Mainstream Press Deriding ‘Trekkies’

Despite the fact that the new Star Trek film is being largely embraced by those in the mainstream press — and, frankly, also by mainstream moviegoers — there seems to be an element of the media who still derive joy from deriding fans; perpetuating the negative and cliched stereotypes that Trek fans have endured for the past few decades.
TrekMovie founder Anthony Pascale notes that he has been contacted by a number of local, national and international media organizations to give quotes and do interviews on what he thinks of the new Star Trek film and how it is playing with fans. While the majority of outlets are typically interested in an honest appraisal, it seems others have an altogether different agenda—one of deciding that 'Star Trek' should still be mocked and looking to fix the evidence around their predetermined agenda (and we thought only Dick Cheney did that sort of thing).
Below, Pascale discusses his firsthand experience.
"…just this morning alone I have been contacted by ABC Good Morning America and NBC News, and both of them wanted to me to help provide a fan to put on camera to talk about how Trek fans as a whole are against this film. When I talked to producers for both, neither wanted to hear that those fans were only a small part, and in fact one producer (from NBC) hung up on me when I told him I thought it would be disingenuous for them to report that Trek fans as a whole were against this movie. I suggested to both that they could have two fans on with opposing views or at least represent the ‘negative’ fan as being part of just a segment of Trek fandom, but those suggestions fell on deaf ears. Our friend and star/producer of Star Trek Phase II James Cawley tells me that he has also turned down multiple mainstream media requests to attack the new movie."
Pascale is quick to point out that not all the corporate media types are so narrow-minded, a good example being the recent cover article from Newsweek, which you can see below. Nevertheless, it is interesting — and frankly, disturbing — to see how members of major corporate media are only interested in reinforcing dogma as opposed to doing what media is supposed to do: report both sides of the story.
Of course, this isn't just about Star Trek. One wonders what other stories are being so irresponsibly covered by mainstream media.

Chinese Films Seek to Rival Hollywood

Look out, Hollywood, the Chinese box office is on course to set new domestic records. The question now is how to keep that upward direction going.
After a record $630 million take last year, the Chinese film industry is on pace to rake in $800 million in 2009. However, at an occasionally contentious panel last Sunday, leading filmmakers in the region suggested the business still needs to grow in sophistication, reports Variety.
Speaking at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival, Yu Dong, head of the Polybona distribution group, said the industry only has "limited kinds of movies." He added that the next five to six years will be critical.
"The market has developed but outsiders will come in soon—like the arrival of Hong Kong directors. Also Hollywood, which was initially scared but now sees opportunities for co-production," said Yu at a forum entitled, "Made in China: What Kind of Films Does the Domestic Market Want?"
If ticket sales are any indication, what they want are more films like Crazy Stone, a Guy Ritchie-ish heist flick, and City of Life and Death, a drama about the Nanjing massacre. Both films' directors — Ning Hao and Lu Chuan, respectively — were on-hand at Sunday’s panel, and belong to a select group of mainland Chinese helmers known as the "100-Million Club", which consists of directors whose films have made more than 100 million yuan ($15 million) in China.
But another panelist, art house filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai, criticized directors who go for commercial appeal.
"These films have all made more than 100 million yuan at the box office but as directors they fail," he said. "People say I should switch to commercial films but I want to stick to art. I believe in art and I believe in culture."
"I’m thinking of a greater good," said Wang, whose In Love We Trust won a Silver Bear for screenplay at Berlin last year.
The growing influence of Chinese films abroad has been helped by improved distribution. However, critics say Chinese filmmakers need to do less multi-tasking — they are often producer-distributor-helmer rolled into one — if they are going to have increased success abroad.
But Lu Chuan said the real problem is focusing on international film festivals instead of domestic audiences.
"Filmmakers are working in a changed market. Instead of deliberately separating art and commercial films, we should follow what the audiences want. The market is growing up and audiences are maturing,"he said.
"Arthouse and commercial films are in there together. What we acutely need in China are films like The Godfather or Apocalypse Now."

Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin Will Co-Host Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast.
"We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars," said Shankman and Mechanic. "Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event."
"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," said Martin.
"I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars—it's the opportunity of a lifetime," said Baldwin.
Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album "The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo." In 1977 and 1978 Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording. He earned a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category. In 2007 Martin earned a Kennedy Center Honor.
Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler. That year also marked his most recent appearance as a presenter on the show. Baldwin currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the comedy "30 Rock," a role for which he has won two Emmys (in 2008 and 2009). Baldwin earned a Tony nomination in 1992 for his performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Will 3-D Television Really Transform Home Entertainment?

