Thompson On Hollywood

Dubya Casting Coup: Don Knotts

Don Knotts as George W. Bush is perfect casting, if you ask me:

[Hat Tip: Steve Mirkin]

Johansson Video Falling Down

I heard this arresting Tom Waits cover by Scarlet Johansson on KCRW this morning; here's the video, and a story at NYMag.com. Can she sing? I have no idea; the Falling Down single is well-produced and catchy, and I'd need to hear the rest of the album.

Blogger Braff Seeks Help on Clifford Music Video

Scrubs star Zach Braff is not only a vet blogger (here's his latest info on the currently filming show), but a writer-director (Garden State) with a novel approach to his latest music video:

I came up with this idea to make a music video by cutting together clips of people from all over the world singing the song and shooting the video themselves as though it were their own song. I've been talking about doing something collaborative with all of you since I first started writing on here. Well I finally figured out how.

I am a giant fan of the artist, Jay Clifford. (Formally of the band "Jump Little Children".) Jay has a new album coming out and you and I are gonna make the video together. I set up a website that explains everything: you can download the song and lyrics there, upload your own video and then I'm gonna edit the best submissions together into one preposterously cool video made by hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of people. I made a video that explains everything and it's posted on the site. So here it is:

Please go check it out; I think it could be really unique and cool and I'd like everyone who reads this to be a part of it.

There's lots more to come; I promise not to stay away so long again. And I'll keep you posted on how the submissions are coming in.

Today was the most beautiful day ever in Los Angeles, I hope wherever you are on Earth this finds you smiling.
Peace and love,

zb
--

Miles Davis Plays So What?

This April 2, 1959 clip from The Robert Herridge Theater Show at Studio 61 in New York City takes my breath away. The one time I saw Miles Davis play, at The Bottom Line in the Village, he was already so disgusted by performing that he turned his back on the audience and played for maybe 20 minutes max. But just look at him here! And the Gil Evans Orchestra: John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Wow.

Weinstein Co. Takes on Bravo and Star Wars Fans

The latest Weinstein brawl is between Harvey Weinstein and NBC/Bravo, now that Harvey is pulling Project Runway away from a cable channel that wants to keep running it in favor of another deal--for five years--at Lifetime. It is highly unusual for a producer to switch gears like this with a hit show. Here's the news story in Variety, EW.com and UPDATE: The NYT. The jubilant Lifetime press release is on the jump.

Harvey is also still fighting the filmmakers of the Star Wars comedy Fanboys, who have launched a major counteroffensive.

The Fanboys Trailer:

Video: Pretty Women

Indy 4: Good for All Indiana Jones DVD Sales

Over the spring break, my college freshman daughter Nora watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And she wants to catch up with all the Indy Jones pics. Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981, long before she was born. So she wants to be up to speed when the highly anticipated first installment in 18 years comes out.

Paramount is well aware. They sent to press around the country a mailer full of posters of all the Indiana Jones movies. They also sent out leather whips. Boomers saw these movies as they came out. They are fond of them, and will take their kids to the new one. Folks all over the world will be ordering the three-pic Indiana Jones DVD set before the May 22 opening --many of them from Lucasfilm's handy-dandy Indy Jones store on the Indiana Jones site, which offers the Young Indiana Jones series on DVD as well.

Paramount has posted the latest Indy 4 TV spot at the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull website.

Video Trend: Man to Man Dating

At ShoWest, Shrek star Mike Myers admitted that he had a "man crush" on Jeffrey Katzenberg, and kept looking at his ass. Easy laugh.

When Sarah Silverman made a video announcing that she was shtupping Matt Damon, the obvious response from her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel was to do the same with Ben Affleck.

Now the latest attention-grabbing SNL comedy short has Superbad chub-star Jonah Hill dating Andy Samberg's Dad:

Bust a taboo, kiss a man, easy laugh.

Spielberg May Reunite with Semel

Ex-Yahoo chief Terry Semel has long been close with Steven Spielberg, ever since the studio exec's long tenure running Warner Bros. with Bob Daly. So it makes sense that he and Spielberg would co-venture on a tech start-up like Ghosts, Spielberg's planned social network centered around UFOs, paranormal activity and extraterrestrials, per Tech Crunch.

Paramount Provides Film Clips to Facebook

What took Hollywood so long to miss this clear marketing opportunity? Paramount, FanRocket, VooZoo and Facebook are joining forces to make thousands of clips from Paramount movies available on Facebook. Other studios may follow suit. I've been looking at more film clips on Facebook via Flixster, and I have no doubt that viral exposure to fave clips will boost DVD rentals and sales down the line. This is one sign that studios are prepping for the long tail world.

Meanwhile, at SXSW, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's key note speech was a huge sell-out, as rooms full of folks watched him on videoscreens. PaidContent has coverage and video. UPDATE: Zuckerberg's interlocuter got twittered by a hostile crowd.

