Action-packed "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is a thrill in IMAX

Megan Fox and Shia LaBouf reprise their roles in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"(Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Pictures)

The Transformers are back. The highly successful first film in 2006 that launched the careers of Shia LaBouf and Megan Fox, has returned for a second installment titled "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

The battle for Earth has ended but the battle for the universe has just begun. After returning to Cybertron, Starscream assumes command of the Decepticons, and has decided to return to Earth with force. The Autobots believing that peace was possible finds out that Megatron's dead body has been stolen from the US Military by Skorpinox and revives him using his own spark. Now Megatron is back seeking revenge and with Starscream and more Decepticon reinforcements on the way, the Autobots with reinforcements of their own, may have more to deal with then meets the eye.

The Good

• The action was non-stop and was amazing in IMAX. The clarity of picture and sound make it a fantastic experience.
  
• LaBouf and Fox are perfect for the roles of Sam and Mikaela, but I think the person that stole the show was John Turturro as Agent Simmons. His comedic charm and smarts make his character well-rounded.
  
• The story was fairly easy to follow and even people who missed the first one could catch up.
  
• Megan Fox was very easy on the eyes and was definitely "sexed up" for all the males in the audience in this version.
  
  The Bad
  
• The running time of the movie is a bit long at 2 hours 36 minutes. Could have cut some scenes out.
  
• The conflict was resolved way too quickly. Bulding up for over 2 1/2 hours only to have the movie end within five minutes was not very good.
  
  

Rating: Solid 3 Stars out of 4 - If you are in the mood for action-packed fights between robots or looking at Megan Fox for 2 hours + then this is the movie for you. Already over the $300 million mark in the U.S., "Transformers 2" is the biggest of the summer with "Harry Potter" right on its tail.

Summer Movie Season 2009 Halftime Review

Even with the worst reviews of the year, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is this summer's top grossing movie to date with a whopping $300 + million in the U.S. in only 14 days (Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks)

Well, it's July 9. Time to take a look at the halfway point for the Summer Movie Season 2009. Below I will list the Summer Movies out so far along with how they fared fiscally then my rating of A-F depending on how it fared in the box office.

May 2009

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
The first movie of the Summer 2009 season started off with a whopping $74 million opening on its way to earning $363.3 million worldwide ($178.5 million in the U.S.) well over its $150 million budget.

GRADE: A
The X-Men series has never failed to produce a money-maker with all the movies topping the $100 million mark. However, the next in the series is "X-Men Origins: Magneto." Will be interesting to see if people flock to see that one.

"Star Trek"
J.J. Abrams did it. He resusitated the once-dead "Star Trek" movie franchise and is now taking it into a fresh, new dimension. With Captain James T. Kirk and crew fresh out of the academy (and young), this series is back and better than ever! Opening with $75 million, it became the biggest Star Trek movie opening in the entire franchise. The movie is still going strong as it has earned $375 million worldwide ($256 million in the U.S.) well over the $150 million budget.

GRADE: A+

Trekkies along with new discoverers of Star Trek came out to see Abrams new vision and it was a monster success. The IMAX was amazing and the buzz around this series is alive again.

"Angels and Demons"
Director Ron Howard reunited with Tom Hanks in the sequel to the mega-successful "The Da Vinci Code." Not as controversial as the first, it still brought in some good money as it opened with $46 million on its way to $131 million domestically. It's worldwide take of $342 million made it a monster success with an overall take of $473.1 million.

GRADE: C
"Angels and Demons" was saved by its worldwide gross. In the U.S., it never cracked even with its $150 million budget. It was hurt by mega-blockbuster Star Trek when it opened and just never gained the momentum "Da Vinci" did.

"Terminator Salvation"
This movie had some hype going into the summer season. But no matter how much Christian Bale yelled, this movie was a bust for Director McG and the Terminator Franchise. What was supposed to be a reboot to continue it now looks like a call for it to be put on hold while they look at what went wrong. A $200 million production budget, it only grossed $122.7 million in the U.S. while it took $227.8 million worldwide.

GRADE: D
A movie that was supposed to be one of the biggest of the summer turned into a flop as it grossed only $43 million in its opening weekend. You wonder if McG will helm the next movie with this one becoming the first major flop of the summer season.

"Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian"
In what looked to be even better than the first movie, Ben Stiller was back and this time was going to the Smithsonian to rescue some of the exhibits sent there by mistake. A moderate opening of $54.1 million, NATM 2 was not as ultra successful as the first one. Right now it sits at $168 million domestically, $207.1 million worldwide for a total of $375.5 million.

GRADE: C
This was supposed to be the "Family movie of the summer" but turned into a dud. The idea was great but with lukewarm reviews and limited IMAX showings, this movie failed to live up to the hype of the first one. Stiller will most likely do a third but he'd better make sure it has the gusto to capture the magic the first one created.

"Up"
The surprise hit of the summer, Disney/Pixar's "Up" blasted into the Memorial Day weekend earning $68.1 million on its way to $268 million in the U.S. and $35.3 worldwide. The $175 million budget was made back easily in the U.S. as Pixar keeps on chucking out golden eggs with these films.

GRADE: A+
Like I said, Pixar could take a movie about a pet rock and make it successful. "Up" got plenty great reviews and raked in the dough. Their 10th hit, the writers of these movies are geniuses and I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves next!

JUNE 2009

"The Hangover"
Every summer there is an R-rated comedy that smashes through to shock the movie industry. This year, "The Hangover" opened with $45 million dollars, holding onto the #1 spot for 2 weeks and earning $209 million in the U.S. and $61.6 worldwide to date.

GRADE: A+
The promoting of this movie along with the fantastic reviews gave it the push it needed to become this years "Old School." $200+ million for an R-Rated Comedy is not seen too often, especially when there are a bunch of no-name/limited star power in the film. Already have a sequel in production.

"Land of the Lost"
Why oh why did Will Ferrell think this needed to be made? I think he wanted to make fun of it more than make a tribute to one of the weirdest and dumbest shows from the 70's and 80's. The movie opened with a weak $18 million on its way to becoming the biggest flop of the summer.

GRADE: F
Ferrell wasn't even enough to save this really bad tribute to a really bad show. With a budget of $100 million, it only took in $47 million in the U.S. and $6.8 million worldwide. Ferrell needs a hit after this clunker.

"Year One"
This movie has to be one of the biggest flops of the summer. Jack Black and Michael Cera star in a sloppily written script by Harold Ramis that blends Cavemen with The Bible.

GRADE: F

Cera and Black had their moments but the biblical times beign combined with the cavemen times was really a bad way to go. Anytime to mix religion and other subjects it backfires. Movie only made $20 million and was definitely one of the biggest summer flops.

"Transformers 2"
What can you say? Michael Bay can make money even when his films are dubbed "Worst of the Year." How about a $108 million opening on its way to making over $300 million in 14 days so far in the U.S.? The phenom series can't go wrong as a third will most likely happen after the mega-success.

GRADE: A+
Michael Bay and Dreamworks marketed this movie beautifully. No matter how bad the reviews are the fanbase always wins the box office, especially for a franchise of this magnitutde. The "T&A" from the gorgeous Megan Fox don't hurt either as the bulk of the audience are men. Definitely look for the third movie to come out in the next few years.

That is it for the Summer Movie Season so far. The scorecard: 5 blockbusters, 2 "ok" successes and 2 bombs of the summer season. Up next: Harry Potter, G.I. Joe and more!

For in-depth movie info., visit http://www.comingsoon.net/. For the latest Box Office Totals or to look up how much your favorite movie made, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/.

A World Without the 'King of Pop'

Happier times when Michael Jackson (l) and Quincy Jones (r) won multiple Grammy's for "Thriller"

As Paul Simon said in Mrs. Robinson, "Where have you gone, Michael Jackson?" OK, so he didn't say Michael Jackson (he said Joe Dimaggio) but you get the idea. The world lost its biggest musicial entertainer yesterday. Michael Jackson went into cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles and died about an hour later early Thursday afternoon. He was only 50 years old.

