I hope everyone has had a good 2008 and has a great new year... In the mean time, watch out for Christmas Television specials such as Dr Who on BBC 1 (Xmas Day, 6pm), Wallace & Gromit on BBC1 (Xmas Day, 8.30pm) and The 39 Steps on BBC 1(28th Dec, 8pm).
I have decided to write my favourites of this year, some great stocking fillers :D
Top Albums- 1. Folie A Deux- Fall Out Boy 2. Day & Age- The Killers 3. Funhouse- Pink
Top Films- 1. Mamma Mia! 2. Burn After Reading 3. Cloverfield/27 Dresses/HSM 3/Wall-E (Was I really going to pick just three films?)
Top Reading- 1. Just After Sunset- Stephen King 2. How To Lose Friends & Alienate People- Toby Young (I know this is old but rerelease in 2008) 3. The Hours- Michael Cunningham/The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold/Out- Natsuo Kirino/American Psycho- Bret Easton Ellis
Top Television- 1. Gossip Girl Season 2 2. Desperate Housewives Season 5 3. Grey's Anatomy Season 5 4. Spooks Series 8
Favourite personalities of 2008- 1. Leona Lewis 2. Alan Carr 3. Annie Lennox
Bolt Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Kung Fu Panda DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
Wall-E Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) The Country of Germany (DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX) Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark) The Country of Sweden and The Country of Denmark (MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK) Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
Gomorrah (Italy) The Country of Italy (GOMORRA) Fandango; IFC Films
I've Loved You So Long (France) The Country of France (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME) UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
Waltz With Bashir (Israel) The Country of Israel Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics
Both artists have announced major tours for summer 2009
By Mark Savage Entertainment reporter, BBC News
It's either a huge mistake or a brilliantly contrived piece of PR, but Britney Spears and Take That are both releasing an album called Circus (or The Circus) on the same day.
There won't be a Blur vs Oasis-style chart battle - Take That's album has already broken pre-order records, ensuring that it will go to number one by the end of the week.
But, as any chart historian knows, securing the top spot is no guarantee of quality - just ask Elvis, whose Suspicious Minds was robbed of chart glory by Rolf Harris's Two Little Boys.
So, who has constructed a better big top - Take That or Britney Spears?
TAKE THAT
The UK's most popular boy band present the second album since their hugely successful reunion.
BRITNEY SPEARS
Britney's sixth studio record follows a tempestuous year for the former mouseketeer.
PREVIOUS FORM
Take That's last album, Beautiful World, sold 2.5 million in the UK.
Britney Spears' last album, Blackout, sold 250,000 in the UK.
HOW WILL I RECOGNISE THE NEW ALBUM IN A SHOP?
NUMBER OF WRITERS
Nine
37 (yes, 37)
BALLAD RATIO
Eight out of 13 tracks - 62%
Three out of 14 tracks - 21%
OPENING TRACK
The Garden: A typically rousing Take That ballad, set against the unlikely backdrop of a major ecological disaster ("the scent of burning oil was in the air")
Womanizer: Britney's latest hit single is a flawless piece of 21st Century robo-pop with a tongue-twister chorus. Also contains sirens.
DOES IT INCLUDE A SONG CALLED THE CIRCUS?
Yes. It's practically a Gary Barlow solo track, with a sparse piano-vocal arrangement.
Lyrically, it's the tale of a lover spurned, with Gary cast as the circus clown for loving a lady who has abandoned him. A thousand hearts will break.
Yes. In it, Britney claims to be the "ringleader" (we think she means ringmaster) of a circus which may or may not be a metaphor for the music industry. Key lyric: "When I crack that whip, everybody's gonna trip, just like a circus"
DOES THE ARTIST PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF GENUINE CIRCUS SKILLS?
Yes
Yes
BEST SONG
Throwaway bonus track She Said is a delightful hula shuffle which promises to be a highlight of the group's sold out stadium tour.
Nothing quite matches the magnificent Womanizer, but the stuttering groove of Mannequin and the flirty Radar come close.
WORST SONG
Mark Owen's tale of domestic bliss, Hello. Set to a rolling music hall piano, it aims to match the towering grandeur of Shine, but ends up sounding a little bit like When I'm Cleaning Windows.
Every Britney album has a tedious song about getting naked or being a "freak" in the bedroom. Here it is the slap bass-powered Lace And Leather. Even Britney sounds bored.
