New episode up...

You don't mess with the Spectre

A cool little feature on the new "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" DVD is a short animated film about the Spirit of Vengeance, The Spectre.

The Spectre is a hot character currently, appearing in the "Blackest Night" event, so it makes great sense (and timing) to have a short about the character.

And at a run time of about 12 minutes, tells a great story and leaves you wanting more.

The short was written by "30 Days of Night" author Steve Niles and stars the voices of Gary Cole "Office Space" and Alyssa Milano "Charmed."

It follows Detective Jim Corrigan (who is the host of the Spectre) as he investigates the murder of a famous Hollywood producer. The best part of this short is the look of the credits, which is done in a very cool "Grindhouse" style. Doing that really sets a tone for the rest of the short.

Basically The Spectre finds the guilty parties and punishes them in horrific ways. Much like in the comics where he often has a kind of sick sense of humor when punishing people. When he "punished" Dr. Light he made him into a burning candle, the Black Hand's hand was rotted away (get it? Black Hand.)

There is even a nice little twist at the end. Yes, "Shutter Island" I'm looking at you.

I really hope that DC Entertainment and its new creative structure will continue to employ these short films before every big animated release. It is a great venue to tell the story of lesser known characters that might not be able to hold their own hour and a half film.

Maybe a Deadshot short? Or a Phantom Stranger?

How cool would a Booster Gold comedic/mystery short be?

I'll review the "Crisis on Two Earths" film once the Oscar project is out of the way. I have "Precious," "Up" and "A Serious Man" to still see.

Ranking the Best Picture nominees (so far)

Figured out that I've seen seven out of the 10 Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards this year, so I decided to show my thought process and rank each one in order of the best to the rest.

Of course, the No. 1 position means I think it should win Best Picture. As I see the other three films the list will be updated.

1. "The Hurt Locker"

2. "District 9"

3. "Up in the Air"

4. "Avatar"

5. "The Blind Side"

6. "Inglorious Basterds"

7. "An Education"

Which means I still have to see "Up," "A Serious Man" and "Precious." After two days of bad movies: "Shutter Island" and "An Education" I'm going to have to wait a few days on catching "Precious" and "A Serious Man."

And keep "Up" to watch last because it's supposed to be fantastic.

New episode up...

Yes, we are that nerdy

Before filming today's episode of "Inscaped" Stephanie, Emile and I were discussing "Lost."

We are dead serious about our "Lost" talk. Like nerdy serious.

Emile started drawing a diagram of how the different time lines are working in the show. I got into the act and drew one, then Emile drew another one.

This makes my trying to explain the "Star Trek" alternate time lines look normal in comparison.

I will say that Emile's middle "infinity" diagram does make a lot of sense when you think about it...

No more Adam Chandler

For soap fans yesterday was a sad day as David Canary of "All My Children" announced he was retiring from the show.

Canary has played Adam and Stuart Chandler for 27 years, winning five Daytime Emmys and 11 nominations.

It is believed that his retirement coincides with the show moving its production from New York to Los Angeles.

The tragedy in this is that Adam is such an integral part of the show that his absence will create a massive hole in the canvas. Adam is Pine Valley's ruthless businessman who has been responsible for some of the show's most heinous acts over the years.

Despite Adam's villainy, Canary was always able to bring a level of vulnerability and caring to the role. A lot of this came from his portrayal of Adam's sweet and compassionate twin Stuart.

Apparently he will be leaving town with one of his many exes (rumors say it will be Brooke who returns next week) and handing over Chandler Enterprises to his son JR.

As a longtime viewer of the show this news is devastating because coupled with the recent passing of daytime legends James Mitchell and Frances Reid, it is another blow to the already struggling soap opera industry.

Box Office Tuesday

Since we didn't do a show last week, Tim and I didn't have a chance to do our box office predictions. Had we done a show I would have predicted "Valentine's Day" to be No. 1. However, I would have never thought it would have made $66.8 million.

I know the film was tailor made for the holiday, but no one could have seen that coming. I guess all that star power paid off. It's no surprise that the studio already has a sequel in the works.

"Percy Jackson" was a surprising second place with $38.7 million. I suppose the counter programming to all the hearts and flowers is a family movie.

Right behind it in third was "The Wolfman" with $36.4 million. While that is a respectable opening, I think the studio was hoping for better. The reviews and word of mouth haven't been that strong so I don't know if this is going to be the blockbuster they were hoping for.

