Dr. Drew speaks at WSU

Pullman Civic Theatre

It's official! Comcast makes offer

Comcast strikes deal to buy NBC Universal

GE ceding control for $9.1 billion

Meg James Los Angeles Times

Tags: comcast nbc television

Burke
(Full-size photo)

HOLLYWOOD – In a momentous shift in the balance of power of the entertainment industry, cable television giant Comcast Corp. on Thursday made it official by announcing that it was buying control of NBC Universal from General Electric Co.

The proposed $30 billion transaction is the culmination of the longtime ambition by Comcast’s chief executive, Brian Roberts, to transform his family-controlled Philadelphia company from a passel of distribution pipes into a leading producer of movies and TV shows and owner of prominent cable channels.

....

Coming to you in 3D the full story

In my previous blog post I mentioned that the Village Centre Cinemas here in Pullman, Wash. finally had purchased a 3D projector.

Andy Z. Jones, the head projectionist, filled me in on the details.

"It is a Dolby 3d server(basically a big computer that is connected to the projector. it stores the movies and then streams the movie to the projector) which is the top of the line in 3D. The projector itself is also top of the line and manufactured in Europe. The higher quality projector requires the more expensive glasses, which is why we ask viewers to return the glasses after every show. We then wash them in a special dishwasher to wash and sanitize them"

Now the Village Centre is a little more up to speed with the rest of the digital age and has the capability to play both 3d and non 3d movies.

Iron Man 2 is coming soon

War Machine Revealed in 'Iron Man 2' Poster
by Matt McDaniel · December 1, 2009

Towards the end of 2008's "Iron Man," James "Rhodey" Rhodes (played by Terrence Howard) looked at the early silver version of Tony Stark's high-tech armor and said to himself, "Next time, baby."

That "next time" is coming on May 7, when "Iron Man 2" hits theaters. And Rhodey will get his wish, donning the heavily-armored metallic suit that turns him into War Machine, a character that has been a part of the "Iron Man" comic books for 30 years. But getting superpowers isn't the only change for the character. Click here for the rest of the details on Iron Man 2.

Why isn't Tiger talking?

Tiger Woods has been recently bombarded with questions and speculation from the media concerning his 2:30 a.m. car crash, and his alleged two affairs. It's understandable that Tiger doesn't want to be bothered and would much rather work through his problems privately, but is he continues to keep quiet, this media storm around him will only continue to grow.

Tiger is one of those celebritites who believes that if he just stays quiet, all the questions and speculation will just disappear...bad idea, Tiger. The longer you stay quiet, the more people are going to suspect you are doing or did something wrong. It's unfortunate that our society has become this way, but that is just the way it is.

So, speak up, Tiger. It will all be ok. Read an update on Tiger's dilemma here.

New Moon review

As promised, here is my opinion and review of the latest movie in the Twilight Saga: New Moon.

Going to see New Moon at midnight on the day it was released was pretty exciting. I've never went to a midnight release of any movie before so I was anticipating it greatly. And, I convinced my fiance to go with me...another plus since none of my friends were able to buy tickets in time before they were sold out.

I waited in line for an hour and a half in the freezing cold until they finally let us start filing into the theater at around 11:30 p.m. I was about the fifth or sixth person in line, so you would think that I would get pretty good seats...WRONG. Unfortunately, the movie theater decided to do this special double feature thing, showing Twilight at 9:30 p.m. and then showing New Moon in the same theater at midnight. Those who bought tickets for Twilight and went to it did not have to leave their seats in the theater in between Twilight and New Moon. Much to everyone's shock and disappointment, as the people who had been waiting in line for two hours entered the theater, they were greeted by an almost entirely full theater. Only the very front four or five rows remained, with a few single seats scattered around the rest of the theater.

I have to say I have never seen so many females in one movie theater before. And the even weirder thing, about 95 percent of them were college girls, not the middle-school girls you would expect for such a movie. Finally the movie began with a giant moon flashing across the screen with the words "New Moon" appearing over it (one girl even decided to take a picture of this...) New Moon started out pretty much exactly like the book. However, I felt the movie did not do a great job of sticking to the book throughout. Some parts were dead on, but that doesn't make up for the parts that were left completely out of the movie that are quite frankly pretty important to the story. Those of you who have read the books and saw the movie will know exactly what I'm talking about.

