Right now, they're in the middle of filming the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, and always when a new flick comes out the question is who's going to sing the theme to the movie. This time around, apparently they were thinking about Amy Winehouse. You know, I like her voice, but she's so effed up that trying to get her to do anything besides pine for her jailed husband and take a bunch of drugs is really a fruitless exercise.
But Bodog has the odds on whether Amy's going to actually pull through and sing the theme. And with Yes at +200 and No at -300, she probably won't. But we can all dream of a James Bond video with Amy's coke boogers all up in your grill.
I think Simon said it best at Fantasia's performance on Wednesday night.
We've got two big movies coming out this month, and they're both sequels. One is about a dreamworld of magic gone wrong, and the other is about Indiana Jones. Bodog wonders who's going to make more money their opening weekend, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at +200 or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at -300.
I mean, it's pretty obvious that Indy's going to be the champ in this one. Anyone who grew up watching the flicks is probably going to see it. And it might actually be pretty good, considering all the original folks are involved. At least we hope-- I mean, George Lucas didn't exactly reinvent the Star Wars wheel, and Steven Spielberg has been up and down the past few years (War Of The Worlds? Are you serious?)
But just because it's time for more Narnia, here's some Lazy Sunday for you.
It's always difficult to watch the Oscars. I usually look for the face lift scars or people who are high as a kite. The Red Carpet is always a fun show to play "Spot the Pothead/Spot the OxyContin addict/Spot the Plastic Surgery Nightmare," but this year I just went to the gym before the ceremony started. You know, get a run in before I watch all the anorexics get their gold.
I'm kidding. Sort of.
Anyway, if you put money down on some folks, you came back with some cash this year after a couple of big surprises on the ladies' part. Here's how it all went down:
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men(1/8): He was pretty much a lock for this award. The only other actor that had a chance was Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton, and that's a tough guy to beat in any year. For every $8 you bet on Javier, you won $1-- not a big money maker.
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton(9/2): Here was the first shock of the night. It was pretty obvious that even Tilda was shocked. But she's such an underrated actress that it was cool to see her win. For every $2 you bet on Tilda, you won $9, which is a nice little profit.
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood(1/10): I mean, really. Daniel Day-Lewis could barely be anything on film and he'd win an Oscar. He's that brilliant. Which means that you didn't win much-- $10 won you $1, which isn't much at all.
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard - La vie en Rose(7/2): And your other shocker of the night was for a really great performance. Foreign actors swept all the acting awards, and that was cool to see-- a different kind of feel to the awards. For every $2 you bet on Marion, you won $7. Not bad at all.
Best Director: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men(2/3): While Paul Thomas Anderson had the even odds for There Will Be Blood, the Brothers Coen had the slightly better chance of winning odds-wise. That doesn't mean you made any money, though. For every $3, you won $2-- just a little less than even money.
Best Picture: No Country For Old Men(1/4): Once again, There Will be Blood was right behind this at 3/2, which was close but not quite close enough. The Academy loves these guys, and I think they felt better giving them an award for a darker movie than for something like O Brother, Where Art Thou? For every $4, you won $1.
The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Movie, The Simpsons Movie
Are you as excited about the Simpsons movie as we are? Our tickets are pre-bought. We can't wait to go. Can't wait! We heart Homer, Marge, Maggie, Bart and Lisa. Forget the automobile, electric light or free world democracy, the best thing the U.S. will ever contribute to the world is definitely going to be the Simpsons movie!
You can bet on some fun stuff about the Simpsons movie. One super fun bet over at BetUS is "Who will have the first line of the movie?" If you think of all the ways the TV show has started, you can make some pretty good guesses, or go out on a limb and expect the creators to do something crazy. Current lines are:
The movie is going to be raging fun as is, but how much more fun will it be if you're counting Homer's "Doh's" or waiting for the big kiss so you can cash in? Get on over to BetUS and put some money on Millhouse and Lisa's smackeroo.
Here's one last review from last weekend's CineVegas action!
J.C. Chávez 2007 - Mexico (Spanish/English)
In this documentary, Y Tu Mamá También star Diego Luna frames former boxing sensation Julio César Chávez as he preparing for a fight in his "Adios" tour of America around Chávez's illustrious and controversial career both in the U.S. and Mexico.