"Avatar" and "Dear John" rounded out the top five.

The success of "Valentine's Day" can obviously be attributed to the holiday falling during a four day weekend. It will be interesting to see if the movie can sustain its audience without any holidays helping it.

This week's big opening is "Shutter Island" so "Valentine's Day"could continue making money as an alternative to the Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio thriller.

Olympics alternatives

With the start of the Olympics, TV watching becomes a little tricky. Not so much for me because I'm Olympics crazy. But, if you're the unpatriotic type like Tim you may need something else to watch.

I've checked around for a few shows and channels that are airing alternatives to the Olympics juggernaut.

FOX is still airing new episodes of most of its schedule including: "24," "American Idol," "Human Target" and the new show "Past Life." The network also had a new block last night of its Sunday animated programs.

"Lost" is only two episodes into its new season, so it's definitely airing new shows. ABC also has new "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" this week.

In case you haven't had your fill of jungle back-stabbing or action-packed trips around the world, CBS just started new seasons of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race."

Cable shows like "Big Love," "Damages," "Nip/Tuck" and "The Secret Life of a Call Girl" are still airing new episodes.

So there is definitely programming for people who aren't into skiing and figure skating, though I can't imagine why you aren't (I'm looking at you Tim.)

As far as I'm concerned all those shows are what DVRs were invented for, because right I'm all about the Olympics.

Wanna See It? Internet edition

*Inscaped had major, horrible technical issues yesterday and we were unable to film the new episode. Hopefully everything will be back on track for next week*

Only three new movies this week and since "Avatar" was dethroned last week, we won't have to worry about that anymore. One interesting thing is this week is the battle of three good, competent directors. Show should be an interesting weekend to say the least.

We'll start with the new romantic comedy "Valentine's Day" which has the biggest cast in a movie EVER. Seriously, just look at all the names on that poster... and that's not all of them.

The film is directed by the master of romantic comedies Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman"). The film is not doing too well right now with only a 14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Of those ratings only four are good, 26 bad.

This is a critic proof film though. Women are going to go out and see it and drag their significant others along.

"Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" is the next film and has two big things going for it. First off is director Chris Columbus who not only directed the first two "Harry Potter" movies, but classics like "Home Alone" and "Mrs. Doubtfire."

The other thing is the amazing cast assembled. Never mind the teenage actors, look at the adult cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Kevin McKidd and Joe Pantoliano. That is a good solid cast.

The story follows teenagers who find out they are the children of Greek Gods, like Poseiden and Athena. And they have powers. And it's based on a series of children's books.

Right now it has a 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It was in the 60s earlier yesterday, which is bad news.

*Universal wouldn't give us access to press materials so I had to whip something up*

And "The Wolfman" is last. Starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Mr. Smith himself Hugo Weaving. The story is what you think, guy gets bit by a werewolf and turns into one then all heck breaks loose.

Right now it has a 30 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, not very good. The film is directed by Joe Johnston who directed "Jurassic Park 3" and will direct the new "Capt. America" film. On paper between the material, the actors, writers (writers of "Seven" and "Road to Perdition") and director this has slam dunk written all over it. But, we'll see.

I'm going the safe route and saying "Valentine's Day" will be No. 1, but not by much.

Sequel casting news

A few casting notes came out this week about some highly anticipated sequels.

Penelope Cruz may play Jack Sparrow's new foil in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." The film allegedly revolves around the fountain of the youth.

"On Stranger Tides" is directed by Rob Marshall who worked with Cruz on her Oscar nominated performance in "Nine." The film will shoot in Hawaii in the summer and is scheduled to be released May 20, 2011.

Tim Robbins has been cast in the new "Green Lantern" movie. He will play Senator Hammond, who is the father of Peter Sarsgaard's Hector Hammond.

In the Green Lantern universe Hector Hammond's father is not a crucial character, so the film will obviously be creating a new story worthy of an actor like Robbins.

'Fringe' is the best show I can't watch

As Tim previously mentioned I agreed to watch an episode of "Fringe" if he watched "American Idol." Since I'm a woman of my word, I sat down yesterday and watched "Fringe."

Let me first say that I have never doubted that it's a great show, I'm just unable to deal with the horrifically awesome ways people die on the show. Luckily Tim chose a not so scary episode.

The show was titled "The Bishop Revival" and revolved around a character who was using a mysterious chemical to kill people with specific genetic markers.