Yesterday, I was driving home and heard the DJ on 100.3 in Washington D.C. say that Michael Jackson had suffered a heart attack but he was alive. Then about 25-30 min. later, he came on to say Michael Jackson had died. Not believing the DJ, I rushed home and as soon as I ran through the door: SPECIAL REPORT on CBS News. Michael Jackson was dead. Stunned, I began to cry. This man that I grew up listening to, enjoying his music and even seeing him once in concert. The man that took the world by storm with the world embracing him in return. Gone just like that.

I regained my composure but even today I am sitting here still stunned at this news. An icon that was over $400 million in debt was about to start his comeback tour that would have wiped out his debt and made his life easier and more enjoyable. I feel for his three children who now have to face going to Debbie Rowe's care or Michael's mother. I hope Michael's mother gets custody.

So what will happen now? A world without Michael Jackson. I at least thought he'd be around for 30 more years. We'll know in the coming weeks what he died of and then we'll see what happens with his kids and massive debt. The concert promoters in London still haven't said if they're giving out refunds or not.

Whatever the case may be, we lost an icon. I lost a piece of my childhood. Selling over 750 million albums worldwide, I don't think we'll ever see an artist of his magnitude. John Lennon was killed in 1980 and this death is the first significant one since that dreadful day in New York.

I think Billy Joel put it best "Only the good die young."

It's alive! Virgin Festival to invade Merriweather Post Pavilion

Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2009 (AKA Virgin Mobile Festival), will take place Sunday, August 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland

It finally happened. After months of speculation that the 2009 Virgin Mobile Music Festival was dead, on Wednesday, June 24 came the announcement that the bands Blink-182 along with Weezer and Franz Ferdinand would anchor the 2009 Virgin Mobile FreeFest, where all tickets were FREE! Sir Richard Branson, head of Virgin, said that since the economy was so bad, he felt that people needed a break and to have an amazing time at little cost. The sponsors are paying for the bulk of this concert with the rest going to charity to fight homelessness.

Now this is definitely a big blow to Pimlico, which held the first three extraordinary Virgin Festivals with the likes of The Police, The Who, The Killers, Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, and many others. With the economy the way it is and Pimlico going bankrupt, Branson and Co. found Merriweather Post Pavilion, a venue that can hold 35,000 compared to Pimlico that could hold upwards of 70,000+. In my view, perfect. HFS held their last fesitval in 2006 there and it was a great venue for that (although I hope the bathrooms are better this time.)

This is beyond huge. The pre-sale has begun and is supposed to go until Friday at 10pm but tickets are scarce as of 11:45 a.m.

The preliminary lineup as of Thursday, June 25:

Sunday, August 30 (Gates open at 11 a.m.)
2009 Virgin Mobile FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion:

• Blink-182
• Weezer
• Franz Ferdinand
• Public Enemy
• Jet
• The National
• Girl Talk
• The Hold Steady
• St. Vincent
• Wale
• Taking Back Sunday
• The Bravery
• Holy Fu*k
• Mates of State
• Pete Tong
• Danny Howells and Lee Burridge (Dance Tent)
  

The 1980's are Back!

The Ghostbusters are back to battle ghosts and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in this update of the 1980's classic video game

Remember the 1980's? The Ghostbusters, Jason, Freddy Kruger, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, The Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks. All these classic TV shows and movies are getting rebooted in the 2000's.

It all started with the cartoons. New TMNT and He-Man cartoons showed up on Fox and Cartoon Network. Then talk of The Smurfs anniversary coming up prompted a CGI movie coming out in 2010.

Friday the 13th (now on DVD) got a reboot earlier this year with Freddy Kruger coming back in 2010. Alvin and the Chipmunks got the CGI update in 2007 with a sequel in the works. Now there is word that the Ghostbusters are back for a third movie and to wet fans appetites: a new video game on PS3, XBOX 360 and Wii.

All these things, with the exception of Ghostbusters, are reboots because hollywood is desperate to recapture the magic and money those franchises brought in. Originality is very scarce in hollywood these days unless it's a TV show. I find it hard to believe that no one can think of anything original and instead want to update even the most remote TV show or idea like "Land of the Lost" only to watch it tank.