As far as acting goes, I have to say I think Kristen Stewart (Bella) did a much better job portraying her character in this movie than in Twilight. As for Robert Pattinson (Edward) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob)...not so much. Their acting skills seemed to suffer slightly in this movie...especially Jacob who apparently has problems doing "break up" scenes (It's not you it's me...REALY?) I would have to say that big thing that saved this movie...Taylor Lautner putting on 30 pounds of muscle to play werewolf Jacob and looking damn good after he did that. I think my fiance may have enjoyed the movie more if he hadn't had to listen to 200 college girls screaming everytime Jacob appeared on the screen without a shirt...and in the rain...which had to have happened at least five times.

I will continue to see the Twilight Saga movies as they come out. I just hope that the directors and actors work really hard on the last two movies, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, because those two are the most important and if they are done even slightly wrong it could ruin the whole series for some people.

To read New Moon reviews from some other folks, check out those at Rotten Tomatoes.

Redbox fights back

I am a college student, and like other students I live on Mac n' Cheese and Top Ramen; cheap food. Not having parents to fall back on for money, many college students feel broke. But even broke college students find ways to relax and be entertained.

Redbox provides consumers with $1 DVD rentals. Although the cheap rental is great for consumers, some Hollywood studios see Redbox in a different light. Some studios are blocking Redbox's access to their DVD's unless Redbox agrees to their terms. For now us broke college students will have to wait to see the some of the latest movies on DVD if we rent through Redbox, but the wait could be short; Redbox is fighting back and has filed a lawsuit agaisnt the three studios that are preventing their access to the DVD releases.

"While some Hollywood studios have inked deals with the company, others see low-price Redbox as a red menace, a threat to lucrative businesses such as DVD sales and the cuts it gets of higher-priced rentals at companies like Blockbuster Inc.

Universal Pictures, Twentieth-Century Fox and Warner Bros. have tried to block Redbox's access to their new DVDs unless Redbox agreed to terms like delays for new movies. Redbox, a unit of Coinstar Inc., is firing back with lawsuits against all three studios."

Read the whole article and interview at the Wall Street Journal here.

Does cable cost too much?

Time Warner Cable, the nation's second largest cable operator, (behind Comcast), is launching a new campaign to counter ideas that cable companies are charging consumers too much.
The blame for rising cable costs is caused by rising programming costs, according to Time Warner Cable.
However, TV-network owners claim they are only asking for fair compensation for their programming, for which costs are rising.

Subscriptions to both cable and satellite are expensive. With more programming being streamed free online, it isn't wise for cable and satellite companies to continually increase their prices. More and more consumers are switching over to only purchasing internet and they still are able to view their favorite TV shows. This creates problems for networks though, because then viewers only watch shows they know they like, it doesn't leave much room for people to find new favorite shows.
If they want to keep viewership numbers high TV-network owners and cable/satellite companies arguing over what are making costs rise and find a way to cut costs together.

For more on Time Warner Cable's campaign visit the Wall Street Journal.

Johnny Depp named "sexiest man alive"...again

In 2003, People Magazine named Johnny Depp as "the sexiest man alive." Depp has won the title again, being deemed the "sexiest man alive" by People in 2009. Read the full story and see who the runner-ups were here.

Happy Birthday

Mickey Mouse turns 81!

"Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie."

Is Twitter's 15 minutes up?

"Growth has been slowing for Twitter, the 140-character social networking site, and in October usage actually declined from September. The response from Twitter is, of course, to try new features that frankly I find annoying. Such a slowdown should have been expected, not to mention that like Facebook, many people sign up, look around and then don't come back. What do I know? I'm not some Silicon Valley genius. TechCrunch takes a look at the decline in twits."

