'Project Runway' recap: Microwaved Haute Couture

Badgley and Mischka (who are surprisingly totally American?) arrive and challenge the all-stars to make some haute couture evening wear that would be worn to the opera... in a day. Austin immediately feels the throw of the gauntlet and feels that he has to do something spectacular. Once again, Michael and April choose the same materials for their looks. Michael switches colors, though April thinks that it doesn't matter since their aesthetics are so different. Then, she dyes part of her fabric (in an attempt to achieve the Corpse Bride looking she's going for) and everyone murmurs that this could be the end of April. Joanna wonders if she's wasting time with dyeing.

Sweet P is feeling a little down after being in the bottom two during the previous challenge. She worries that it makes her look like a loser. Her dress has the same silhouette as her dress from last week. She doesn't seem very excited about it when she shows it to Joanna. After her consultation, she spends most the day trying to adorn (and correct?) the bodice on her look.

Mila praises Michael for working really quickly. It just feels weird considering people only seem to condescend to him normally. Jerell thinks what he's making looks tacky, but Joanna tells him that it's dramatic and she doesn't make it sound like she thinks that's a bad thing. She does wonder though if he has considered how a woman will feel actually wearing the dress and he admits to not thinking about that.

AS SEEN ON TV: MIKE HAMMER

MIKE HAMMER

AS SEEN IN:'Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'
AS PLAYED BY:Darren McGavin
TV DIMENSION:Earth Prime-Time
STATUS:Recastaway (Deceased)
CREATED BY:Mickey Spillane
From Wikipedia:Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book "I, the Jury" (made into a movie in 1953 and 1982).

Several movies and radio and television series have been based on the books in the Hammer series. The actor most closely identified with the character in recent years has been Stacy Keach, who portrayed Hammer in a CBS television series, 'Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer', which ran from 1984?1987 and had a syndicated revival in 1997?1998. (An earlier syndicated version, originally aired in 1957?1958, starred Darren McGavin as Hammer.) Spillane himself played Hammer in a 1963 motion picture adaptation of "The Girl Hunters". Spillane himself favoured ex-Marine and former Newburgh, New York police officer Jack Stang, on whom he based the character, to play him. Stang appeared with Spillane in the 1954 film "Ring of Fear" and in the film adaptation of "I, the Jury".

While pulp detectives such as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the archetypal "hard man": brutally violent, misogynistic, and fuelled by a genuine rage that never afflicts Raymond Chandler's or Dashiell Hammett's heroes. In "The Big Kill" Hammer describes himself to a bargirl as a misanthrope.

While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing it as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Hammer nevertheless has a strong respect for the majority of police, realising they have a difficult job and their hands are frequently tied by the law when trying to stop criminals.

Mike Hammer is a no-holds barred Battle of Guadalcanal veteran private investigator who carries a .45 Colt M1911, named "Betsy" in a shoulder harness under his left arm. His love for his secretary Velda is only outweighed by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD.

Hammer is also patriotic and anti-communist. The novels are peppered with remarks by Hammer supporting American troops in Korea, and in "Survival...Zero" Vietnam. In "One Lonely Night", where Hammer attends a communist meeting in a park, his reaction to the speaker's propaganda is a sarcastic "Yeah."

So far as violence is concerned, the Hammer novels leave little to the imagination. Written in the first person, Hammer describes his violent encounters with relish. In all but a few novels, Hammer's victims are often left vomiting after a blow to the stomach or groin.