Dan Akroyd wrote and created Ghostbusters in 1984 and is busy co-writing a third movie to pass the torch to a new generation. He co-wrote a brand new story with Harold Ramis set in 1991 two years after Ghostbusters II for the new video game. If Akroyd can think of something, why is it so difficult for everyone else?

Hollywood needs to go back to originality or else they'll start touching the ultimate classics and remaking them into horrid tributes that devalue what they truly stood for.

Mario Lemieux's Crazy Pool Party

Sid the Kid and company decide to go swimming with the Silver Stanley Cup

As we all know, last Friday the Pittsburgh Penguins upset the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to win their third stanley cup and first since 1992. Mario Lemieux has his name on all three (2 as a player and 1 as owner) and decided after a long day of parades and confetti to have a pool party for his team, their families and closest friends. What resulted is seen in the photo above: the Stanley Cup in the pool.

Chlorine aside, the cup is made of silver so I can assume that is not a very good thing for the 35-pound trophy. Alas, it ads another story of Stanley Cup lore. Here are some other wacky stories involving the oldest trophy in sports:

• After a night of celebrating their Stanley Cup victory in 1905, members of the Ottawa Silver Seven felt it necessary to see if one could kick the Cup into Ottawa's Rideau Canal. One of them lined it up and gave it a boot, drop-kick style. In a true test of his accuracy and distance, the Cup landed on target, in the canal. That established, the boys went on their merry way, and the Cup stayed in the Canal until the next day when sober heads prevailed and Lord Stanley's mug was rescued. It was then placed in the capable hands of Harry Smith, a Silver Seven member.

• During the 1962 playoffs, the Cup sat on display in a huge glass case in the Chicago Stadium lobby. A Montreal fan, Ken Kilander, was upset with the Stanley Cup being in Chicago. He opened the glass case and when no alarms went off, reached in and grabbed the Cup off its stand. Kilander crept through the stadium lobby and headed for the exit doors. He was just a few yards from the exit when a police officer spotted Kilander and asked him why he was taking the Stanley Cup out of Chicago Stadium. "I want to take it back where it belongs," Kilander explained, "To Montreal."

• In 1996, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre christened his child in the bowl of the Stanley Cup after his championship season.
  
  

For more tales of Stanley Cup lore, visit http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/html/silver_stTales.htm.

The Dream is a Reality for Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien officially took over "The Tonight Show" Monday to mixed reviews

It's finally official folks. On Monday, June 1, 2009 Conan O'Brien became just the third host of "The Tonight Show" to grace the stage in over 40 years. With Jay Leno announcing the hand off a few short years ago, O'Brien looked nervous yet humbled at becoming the host of televisions most honored late night program.

The show started with classic Conan as he looked over a checklist of things to do before his debut. Last on the list was "Move to L.A." in which he looked at the camera in a panic. Running out to catch a cab, he gave up and decided to run from New York to L.A. stopping off at some hilarious places along the way. When he got to the studio, he realized he forgot something...the key to "The Tonight Show" studio! Frustrated, he leaves the shot then plows through the door with a bulldozer.

What proceeded was a mixture of monologue and skits for about 30 min. The Universal tram was hilarious. Will Ferrell came on around 12:10 am to four men carrying him on a platform as if he were royalty. His interview was OK but not the one you want as your first interview on "The Tonight Show." The evening finished up with a world premiere song by Pearl Jam off their new album. All in all, not a bad night for Conan.

Now a lot of older people are going to shrug off O'Brien for his immense energy and hilarity. But everyone should give him a chance. He got the "Late Night" gig after Letterman bolted for CBS in 1993. At that time, O'Brien was only known for being a great comedy writer with "The Simpsons" and was totally unknown. In those 16 years, he built an audience that followed him and easily won the late night ratings in his time slot. His wackiness and crazy energy made the show original and fresh. From his campaign to put "Dirty Dancing" back into movie theaters for it's anniversary to his "Walker, Texas Ranger" clips, O'Brien is a talented comedian that deserves this shot at his lifelong dream.

A lot of people will need a few shows to get used to O'Brien and company's zany, out-of-this-world humor that made him the king of the 12:30 time slot. Here's to you Conan, hoping you garner a huge audience for years to come!