What I liked about it was the way it used the mystery to reveal deeper layers in the father-son relationship between Walter and Peter Bishop. They have a tumultuous past and though they have seemingly gotten past it, old resentments still linger below the surface.

I also need to take a moment and discuss how fantastic Joshua Jackson is as Peter. Like a lot of people my age I had a huge crush on him during "Dawson's Creek" so it makes me happy to see him still producing good work.

Overall I think I got the much better end of this deal, as I can honestly say that if the episode doesn't involve people exploding or liquefying I'll probably keep watching "Fringe."

Tim on the other hand has not become instantly hooked on "American Idol." However, there's always "The X-Factor," which premieres next year.

Never make entertainment wagers

Stephanie hates horror. Or anything scary for that matter.

So she has never seen one of my favorite shows "Fringe." Some of those episodes can be a little scary, even for a macho guy like me.

But, there are a few episodes out that aren't scary. And I figured Stephanie might enjoy some Walter Bishop craziness.

We struck up an entertainment deal. I would watch "American Idol" tonight and she would watch an episode of "Fringe" that I would pick out. A non-scary one of course.

I made a mistake.

I have seen bits and pieces of "American Idol" before, but never an entire episode.

And it was painful.

First off, all the hype that Ellen DeGeneres was starting as the new judge. Well, she got a few good lines in but it wasn't worth the hype.

Also, I could never be a music judge. Most of the people I thought were horrible, the judges thought were fantastic. And the people I thought were good, the judges hated.

Maybe I need to get my hearing checked.

Now I'm thinking I need to find the scariest episode of "Fringe" ever for having to sit through that.

Yikes, we were wrong

So the mighty "Avatar" was dethroned this weekend.

And by a Nicholas Sparks' adaptation no less. "Dear John" earned around $30 million, beating
"Avatar" by about $8 million.

So, yes, Stephanie and I were dead wrong. We didn't take the Super Bowl into account or star Channing Tatum's movie star pull.

A tad embarassing if you ask me.

At least we both knew that "From Paris with Love" would bomb (which it did with $8 million.)

On a side, great note, "The Princess and the Frog" passed $100 million. So, good news at least. It is/was the 32nd film 0f 2009 to do so. "Sherlock Holmes" passed $200 million domestically and $400 million worldwide.

Maybe we'll pass on box office predictions this week...

New episode up... and some Oscar numbers

As talked about during the show, here are some numbers on the amount of wins in the big categories from all awards handed out this season (as of today).

Best Picture:
"The Hurt Locker" - 15
"Up in the Air" - 10
"Inglorious Basterds" - 3
"Avatar" - 2
"Precious" - 1

Best Director:
Bigelow - 21
Tarantino - 2
Reitman - 2
Cameron - 1
Daniels - 1

Best Actor:
Clooney - 12
Bridges - 6
Renner - 6
Firth - 5
Freeman - 2

Best Actress:
Mulligan - 10
Streep - 9
Bullock - 3
Sidibe - 3
Mirren - 0

Supporting Actor:
Waltz -28
Harrelson - 1
Everyone else - 0

Supporting Actress:
Monique - 25
Kendrick - 4
Farmiga - 1
Everyone else - 0

Wanna See It?

Since we will have a jam packed show this week and it's a pretty slow week at theaters, we're doing a special online Wanna See It?

Let's start with "Dear John," a romantic drama based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. If you're not familiar, he wrote "The Notebook."

This film stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as the star crossed lovers who meet and fall in love over a two week period and then must deal with a year long separation because Tatum must finish serving his tour of duty.

The movie is currently rated on Rotten Tomatoes at 36 percent and doesn't appear to have the same magnetic draw as films like "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember."

This could be due in part to an apparent lack of chemistry between Tatum and Seyfried. I really don't expect "Dear John" to do big business. Feel free to enjoy it on DVD in two weeks.

The other big release of the week is "From Paris With Love" starring John Travolta and "The Tudors" Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

This is your basic buddy action movie, with Travolta playing the wild and crazy partner and Rhys-Meyers as the straight laced down to earth guy.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this film about a million times already, so I'm not expecting anything new from this one. However, it is directed by Pierre Morel, who did "Taken" and co-written by Luc Besson, who is responsible for "The Transporter" films and "The Fifth Element."

This pedigree does give the film some extra weight, but clips don't make me hopeful for anything above average.

So it appears that "Avatar" is safe for another week, however, "Shutter Island," "The Wolfman" and "Alice in Wonderland" loom large in the distance.