From the L.A. Times "Company Town"

New Moon almost here

The highly anticipated second book/movie in the Twilight Saga, New Moon, comes out in about two weeks on Friday, Nov. 20. I will be attending the midnight premiere at Village Centre Cinemas...check back afterwards for a full review!

coming to you in 3D

Village Centre Cinemas recently purchased and installed a 3D projector. The theater now has the ability to play movies in 3D, such as the recently release "A Christmas Story".

Check back later for the full story.

China OKs Disney theme park plans -- latimes.com

China OKs Disney theme park plans -- latimes.com

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The Mouse comes to Shanghai

Disney has announced that it has approval to build its fourth theme park in Shanghai, China. The project is estimated to cost more than three billion dollars.

This is an large investment for Disney, as their park in Hong Kong is performing below average. The park opened in 2005 and annual visit rates are still about 25% below the original target, according the CNNMoney.com

For full stories visit the New York Times, the L.A. Times or Bloomberg.com

Southland dropped by NBC, but picked up by TNT

The critically acclaimed "Southland" has been struggling to gain a large audience. NBC has decided to drop the program from their lineup before the fall 2009 second season premiere. According to the L.A. times, TNT will air the six episodes from season two that have already been taped, but continuation of the series depends on viewership. To read the full story visit the L.A. Times or the Washington Post.

Dr. Drew entertains and informs

I was quite amazed to see how well Dr. Drew Pinsky had done his homework before he came to speak at WSU...he even knew what The Coug was (place to drink) and what Mike's was (place to fight AND drink). Dr. Drew's presentation made for a extremely entertaining and insightful evening.

Though many of the boys present for Thursday night's presentation may have felt slightly dissed by the way Dr. Drew was referring to men as having "small brains" and not knowing what a "conversation" was, the information Dr. Drew presented was smart, enlightening and, most importantly, true!

Dr. Drew's blantant honesty and blunt responses were very refreshing. He didn't dance around uncomfortable subjects or try hard not to make someone feel bad, he just said what he knew and what he thought. WSU should bring more people like him here to talk to students. Dr. Drew touched on the subject of binge-drinking and hooking up on college campuses, which (let's be honest), is a problem for quite a few people around here. He was very informative about the subject and if I were a person who drank a lot and then slept around (which I am not) I would probably decide to stop and clean up my life after hearing Dr. Drew talk.

Jay Leno for Mom's Weekend

Finally, WSU has hired someone super entertaining for Mom's Weekend! Aside from the fact that I kind of question where the university got the money to pay for Leno to come (it could NOT have been cheap) I am not ashamed to say that I am pretty excited. For information on the date, time and ticket prices, read the information at the WSU Today Web site.

Austin music and food beats out Pullman

I know this post might not fit in exactly with the rest of the blog, but this is a new experience for me and I wanted to share it.

I am in Austin, TX for a college media convention. After we checked into the hotel we, (myself and another executive board member from Cable 8 Productions), walked over to register for the convention. Workshops don't start until tomorrow, so we were free to roam around the city.

I was expecting Wranglers' Jeans and cowboy hats, but as we walked downtown I realized how bias my perception is of Texas. I only saw one man actually wearing a cowboy hat and only one bar blasting country music. The restaurant we ate at was fine dining and had a live jazz combo. The streets are filled with a very diverse group of people, ranging from bums to men in expensive business suits. The street, though filled with bars, is not like Pullman where you have drunken college students stumbling around; the atmosphere is more classy and diverse. There are sports bars, dancing clubs and more elegant bars.

One night in Austin has more entertainment than I have ever experienced in my 20 years in Pullman.

Here comes the Doctor

Well-known host of the radio show "Loveline" and VH1's reality television series "Celebrity Rehab," Dr. Drew Pinksky, will be at the CUB Ballroom Thursday night at 6 p.m.

Pinsky (usually referred to as Dr. Drew) will answer questions about love, sex and drugs, much like Loveline. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the event starts at 6 p.m. There is not cost to WSU students with ID and $10 for everyone else.

Check back in a few days for a review of Dr. Drew's discussions with students!

