3 Biggest lies...I won't cum in your mouth! Unemployment checks iffy...

I laughed out loud last night when I was channel-surfing and caught the tail-end a politician's rant on the old boob tube.

And,  I  was inclined to toss an old sneaker at the screen, in a knee-jerk reaction to his parting words to media hounds, chaffing at the bit for a delicious quote.

"The check is in the mail."

Thought I'd bust a gut.

Of course - that tired old excuse (often facilitated to hold off angry debt-collectors and the like) - rarely holds any water.

When I used to work at the movie studios years ago, and a check had gone astray, I'd call  up payroll to track the moolah down.

"Just dropped it in the mail yesterday," the clerk assured me in a strident voice - with a "so there" quality to it.

Sure enough, when I checked the postmark a couple of days later, I managed to establish what a liar she was.

The U.S. Postal stamp established the payroll checkr was slipped into the mail - that afternoon - and not a day earlier as falsely alleged by the employee at 20th Century Fox (West Los Angeles).

On occasion, when I recall the dishonesty at Fox, an old joke is dredged up.

What are the three biggest told lies?

*The check is in the mail
*I promise I won't cum in your mouth
*Black is beautiful

Ba-dump!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Tom Cruise..."Knight & Day" sparks debate! Lead horse to water, at least...

Motorcycle publicity still better poster choice?

Shortly after I posted my review of "Knight and Day" - the Tom Cruise spy thriller - the hits went through the stratosphere at the Tattler.

In my caption, I shouted - "Tom Cruise...He's back!" - which must have triggered an emotion or two judging by the response.

Post:  06/27/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/06/tom-cruisehes-back-knight-day-quirky.html

Industry honchos, media pundits (and fans) appeared to have written the action-adventure off as a "bomb" based on a slow start at the box-office and negative buzz on the Internet.

In fact, I penned an article on the issue wherein I wondered aloud if "Tom" was still suffering from lingering image problems due to a bizarre couch-jumping incident, his involvement with the flakey Ron L. Hubbard's Scientology "outfit", and a controversial stint on Matt Lauer's hot seat in which he came off as a total pig-headed a**.

Post:  06/26/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/06/tom-cruisehes-back-knight-day-quirky.html

So, what gives?

Essentially, the Knight and Day fiasco all boils down to marketing (misguided) and the way "Knight and Day" was promoted.

In the morning LA Times, Patrick Goldstein pointed out that the poster - which featured a stunning graphic of the two stars - was part 'n parcel of the problem.

He argued that the failure of the studio brass to feature the identifiable faces of the two stars - Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz - may have been a fatal lack of judgment in the total scheme of things which negatively impacted the project (and perceptions of it).

In response, Tony Sella (co-President of marketing at Fox) scoffed at Goldsmith's wild idea that the studio was hiding the faces of the two stars because their appeal was lacking in a demographic they were striving to lure into theatres come opening day.

"I was doing an homage to fabled title designer Saul Bass," Sella fessed up.

"It was a way for us to signal that this was a different kind of adult movie.The whole campaign was designed to evoke a film like "North by Northwest (a Hitchcock classic)."

Because I attended film school, and have a background in the film industry in a myriad of capacities, I understood that.

If anything, the concept intrigued me - hence - my decision to screen it in spite of a bevy of biting press clips (and stinky rumors denouncing it).

I agree with Sella that the commercial spots - in which Cruise appeared to be a wacko dude kidnapping a woman - may have fallen short  in getting the film's essential storyine across.

If the studio noted - in a nutshell - that this was a spy thriller (and that Cruise character's was on a ultra-secret mission) Cruise fans and spy-thriller enthusiasts would have flocked to the theatres from the get-go when theatre doors swung open.

It appears, in retrospect, that filmgoers took a - "let's wait and see" - attitude.

Movie dollars only stretch so far these days, after all.

Call me sophisticated, if you will, but the quirky "promo" didn't phase me.

Frankly, I tire of "trailers" that reveal so much of the plot, that you end up saying to yourself:

"Why bother going to see the film now?

The studio's big sin was they didn't give enough "tease" - and as a result - left filmgoers and fans in the proverbial dark.

Fox brass  didn't even lead the horse to water!

 How do you expect them to drink?

http://www.julianayrs.com

Simpsons movie...sequel on horizon?

After years of languishing on the storyboards, "The Simpsons" headed into movie houses for the wide-screen version of the celebrated TV hit.

Over the years, there have been many memorable moments on the well-written, ground-breaking show; too many to mention here.

Of course, it's always been a badge of honor for an actor to be invited to inhabit one of the characters on the top-rated comedy.

Such notables as Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Lewis, Harvey Fierstein, Danny De Vito, Bob Hope, Leonard Nimoy, James Woods, and Meryl Streep - to name an illustrious few - offered up their golden voices for a host of hilarious characters over the past few seasons.

The popular comedy is not only the longest running animated feature on Television, but the most Internationally-syndicated show around the planet.

According to at least one modern-day Philosopher, Carl Matheson, it is the "deepest show on Television".

In a book of essays, one writer astutely notes, "...it is a corporate-manufactured show that openly and self-reflexively parodies the very consumer capitalism it simultaneously promotes."

To others, simply put, "...it's a celebration of family or an indictment of the American family."

In the movie, there is much of the same.

However, in the screen version, there are at least one-hundred speaking roles to track in the hushed, dimly-lit theatres.

The producers assured the press prior to release that the movie would have the same artistic sensibility of the series with "grander backgrounds, nuanced lighting and shadows, more colors, and a scope that would be impossible to carry off on a TV production budget". And, they delivered.

James L. Brooks noted at a recent press outing that while there is no 3-D, Pixar-style animation, the film does have a depth and sweep that goes beyond the 2-D Artful flavor of the small screen series

Due to a PG-13 rating, Brooks was thrilled to be able to venture into new comedic ground, as well.

In one scene, a cartoon penis is featured, for example; in another, Homer gives the mighty finger.

Two cops passionately lip-locking in a key scene signal the gender-bending trends of a permissive society.

Producers are hoping the release of the feature will revive the TV show somewhat.

The jury is still out on that.

In its last year, Simpsons won the Emmy for best animated program, Writers Guild Award for best animated script, and a People's Choice Award for cartoons.

Although the Simpsons "MOVIE" took almost a decade to emerge from the small black box onto the big silver screen, there are already vigorous talks ongoing about a potential sequel.