BEST LYRIC
"I met this girl last night and she said 'why won't you marry me?' Well, I'm too young for that, too dumb for that, too broke for that, too tired for that... But would you like to come back to my flat?" (Up All Night)
A brilliant moment of comic misdirection from Mark Owen.
"Can't remember what I did last night. Everything is still a blur. Can you calmly hand me all my things? I think I need an aspirin." (Blur)
A woozy recollection of the morning after the night before, and the only allusion to Britney's "lost year" on the album.
WORST LYRIC
"Just the other day somebody said to me, 'hey maybe you're oh-so-slightly OCD'... I said, 'yes, that's partly true but it's just my way of compartmentalising all the things I see.'" (How Did It Come To This)
Jason Orange lets us into his latest psychotherapy session.
"Say what you want about me, but all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to If You Seek Amy." (If You Seek Amy)
It looks like nonsense, but in Britney's southern drawl those last four words sound incredibly smutty. A desperate attempt to shock.
LYRIC DISPLAYING MOST AWARENESS OF CURRENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC CLIMATE
"Looks like the cost of houses are falling, but I don't notice." (Hello)
"All we had is shattered like broken glass" (Shattered Glass)
DURATION (ACTUAL)
50mins 58secs
50mins 10secs
DURATION (PERCEIVED)
A cozy sixty minutes reading the Sunday papers beside a roaring fire with a stack of hot, buttered toast and a mug of cocoa.
Half-an-hour of wild abandon in a sweaty nightclub, followed by three days reflecting on your inexcusable behaviour.
STRANGEST ARTWORK MOMENT
Gary Barlow looks terribly uncomfortable swinging on a trapeze.
While dressed as Heidi, Britney is served a cake by a circus performer.
BEST THANK YOU OR INLAY CREDIT
"Take That performed all their own stunts throughout the making of The Circus."
"Thank you, Brett Miller AKA Snowflake - for getting my ass out of bed."
NUMBER OF INTERNET "FRIENDS"
Myspace: 56,947 Facebook: 58,228 Bebo: 34,456
Total: 149,631
Myspace: 462,732 Facebook: 356,956 Bebo: 2,117
Total: 824,544
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL EVENT
Fans have been invited to wave the group off as they catch the Eurostar to Paris on Monday. Four of them will win tickets to join them on the train. If they've remembered their passports.
MTV and Sky One will broadcast a warts-and-all documentary, Britney: For The Record, detailing the troubled last 12 months in the singer's life. Contains such insights as "I'm a smart person".
THE CRITICS SAY
"Gary Barlow can't spot a cliche like without stepping eagerly into it."
A confident, accomplished record that's precision-targeted at their fanbase. The lush orchestration gives a cinematic sweep to ballads like Greatest Day and The Garden, but it also disguises the occasional weak vocal.
There are some classic Britney tracks here but sonically and lyrically she is treading water. It's a shame that the Princess of Pop hasn't been able to channel the turmoil of the last 12 months into her music.
OUR MUM SAYS
"I like the single. It's very sing-along-ish. I'm looking forward to seeing them in June."
"She looks really well compared to what she looked like last year. Do you think that's her real hair?"
IT'S ONLY DAY'S AWAY!!! That's right, the release of the new LP by The Killers, 'Day & Age' is just days away from it's release. I received my email to tell me that it has now been dispatched to me and should be with me in a few days and I cannot wait! Anyway, to keep myself ticking along I listened to just one song other than 'Human' (Number 4 in the UK Chart, last weeks highest new entry!) from the new album, the brilliant and rumoured second single, 'Spaceman'. Here is a preview, I am on around listen 200 now!
ABC has declined to pick up Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone for full-season orders.
The net work has decided not to extend the trio's second season runs past 13 episodes, but is avoiding the term cancellation, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller said that he hoped to continue the show in comic book and movie form.
"I can't help but feel immense pride when it comes to Pushing Daisies," he remarked. "I'm grateful to everyone and for everyone who brought the show to life and for the very loyal audience that embraced us.
"If we are indeed dead on ABC, we now have to convince DC Comics to let us tell the rest of the season's storylines out in comic book form and convince Warner Bros features to let Pushing Daisies live again as a movie."
The three shows, all in their second season, this week saw their ratings sink to a series low.
