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24 Jan 2012 11:24

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Culture: Our four favorite surprises from today’s Oscar nominations

  • one The amazing silent film “The Artist” didn’t top the nomination list — “Hugo” had one more, despite the fact it was shut out of the acting categories.
  • two “The Tree of Life” must’ve confused the Academy: A strange message, “Nominees to be determined,” accompanies its Best Picture nomination.
  • three Maybe not a huge surprise, but Pixar’s “Cars 2” is the first Pixar flick that didn’t get a single nomination for an Oscar. Perhaps it’s because it sucked? Yeah, probably.
  • four And a surprise going the other way: Melissa McCarthy got an acting nomination for “Bridesmaids,” her breakout role. The question is, will she win? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 12:48

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Culture: “Cars 2” currently has a “Rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes

  • 44% well, that’s not what usually happens with Pixar flicks source
  • » This is not a common occurrence: The last time a Pixar movie scored below 95 percent on the Tomatometer was back in 2006 … with “Cars,” which still had a relatively solid 74 percent. It’s also Pixar’s first “Rotten” movie … ever. Is it because the franchise is more for the kids — and the massive merch sales that come with kids movies — than the adults?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 13:04

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Culture: That foundation probably isn’t up to safety code

  • Up, up and away! The folks over at National Geographic decided to recreate the balloon based lift-off scene from Pixar’s “Up.” I’m probably not giving much away to say they were met with dramatic and whimsically colorful success! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Sep 2010 01:06

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Culture: Pixar finally gets a woman in the director’s chair

  • bad Pixar, one of the most creative film companies in the world, has been a guys-only club in the director’s chair for its entire existence.
  • good That’s about to change with “Brave,” due in 2012 – which will be written and directed by Brenda Chapman. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2010 12:30

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Culture: Could Michael Eisner bring some Disney magic to Tribune Corp.?

  • Why he’s a good choiceRemember, this is the company owned by Sam Zell, who immediately ran it into bankruptcy after buying it and came up with a series of terrible business decisions – dramatic redesigns followed by dramatic layoffs. Hard to be much worse than that.

    Why he’s a terrible choiceThis. Is. The. Guy. Who. Nearly. Rebuffed. Pixar. When. They. Were. Disney’s. Biggest. Cash. Cow. That’s probably worse than that. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jul 2010 10:53

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Culture: Disney: We need good ideas, so let borrow some from Pixar

  • If you want to get good ideas, why not talk to the Brain Trust?
  • Disney President of Production Sean Bailey • Regarding the company’s increasing desire to work with Pixar on their own projects. Most recently, Disney brought Jason Segel and the rest of the cast of the upcoming Muppet movie reboot to Pixar headquarters for a table read. Disney also did something similar with “Tron: Legacy” a few months ago. Our question: Why didn’t they do this like twelve years ago, when it was already blindingly clear that Pixar had better ideas than Disney? (On a side note: A live-action Muppets reboot starring Jason Segel sounds like the smartest idea Disney has had in years.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jun 2010 21:19

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Tech: Twitter’s new paid trending topics: “Toy Story 3” goes first

The way that this is set up right now, they’re probably going after that Madison Avenue money. But they could make it local – and much bigger. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Sep 2009 09:26

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Biz, Culture: Marvel is just more proof that Disney is out of good ideas

  • [Bob Iger] was watching all the classic Disney characters go by, and it hit him that there was not one character that Disney had created in the past 10 years. Not one. All the new characters were invented by Pixar.
  • John Lasseter • Discussing the turning point that convinced Disney to buy Pixar in 2006. Consider the Marvel deal to be in a similar situation. Marvel’s live-action properties are far more compelling than Disney’s right now, so much so that Disney’s struggling at the box office while other companies are doing really well. While Pixar can guarantee one solid animated movie a year, Disney’s live-action side has had diminishing returns since “Pirates of the Carribean.” Marvel provides the mouse with a shot in the arm. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jun 2009 21:06

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Culture: Pixar gives 10-year-old girl her dying wish: To see “Up” on DVD

  • When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie. I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.
  • Lisa Curtin • Whose 10-year-old daughter, Colby, was able to see “Up” thanks to some really awesome Pixar staffers who hooked her up with a copy of the DVD. Colby, who was diagnosed with vascular cancer three years ago, died seven hours later. Sad story, but awesome in a heartbreaking way. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2009 22:16

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Culture: Sad but true: Even Pixar is giving into sequelitis now.

  • Three upcoming films on their slate are sequels. Like “Monsters, Inc.”? How about “Toy Story”? Did you tolerate “Cars,” or at least have kids with a bunch of “Cars” toys? Well, guess what you’re going to get over the next few years from Pixar? That’s right. Retreads of films Pixar did a long time ago. While they aren’t giving up on fresh films (check out 2011’s anticipated “The Bear And The Bow”), it’s disheartening because they’re one of the few Hollywood studios that doesn’t have to lean so heavily on franchises. Say it ain’t so, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
 
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