Conde Nast magazines fold

Conde Nast, the magazine publisher of "Vanity Fair" and "GQ" and over 15 other magazines, has folded four of its publications. It was announced earlier this month that "Gourmet", "Cookie", "Elegant Bride" and "Modern Bride" would no longer be in production. The cut is due to decrease in advertising revenue.

For more information check out this article and blog

Gym Class Heroes peform in CUB Senior Ballroom

The well-known alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroe performed in the CUB Senior Ballroom last Sunday, Oct. 18. Here is one students review of the concert from the Daily Evergreen's mix section. (By Alaina Grade)


On Sunday night, the CUB was full of students and locals ready to see the performance of New York alternative hip hop band, Gym Class Heroes....Click to read the whole story!

"The Proposal" - Cute, but not that funny

I didn't see "The Proposal" starring Sandra Bullock when it came out in theaters. I don't really know why I didn't...I thought it looked funny and actually really wanted to see it, but I guess i just didn't get around to it. Finally, it came out on DVD the other day and I decided to rent it (from Redbox of course!) and watch it on my lonely Sunday evening while my fiance was at work.

Though it was a very cute, heart-warming movie, I really expected it to be a lot funnier than it really was. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, like when Bullock is running around a giant campfire with her soon-to-be grandmother in-law chanting "to the window, to the wall!" or when her and her soon-to-be fiance end up accidently running into each other...while they're naked. However, I really expected to laugh throughout the movie and that really just didn't happen. It actually kind of made me cry at parts, but then again I am a sucker for crying during movies.

I am truly glad, however, that I waited to rent this movie and that I didn't spend the $8 or $9 on a movie ticket.

"Whip it" not up to speed

Drew Barrymore makes her debut as a director with "Whip It". The film stars Juno's Ellen Page as Bliss. Marcia Gay Harden plays her overbearing mother, that tries to live her dream of pageant competitions through her daughters. Bliss does not fit into pageant life and discovers a passion for roller derby. She makes the team, but hides it from her parents as she knows they would not approve. She becomes the star rookie, speeding her way to the top. Like all coming of age movies her parents eventually find out about the whole ordeal, get angry and eventually forgive her because it is her passion. Also like other movies somewhere in the movie there is a love story and a friendship tested.

This is another coming of age film, but it tries to mix things up by introducing roller derby. Though a good concept it is poorly executed. Instead the action sequences are sub-par and a tad dull, and the viewer can't connect to the emotion and action behind the sport.

This movie is cute, but I wouldn't pay the $8.50 to see it in theaters. Gather up your girlfriends for a feel-good chick flick, that gets you riled up ready for some action.

Jon and Kate...WHO REALLY CARES?

I can understand why Michael Jackson has been in the media spotlight for months...I can even kind of understand why scandals involving sex, money or cheating are continuously discussed in the media for months on end. However, no matter how much I try to wrap my brain around it, I CAN NOT understand why Jon and Kate Gosselin are still being talked about in every entertainment media show, and even in some regular news shows!

For those of you who don't know who Jon and Kate are, here's a real quick run-through: Basically, Jon and Kate had some twins and some quadruplets, or something like that, and ended with eight kids total. Since having eight kids is apparently some great accomplishment in our world, TLC decided to give Jon, Kate and their kids their own show called "Jon and Kate plus 8." So, they become famous, Jon and Kate's marriage ends up on the rocks, Jon apparently had an affair, Kate apparently had an affair and now their getting a divorce and apparently decided it would be better to televise the entire divorce.

My fiance and I live in a small apartment and we have an old TV that only has bunny ears to receive channels (for some reason it still works even though all the stations have switched to HD...I have no idea why). So, we basically get one station (ABC and like two WSU Research stations). Obviously, ABC is really our only source of entertainment. I am so tired of being forced to sit through an hour of entertainment news that literally only seems to talk about Jon and Kate and all their martial and kid problems. First, Entertainment Tonight is on, providing us with 20 minutes of "Guess who Jon was seen with last week?" And "Jon and Kate's first face-to-face meeting at their twins birthday!" Then there's maybe five or 10 minutes of other entertainment news. Then, I have to sit through The Insider. I really do not care what Lara Spencer has to say about Jon and Kate...if she's so concerned with them, she can go live with one of them.

