AMERICAN IDOL adds Kara DioGuardi to its panel of judges
August 25th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Kara DioGuardi
Just as my annual withdrawal symptoms from American Idol appear to have subsided, news comes that the show’s producers are going to fix what isn’t broken by adding a fourth judge.
When season 8 kicks off next January, look for Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi to get her own gigantic Coca-Cola cup as she takes a seat alongside Simon, Paula and Randy on the judges’ panel. In a statement, Mike Darnell, Fox’s president of alternative programming said, “For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges’ table.”
Gender notwithstanding, Abdul is clearly the dopiest of the three judges. She makes Randy’s banter about the “dog pound” and his constant use of the word “pitchy” look pithy. Apart from the audition phase, where America looks for its next William Hung, Abdul’s slurred line readings, hackneyed advice and verbal bouts with Simon are invariably more entertaining than any of the contestants vocal skills.
“With Kara by her side, Paula has some backup and now there is going to be a lot more `girl power’ on the show,” Darnell said. WOOOOOOOO! GIRL POWER! WOOOOOO! Give the goddamned simple-minded sloganizing a rest already!
“We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller in a statement. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”
Turning up the heat or desperately trying to win back viewers tired of the same-old same-old?
The extremely successful Ms. DioGuardi has written, produced and/or sang backup for Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Pink, Miley Cyrus and the Pussycat Dolls. For me, the biggest news to come from this story is that someone actually writes the crap the Pussycat Dolls sing.
Tags: AMERICAN IDOL, american idol adds judge, fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, new american idol judge, paula abdul, Photo, picture, randy jackson, simon cowellNew Photos Added: JERRY LEWIS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Liv Tyler, CLUTCH CARGO, Goldie Hawn, WHAT’S MY LINE?, Ernest Borgnine, etc.
July 7th, 2008 by Scott Marks
THE ADDAMS FAMILY - 5 Photos Added
Jerry Lewis’ THE BELLBOY (1960) - 8 Lobby Cards Added
BORGNINE IN BANLON!!!
Ernest Borgnine in The Split (1968) - 3 Color Stills Added
CLUTCH CARGO, with his pals Spinner & Paddlefoot! - 5 Photos Added
Tags: 8 x 10, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Brigitte Bardot, CLUTCH CARGO, Dorothy Kilgallen, Ernest Borgnine, Evan Rachel Wood, Frank Tashlin, Goldie Hawn, Howard Hawks, Images, Jerry Lewis, John Charles Daly, Liv Tyler, Liza Minnelli, Lobby Cards, Marlene Dietrich, New Photos, Paddlefoot, Photo, Photos, Pictures, PLUNKETT AND MacLEANE, promotional stills, publicity photos, Spinner, Still, Stills, The Addams Family, The Bellboy, THE DISORDERLY ORDERLY, the incredible hulk, the lady is willing, THE STRANGERS, Whats My LineFiled Under Image Blog
Review: WANTED / Timur Bekmambetov (2008)
June 29th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Wanted (2008)
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Adapted from a comic book by: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Chris Morgan
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp
Running Time: 110 min.
Aspect Ratio: 
Rating: 
Remind me never to post images to the Image Vault before seeing a movie. My show of good faith invariably results in a bupke. (Check out this inexcusable inclusion! WTF was I thinking?)
Wanted is hardly required viewing.
Once again, Angelina Jolie takes time away from her busy schedule of saving the world to make movie theaters a worse place to live in. Her overexaggerated features make her a logical choice to play comic book heroines, but any similarity between her choice of action/fantasy/adventure scripts and quality entertainment is highly unlikely. Only sludge like Wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Tomb Raider(s) can possibly make one wistful for the glory days of Hackers.
It’s not that she is incapable of handing in good performances in worthy projects. Playing by Heart is a terrific ensemble film and the much maligned Original Sin is actually a very enjoyable Gothic noir. Girl, Interrupted is not much of a movie, but her performance is electrifying and at least she’s naked a lot in Gia and Foxfire.
With the exception of one bare-back shot, Ms. Jolie remains clothed throughout Wanted. It’s a good thing. The once voluptuous starlet is now thinner than one of the undernourished third-world toddlers she carts around at photo ops. I swear that I could fit my thumb and index finger around her upper arm.
Pounds aren’t the only thing to be pruned from Ms. Jolie’s mien. What happened to her feminist conscience? The women in Wanted exist only as grotesques, bait, killing machines and pussy. Aside from a big payday, what possible allure did this trash hold?