The movie does well by interviewing a broad range of boxing pros (Don King, Don Arum, Mike Tyson) on both sides of the border about Chávez, from his beginnings in Sinaloa to his political connections in Mexico, to his relationship with his family-- and one son who is an up-and-coming boxer. Luna shoots it beautifully, and to see the decline of one of the greats (with over 100 wins to his credit) is heartbreaking. It's very similar to having watched Michael Jordan try to make a comeback to basketball. It's obvious Chávez loves boxing, but age has caught up with him and he's reluctant to let it go. Interspersed throughout are Tejano songs about the greatness of Chávez and his legend in Mexico, which can give anyone not familiar with Chávez a glimpse into that legend.
When it came around to the end, though, it did feel a little long. The filming of Chávez's last fight in Phoenix starts with his trouble sleeping the night before the fight, and goes through his son's fight on the card before the main event, to the great sequence of the son taking off his boots to give to his father, to talking with the doctors about his broken hand that ends the match. There was a lot to get through in order to see the final shot of a battered and broken man who finally has to let go, but the humanity of watching a son comfort his father in the end was redeeming.
I know, I know, it's Friday. It's been a long week for the girls in the HollyWagers office, and we're ready for the weekend!
We're going to be at CineVegas for part of the weekend, and we'll have another update on Monday. Last night RJ and I saw David Lynch and Dennis Hopper do a Q & A before Lynch's classic, Blue Velvet, last night. 20 years later, that film still holds up. (And can I just say for the record how freakin' hot Kyle McLachlan is in it? Holy crap.)
Anyway, here's a little movie odds action before we get out of here.
The new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, comes out next month, and I know all my friends are excited about it. (They're big fans of the books.) BetUS has odds up on how the critics over at the movie site Rotten Tomatoes will score it percentage wise during its opening week.
Tomatometer reading for Harry Potter: Both the Under and Over 86½ % are at -120, so it's either/or. I have to admit I haven't seen any of the movies, so I'm not sure if the quality has changed or not. I know the same actors are in all of them, so that's a good sign. But do you seriously think it'll get higher than an 86% rating?
That's right, we got a Vegas exclusive look at what's going down at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival happening at the Palms Hotel and Casino!
This year's crop of movies has been the most diverse set of films yet so far this year, and both myself and RJ Bell, president of Pregame.com, have some reviews of what we've seen so far:
RJ's reviews:
Malos habitos (English Title: Bad Habits) 2007 - Mexico (Spanish)
Food and rain are the two major themes that dominate this first feature from award winning ad director Simon Bross. In nearly every scene someone is eating - and in nearly every scene it is raining. Though thin on plot, a powerful creation of mood through deft visuals delivers a compelling viewing experience. A doctor turned nun strains to change the world through food depravation. An obsessed mother hardly eats to keep her figure, while her chubby daughter huddles over contraband chocolate cake behind a locked bathroom door. While the father takes up an affair that mixes sex and food with a full figured student. The deeper theme, it seems, is that while food is necessary, attempting to gain solace from either too little or too much of it comes with grave long-term consequences.
Directed by 24 year-old Chris Fuller, Loren Cass is an unwavering depiction of hopeless youth. I've always enjoyed the nihilism of Bret Ellis' fiction in which the rich, beautiful characters futilely attempted to fill their lives with enough glitz to compensate for the lack of substance. And we all are familiar with adolescent characters who move through the world in a state of delusion - believing their lives' "drama" to be worthy of the name. The characters who inhabit Loren Cass, though, gain zero joy from anything (including a great deal of random sex). Neither do they strive for glitz, nor do they acknowledge the existence of anything worth caring about. What is it that causes this state of hopeless? I'm not sure.
The artistry of the film is impressive, with many still shots and extremely sparse dialogue. The effect is disjointed and collage-like, lacking any standard sense of story arch. For an art film fan this fact is not an indictment, but the following question is: If the characters don't care, and if the film's perspective fails to portray underlying virtue of life they are overlooking, why should the viewer care enough to watch?