Another thing about Jon and Kate that really gets me is the fact that they each keep talking about how they can't live normal lives because the paparazzi follows them everywhere and blah, blah, blah. If you guys are so tired of people asking you questions and following you around, why do you keep doing all these interviews with Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight and every media station that asks for it? Why do you guys want the entire world to witness every aspect of your divorce and your problems? Honestly, your kids are going to be messed up when they get older...I won't be surprised if they all end up as drug addicts, theives and prostitutes.


Here are some articles about Jon and Kate that really make you ask, "Who cares?"

Kate still wears her wedding ring

TLC drops Jon fromd Jon and Kate plus 8

Marriage on the rocks

Did Kate make Jon sign a contract?

A final thought - more news about celebrities and people like Jon and Kate who really don't deserve any attention is in the news these days. Things like genocide in Darfur, world hunger, even the Iraq war, are in the media WAY less than any celebrities - yes, even Jon and Kate.

take a look at MY girlfriend...okay I don't have a girlfriend...

GYM CLASS HEROES is coming to PULLMAN.

It is in caps because no one ever comes to Pullman, except for Mom's or Dad's weekend. Known for their hit, "Cupid's Choke hold", Gym Class Heroes is a band from our generation, not our parents. (Not that music from their generation wasn't awesome, because it was).

Tickets are $25 for students and $35 for the general public. Visit concerts page on the SEB website for more information.

I was so surprised that the Student Entertainment Board (SEB) was able to book them. It makes me wonder how much it cost to book them, I know from personal experience that This Providence, a band a little smaller than GCH wanted $2,000 for a benefit concert. This makes me think that this band was pretty pricey. I hope that spending all the money on them is worth it and that it receives a large turnout. As students part of our fees goes to SEB, and what they do with it is up to their discretion.

TagCrowd

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Karma bites...and bruises

The Office, Season 6 episode 2, "The Meeting"

Darryl tells Toby he hurt himself on the ladder, so Toby gives him the paperwork to receive worker's compensation. Dwight's eavesdropping, and suspects Darryl isn't telling the truth. Dwight and Toby precede to prove that Darryl is lying.

...meanwhile

Jim is in a meeting with Wallace, but Michael is not invited. Can't get Pam to spill the beans, so he hops under a fake "cheese cart" he makes Andy wheel into the room. So sad, meeting just got over.

Toby and Dwight scope out Darryl's house. They see his sister with no crutches and carrying dog food. (Deep breath...) They mistake her for him, yell an obscenity, realize it isn't Darryl, crash into trashcans, Toby gets bruised.

Wallace asks Michael if Jim is management material. Michael, in the dark and thinking that Jim is trying to replace him (when he is trying to, but then Michael would get an even bigger promotion) tells Wallace that Jim isn't. ...and so Jim doesn't get hired.

Darryl and his sister confront Toby and Dwight, who are ashamed and ready to admit defeat when they see the rest of the crew using the machine instead of stairs to go between floors. And there is wood replacing part of the banister. Dwight threatens, Darryl threatens...both follow through and file complaints about each other and Toby is left doing the paperwork.

Jim learns what Michael says, Michael realizes he could have been promoted and tries to fix it. He does...eventually, but instead of the original offer Jim and Michael are now co-managers! wahoo!

oh...and Pam tries to figure out who from the office is going to the wedding...and apparently it is everyone! Yay for Niagara Falls!

Give a hoot and listen up, it's Yarn Owl!

We sat down, well stood outside actually, to talk to Ted,Javier, Tim and Tyler about their band, Yarn Owl. Visit their myspace or their website for more information about the band.

ABC's fall line-up begins

This week starts the beginning of the long awaited season premieres of everyone's favorite TV shows this fall. Here's the line-up for this week (Sept. 21 to Sept. 27).



Monday:



8 p.m. - The first of the three-night "Dancing with the Stars" premiere. Running time: Two hours



10 p.m. - The season premiere of "Castle." This show was new to ABC last year. Running time: One hour.