James McAvoy apes the Edward Norton role in Fight Club, a nebbishy clock-puncher transformed into an urban warrior. His father, a closeted world class assassin, is murdered and a secret organization recruits McAvoy with the promise of avenging dad’s death. Run by Morgan Freeman (who also should have known better), The Fraternity receives it’s assignments to kill from a giant weaving loom. I kid you not.
With The Wackness and Wall-E currently gracing multiplexes, Wanted is not the ‘W’ film of the week.
Tags: Action, Angelina Jolie, Images, James McAvoy, Movie, Movie Review, Photo, Timur Bekmambetov, WANTEDFiled Under Rants
New Photos Added: Dolly Parton, Cary Grant, Mae West, John Ford, WRITTEN ON THE WIND, Sexy Smokers, Pope John XXXIII, Travis Bickle, etc.
June 21st, 2008 by Scott Marks
Drew Barrymore - 2 Photos from Cat’s Eye (1985)
Howard Hawk’s Bringing Up Baby (1938) - 5 New Photos Added
Celebrity Endorsements
Travis Bickle for Underhill Records
Dolly Parton Wigs
Cary Grant - 10 New Photos Added
Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharaohs (1955) - 1 New Photo Added
Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin & Harpo Marx
All-Star Myra Breckinridge Lobby Card (1970) - John Huston, Raquel Welch, Mae West, Rex Reed and “director” Michael Sarne
Shine a Light (2008) Berlin Film Festival premiere
Smokey the Bear - “Don’t Play With Matches” bookmark
“Which one of you criminali has a match?”
Asia Argento, Lauren Bacall, Ana Beatriz Barros, Linda Blair, Cher, Bette Davis, Francoise Dorleac & Catherine Deneuve, Sasha Grey, Rita Hayworth, Grace Jones, Carole Lombard, Virginia Madsen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Pare, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robin Wright Penn, Michelle Phillips, Nikki Reed, Anna Nicole Smith, Liv Tyler, Evan Rachel Wood, Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed,
John Ford’s The Sun Shines Bright (1953) - 7 Lobby Cards
Taxi Driver Insert Poster
Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind (1956) - 8 Lobby Cards
Tags: Ads, Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant, Celebrity, Dean Martin, Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton wigs, Douglas Sirk, Drew Barrymore, Harpo Marx, Howard Hawks, Jerry Lewis, John Ford, Land of the Pharaohs, Lobby Cards, Mae West, Martin Scorsese, Myra Breckinridge, New Photos, Photo, Raquel Welch, Shaw Scope, SHINE A LIGHT, Smokey the Bear, TAXI DRIVER, The Rolling Stones, THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT, Travis Bickle, Vintage, Written on the WindFiled Under Image Blog
New Photos Added: Humphrey Bogart, Johnny Depp, David Cronenberg, THE LADIES’ MAN, Jaclyn Smith, Michael Curtiz, Jerry Lewis, etc.
May 4th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Milton Berle - Ad for The Milton Berle Private Archive Collection
Humphrey Bogart - 12 Photos
Celebrity Endorsements
Wilford Brimley for Quaker Oatmeal
Tommy Lasorda for Slim-Fast
Jaclyn Smith for Max Factor 2nd Nail, 1988
Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby & William Holden in The Country Girl
David Cronenberg - 12 Photos
Michael Curtiz - 2 Photos
Johnny Depp - 3 Photos from John Waters Cry-Baby
The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon - 9 Parade Magazine covers and 3 Ads
The Ladies’ Man - Lobby Card Set
Jerry Lewis - 8 Photos
George Lucas, Enemy of Cinema - 1 Photo directing American Graffiti
S.C.T.V - 1 Photo
Tags: Actor, Ad, Ads, Bing Crosby, David Cronenberg, Endorsement, Grace Kelly, Jerry Lewis, John Waters, Johnny Depp, MDA, MDA Telethon, Milton Berle, Photo, Photos, SCTV, THE COUNTRY GIRL, The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, THE LADIES' MAN, Tommy Lasorda, Traci Lords, William Holden
Filed Under Image Blog
Chuck Connors: Baseball’s gift to movies
April 30th, 2008 by Scott Marks
“IN SQUEEZE PLAY — Chuck Connors, Baseball’s gift to the motion picture screen, goes to bat to score with a top featured role in Warner Bros.’ ‘South Sea Woman,’ forth-coming Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo co-starrer. In the romantic comedy Connors plays a marine pal of Lancaster and the impatient fiance of Miss Mayo. Chuck, who last year covered first base for the Los Angeles Angels, has also played for the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers.”
Tags: 8 x 10, Actor, Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Chuck Connors, Los Angeles Angels, Movies, Photo, Publicity Photo, South Sea Woman, StillFiled Under Image Blog
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