Allow me to start this review with a disclaimer: I saw director's Gerardo Naranjo's first feature, Malachance, at the 2004 CineVegas, and I was simply blown away. As perhaps a commentary on how my taste syncs with the public's, Malachance failed to find either big screen or DVD release. So I entered Drama/Mex with high expectations. Again, Naranjo displays an impressive command of the film making process - deftly handling every type of scene. The film's primary theme, that superficial drama of typical lives buries the greater truths of our character, is a thought provoking and noble premise. One, though, which fell short for me when, dig as I might, I failed to unearth any compelling truths beneath the surface of these characters. Leaving the theater, I felt like a man who had popcorn for dinner - albeit, one who will anxiously accept the director's next dinner party invitation.
One of the opening lines from the main character of Tie A Yellow Ribbon is, "I was born at the airport. 45 pounds and 45 inches tall." This line hints at the emotionally complex backstory of the main character Jenny Mason in this movie, a Korean girl adopted by a white midwestern family. She lives in NYC, works at a hip café, and doesn't get emotionally involved with anyone in her life. She is forced out of her apartment by her (white) roommate, whose boyfriend is moving in, and recommended to move in with Bea, who her roommate says she has a lot in common with: they're both Asian.
Moving into a new apartment building opens a new world of characters for Jenny, including a brother/sister pair of neighbors who are Chinese-American, the sister for whom does cleaning for their white landlord to supplement the rent. In this new environment Jenny is in some ways forced to confront her past, which includes a love affair with her adopted brother that got her kicked out of the house at 14.
Kim Jiang, who plays Jenny, does an adept job at portraying both a girl who is coming to terms with her past while trying to do the best that she can for her current circumstances. Writer/Director Joy Dietrich films every scene beautifully and intently, especially from the point of view of Jenny, who is an aspiring photographer. The voiceover dialogue is poetic, and Dietrich, who mentioned before the movie that it was about her disassociation with America, nails her feelings down in those scenes. Unfortunately, there much of the dialogue that feels forced, predictable, and a little hard to listen to. There are also some stereotypes that Dietrich tries to twist but unfortunately become just stereotypes: the Pre-Med-must-get-straight-A's Bea, the "meek Asian" neighbor Cindy, the sleezy white gallery owner who is into Asian culture and Asian women.
It is Dietrich's second full-length, and it'll be a treat to see how she grows with future movies.
I should make the disclaimer that I actually said at the end of this film, "That was 2 hours of my life I'll never get back." People actually booed at the end of it. But now that I've had a day to think on it, and have heard what the director had to say about it, I'm warming up a little.
This is not a movie for people who want their characters or plots drawn up for them in neat little packages. It's not even for people who insist you must even like the main character: and not even like him in the protagonist sense. It's very much a impressionistic kind of movie, a glimpse into the life of someone whose social cues are so invisible you wonder how they get through life. It's a movie to make you sit down at a party and glimpse into this kind of person. And the thing is, we've all known people like this, who are so anxious they can't get a full sentence out of their mouth, who will call at 3 in the morning because no one else will answer the phone. I have to say I'm usually the one who sits down at a party, not because I'm a sucker for punishment, but because most of the time people like that aren't eve given a chance. They're just trying to make their way like you and me, but they're just not as well-versed with dealing with people.
At the Q & A after the film, someone mentioned that it's almost an absurdist kind of movie, and it really is. The main character, Keith, shares a 1-bedroom apartment with a roommate who won't pay the bills; he has a friend who is a bartender who gives in to his phone calls to come over, and when Keith falls asleep watching a movie, the friend fasts forward to the end and wakes him up to kick him out. You're not sure if you feel bad for Keith or the bartender friend. And that's what makes this movie work for me, even if I had to take some time to think about how many people like Keith I've met in my life. More than I want to admit.
Big movies coming this summer - Which ones will be on top?
Did you see Prince at the Super Bowl? Did you love him? I loved him. He may only be, like 5 feet tall, but the man is still super hot.
We're low key in the office today, you know, with all the hangovers we're nursing, but we'll power through it. There's stuff to bet on out there.
This summer is the best time to see all the latest blockbuster movies in a nice, air-conditioned room, right? This summer a bunch of highly-anticipated movies are coming out in May and July. Which ones will gross higher at the box office? BetUS has some odds up on which of these big movies will gross higher:
One prop has Shrek the Third (-140) vs. Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix (EV): As much as Shrek is loved, Harry Potter is a freaking monster. If Shrek ended up making more money, I'd be frankly shocked.
