There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his perceived knowledge. It is an area which we call Totally Irrelevant Crap.
This is more of an abbreviated version of this diary, since I didn't have enough time to put this together as I usually like. However, even if it was done on the fly & at the last minute, I think it still works.
The standard warning for those of you who've never seen one of these before: If you would like to see some of the latest entertainment news, celebrity gossip and odd crap making the rounds, keep reading. However, if you are easily offended by half-nude men & women or other such things, you might want to stop right now.
You've been warned.
[Movie & Television News]
Movie Trailers: Rebooting an entertainment franchise is always tricky, especially ones with a long history. There are fans who will be open to changes, and there will be some fans who will shout "blasphemy" if any continuity is changed. Director Christopher Nolan has done it with 'Batman', taking the characters of Gotham City towards uber-realism after the debacle that was Director Joel Schumacher's camp in 'Batman & Robin'. The Daniel Craig Bond Films have rebooted that series, after the films in the franchise seemed to be suffering from formulaic plots.
With 'Star Trek' it's especially tricky. The franchise has existed in one form or another for 42 years. It's a cult phenomenon that's spread across almost all of pop culture. Go to Blockbuster & pick out 5 films at random, and I'll bet that at least one of them will have an oh so witty reference to Trek. There have been books and papers on the sociological impact of the show as a collective myth. Where Odysseus & Hercules served as myths of the past, it's been argued the staying power of "Star Trek" is it serves as a shared myth of the future that expresses our hopes of everything that will be. So when someone sets out to reset all that has been done beforehand, it's not the easiest thing in the world to do, especially when you have some fans who hold the original series as sacrosanct as evangelicals do the Old Testament.
A couple things I noticed about the new trailer. Abrams & the producers have been somewhat coy on whether this is a prequel or a reboot. After watching the trailer, it's clear this is more of a reboot. While most of the aesthetics of the original series have been kept (the style & colors of the uniforms, the basic form of Federation starships, etc.), some (nitpicky) things seem noticeably different. For example, Simon Pegg's Scotty seems a tad more perky than James Doohan's.
If you have problems with the embedded players below, or want to see other recently released teasers & trailers, click here.
Two Minutes From Doctor Who: It was announced last month that David Tennant will not return for the next full season of "Doctor Who" in 2010. He will however appear in 4 special episodes to be broadcast next year.
Tennant will also appear as "The Doctor" in this year's "Children In Need" Christmas special. The first two minutes of the episode has been released by the BBC.....
Other stories making the rounds.....
[Music News]
Charts: Through the magic of , you can click on any of the song titles below & hear that particular track.
The top 10 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 are.....
- T.I. Featuring Rihanna - "Live Your Life"
- T.I. - "Whatever You Like"
- Katy Perry - "Hot 'N Cold"
- Kanye West - "Heartless"
- Beyonce - "If I Were A Boy"
- Pink - "So What"
- Britney Spears - "Womanizer"
- Kevin Rudolf Featuring Lil Wayne - "Let It Rock"
- Jason Mraz - "I'm Yours"
- Akon - "Right Now" (Na Na Na)
The Top 10 Songs in the United States at the iTunes Store are.....
- Beyonce - "If I Were A Boy"
- Katy Perry - "Hot 'N Cold"
- Taylor Swift - "Love Story"
- T.I. Featuring Rihanna - "Live Your Life"
- Britney Spears - "Womanizer"
- Taylor Swift - "White Horse"
- Akon - "Right Now" (Na Na Na)
- Kanye West - "Love Lockdown"
- Kevin Rudolf Featuring Lil Wayne - "Let It Rock"
- Kanye West - "Heartless"
The Top 10 songs on Billboard's Hot 100, twenty-seven years ago this week, in 1981.....
- Olivia Newton-John - "Physical"
- Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Private Eyes"
- Foreigner - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"
- The Rolling Stones - "Start Me Up"
- Air Supply - "Here I Am" (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)
- Bob Seger - "Trying To Live My Life Without You"
- Little River Band - "The Night Owls"
- The Police - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
- Christopher Cross - "Arthur's Theme" (Best That You Can Do)
- Mike Post, Larry Carlton - "The Theme From Hill Street Blues"
Other tidbits circulating the series of tubes, and check out Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily Blog and Billboard's Daily Music News for anything I might have missed.....
[Gratuitous Links & Pics]
Other News & Crap
- Breaking: Batman Retires
- Why Apple Won't Allow Adobe Flash on iPhone
- Samantha Ronson defends girlfriend Lindsay Lohan after the assholes at PETA threw flour on Lindsay
- Paris Hilton "All Over" Ex-Boyfriend in Miami
- Reese Witherspoon: How Ryan and I Share Custody over the Holidays
- The guy who runs around on stage in assless pants, you know Prince, has something to say about homosexuality.....
When asked about his perspective on social issues—gay marriage, abortion—Prince tapped his Bible and said, "God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’ "
- Wanda Sykes: I’m Proud To Be Gay!
- Angelina Jolie: Brad Pitt Has So Much Love In His Eyes
- Sarah Palin in Short Shorts.... From Last Week
- Helen Mirren is more comfortable with male reporters.....
"No, it’s more that I prefer male journalists because there’s a streak of female journalism — the bitches — who are mean-spirited and nasty because you are another woman and want to make you feel crap. It’s very upsetting. I’m more careful when I’m being interviewed by a woman because, from experience as well as reading articles about other women, I know there is a little stiletto knife hidden behind the back."
- Scarlett Johansson Opens Up About Feud With Lindsay Lohan
- Michael Jackson sued by Prince (of Bahrain) for $7M
- Debbie Matenopoulos 'Saddened' after finding out about Husband's Divorce Filing On The Internet
- Heather Locklear charged with DUI
- Katie Holmes’ Bell-Bottoms Blow in the Wind
- The 8 Most Egregiously Exploited Celebrity Tragedies
The Guys
The Ladies