It's that time of year again, although it seems that some of the biggest names are in for the chance of a lifetime, to be cancelled. After scrolling through the latest numbers, the viewing public are changing their methods. Instead of watching the weekly serials, where we must watch each episode to understand the story, instead don't have enough time. Or is that the case? Is it actually the fact that television is dumbing down, do we prefer to watch the half hour sitcom where we actually get 20 mins of comedy and 10 of commercials? With numbers for the recent, 'How I Met Your Mother' reaching an all time high (9.8 Million viewers) and Heroes with it's matched low from last week (7.6 Million), this really begs the question, what are we turning the watch? As an avid viewer of The CW's 'Gossip Girl', I was surprised to see that the recent Thanksgiving episode, 'The Magnificent Archibald's' got the lowest rating for this series, with just under 3 million and The CW's misery does not stop there, 'One Tree Hill' has been slipping under the strain of the half hour sitcom as well. After the recent news that NBC's new drama, 'My Own Worst Enemy' staring Christian Slater has been cancelled after only nine episodes, although NBC has not officially annouced this (they prefer not to admit they failed). But the drama came over whether 'Lipstick Jungle' is cancelled. Variety initially cited sources as saying Lipstick was done, but nothing ever officially came down from NBC. New York Time Report- "As of this week, the show is breathing again. The reason: it showed signs of life this past Friday, and it picked up 50 percent more viewers when delayed viewing (from DVRs and other devices) was included in the episode a week earlier. The show also received an outpouring of support from fans. Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, said Monday that NBC will now definitely finish the 13 episodes that the network originally ordered -- it has 4 more episodes to run -- and may order more if the show "grows more."" Says star Brooke Shields: "They thought that because My Own Worst Enemy has been shut down that the same thing had happened to us, and it's not true. They're not breaking down the sets. We're still working. We still have more to do, so it's erroneously presented that we've been canceled, thank God. Our bosses are saying, 'You're not canceled, don't worry. We're just trying to figure out how to make this make sense.'"
My eyes are currently on shows like 'Heroes', it seems with ever decreasing ratings throughout the current season, has seen the internet rife with rumours that NBC's current best friend could be shoved off. Tim Kring has urged more people to start watching Heroes during its current season. Speaking at a recent Screenwriting Expo, he urged potential viewers to "come on in" because "the water’s fine", according to Sy Fy Portal. “You can hop on the train and you won't have missed too much," he said. Ratings for the show have steadily decreased during the third season, prompting Kring to speculate that current viewing habits are to blame. "It's a very flawed way of telling stories on network television right now because of the advent of the DVR and online streaming," he claimed. "So [watching it] on air is related to the saps and the dips***s who can't figure out how to watch it in a superior way." Now, is it just me or this either sarcasm or just rudeness, one way or another, something could very easily have been taken out of context, but for Kring to even say something like this, begs the question, how much is this show for the viewers. To just invite new viewers weeks in season three? What about the loyal viewers? What about all those people who have tangled with the story of the superheroes since Season 1?
A show which has already been placed in the cancellation zone before it's even premiered is Joss Whedon's new drama, 'Dollhouse'. Let me count the ways when it comes to Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' and it's cancellation:
1. Whedon already has a sordid history with FOX. Do you remember Firefly? Whedon original, FOX cancelled. Shelf life: 12 episodes (3 unaired), sometimes aired out of order (the original pilot was aired on FOX only after the show was canceled). 2. Whedon reshoots the pilot. Apparently the first one didn't make all that much sense. 3. Production delay of 2 weeks. 4. More production delays. 5. The new trailer looks intriguing, yet reveals no additional direction for the series from the old trailer. For a show being accused of being aimless, that ain't good. 6. And the killer: FOX slots Dollhouse on Fridays. It premieres February 13th at 9PM. Historically, nobody watches show on Fridays unless they're CBS crime procedurals. Recent Friday deaths: Moonlight, The Ex List, Lipstick Jungle (maybe?). Also soon to be dead: Crusoe. There you go, decide what you will but it seems FOX are in no way happy to extend the relation with Whedon longer than they have to.