The other prop is Spider-Man 3 (-145) vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (+105): This one's a little trickier, but consider these tidbits: some people (including me) consider Spider Man 2 to be a better movie than the first, and there was a really lukewarm reaction after people saw the last Pirates of the Carribean movie.
Something to bet on before the weather gets warmer. Of course, here in Vegas, it's a nice 71 degrees, so we're ready for the summer!
Please Lord, Let There Be Money in My Bodog Account Today
Even at totally crappy odds, I think we all know that this current line at Bodogis a no-lose situation:
Will Superman Returns gross more opening weekend than The Break-Up? Yes: -470 No: +285
Now, listen, sure, you'd make more money betting on "No," but we all know Superman is going to gross more than The Break Up. The break-up featured Jennifer Anniston, loved by straight women and gay men ... and appearing naked to pull in the straight men (who get the double bonus of a naked Jennifer Anniston and a "dude's -dude" Vince Vaughn).
BUT - Superman stars a hot guy loved by straight women and gay men, but it's also a comic book action movie, so straight men and about a billion proud comic book fans, many of whom will show up on opening night proudly dressed in their own Superman tights, are going to rush out to see this film. I mean, is this even a discussion?
So, you can't win a lot, but you can win. Get on over to Bodog and win some cash next week when America's hero returns to the silver screen.
Since we all loved Mr. Christian Bale in Batman Returns, there will certainly be a next version. And also, there will be a joker in it! Now, we all know that nobody can replace Jack Nicholson, but somebody will have to take the role. Who will it be? SportsInteraction has odds up on who the lucky boy will be.
Lachy Hulme is the front runner at 2.62. If you're like me, and you have no idea who that is, he was in The Matrix movies, he's Australian, and that's really all we know about him. Click here to see him.
The long shots are a return of Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson or (in what would be AWESOME) the original Batman himself, Adam West, returning as The Joker. Nicholson and Wilson are at 34.00 and Adam West is at 51.00.
Other contenders in the pack are: Paul Bettany, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Crispin Glover, Sean Penn and Robin Williams.
To see the offical oddsmaker odds on who will end up in the purple suit, click here to go to SportsInteraction. Then select "Entertainment" from the drop down menu in the upper left corner and scroll about halfway down the page.
The summer is all about going to the movies! What will the critics love? What's going to make more millions? Over at Bodog, you can put your money down on what Ebert and Roeper will give the "two thumbs up" to, or which movie will have the highest opening weekend. These are blockbuster numbers!
Get our weekly Hot Hollywood Bet by joining our HollyWagers Weekly mailing list! Want to know what gossip, award shows, reality shows, or political events you can bet on? Sign up for our list today and get the latest Hollywood action!
There's a lot going on this summer. You have the blockbusters, and you have the not-so blockbusters. Bodog has odds on which of these contenders for your box office buck will be the biggest flop:
The Omen (The remake of the '70's horror classic) at 4/1 Nacho Libre (Jack Black as a Mexican wrestler) at 7/1 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (Bill Murray returns as the fat cat) at 9/5 Little Man (The Wayans Brothers making fun of little people) at 1/4
I have to be honest, though-- I think Nacho Libre is going to do better than all of them. I'd venture to say it'll probably do better than expected. The really good money's on Garfield, though, and really, I'd be inclined to agree.
I don't know if you could get any better than Jack, frankly. He was damn near perfect in the first Burton-directed movie. But they're making a sequel to Batman Begins, so they need a younger Joker this time around.
Paul Bettany (currently playing Silas the albino in The DaVinci Code) is the favorite at 2.87. Right behind him is Lachy Hulme (who was in The Matrix Revolutions and a few small Australian films) at 3.00. Sean Penn is at 7.00. And while that would be totally awesome, probably doubtful. Anything Batman related seems too kitchy for him, even if is the Dark Knight Batman.
Will they go with the new guy? You never know. Take a shot!
Didja bet on Aras? He had the most consistently good odds all season. The leak may have been Danielle, but CBS has learned so much about insider marketing that throwing off the odds and making Bodog shut them down completely was playing you instead of the other way around. Sneaky sneaky, CBS.
And then, if you haven't heard, there's this little arthouse flick called The DaVinci Code. A couple people have talked about it.
