CliqueClack

American Idol: My love/hate relationship with Harry Connick, Jr.

Hokay … so maybe it’s not exactly a “love/hate” relationship I have with Harry Connick, Jr.

To be more precise, it’s more an “annoy/enjoy” sort of thing. Because there are plenty of instances when the guy is dead on when he critiques some of the American Idol contestants.

And then, moving around to various performers, he might do a complete about-face — sometimes he gets too technical to the point a review can go over a contestant’s head. Other times he’s exactingly critical and it appears he out-and-out hates a performance. Still other times, he regresses into the usual judges’ go-to M.O. of kowtowing … because there isn’t anything really to say about what was just played out by an Idol on the stage.

And here’s the thing: I get all three modes of feedback. But in the first two instances:

When He’s Too Technical: Harry should be talking to them in specifics when a glazed look comes over a performer’s face. They’re not “getting” it. The information he’s imparting just isn’t comprehended. You know that saying “You can’t fix dumb?” This isn’t that but in the same vein you can’t hand somebody something meant to assist them if they have no point of reference. Right? Right. Remember: Many of these kids are kids, they’re not seasoned. (Case in point: Alex Preston will understand the technical stuff out of the sheer abundance and familiarity he has with the bevy of instruments he manages. MK Nobilette probably will not.) Continue reading 'American Idol: My love/hate relationship with Harry Connick, Jr.' »

Win passes to see Bad Words in DC or Baltimore

This contest is now closed. Winners will be notified by email. Please follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Focus Features and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy Bad Words starring Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney.

Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. Guy zealously plays to win the prize money at stake, outpacing the pre-teen field in match after match. Guy is aided and abetted in qualifying for the matches by reporter Jenny Widgeon (Hahn), who has the exclusive rights to Guy’s story and has liaisons with her subject. Guy rudely steps up his game to embarrass and outwit the competition’s imperious chief Dr. Bowman (Hall) and administrator Dr. Deagan (Janney), who are intent on having him eliminated from the field.

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Veronica Mars – DVD Prize Pack Giveaway

We here at CliqueClack love some Veronica Mars. A long time ago, we actually dedicated a week of posts on the show, including a debate by Clackers Deb and Bob about the likelihood that we’d ever see a Mars movie. Thanks to Kickstarter and 91,585 of Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell’s closest friends, Veronica Mars opens in theatres later this week.

To commemorate this glorious occasion, CliqueClack will be giving away a copy of the forthcoming DVD, along with a “Neptune, CA” trucker’s hat. We’ve also got a very cool quiz app that you can check out and test your knowledge on all things Mars: Continue reading 'Veronica Mars — DVD Prize Pack Giveaway' »

Veronica Mars, Inside Llewyn Davis, Homefront and more come to home video

There are some major films coming out on March 11, including the Oscar nominated (and snubbed) Inside Llewyn Davis and The Book Thief, but the week’s biggest release actually comes on Friday, March 14 with the simultaneous theatrical and digital release of the highly anticipated Veronica Mars movie. With the film getting a limited theatrical release, you can watch the movie in the comfort of your own home if it’s not playing in your city. There are more early digital releases with the Oscar nominated (and shockingly snubbed) American Hustle and Anchorman 2 (though not the new R-rated expanded cut of the film). John Wayne fans can now enjoy Hatari and El Dorado on Blu-ray, cult film fans get a director’s cut of Iron Sky, and Warner Brothers releases individual disks formerly part of the James Dean box set. To see all of the highlights of this week’s home video releases, have a look at out handy shopper’s guide and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.

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Drama, like oil, bubbles just under the surface on Dallas

It seems like it’s been forever since we last saw the Ewing clan on TNT’s updated version of Dallas, but apparently it’s only been about 12 hours! If you’ve been following the show, you know that we lost TV icon Larry Hagman midway through the second season. His passing left producers scrambling to wrap up some storylines (which seem to have curtailed appearances by Ted Shackleford and Joan Van Ark, reprising their roles as Gary and Val Ewing) and create a new “Who Shot J.R.” plot that actually gave us a resolution by the end of the season (his right hand man Bum shot him because J.R. was dying and he wanted to frame Cliff Barnes) that united the Ewings and put Cliff Barnes in a Mexican jail. But Cliff had a bombshell for Christopher’s on again/off again girlfriend Elena — J.R. had switched deeds to the property which gave him the oil that belonged to her family.

The new season picked up 12 hours later and the biggest surprise so far is the fact that Christopher can grow a full beard in half a day! But there is more drama ahead for the Ewing, Barnes and Ramos families as Elena confirms that what Cliff told her was true (or was it?). The Ewings basically became rich by stealing her family’s oil, and she’s now out for revenge. The question is — do Bobby, Christopher or John Ross even have a clue to what J.R. did those many years ago? She’s plotting to bring down the Ewings, who gained control of Barnes Global when Cliff was thrown in prison, by working as Cliff’s proxy (he still owns a third of the company, even if it has been renamed Ewing Global), but is she going to find she’s just become Cliff’s pawn in his never-ending quest to destroy the Ewings?