Tuesday:



8 p.m. - The second night of "Dancing with the stars"...another two hours.

10 p.m. - ABC's new show "The Forgotten." Running time: One hour.

Wednesday:

8 p.m. - The last night of the "Dancing with the Stars" premiere...one hour this time.

9 p.m. - New this season..."Modern Family." Running time: Half an hour.

9:30 p.m. - Courtney Cox stars in "Cougartown." Running time: Half an hour.

10 p.m. - Another new show for ABC. "Eastwick" runs for one hour.

Thursday:

8 p.m. - One of this fall's most anticipated shows "Flash Forward" runs for one hour.

9 p.m. - The two-hour season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy."

Friday:

8 p.m. - "Flash Forward" will re-run its season premiere episode.

9 p.m. - "Modern Family" will show its season premiere again.

9:30 p.m. - "Cougartown" will show its season premiere again.

Staurday:

JUST FOOTBALL!!

Sunday:

8 p.m. - The season premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" runs for one hour.

9 p.m. - "Desperate Housewives" season premiere for one hour.

10 p.m. - Season premiere of "Brothers and Sisters" runs for one hour.

"The Office" season premiere

The 5th most popular television show among college students premiered last Thursday, September 17, on NBC.

Sadly, I had to miss it but thankfully we live in a time where there is streaming video online.

To read a re-cap you can visit televsionwithoutpity.com. This site offers excellent and hilarious re-caps/commentary on a variety of programs.

Crazy is contagious

First Serena, then Kanye...who's next?

Even though sports isn't Hollywood, I couldn't ignore the actions of tennis player, Serena Williams. During her semi-final match against Kim Clijsters, Williams lost her cool. Clijsters was winning; the score 6-4, 6-5. A lines judge called a foot fault on Williams, giving Clijsters the advantage, 15-40, in what would be the final game in the last set. Williams, upset with the call, walked over to the line judge screaming profanities and allegedly threatening to shove a tennis ball down her throat and kill her. For misconduct, a point was awarded to Clijsters, which consequently ended the semi-final match.

Ms. Williams wasn't the only one on the crazy train this week though. Kanye West thought he would keep her company. Taylor Swift was in the middle of her acceptance speech for best female music video during MTV's "Video Music Awards" when West appeared on stage and grabbed the microphone from her hand. He said Beyonce's music video was the best of the year and that she deserved to win, implying that Swift was undeserving of award.

He has since apologized on his blog and other various outlets. This was not a first time offense for West, who claimed he was robbed when he did not win best new artist at the "American Music Awards". More of his behaviors are mentioned in an article from flim.com.

Who will be next to jump on the train? Perhaps "Twilight" stars, Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson?...They seem pretty close to riding the train...

"Enthusiasm" reunites 'nothing'

"Seinfeld", (pitched as a show about nothing), has long been a favorite program to a variety of people over the years. More than 76 million viewers tuned in, (the third most watched series finale overall), in 1998 to watch the show's nine year run come to an end. Fans were told there was a slim chance of a reunion, but after ten years, after most fans had given up hope, Jerry Seinfeld announced that the cast will reunite. The cast of Seinfeld will appear together on "Curb Your Enthusiasm", the first time the cast has appeared together since the finale. Entertainment Weekly has the full story as well as an interview with Jerry Seinfeld.

Since Seinfeld left the air in 1998, the cast, with the exception of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, (Elaine), has had limited success.
Michael Richards, (Kramer), starred in the short-lived, "The Michael Richards Show" and was the center of much controversy when he said the N-word multiple times during a performance at the Laugh Factory in California.
Jason Alexander, (George), has appeared as a guest on multiple shows, such as "Friends" and has had some roles in a couple of films, none of which that have been extremely successful.
Louis-Dreyfus has seen success on her show, "The New Adventures of Old Christine". In 2006 she won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The show is now in its 5th season.
...and for Mr. Jerry Seinfeld himself? After the show ended he went on tour, returning to stand-up comedy.

District 9 - explosions, gore and even some heart...what more could you ask for?