All the hype surrounding this movie will finally come to a head this opening weekend. So, maybe you aren't going to be making any scrilla from the box office receipts, but you can get some cocktail cash from how much you think it's gonna make.
I'll be real, I was iffy on the book. The story was fascinating, the writing not so much. But it was an enjoyable summer read. And I'm not gonna lie, I still like Tom Hanks. He could sell milk to a cow in my eyes. Add Ian McKellen and the cutest in the world Audrey Tatou, and I'd go see it. And Ron Howard is a decent director-- not great to me, but I think he could pull it off.
Over at Sports Interaction, you can take a gander at the odds for how much the blockbuster's going to make:
I'd much rather go see a movie starring a sane person than crazy-ass-fake-baby Tom. Click and check the odds. Maybe it'll make some weird numerical amount that's part of the code. Or something.
Batman got a new makeover played by Christian Bale. Superman is a fresh look with Brandon Routh. It's Wonder Woman's turn to be re-imagined. Right now at Sports Interaction, check out the actresses vying for the spot to take over wearing the new golden bracelets and fly the invisible plane! Lasso of Truth around these odds!
It's the last season of The Sopranos! Did you know that Bodog has numbers on how the series will end and whether or not the popular mob series will be made into a movie? Whack these numbers!
My boyfriend LOVES Dallas. We watch every season, in sequence, on Soap Net (which I believe my boyfriend would be horrified if he knew that you knew that he watched Soap Net). And we've watched every season MORE THAN ONCE. And you know what? Dallas was a masterpiece of TV. If you're a youngin' and you've never watched it, think The OC meets Desperate Housewives, but in Texas. If you're like me and you grew up with Melrose Place, Dallas gives it a run for its money.
JR Ewing. What a man! He even had his own underwear commercial. Never seen without his cowboy hat.
So, then, because all great things from the eighties must now be made into movies, Dallas will soon be a major motion picture. And who will play JR Ewing? Sports Interaction has odds up if you think you have a hunch that might land you a pay day.
John Travolta is the leader at 2.25 (see our article on how to read odds if that makes no sense!). Really? A disco dancing Scientologist as JR Ewing? Well, Larry Hagman was no prince charming himself, so who knows?
Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Kevin Costner are all next in line at 6.00. And honestly, I could see any of them being a good JR Ewing. What do you think?
The long shot is Colin Farrell at 41.00. And honestly, he is a little too cosmopolitan to play JR. And also I think we still all haven't forgiven him for the blond eyebrows in Alexander. There are a lot of other options in there. You should take a look. Nobody is sure when they'll announce who got the role, but at 6.00, I might hedge a bet between a sexy JR (Brad Pitt) and a tough JR (Bruce Willis).
You have to do a little digging to find it if you want to take a shot. On the Sports Interaction homepage, in the upper left hand corner there's a drop down box that says "Select a Sport." Drop the box down and near the bottom you'll see "Specials" (it's below soccer) and in that section you'll see "Entertainment." Just click that and the Dallas odds are right there!
Well, well, well. Over at Bodog, they've frozen the odds on all the Bond girls, keeping them up but not clearing them out. And why is that, you ay ask? Has someone snagged the role? Seems like actress Jasmine Lennard has voiced that she's been in talks for the role.
Then again, according to the article, Jasmine is falling for the old Bond trap - talking about a potential casting before it happens. That usually has only one outcome... being dropped. Which means she should've kept her mouth shut.
The next James Bond has been picked, and now it's time for the new hot Bond Girl to be cast! Who will heat up the screen with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale? Bodog has your numbers!
Well, Daniel Craig's gonna be the next Bond. Whoever he is. He's a hot little man regardless.
But who's gonna be the next Bond girl? Nobody's put up odds yet, but you have to be curious about who's donning the 2-piece next. Jessica Alba? Kirsten Dunst? How about Keira Knightley? Maybe Natalie Portman will take a sexy new turn?
If the odds go up, you better believe we'll give 'em to you!
Right now, they're in the middle of filming the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, and always when a new flick comes out the question is who's going to sing the theme to the movie. This time around, apparently they were thinking about Amy Winehouse. You know, I like her voice, but she's so effed up that trying to get her to do anything besides pine for her jailed husband and take a bunch of drugs is really a fruitless exercise.
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