Here's the 2002 Paramount logo with fanfare:

And a history of the Paramount mountain logo with stars:

Kate Beckinsale does Anna Karina

Here's how it works. A magazine like Mean wants to promote its new issue, which features Kate Beckinsale on the cover channeling 60s French cinema icon Anna Karina. So the marketing people create a catchy YouTube video of the cover shoot and seed the press with it so we'll post it on our blogs. Beckinsale is a perfectly lovely and capable young actress, but this video annoyed me. Simply: I prefer the original.

Kimmel Talks About the Affleck Video

Newsweek talked to Jimmy Kimmel about Sarah Silverman's F*cking Matt Damon video (she surprised him with it) and his F*cking Ben Affleck response (everyone had the same idea at the same time). Which one is better? Sagely, Kimmel credits his girlfriend with coming up with hers first. How will they capitalize on all this interest? That is the question.

Star Wars: with Credits by Saul Bass

What if Saul Bass had designed the credits for Star Wars? (Here's his Vertigo credit sequence.)

Here's the credit sequence for Martin Scorsese's Casino:

Obama the Messiah

This Barack Obama is The Messiah video premieres tonight on Current at 11pm ET/PT and will also be available on current.com.

Kimmel's Fu*king Ben Affleck

In the remote case that you missed this ubiquitous video:

Google to Sell Video Ads

Trying to find an ad model that makes sense, Google is starting up AdSense for Video. It could transform media on the Internet.

MTV Oscar Montage from Hell

MTVNews.com movie editor Josh Horowitz confesses to Kurt Loder that he's always wanted to be the guy in the Oscar opening montage. Careful what you wish for, Loder warns him. Suddenly Horowitz finds himself inserted into a bunch of Oscar-nominated movies. Thankfully, he does not sing or dance. While he's no Billy Crystal, it's pretty funny.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Oscar Watch: Get Your Oscar Info on Mobile

If you should decide to --heaven forfend--skip Sunday night's Oscar telecast, NBC Mobile's Entertainment Buzz host Seth Goldman will supply breaking Oscar news to your mobile. Two years ago, Goldman was the first reporter to cover the Oscars specifically for cell phones; this weekend he'll to do it again.

His mobile programming includes two pre-show clips: predictions of who should--and will--win in all the major categories, plus details on final preparations for the Oscar show. An additional two-clip package on the morning after the show will analyze the winners and Red Carpet fashion.

Buzz NBC Mobile to keep posted with text messages on the winners during the Oscar show by texting BUZZ to 46833.

Kimmel is Doing Ben Affleck

When it works, do it again! So Jimmy Kimmel's next comedy video--and inevitable YouTube hit--in response to Sarah Silverman's hugely popular viral hit I'm F***ing Matt Damon--involves Kimmel f***ing Ben Affleck and, apparently, many others. So why would the movie star likes of Damon, Affleck and Harrison Ford stoop to these profane lengths? They're smart enough to know hip young-audience-builders when they see them. Look for a rash of not-so-funny imitators.

Oscar Watch: Reel Geezers Picks, Parts 1 and 2

The Reel Geezers make their Oscar picks. While they are quite representative of the Academy--they reveal how much personality and sentiment enter into their thinking, for example--that doesn't mean the Academy will vote their way. I was amazed at some of the films they hadn't seen, like Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James, and horrified at the way they dismiss the animated screenplays, exposing the bias against animation held by many.

I suspect that they may be right that Michael Clayton, Juno, Julie Christie and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are strong contenders. Marcia's suggestion that No Country For Old Men and There Will be Blood could split votes is intelligent. But No Country will do better than they suggest here.

There Will Be Oscars

Funny or Die posts this Daniel Day Lewis spoof by David Spade. Did all the pre-Oscar spoofing hurt Brokeback Mountain? Well, yes, it probably did. But I have to assume that DDL is invulnerable. This kind of attention is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Silverman vs. Kimmel Via Damon

Check out this Jimmy Kimmel Show fifth anniversary video from Sarah Silverman, who says she is fucking Matt Damon. Damon confirms:

Sundance Watch: Video Interviews

One emerging trend at Sundance 2008 was the burgeoning number of media outlets supplying online video interviews from the fest, from EW and the LAT to UCLA and AMC. We did it too. Here's a sampling: AMC has Peter Guber and Peter Bart talking to Barry Levinson, director of What Just Happened, and UCLA interviews Sundance vets and Little Miss Sunshine producers Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger, executive producers of yet another $10-million sale, the backstage comedy Hamlet 2.

Cruise Talks Scientology

Gawker's reposted that Tom Cruise Scientology indoctrination video that was taken off the Internet some time back. It's fascinating to see how strongly Cruise feels about his mission in life. He's a Good Samaritan on one hand, but on the other he knows better than everyone else.

Sundance Video: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Martin McDonagh

Here's the first of many Sundance video-interviews we're putting up during the fest, with the In Bruges gang:

Cloverfield Shows Monster, Gets "Intimate"

There's some new info on Cloverfield in this week's column. I saw some scattered scenes on an Avid, not the whole movie. But I got a good sense of the film, and can't wait to see the whole thing. Paramount is purposely holding back on screenings--there's no junket at all--because they want to preserve as much of the mystery that has worked so well for them. They'll start screening the film next week.