Another show rumoured to be coming to an end is the FOX baby, 'Prison Break'. According to The Hollywood Reporter, cast and production members from Prison Break have been told by FOX that they may be filming an additional two episodes this season, but it may come with a huge catch. They also report that those extra two episodes may serve as a series finale...yep, a series finale. The idea behind the logic starts with Prison Break's ratings, which are down (surprise!), but also includes the fact that Prison Break was not placed on Fox's recent midseason schedule (House and 24 will be moving to Mondays, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was ostracized to Fridays, is that a sign?). Prison Break is routinely one of those shows that is on the bubble when it comes time to cancel shows, but its ardent fan base has kept it afloat. However, the two episodes could serve as a non-series-ending "event" (like 24: Redemption) that would air later, or could be DVD extras. It's all quite confusing at this point. Again, this is all conjecture at the moment.
And 'Pushing Daisies', remember the show that was going to change the face of fantasy television forever? The facts are these: Things aren't looking good for our beloved Pushing Daisies. The ABC drama, once cherished as a breath of fresh air in another monotonous television season is now surrounded by the putrid stink of death. Production on the show's initial 13-episode order wraps up today, and guess what...ABC still hasn't ordered more from the Pushing Daisies producers. According to TVWeek.com, ABC spokespeople have stated that no decision has been made yet on Pushing Daisies, but all signs point to "see ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" Ratings for Pushing Daisies have declined dramatically from its debut season, despite the fact that the quality of season two seems to be on par with season one. Many blame the writers' strike, which shortened season one and left ABC to decide between bringing the show back for a few episodes late last year, or take a break and bring it back full-force for a reintroduction this season. ABC chose the latter, and it's believed that the plan backfired. So what's the plan if Pushing Daisies is canceled? Well, it's good news for Heroes, oddly enough. The incredibly talented creator of Pushing Daisies, Bryan Fuller, told EW.com that he would be open to returning to Heroes, where he worked on season one (not coincidentally the show's finest season by far, although with Heroes current state, I would question that). "I am exclusive to Daisies through the delivery of the 13th episode of our 13-episode order, which will be mid-January," Fuller told EW.com. "If Daisies isn't picked up by then, I will definitely be going back to play with my friends at Heroes." Fuller also said that should Pushing Daisies get wiped off the face of television, he would like to finish the story in graphic novel form. Just keep the bright colors and witty dialogue, please, and let Chuck and Ned get it on for Pete's sake! Mourn with us, Pushing Daisies fans. And for those who can't get enough Daisies, I highly recommend checking out Fuller's Daisies-esque Wonderfalls on DVD. (Bonus: Lee Pace was in that too, and yeah, that was canceled before its time as well.)
FX has set return dates for original hourlong dramas "Nip/Tuck" and "Damages." "Nip/Tuck" will begin the first leg of its sixth season on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 10 p.m., queuing up for an eight-episode run. Series, which stars Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon as successful plastic surgeons, is tops in its target demo of adults 18-34 among basic-cable originals. "Damages," meanwhile, will begin its second 13-episode campaign Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 10 p.m. Series star Glenn Close is coming off an Emmy win for lead actress.
Other shows in the danger zone this season include Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money and Smallville... we will just have to see.
So to the arguement in question, the half hour sitcom seems to be doing pretty well at the moment. Dip in and out when you want, within minutes of watching an episode you understand what is happening. Samantha Who?. The Big Bang Theory. How I Met Your Mother. Would you like me to continue? Do we have the time anymore to watch serials? Can people not be bothered to wonder what is happening from week to week about Seattle Grace or The Upper East Side? Or is it simply television dumbing down? Is 20 mins of situation comedy enough from day to day... is the time span of television watchers decreasing? With the already rampid demostrations from groups telling us that television is rotting our brain, is this just another sign that really as a group of people, we just don't care. Has our emotional attachment to storylines and development of characters gone so far? Is this the point of no return?
Fresh from a visit to the London MCM Expo (Britain's answer to Comic-Con), I come bearing Heroes scoop aplenty courtesy of cast member Greg Grunberg. Aside from being a delightfully pleasant fellow, Grunberg - Matt Parkman on the show - certainly isn't reserved when it comes to a bit of good old-fashioned spoilerage. Read on to find out what he told us about the upcoming fourth volume, Matt's "dark" turn and a huge twist involving new character The Speedster.