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A stormy Survivor has started an exciting season

They say that two isn’t enough for a pattern, and while technically this season of Survivor has had only two episodes, it has been a total of three hours. So let’s call it three episodes and make a few assumptions. Three good episodes means we’re in for a good season. I’ve watched most seasons of Survivor, occasionally they can be a little boring; when you have two seasons filmed a year, it’s easy to be iffy on quality. So far this cycle of Survivor seems pretty interesting, and not for the regular reasons.

The show loves its gimmicks, and this time it’s (supposedly) all about Brawn, Brains and Beauty, which Jeff Probst contends (a bit incongruously) are the key traits to winning Survivor (Beauty isn’t really needed to do well in Survivor, although charisma and manipulation are certainly helpful). Admittedly, I was a bit fatigued by the two hour season opening, which dragged in the second half. It was, however, marvelous fun watching the Brains tribe fall apart; J’Tia’s terrible “Is she trying or trolling?” was a particular standout. I mean, she threw away the rice! That’s something that played into the latest episode, when she talked about wanting more rice to the astonishment of the others. That’s why I’m standing behind my troll theory. I don’t think she’s trying (for now), because she’s furious that the tribe doesn’t like her. In the water throwing challenge, it was almost shocking how terrible she was doing; though to be honest, Tasha wasn’t portrayed as doing so well either.

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300: Rise of an Empire is a bloody good time

300 was a groundbreaking film in terms of style, action and visuals. It really set the tone for many action movies (and cable TV’s Spartacus) to come with its use of mostly green screen filming and a completely virtual world brought to life on the big screen. Of course, there was all kinds of eye candy for every persuasion (and rumblings that even some of that was digitally enhanced … or just spray painted on), lots of slo-mo action and copious amounts of digital blood that seemed to vanish into thin air.

The story was pretty slim, based on a historical event as told through a graphic novel, featuring the legendary 300 heroes of Sparta as they battled to defend their land from the Persian empire under the leadership of the God King Xerxes. The Spartans, lead by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), never really stood a chance and they fought a valiant battle, but what became of Sparta?

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Before Airplane! there was The Big Bus

Michael: Inexplicably, I’ve been living in a period of time where several films I’ve never heard of have suddenly come out of the woodwork. And much to my delight I might add. How these have escaped me is beyond my comprehension … but they have.

In the first instance, I’ve been shamelessly ridiculed for obliviousness with regard to science fiction classic Colossus: The Forbin Project. How this film has gotten by me for 40 some-odd years I haven’t a clue. (Many of you out there will chalk it up to the fact I am indeed clueless … and you might be right. But I’ve remedied the situation on this count, so get off me.)

Not long afterward, CliqueClack’s own Chuck (Wash) Duncan tipped me off to 1976’s The Big Bus, again something I’d never heard of. I guess that’s what happens when you spend your carefree days meandering about at beach parties, volleyballing to your heart’s content and socializing ’til the cows come how … or when the beach patrol kicks you off the sand, whichever comes first.

But that’s okay. Because when this little gem came out I wouldn’t have appreciated it. It simply wasn’t my thing. And I don’t regret it — I’d much rather have been soaking up rays than slumped posture-challenged in a darkened theater before a two-story screen. Besides, I’ve caught the flick finally so no harm, no foul.

What’s your deal with The Big Bus, Chuck?

Chuck: 1972 was a watershed moment for me as far as movies are concerned. At ten years of age, I’d seen my share of Disney films and weird Russian fantasy flicks as well as more grown up movies like Rosemary’s Baby and Planet of the Apes. But 1972 was the year The Poseidon Adventure was released, and that got me really interested in the spectacle of the all-star disaster movie (more so than 1970’s Airport), and how movies were made. 1974 brought the one-two punch of Earthquake and The Towering Inferno. The Big Bus wanted to skewer the genre with satire more than outright parody which the makers of Airplane! gave us (which has spawned endless parodies of genre films to this day with dwindling returns … Vampires Suck, anyone?), so the laughs may not be as broad as you would expect. Continue reading 'Before Airplane! there was The Big Bus' »

Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave and more come to home video

With the Oscars over now, and the big winner in total number of awards won, Gravity, already out on home video, the year’s biggest winner for Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave, as well as a well-deserved Oscar for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, comes to home video this week. And if you’re keeping count, the film also won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Another nominee, for costumes, The Grandmaster also hit home video but they could all be overshadowed by the release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Spike Lee’s love-it-or-hate-it remake of Oldboy arrives along with the thriller The Last Days on Mars. If you’re looking for some older films, Universal is spiffing up some of their titles from the vaults for Blu-ray — Somewhere in Time, An American Tail, Fried Green Tomatoes, Harry and the Hendersons — and John Waters’ original, and classic, Hairspray finally gets a new Blu-ray release. These titles and more are released on March 4. Have a look at our shopper’s guide for all the highlights and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase.

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Fulfill your Need for Speed in Maryland, DC or Virginia

According to SeeItNow, all passes have been claimed. You may keep trying in case any passes are returned prior to the screening. Follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with DreamWorks and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore, Virginia Beach and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action movie Need for Speed starring Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, Scott Mescudi, Dakota Johnson, Harrison Gilbertson and Michael Keaton.

DreamWorks Pictures’ Need for Speed marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when the authenticity of the world brought a new level of intensity to the action on-screen. Tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing, the story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes — one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, Need for Speed captures the freedom and excitement of the game in a real-world setting, while bringing to life the passion for the road that has made our love of cars so timeless.

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