When I first saw the previews for "District 9" about a month a half ago, I really thought it looked like a lame movie, mostly because I could never really tell what it was supposed to be about in the previews. The first time I saw a preview for it, I remember thinking it was supposed to be a comedy about aliens...obviously I was wrong about that. After seeing more previews, I thought it looked like any other stupid sci-fi, let's blow up the aliens more. And now that I have actually seen it, I was quite wrong with that assumption also.

The movie starts out with a slight comedic tone, showing Multi-National United (MNU) field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) being interviewed about his roll in controlling and patrolling the citizens of District 9 (the aliens). Merwe's air-head responses to questions and his complete absent-mindedness as he strolls though the "prawns" neighborhood, attempting to serve each one an eviction notice, is pretty funny.

The movie then takes a more serious turn when the viewer is shown the more violent side of the prawns, and the killing begins. For those who like some good explosions (and I don't just mean building or car explosions, I'm talking about heads exploding, whole bodies exploding, etc.) will really enjoy this movie. The alien weapontry, which cannot be fired by human hands, creates a violent, gore-filled explosion movie.

After this long bout of violence, the movie turns slightly soft, showing that some of these prawns do have feelings and showing the growing friendship between Merwe and a prawn by the name of Christopher Johnson. One thing I did not expect from this movie was the feel sadness for Merwe and his prawn friend, but that is definetly the emotion I was felt as the movie ended.

Although there are no well-known actors or actresses in the movies, and although it does not take place where most top box-office movies do (New York, L.A., etc.), it is totally a movie worth seeing.

To see more reviews on District 9 and other movies, go to Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

Here is the discription of District 9 taken off Yahoo.com:


Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's District 9 as the world's nations argued over what to do with them.Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare -- they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe, contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable -- he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

How many books can Hollywood ruin? one more it seems...

As a former employee at Village Centre Cinemas, I had access to free movies. The last movie I saw before leaving my job was "The Time Traveler's Wife". I was very excited to go this movie as soon as I saw the trailer online. The story line seemed solid, and my friends that had read the book told me it was amazing. Also, shallow as it might be, I think Eric Bana is extremely good looking, as well as Rachel McAdams, which made the movie THAT much more appealing to me.

Thursday came and I settled into the theater chair - my last time I would do so for a midnight employee preview - with great anticipation for the film. The movie began and my eyes were glued to the screen. However, as the movie continued my eyes began to wander. By the time the film ended I was left unsatisfied, (but thankfully, I saw the movie for free).

My co-workers felt the same; the movie did not live up to the hype. Those that had read the book thought the movie did the book injustice. I decided that I should pick up the book and see what the fuss was about. Only on the third chapter, it is hard to stop to even write this; it is THAT good. So once again a great book is brought to meritocracy by Hollywood.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" is a couch movie to see with your girlfriends (or force your boyfriends to watch...which they just might agree to it, as it gives them an excuse to stare at Rachel McAdams for a couple of hours). It could be justified as a matinee movie, but definitely not a movie to waste an evening on. Instead, borrow from a friend - or a library - and read the book.

Nothing to do this weekend? See a movie!

Movies currently playing at Pullman Village Centre Cinemas!

District 9

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra

Halloween 2

Inglourious Basterds

Julie and Julia

Taking Woodstock

The Final Destination

The Time Traveler's Wife

Coming Soon....

Sept. 4, 2009

Gamer

Sept. 11, 2009

Sorority Row

Whiteout

Sept. 18, 2009

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Love Happens

Jennifer's Body

Sept. 25, 2009

Fame

Check back soon for reviews of these movies and updated release dates! To see reviews of movies currently playing at Village Centre Cinemas, check out Rotten Tomatoes

plenty of music is only a five hour drive away.

Pullman may not get big headlining bands, but they are invading Seattle.

Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival is September 5 - 7, 2009. Artists include The Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz, Katy Perry and Sheryl Crow. Ticket prices vary. Visit the Bumbershoot website for more details.

the shows that keep you on the couch.

While you are procrastinating studying, check out these shows that rank the most popular with college students. Ten Most Popular Keep checking this blog for updates about the top five shows.