I hear you've started filming volume four, 'Fugitives'. What can you say about that? "We're shooting episode two of Fugitives right now. It puts us all in a Guantanamo Bay kind of a situation. We've all bagged and tagged and we're on our way to being killed. What's great about it is that we all have to work together. We're all thrown into this terrible situation and have to work together to get out of it, find out who's in charge of [doing] this and stop them. There's a new character called 'The Hunter' and he's coming after all of us."
Is there an end to the 'good versus evil' storyline, then? "Yes, at the end of volume four. At the end of volume three it's kind of wrapped up but then there's this huge cliffhanger that leads into volume four."
And do you think Matt could be a villain at any point? It doesn't seem likely... "It doesn't seem likely, but I do go very, very dark. I haven't shot that stuff yet but it's one of the only times they've ever come to me and said 'we're thinking about doing this, what do you think?' I was like 'yeah!' It's a great thing because I don't think anyone would expect me to stay there. It's justified why I go dark. There's a reason. I mean, Brea (Grant, aka The Speedster/Daphne) is a villain on the show..."
But is she? It seems like she is technically... "Technically, yes! Why she's working for them will be revealed and it's a huge moment. I don't mean that in a fantastic, explosion, special effects way. It's a really dramatic thing, that we've never done in this show. It's an amazing [explanation] for why she's doing what she's doing. It's great."
We've seen Matt and The Speedster's respective storylines become closely intertwined in the last couple episodes. Does that continue? "It does, and hopefully people want us to stay together!"
In the future we see that they are in a relationship, but now that we've seen that possible future, do you feel like it's not actually going to happen? "Exactly! That's what happens on our show, things get in the way. It's great that you pointed that out because that's a future that [Matt] wants. He desperately wants to keep her on the good side because he wants that normal family life."
In the next episode airing in the States (episode seven), Daphne is given a tough choice regarding Matt, isn't she? "She's told that she needs to kill me. She's told that she needs to bring me in and get me to work with them. She knows that I'm not going to do that, so then that's the position she's put in. It's weird - I can read minds, so I should be able to pick up on the fact that she's working for the bad guys, but I don't!"
Point number one: Well done to the now President Elect Obama and to the American People, this is the first of many things which are going to change the world. Point number two: Below are two videos, the first is the UK PM, Gordon Brown with his message on Obama Victory and the second is the first speech Obama made after the result was revealed. Can anyone notice any difference between the two? I mean, I know the President is one of the most powerful men in the world but with all the connections between the UK and USA, you would imagine that the PM would be someone with at least a little of the action, the emotion and vigour that Obama has? A new generation of politicans are needed for the UK, what this historical event has taught some of us is that the US vote for their president differently to how the UK elect but can anyone really put up their hand and say any of the other political party leaders are any better? We need energy, especially with the world as it is. Watch and you will see what I mean...
The star has recorded with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake
Rap star Will.i.am is releasing a new song and video to mark Barack Obama's win in the US presidential election.
The musician spent election night editing the final version of It's A New Day, which is set to make its internet debut on Wednesday.
The Black Eyed Peas singer said the song was a tribute to the American people and their part in events.
Will.i.am scored a viral hit with Yes We Can earlier this year, in support of Obama's White House bid.
Testimonials
It set an Obama speech to the rapper's music and racked up millions of hits in February.
The song also featured vocal contributions from stars including actress Scarlett Johansson, jazz legend Herbie Hancock and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger.
The new song and video is due to debut on the Dipdive website.
Will.i.am also asked for celebrity video contributions for the project.
He said: "The whole thing is really for people to leave testimonials... to create a page and leave testimonials on how they feel about this American accomplishment."
The musician, who scored a top ten hit with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole in April, spent part of election night in Chicago, where Obama delivered his victory address.
The Pet Shop Boys have sold 50 million records since 1985
Pioneering dance duo the Pet Shop Boys will be presented with an outstanding contribution to music award at next year's Brits, it has been announced.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, known for such hits as West End Girls and It's a Sin, will collect their honour at Earls Court in London on 18 February.
Ged Doherty, the chairman of the Brits committee, called them "one of the most influential groups of the modern era."
Previous recipients include U2, David Bowie, the Eurythmics and Sting.
Last year's award went to former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.
'Fantastic'
With 54-year-old Tennant on lead vocals and Lowe, 49, on keyboards, the Pet Shop Boys have had four number one singles and 22 Top 10 hits.