We've been hearing a lot of talk in recent months about 3-D television, and how it is going to transform the home entertainment experience. The latest news in that trend comes from Toshiba and RealD, who have announced that they are set to cooperate in bringing 3D technology to Toshiba TVs, including support for the stereoscopic RealD Format, as Toshiba advances development of REGZA TVs able to deliver HD quality 3D content.
According to Toshiba, the companies will also work together on technology for active eyewear compatible with Toshiba 3D-enabled displays. I'll have a few thoughts about this in a moment, but first, here's the release:
"Toshiba plans to introduce 3D into our REGZA line-up of Full-HD LCD TVs in 2010, and we are delighted to work with RealD, the clear leader in the industry," said Masaaki Osumi, President and CEO, Digital Media Network Company, Toshiba Corporation. "Home viewing is fast moving toward the total immersion offered by 3D, and Toshiba is determined to be in the vanguard in delivering this experience."
"3D is opening new opportunities for home entertainment and we look forward to collaborating with Toshiba to bring an unmatched 3D experience to their products," said Michael V. Lewis, Chairman and CEO of RealD. "RealD 3D technology has revolutionized cinema and the RealD Format promises to deliver a similar premium entertainment experience to the home utilizing today's existing HD infrastructure."
The RealD Format is a proprietary version of a side-by-side 3D format that multiplexes a left eye and right eye 3D image stream into a single channel for delivery of HD 3D content to any 3D-enabled display type – plasma, LCD or DLP. The RealD Format uses a unique set of proprietary filters and other technologies making it compatible with today's HD infrastructure for high quality 3D delivered via cable, satellite, packaged media or the Internet.
So is this the next great leap, as Hollywood and electronics manufacturers suggest? I submit not. If you've seen Avatar, then you know that the 3-D used in the film was little, if any, better than other recent 3-D films. Moreover, there's that little matter of the glasses. As long as the 3-D experience requires glasses, the format will never enter the mainstream, in the opinion of this writer. Glasses have a way of adding depth, but causing one to lose the cinematic scale, as well.
So will this be an expensive failure for Toshiba and other companies, then? It's hard to say for sure. Certainly 3-D films are less likely to be pirated; a likely incentive for the studios. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you could walk into a Best Buy in six years and pick up a "new" 3-D TV at cut-rate prices.
Now if you'll excuse me, the 1950s are calling…they want their fad back.

Randy Quaid’s Felonious Flight Comes to an End

Whatever happened to Randy Quaid? The Oscar-nominated actor — known for such films asBrokeback Mountain, Independence Day and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — has gone off the rails in recent years, running afoul of the law in incidents ripped straight from the pages of Bizzaroworld.
Most recently, arrest warrants were issued for the couple after they reportedly failed to show up for a court hearing in Santa Barbara, Calif., on allegations they were squatting in the guest house of a Montecito home they once owned in the 1990s. Quaid's 47-year-old wife Evi was also charged with resisting arrest.
Last month, the couple were released from a West Texas jail after being arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill.
It seems their flight has finally come to an end in Vancouver, where both were arrested Friday on outstanding warrants from the United States.
They were scheduled to appear at a detention-review hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Friday afternoon.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver police got a call for assistance on Thursday and while checking the identities of a man and woman, learned they were wanted on outstanding warrants.
Vancouver police turned the couple over to the Canada Border Services Agency.
Meanwhile, Duane Chapman — better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter — had been warning Quaid that he was going to track the actor down and bring him to justice. "I hope Randy Quaid and his wife are watching right now," Chapman said the Lopez Tonight show on Thursday.
"We're announcing he has the chance to call authorities and turn himself in—and at least do it for your wife and for how you were raised. If not, the Chapman family is coming after you."
Chapman said it was time for him to intervene in Quaid's life and try to set him on the straight and narrow.
"There's something going on in his life. You know him and I know him too. He's not the same guy, so we need to do an intervention, Dog style."
It's nice to know that Quaid has a humanitarian in his corner. Meanwhile, something tells us that the Quaids won't be skipping again anytime soon.
We're betting a movie-of-the-week is already in the works.