Maybe our financial situation aint looking rosy, but geographically the Golden State will always be a most amazing place.  When I was a kid, I remember bodysurfing at the crack of dawn and then driving up later that morning to ski in Big Bear.  We could have even drive to the desert that same day if we were so inclined.
And it is with the diversity in mind that the producers of the …

This morning as I passed the Fox lot on Pico, I saw a man standing out front holding an Israeli flag.  He held a sign that said “Will Support Israel for a 3 Picture Deal.”
I think he might have meant it as a joke.  I didn’t think it was funny.
The pernicious and pervasive idea that the Jews “control” Hollywood must be dispensed with once and for all.  To that end, I want to repeat …

Not universal as in the meaning of life, but Universal as in the studio.  This is from a press release they sent over…some cool stuff here!  Here are my favorites (see the complete list here) plus I’ve added a few more salacious tidbits at the end.  I have not verified these fun facts.

April 30, 2012 marks the official 100th Anniversary of Universal Pictures!  In honor of the Centennial celebration, we’ve put together 100 fun facts …

As soon as I heard the term “binge watcher” I knew I was one.
For over two months I’ve been bingeing on “Breaking Bad.” It’s not the crystal meth that gets me, (in fact, the show plays like a supremely smart anti-drug PSA), it’s the writing, the acting, the cinematography, the whole thing.
From the opening scene of the pilot I was hooked.
I recently looked at the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of …

A lot of people are (quietly) remarking on the irony that The Weinstein Co. – headed by Harvey Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s most notorious bullies – is releasing “Bully” – a film about bullying.  Quietly, I think, because people are a tad scared of Weinstein, but also because they’re savvy enough to know that their comments will give his movie more exposure…and sell more tickets…and then who has the last …

It’s that time of year when present-happy children put cookies out for Santa…and award-happy Hollywood types double up on AA meetings.  Yes, it’s the beginning of the end of award season, leading inexorably to the Oscars - the nominations are out 1/24 and the big show’s on 2/26.  But your head can start to spin as all the lesser hardware is handed out leading up to the big night.
So what does a Cornie …

Here’s a fascinating article in GQ my friend Aldo sent me about the world’s biggest (and most meta) movie set.  I found the article riveting, but it left me with LOTS of questions!  Reminds me of the making of “Apocalypse Now” – or maybe it’s more meta than even that.  Is director Khrzhanovsky, in fact, Kurtz?  If so, who really is the “company” that keeps funding him, and why?

The Movie Set That …

Everyone is abuzz (or perhaps agrumble) about the remake of “Footloose*”  And it’s just one of something like a dozen remakes that Hollywood will churn out this year.
The current criticism goes like this: is Hollywood so bereft of ideas that it has to keep remaking old movies?  Which then begs the question, if you’re going to remake a movie, is it better to remake a lousy movie (as the original …

CONTAINS FRANK LANGUAGE. NOT INTENDED FOR MINORS OR THOSE WITH DELICATE SENSIBILITIES!
For anyone who’s ever “received notes” on a TV show, film or radio show for that matter, this is uncannily accurate in content and tone, but a whole lot funnier.
Courtesy of the hilarious folks at Lost Moon Radio from their CD “Ready for Love.”
Notes On Lovemaking by mattholzman
Check out Lost Moon Radio’s awesome new show this Saturday and next Saturday …

One of the least-discussed consequences of the digital entertainment age is the death of the secondary market.  Remember how satisfying it was to trade in that old Men at Work CD and a few others for the latest music?  Or how much more willing you were to try a movie when it was in the $1.99 bin at Rite-Aid?
Arguably, you own a digital download of a song just the way …