Their first number one, West End Girls, topped charts all over the world in 1986 and won them the Brit Award for best British single.
Their second Brit came in 1988 when they picked up the Best British Group award.
"Since their first Brit Award over 20 years ago, Neil and Chris have produced a fantastic body of work with songs that truly were the soundtrack to a whole generation's lives," said Doherty.
The nominations for the 2009 awards will be announced on 20 January.
...which I want to see. With the Christmas holidays coming up, people will be rushing from the cold outside and sitting with their popcorn to enjoy some of the newest releases. Also over the next couple of months, the Academy will be thinking which film, actor/tress etc will be winning the coveted award come early next year. So just as the Summer blockkbusters draw to a close, a new season of film is coming to the local cinema. See what you think-
1. Blindness Blindness is a 2008 dramatic thriller film that is an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by José Saramago about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. The film is written by Don McKellar and directed by Fernando Meirelles with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo as the stars.
2. Milk Milk is a 2008 American biographical film directed by Gus Van Sant. The screenplay by Dustin Lance Black focuses on the later life, political career, and assassination of San Francisco city supervisor/gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
3. W. W. (pronounced "dub-ya") is a 2008 biographical film based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It was produced and directed by Oliver Stone, written by Stanley Weiser, and stars Josh Brolin as President Bush. Stone compares his goal for W. to the approach of The Queen (2006) and his own Nixon (1995). Filming began on May 12, 2008, in Louisiana and the film was released on October 17. The Motion Picture Association of America rated the film PG-13 in the United States for "language including sexual references, some alcohol abuse, smoking and brief disturbing war images."
4. Changeling Changeling is a 2008 American period thriller directed by Clint Eastwood. The film is set in late 1920s Los Angeles and is based on the true story of a woman who recognizes that the boy returned to her after a kidnapping is not her son. After confronting the city authorities, she is vilified as an unfit mother and branded delusional. The film was written by J. Michael Straczynski, who spent a year researching the case through archived city records. It was produced by Imagine Entertainment and Malpaso Productions for Universal Pictures. Ron Howard was originally slated to direct, but scheduling difficulties and Universal's desire to fast track the project led to his replacement by Eastwood.
Angelina Jolie appears in the lead role with support from Jeffrey Donovan, John Malkovich, Jason Butler Harner, Amy Ryan, Michael Kelly, Geoff Pierson, and Colm Feore. The film explores themes such as disempowerment of women, corruption in political hierarchies, and the impact that violent crime has on communities. Principal photography began on October 15, 2007 and was completed in November 2007. Filming took place at locations in and around Los Angeles. Changeling premiered in competition at the 61st Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2008, where it received largely positive reviews. The film had its North American premiere on October 4, 2008 as the centerpiece of the 46th New York Film Festival. It was released wide in North America on October 31, 2008 after a limited release that began on October 24, 2008. It will be released in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on November 28, 2008.
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 film in a modern setting loosely adapted from the 1922 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film is directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film will be released December 25, 2008. Unlike Fincher's earlier work, the film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "Brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking", making it his first PG-13 film. Adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" follows a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time.
6. Frost/Nixon Frost/Nixon is a 2008 drama film based upon the play of the same name by Peter Morgan. The film version is directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films for Universal Pictures. The film reunites its original two stars from the London and Broadway productions of the play, Frank Langella as former President of the United States Richard Nixon and Michael Sheen as British TV broadcaster David Frost. Filming began on August 27, 2007.
7. Australia Australia is an upcoming period epic film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood also later credited. The story takes place during the bombing of Darwin in Australia during World War II. Production took place in Sydney, Darwin, Kununurra, and Bowen. The movie was to be released on 13 November 2008 in Australia[2] and 16 November 2008 in the United States;[3] however, Fox announced that it had pushed back the release dates in both Australia and the United States to 26 November 2008,[1] with subsequent worldwide release dates throughout late December and January 2009.
During World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) is an English aristocrat who is left in control of a cattle station in Australia. She is assisted by an Australian drover (Hugh Jackman), in whom she becomes romantically interested. He helps to drive the cattle across the property as they are under the threat of nearby Darwin being bombed.
8. Passengers Passengers is 2008 drama film starring Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson, and directed by Rodrigo Garcia. It was released in the United States by TriStar Pictures on October 24, 2008.
ABC has declined to pick up Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone for full-season orders.