The Washington Times obituary of Spillane said of Hammer, "In a manner similar to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the 'tedious process' of the legal system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms."
'Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer' is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer. The gritty, crime fighting detective?created by American crime author Mickey Spillane?has also inspired several feature films and made-for-TV movies.
From the source:
"It was a fine day. The sun was warm and the streets full of kids making racket like a pack of squirrels. I drove to the corner and stopped in a cigar store where I put in a call to Charlotte's office. She wasn't there, but her secretary had been told to tell me that if I called, I could find her in Central Park on the Fifth Avenue side near 68th Street. ....I drove in from the cutoff on Central Park West and drove all around the place, circling toward Fifth. When I came out I parked on67th and walked back to the park. She wasn't on any of the benches, so I hopped the fence and cut across the grass to the inside walk. The day had brought out a million strollers, it seemed like. Private nurses in tricky rigs went by with a toddler at their heels, and more than onceI got the eye."
- ("I, The Jury")
I'm willing to entertain the notion that the Mike Hammer played Stacy Keach (above, right) in the 1980's was the son, probably illegitimate, of Darren McGavin's Mike Hammer. (I would prefer to keep as many TV shows as I can in the main TV dimension, if I could.)

If anyone should know of any reason this should not be - a mention in some episode's plot point, an appearance by some other actor as his father - please let me know.
For a recent, insightful overlook to the series from the 1950's, click here.
BCnU!

Read The Full Article:
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2012/01/as-seen-on-tv-mike-hammer.html

Check Out The DocYard’s 2012 Winter Programming Schedule

Oh look! Another great screening series that I’m not going to be able to attend! That’s okay. I’ll just post the dates of this winter’s DocYard programming schedule and see if I might live vicariously through those of you in the Boston area who end up checking out some of these great films. The stand out on my list would have to be Ross McElwee’s ‘Space Coast’. I’ve never seen it but it looks pretty amazing. Lots of great stuff to choose from here, so hopefully these screenings fill up quick! Check out the line up below:

Opening Night Film – January 23 SPACE COAST (1979)
Q&A with directors Ross McElwee and Michel Negroponte
SPACE COAST follows three residents of Cape Canaveral, Florida, several years after the phasing out of Apollo moon missions.

February 6 OUR SCHOOL (2011)
Q&A with director Mona Nicoara
OUR SCHOOL follows three Roma (commonly known as “Gypsy”) children in a rural Transylvanian village who are among the pioneer participants in an initiative to integrate the ethnically segregated Romanian schools.

February 20 CAMPAIGN (2007)
Q&A with director Kazuhiro Soda
CAMPAIGN provides a startling insider’s view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of Yama‐san, a man plucked from obscurity by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council.

March 5 BOMBAY BEACH (2011)
Q&A with director Alma Har’el
Winner, Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival
Winner, Emerging Cinematic Vision, Camden International Film Festival
BOMBAY BEACH is a dreamlike poem that sets the personal stories of distinctive yet familiar characters
to a stylized amalgam of observational documentary and choreographed dance. The film’s setting, the
Salton Sea, is a barren Californian landscape often seen as a symbol of the failure of the American
Dream.

March 19 BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN (2010)
Q&A with director Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley
BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN follows the story of reluctant activist Daniel Goldstein as he struggles to save his home and community from being demolished to make way for a professional basketball arena and the densest real estate development in U.S. history.

April 2 SCENES OF A CRIME (2011)
Q&A with director Grover Babcock
SCENES OF A CRIME explores a nearly 10‐hour interrogation that culminates in a disputed confession
and an intense, high‐profile murder trial in New York state in which detectives, prosecutors, witnesses,
jurors and the suspect himself offer conflicting accounts of exactly what happened in this mysterious
and disturbing true‐crime documentary.

Closing Night Film – April 16 MARATHON BOY (2010)
Skype Q&A with director Gemma Atwal
MARATHON BOY is the story of a four‐year‐old boy who is plucked from the slums of India by his coach
and trained to become India’s greatest runner, but what starts in hope turns into the stuff of film noir: a
tale of greed, envy and broken dreams.