Cloverfield not only reveals the monster several times in several ways, says director Matt Reeves, but "by the end you have intimate contact." Also, Cloverfield was always the film's title. The strategy was to go out with an untitled trailer, which referred to 1.18.08, the release date. Then when the internet took off with the early trailer, the filmmakers needed to use fake titles like Cheese in order to shoot around New York.

Moviemarketingmadness updates the movie.

Selling Be Kind Rewind

This LAT story about the off-beat marketing behind Michel Gondry's upcoming fable about vidstore clerks recreating hit movies is fun.

Best and Worst Online Marketing Gimmicks

The LAT has assembled a photo gallery of the best and worst online marketing gimmicks of 2007. Here's my Simpsons avatar.

Christmas Watch: Nuns' Hallelujah Chorus

Bob Dylan meets Handel's Messiah.

Working Writer: Jessica Bendinger

Here's one of a series of strike-related videos; this one's an interview with Bring it On writer Jessica Bendinger:

Nat King Cole Sings The Christmas Song

Aside from Irving Berlin's White Christmas, The Christmas Song, written by Mel Torme and Robert Walls, is one of the most enduring Christmas pop songs ever, and in 1946 made Nat King Cole a star:

Here are the lyrics, which Walls scrawled in a rush one blistering L.A. summer day:

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos.
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa's on his way -
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And ev'rymother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
and so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times,
Many ways: "Merry Christmas to you".
(Repeat) (from 9th line)

It's a Horrible Life Stars Clooney and Bush

Here's a short, sneak peak of Current TV's SuperNews Episode It's a Horrible Life, starring George Bush as George Bailey and George Clooney as the current president of the United States, which starts airing on Current TV and Current.com simultaneously on December 18 at 10 p.m. PT/ET. The piece was created by Josh Faure-Brac of ILL-ustrated, who is also behind the animated series Bill and Ted.

Singing Bill O'Reilly

For those of you with classical music fans on your Christmas list, consider this. Composer Igor Keller has created a Baroque oratorio in the style of Handel’s Messiah for a 28-piece chamber orchestra, 26-voice chorus and three soloists. The libretto is the sexual harassment complaint lodged against Fox News host Bill O’Reilly by staff producer Andrea Mackris in October 2004. Here's a video excerpt of its world premiere in January 2007.

Sweeney Todd: First Five Minutes

The first five minutes of Sweeney Todd are online. I'm looking forward to seeing the film for the second time tonight.

Atonement: Long Shot

The new marketing trend this season seems to be flooding YouTube with film clips. For Sweeney Todd, the thinking was, let's get audiences accustomed to the idea of Johnny Depp singing. Here is one of many shots from Atonement: a bravura five-minute tracking shot showing the thousands of soldiers who retreated to the beach at Dunkirk. Here's American Cinematographer on how D.P. Seamus McGarvey pulled it off.

Like many things about this movie--which played well to mixed response at the Academy yesterday, many love it, some don't, just like the critics--this shot has its admirers and detractors. It's a stunning shot, but does it take the viewer out of the movie, or serve a dramatic purpose? It makes you say, 'Wow, what a long shot! Look what Joe Wright did with the camera! Look how complex this is!' I for one get a kick out of bravura shots like this, whether it's Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalma, Robert Altman, Orson Welles, Antonioni or Alfonso Cuaron.

Golden Compass: First Five Minutes

Here's the first five minutes of The Golden Compass.

Scorsese does Hitchcock: for Freixenet

Here's The Key to Reserva, Martin Scorsese's loving homage to Hitchcock, paid for by Freixenet (which gets its money's worth). In the film, Scorsese says he wants to shoot this the way Hitchcock would have done it. And so he does. It's The Man Who Knew Too Much, basically. With music by Bernard Herrmann, and a fake Saul Bass credit sequence. There's a Grace Kelly lookalike, and Simon Baker fits right into the 50s of it all.

Bowie Vittel Commercial

For those of you who missed this French Bowie Vittel commercial:

Bollywood Star in Training

A Facebook friend posted this strange video. Is it a home movie or a clip from a flick?

DVD Watch: A New Beatles Help

The Oregonian's Shawn Levy on the new refurbished Help DVD.

Here's the trailer:

Viral Video: Ray Charles Sings What'd I Say?

Ray Charles and some fabulous go-go dancers: this makes me miss Lada Edmund Jr. and Hullabaloo.

[Hat Tip: Michael Blowhard]

Viral Video: James Taylor vs. The Grouch

During jury duty this week, I paid up for T-Mobile at a downtown Starbucks and enjoyed listening to my old fave James Taylor. Here he croons to Oscar the Grouch:

[Hat Tip: The Corner.]

WGA Strike: A Love Story

As the strike goes on, there's no telling how much terrific material is going to wind up on the Web:

AFM Video: Animals in Love

The Circuit's Mike Jones swears that no animals were hurt while making this AFM video:

Online Video Awards: Funniest Web Video

The online voting is closed for the Online Video Awards: the winners will be announced November 26. Here are the funniest we