BEN STILLER'S RE-BOOT OF WALTER MITTY A TREAT

****
THE GLORIOUS CORNER

By: G.H. Harding
****

Anne Meara And Jerry Stiller



SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY --- Though it won't be out till December 25, the trailer of Ben Stiller’s forthcoming re-boot of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, has hit theaters and is a tasty treat indeed; if you didn't want to see this movie before, you will now!


Plus, it comes sound tracked with OMAM’s “Dirty Paws” as a musical background – the trailer is simply fantastic; in fact, I can say right now, certainly one of the best I've ever seen. Stiller is a smart, smart movie-maker (who else could do Zoolander?) … and, actor. Methinks being the progeny of such actors (Jerry Stiller and Anne Mera) had a lot to do with it. This is an update version of the original 1947 movie that starred Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, and Boris Karloff (!).


This re-boot, in addition to Stiller, stars Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, and Patton Oswalt. Can't wait for this one.


A SAFE WAKE UP--- Two songs snuck onto the scene in the waning days of the summer that have just re-invigorated the airwaves. Billboard Magazine said that Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” was the song of the summer; though, I personally preferred Daft Punk’s scintillating “Get Crazy.” Every time I heard the Thicke track, I thought I was listening to the late-great Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up."


Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” is a majestic, broad, powerful track that gets better with each listening. He’s a Swedish DJ who teamed up with American soul singer/rapper Aloe Blacc and though the song starts out like a Mumford & Sons song, it soon enters the techno pop realm and suddenly it becomes an OMD meets Pet Shop Boys song. Stirring with bits of EMD certainly there; this will be a huge, huge record.


To be honest, this is where I thought new operatic/classical artist Alexander Kariotis would veer; we'll see. There’s also a terrific video on this song too. Check it out on YouTube.


Also, Cap Cities “Safe And Sound,” which at first reminded me of the great group ABC (“The Look Of Love” (remember them?). A bit of .fun and Mumford again, once I heard this one, I couldn't get it out of my head for the first of the day. The group is an American pop-indie group from L. A., formed by Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. It’s already on WPLJ here in NYC; a pop station if there ever was once. These two will be the big songs for the rest of 2013.


NICHOLAS’ LAST CALL AT BUCA DI BEPPO -- Yesterday afternoon at Robert Earl's new Buca Di Beppo eatery, a pre-show fete was held for 10-year old Nicholas Lampaisi, who departs Disney's Newsies - after a year of essaying the character of Les. Most of the cast showed up (including Josh Colley; Luca Padovan; and, Stuart Zagnit), in addition to a host of friends and relatives. Newsies-director Jeff Calhoun appeared as well; Jeff's one of the nicest people on the Great White Way, and, it was great he showed. Also,new artist Dominick DiPietrantonio, was on hand as well; his record will be out before the year is up.


Also, Broadway-photographer Bruce Glikas showed up to capture everything on film. I had never been to Earl's newest endeavor, but the food was simply sensational. Also, the array of photos and Broadway-memorabilia was brilliant. Their PR gal Ayana Brown was also on hand, as well as Lampiasi's media-mouthpiece David Salidor. We caught Nicholas several times in the play and found him to be just sensational. Though his future plans haven't been revealed just yet, we predict a TV show or movie very, very soon. A delightful send off.


CLOSING NOTES: Ryan Seacrest was booed at last week’s NFL game during its opening pre-show. Deadline Hollywood, who has called him, the man who can’t say no …said "NBC’s relentless campaign on Seacrest and his new show The Million Second Quiz, backfired when Ryan walked out onto the field and said … 'I only know of one other countdown that might be as big as this show,' the master of self-promotion continued gamely — a reference to his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve gig on ABC. The crowd was not impressed. They booed some more.” Ryan’s a good guy, who has done just an amazing job on everything he’s been on. Overexposed? Of course, but he’s a total professional. C’mon … give the man a break! … With the Toronto Film Festival in high gear, one of the most anticipated films of the event debuted over the weekend, Dallas Buyers Club, with Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. This is the film Matthew lost a ton of weight to essay Ron Woodrood, an early AIDS-victim, and, a man who extended his life by illegally pioneering into the world of drugs designed to stem the disease. According to on-site reports, the film does not disappoint and contain an Oscar-caliber performance from McConaughey. The movie opens next month; moved up from its original December berth. I cannot wait! ... I just listened to Of Monsters and Men's album My Head Is An Animal and found it not only to stand up as good as when I first heard it earlier this year, but so, so terrific. Creatively inspiring and uplifting: its in my Top 5 of the Year so far ... This past Thursday had the penultimate episode of USA Today's Burn Notice; which officially ends its run next week. As I've said the shows this cycle have been nothing short of stellar with Jeffrey Donovan delivering great, great work. A great show, I'll miss it ...Also, congrats to Bruno Mars who officially snagged the spot to perform at next year's Superbowl... Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of 9/11. As someone who lived across from the Towers (in Brooklyn) and watched the disaster unfold in reel time, I'm still somewhat numb to the whole series of events that unfolded that day. I think the one memory I'll never extinguish is that when I finally made it out of my house and walked through my neighborhood, everything was covered in a white-residue of the attacks and it looked not like the neighborhood I had lived in for almost ten years, but, a ghost town. That was horrendous. Those images I'll never forget. XM’s Brett Winterble exclusively interviews Cristyne Nicholas, who was Rudy Giuliani’s right-hand go-to-person during those times and she'll reflect on what happened that day. It should be an impressive interview from someone who was actually there on the scene.



Comments