‘Side by Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinema’ Trailer: Keanu Reeves’ Produced Doc on the War Between Film and Digital

Okay, this looks awesome. I’m sure eyebrows might raise at the thought of a Keanu Reeves produced documentary, but this subject matter is pretty irresistible to me. The film is called ‘Side by Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinema’ (directed by Christopher Kenneally) and it looks at the war between digital and analog filmmaking. Pretty relevant stuff considering the recent announcement that the Eastman Kodak Company has just filed for bankruptcy protection. Even though the digital revolution seems inevitable, there are a handful of filmmakers who refuse to go down without a fight, insisting that we’re acting too fast by replacing a tried and true format (film) with a technology (digital) that at this point, simply doesn’t compare in terms of the quality if the image. Here’s the synopsis:

The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation. We show what artists and filmmakers have been able to accomplish with both film and digital and how their needs and innovations have helped push filmmaking in new directions. Interviews with directors, cinematographers, colorists, scientists, engineers and artists reveal their experiences and feelings about working with film and digital–where we are now, how we got here and what the future may bring.

I have to say that I absolutely love Wally Pfister. His work is amazing and he’s refreshingly honest and outspoken about his stance on digital filmmaking (and his apparent hatred of 3D). Still, I think there are interesting arguments to be made on both sides, which is what makes this film so interesting. David Lynch, James Cameron, George Lucas and Steven Sodebergh all chime in as supporters of digital filmmaking. Each side has its share of supporters. As for docs, it seems film is even less relevant as it’s truly rare to see a non-fiction film shot on 16mm nowadays. I know I’m always excited when I hear about docs shot on film, but I guess it’s just too expensive when considering the digital alternative. It’s a truly a shame.

You can find more info on Side by Side here:

facebook.com/sidebysidethemovie
sidebysidethemovie.com
twitter.com/sidebysidemovie

Martha Stewart’s Talk Show Cancelled

So long, Martha! The Hallmark Channel is pulling the plug on The Martha Stewart Show.

On Wednesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia insist the domestic goddess’ self-titled gabfest — and the rest of its programming slate on The Hallmark Channel, which includes Emeril’s Table, Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn and Martha Bakes — will continue at least through September.

However, sources told The New York Post that The Martha Stewart Show will cease production past April. The confusion prompted Hallmark to issue an official statement, bringing down the gauntlet as most as gently as a greeting card.

Stewart’s show will stop taping live episodes in the spring and will air reruns throughout the summer. Then it will end.

Here’s what Hallmark and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia had to say in a statement:

“The daytime block on Hallmark Channel demonstrated year over year ratings growth and earned The Martha Stewart Show two Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season on Hallmark. That show will continue to air through the end of summer 2012. MSLO and Hallmark Channel are in discussions about potential new show formats and concepts for daytime.”

Low ratings and high production costs were at the root of the decision, according to insiders.

The weekday, 1-hour talk show debuted in syndication in 2005 and began airing exclusively on The Hallmark Channel in 2010.

Casey Anthony "Video Diary" Hits The Web

A video has surfaced on the web featuring a woman believed to be Casey Anthony who was acquitted last July of first-degree murder in connection with the death of her young daughter Caylee.

During the video reportedly filmed on October 13, the woman says:

"So, this is my first video diary. I don't know. I guess I'm liking it so far. It's obviously a different ballgame for me because I've never used this before. So, I guess these will be as tedious as my audio recordings have been."

Casey Anthony is known to have long brown hair, but in this video, the woman has a short blonde bob.

The woman goes on to say:

"It's just a little surreal how much things have changed since July and how many things haven't changed. But the good thing is that things are starting to look up and things are starting to change - in a good way. I just hope they stay…that things stay good and that they only get better."

Although Casey's rep has yet to confirm whether it is, indeed, her ... the 4-minute video has already made the rounds on national morning shows like GMA and The Today Show.

Do you believe it's actually Casey?

Marc Anthony Dating Venezuelan Model Shannon De Lima

Marc Anthony has officially moved on from soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Lopez!

The Latin singer is currently dating model Shannon De Lima, and he went public with the news via Twitter, in a message translated into English:

"To Shannon, my status of liberty. Kisses baby!"

Anthony also re-Tweeted a supportive message from his son Chase:

"To all my followers and all Twitter peeps, follow the best couple of 2012 and for many for years Marc Anthony and Shannon De Lima!"