You never know when you'll need a used cement mixer

Over the weekend, as I ran my usual Saturday errands, I was surprised to see a sign advertising one of my guilty pleasure shows, "Clean House."

"Clean House" is a show on the Style Network that features people with ridiculously cluttered and messy homes receiving professional help to clean and organize their lives.

What makes the show great is it's host, Nicey Nash. She is a comedienne who is also known for her work on "Reno 911."

On "Clean House" she spends a lot of her time arguing with homeowners about what they can keep and what they should throw away. Every episode results in a yard sale of the homeowners best items to help pay for the makeover.

Well imagine my surprise when one of these yard sales took place in my neighborhood. As I walked around the building sorting through someone else's junk I wondered why someone would keep a cement mixer all these years but decided I couldn't judge.

I ended haggling with a show assistant on the price of some children's games. He wanted five dollars, I wanted three, guess who won.

It was kind of cool to go behind the scenes to see how they shoot the show and put together the yard sales. I'm not sure when the episode will be on but I can't wait to hear the backstory on the cement mixer.

Set phasers to FAIL

So the Academy Award nominees were announced and as we all feared "Star Trek" was left out of the Best Picture race.

Knew it was coming, but it didn't make it any easier. I knew a movie like "Invictus" or "A Single Man" would probably bump it.

What makes me so mad is that "The Blind Side" of all movies made the cut, essentially bumping the more deserving "Star Trek" out.

"Star Trek" did get four technical nominations, but that's not really saying anything. Even "Norbit" has an Academy Award technical nomination.

Stephanie and I will be discussing the nominations further on this Friday's show.

We are also planning a big Oscars round table video or set of videos coming up. We are going to bring our producer/director Emile and logo designer/technical adviser Tony in front of the camera and break down categories and have a lively discussion.

Tony and I had a great discussion about visual effects in movies when it comes to awards, so it should be great.

Oscar predictions

With the announcement of the Academy Award nominations less than 24 hours away it is time for Tim and I to reveal our Oscar predictions.

Stephanie:

Best Picture: Since the top five are predictable at this point, I will stick with what I think the other five will be. "Up," "Star Trek," "District 9," "An Education" and my dark horse "The Hangover."

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Jeremy Renner and Morgan Freeman. No surprises here Jeff Bridges has been on a roll.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia"), Gabourey Sidibe, Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan. Again no surprises as the acting categories have been the same at most of the big awards.

Best Director: James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Jason Reitman, Quentin Tarantino and another dark horse Neil Blomkamp. While Lee Daniels has done his best work on "Precious" his previously lackluster resume will be a disadvantage.

Supporting Actor/Actress: While Tim thinks there could be some surprises, I think MoNique and Christoph Waltz have these categories locked up, so it doesn't matter who else is nominated.

Surprises: There are a few underdogs who can sneak in including Emily Blunt for Best Actress which would bump Gabby Sidibe out of the running. I'm also hoping to see Sigourney Weaver in the Supporting Actress category.


Finally, after last year's Best Original Song debacle I hope the Academy nominates some really worthy candidates so we can enjoy good musical performances. Likely choices include, "I See You" from "Avatar," anything from "The Princess and the Frog" and "I Want to Come Home" from "Everybody's Fine" performed by Paul McCartney. You know the Academy can't pass that up.

So now all that's left to do is to wait and see how completely wrong I am.

Tim here. Well, below this.

Leave it to Stephanie to take the words right out of my mouth. Her choices in acting directly mirror mine.

And how I would love to Blomkamp to be nominated. No offense to Daniels, but no one else could have directed "District 9."

I also agree with her that the top five are already locked in: "Avatar," "Up in the Air," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglorious Basterds" and "Precious." And I would love, love for her other nominees to get the nod tomorrow morning. But, I am more of a realist (today). "District 9" and "Star Trek" have great shots, but "The Hangover" doesn't. Look for a film like "A Serious Man" or "A Single Man" to get that spot.

Surprises (I would love to see): Sharlto Copley for Best Actor (For being his first movie? Holy crap.) Not only was it an amazing performance, but talk about character range. At first you were laughing at the character, then hating him, then feeling compassion for him and then rooting for him. And then take into consideration that a lot of his performance was improved.

Anthony Mackie for Supporting for "The Hurt Locker." Another out of nowhere performance. Renner might get the spotlight in the film, but Mackie deserves some of it. Too bad it's an unwinable year in Supporting Actor.