesday and making it another easy winner for the WB this summer.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE TOP TEN August 8 - 10, 2008
LW = Last Week WR = Weeks Released THTRS = Number of Screens * Denotes new release.
Isaac Hayes, the unmistakable musician and actor who won an Oscar in 1971 for his “Theme From Shaft” and starred as Chef on South Park, has died at age 65. He was found unresponsive by a family member, having apparently collapsed during a workout. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hame of Fame in 2002.
Hayes will appear in the November film, Soul Men, which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died yesterday from a battle with pneumonia. Hayes was a forefather to the rap movement, and played a good hand in disco and funk. WIth his penchant for sunglasses and an earlier preference for gold jewelry and dashiki-like robes, Hayes cut a formidable figure in pop culture—check out the documentary Wattstax—but his deep voice became his signature for a new generation. “You’re damn right.” It served as the voice of reason, sexual maturity and knowledge over Cartman’s whiny anarchy on South Park before Hayes left the show due to a falling out with its creators over Scientology. R.I.P.
While everyone has been concerned over actor Morgan Freeman’s car accident and subsequent marital problems, another actor’s health struggle has gone relatively unnoticed. That’s a damn shame, because Freeman’s career will survive his problems. The other won’t - Bernie Mac is dead at age 50.
I didn’t even realize Mac had been hospitalized for pnemonia in a Chicago area hospital. Since his hospitalization, various reports had come out about his health, ranging from prematurely announcing his death to reports just yesterday that the comedian was in stable condition and would be released soon. Mac’s reps announced his death this morning; stunning news to awaken to.
I’m probably not the right person to write a long-winded memorial of Mac, but I’m the only one awake and online this early on a Saturday morning to find this tragic news. I didn’t watch The Bernie Mac show during its run on Fox, a lot of which used events from Mac’s own life for source material. I originally overlooked The Original Kings of Comedy, so I wasn’t even on the Bernie Mac bandwagon for very long.
In fact, I pretty much dismissed Bernie Mac’s early career, thinking he was just another in a long line of comedians attempting to jump onto the screen. Lots of them have tried but few have been successful. Sure, he was entertaining in Oceans 11 and Bad Santa, but it was a pretty flat level of entertainment. Then, much to my surprise, Bernie Mac stole the show in Pride. The comedian shared the screen with Oscar recognized Terrence Howard, and owned every scene he was in, showing quite the penchant for serious drama.
After Pride I was looking forward to seeing what else Mac could do, but his career hadn’t reached the potential he showed in that one movie before his death this week. The actor had only appeared in a bit role in Transformers and reprised his Ocean’s character for the third film - both entertaining, but not living up to what Mac showed he could accomplish.
According to IMDb, Mac had four projects in post-production at the time of his death, including Soul Men (with Samuel L. Jackson) and Old Dogs (from the team behind Wild Hogs). Let’s hope one of those provides the perfect send-off for Mac, a talented comedian and actor.