Meanwhile, Ms. Lopez has long since moved on with 24-year-old backup dancer, Casper Smart. The pair have been spotted enjoying lavish shopping sprees in jewelry shops, and jetting off on vacations aboard Jen's private plane.

The "I'm Into You" singer even lets her new man get behind the wheel of her Bentley, despite the fact that he was recently sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine for speeding. Looks like Jenny's in love!

Casper just might be one of the luckiest men in the world for now, but how long will it last?

Britney Spears: I Can't Stop Looking At My Engagement Ring

Britney Spears is a happily engaged woman!

Jason Trawick proposed to the 30-year-old pop star last month, and Brit is absolutely lovin' her new engagement ring bling. The smiling beauty posted the above photo and Tweeted: "I can't stop looking at it!!"

We can't stop looking at how gorgeous our girl looks in her form-fitting blue sweater. Meow!

Spears and Trawick have been together since 2009.

Great to see Brit so happy and in love!

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS - Brad And Angelina Take The Twins For A Ride

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are just your average parents, right?

The A-list twosome were seeing cruising around Hollywood in their black SUV (needs a car wash!) with 3-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne in the backseat.

The Moneyball actor and his ladylove were heading home after picking the kiddos up from preschool.

Although they could pretty much afford a herd of nannies, it's great to see these two superstars acting like ordinary parents. Well, except for the armed bodyguards sitting in the car with them.

Just another day for the Pitt-Jolie bunch.

Links: Angelina Jolie

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SEE MORE:
Angelina Jolie Chats About Her "Worldly" Kids, Cooking With Brad Pitt - Dec 14, 2011
Copyright Lawsuit Won't Affect Release Date Of Angelina Jolie's New Film - Dec 12, 2011
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS - Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt Skip Out Early On Blood and Honey Screening, Grab Dinner Instead - Dec 08, 2011
Angelina Jolie Talks About More Babies, The Twins And Her New Movie - Dec 08, 2011
Report: Angelina Jolie Starves Herself To Make A Statement - Dec 08, 2011

SEE THE GALLERY Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Drive The Twins Around

Jeremy Renner Attacked During Bloody Bar Brawl In Thailand

Jeremy Renner was at the Rachada Pub in Phuket, Thailand when six male staffers stabbed a fellow patron, but his rep tells X17online that the actor "was not injured or involved."

Renner's rep added that he "exited as the fight took place and is currently in Manila shooting The Bourne Legacy." While we're glad the Oscar nominee is unharmed, Vorasit Issara, the general manager the Siri Panwa Resort, was stabbed in the stomach and neck. According to the Phuket News, the assailants attacked Issara with "a variety of clubs and cutting instruments, including a home-made axe fashioned from a motorcycle brake rotor," and this morning they were charged with attempted murder.

Several websites reported that Renner and Issara were drinking at the bar when Issara dropped his glass on the floor, which apparently prompted the six employees to launch into attack mode. There are also reports that Vorasit had beef with the staff before the fight erupted, so it looks like Renner was in the wrong place at the wrong time!

A Holiday for the Rest of Us: Happy Festivus

Feeling overwhelmed by holiday music, rich food and endless shopping ads? Consider celebrating the secular holiday of Festivus instead. "It's time to air the grievances. It's time for feats of strength. It's time to put up your pole, discard all of that distracting tinsel and celebrate a good old-fashioned non-holiday without the burden of commercialism," writes CinemaBlend. First made popular by a Seinfeld episode in 1997, you can see video of the story of Festivus here. Time has a guide for how to celebrate (Step 2: forget the pleasantries and air your grievances). Gothamist has an infographic that explains it all, and tells us that "The tradition has become so popular that a company in Wisconsin actually got into the business of making Festivus poles. They're 100 percent recyclable and cost just $39 (plus shipping and handling). Yes, we should have told you about this weeks ago so you could have ordered it in time for Festivus--but save your griping for the Airing of the Grievances, okay pal?"