Jeff Dunham throws his voice into stardom Nov 5, 2009
"Every bill had a ventriloquist who could come out and entertain while sets were being changed behind the curtain," said Kelly Asbury, a co-director of "Shrek 2" who wrote a book about ventriloquists titled "Dummy Days." "They were as important to vaudeville as clowns are to circuses.". But with Bergen's retirement and the decline of the television variety show in the late 1960s, ventriloquists gradually lost their mass appeal and were left to work largely in the world of children's theater and... (FOX59, IN)
Buyers flock to 'The Passion of the Christ' - Sep. 1, 2004 Nov 1, 2009
Intense media attention and a heavy Christian turnout helped propel the controversial film to $610 million in ticket sales worldwide, including more than $370 million in North America, making it the year's third-highest-grossing movie behind "Shrek 2" and "Spider-Man 2.". Feldstein said much of the promotional campaign for DVD sales of "Passion," like its theatrical release, has been aimed at Christian audiences. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
James Cameron's 'Avatar' Film to Feature Vocals From Singer Lisbeth Scott Oct 30, 2009
Lisbeth Scott's film and television repertoire is of an equally high caliber: Of the last 5 years' top-grossing movies, she's been a featured vocalist in almost half (Passion of the Christ, Narnia, Shrek 2, Transformers, and Munich). Through 2009 she will have made her mark on 2 of television's current top 10 shows as well, with her songs being chosen for both HBO's "True Blood" (a collaboration with composer ) and ABC's "Brothers and Sisters". (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
He Lives in a Pineapple Under the S... Oct 13, 2009
While this was considered somewhat of a disappointment mainly because of stiff box-office competition like National Treasure and Shrek 2, in reality, it is generally moderately successful since it is one of the highest-grossing Nickelodeon movies of all time. In this feature-length movie, SpongeBob is wishing to be promoted to management, but becomes disappointed when Squidward gets the award. (Suite101.com)
Do your bit and we'll shine Aug 22, 2009
The highest grossing movies of all time: 1 Titanic (1997) $58 million; 2 Shrek 2 (2004) $50m; 3 The Return of the King (2003) $49m; 4 Crocodile Dundee (1986) $48m; 5 Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47m; 6 The Two Towers (2002) $46m; 7 The Dark Knight (2008) $46m; 8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42m; 9 Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $40m. 10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $40m. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Raja Gosnell to Direct 'Smurfs' for Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation Jul 9, 2009
Smurfs will be produced by Jordan Kerner (Charlotte's Web, George of the Jungle) and written by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss (Shrek 2 and 3) and Audrey Wells (George of the Jungle). Commenting for the announcement, Kerner said, "With Raja coming aboard, we now have a brilliant director who has proven time and again that he has a deft touch in blending the worlds of physical comedy and honest emotion with both live action and photo real animated characters. Our three-apple-high heroes are in... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Buyers flock to 'The Passion of the Christ' - Sep. 1, 2004 Jul 8, 2009
Intense media attention and a heavy Christian turnout helped propel the controversial film to $610 million in ticket sales worldwide, including more than $370 million in North America, making it the year's third-highest-grossing movie behind "Shrek 2" and "Spider-Man 2.". Feldstein said much of the promotional campaign for DVD sales of "Passion," like its theatrical release, has been aimed at Christian audiences. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
Make them eat crow Jul 3, 2009
Recently, "Accidentally in Love" from the "Shrek 2" soundtrack earned the group an Academy Award nomination. More battles with its record company were also to come. (Sioux City Journal)
Could `Transformers' be critical bomb, $400m hit? Jun 30, 2009
Of the eight movies that have grossed more than $400 million domestically, four scored 90% or higher on rottentomatoes: "The Dark Knight," "Spider-Man," "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial" and "Star Wars." Two others, "Shrek 2" and "Titanic," topped 80. The other two had mixed reviews but still came in far higher than "Revenge of the Fallen," with "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" scoring 63% and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" rating 53. (Fresno Bee)
Transformers the worst-reviewed $400M hit? Jun 30, 2009
Two others, Shrek 2 and Titanic, topped 80 percent. The other two had mixed reviews but still came in far higher than Revenge of the Fallen, with Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace scoring 63 percent and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest rating 53 percent. (MSNBC -- Movies)
Coming soon in Braintree: three free family movie nights Jun 19, 2009
Next, Shrek 2, featuring the voices of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, will be shown on July 22 on the huge, inflatable movie screen with professional sound for literally hundreds to enjoy outdoors similar to the days of drive-in theatres, Hedlund said. Pixar s Toy Story, featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, will be shown on Aug. 4. (Braintree Forum, MA)
Summer programs underway in Braintree starting June 29 Jun 19, 2009
Movies selected for this program, funded in part by the Braintree Electric Light Department and its BELD Broadband subscriber service, will be Bolt on July 15, Shrek 2 on July 22, and Toy Story on Aug. 4. Residents are reminded to bring with them a beach blanket or lawn chairs along with mosquito repellent. (Braintree Forum, MA)
Butterfly Boucher May 29, 2009
She performed as the opening act on Sarah McLachlan's "Afterglow" tour, and she shared the vocal work with David Bowie on a cover of his hit song "Changes" for the "Shrek 2" movie soundtrack. And in a show of support, fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman recently showed up at one of Boucher's gigs in Nashville, Tennessee, where Boucher now lives. (CNN -- Showbiz)
The Kings Are Coming to Las Vegas on a Dare From Steve Wynn! May 27, 2009
King has made cameo appearances in more than 20 movies, including Ghostbusters, Primary Colors, America's Sweethearts, Shrek 2, the 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives, Bee Movie and Swing Vote. He has appeared in television series such as Law and Order, Boston Legal, The Practice, Arli$$, Murphy Brown, Frasier, Ugly Betty and 30 Rock. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Three-way race for Oscar May 21, 2009
Mediocre at best, this tediously derivative cartoon will be competing with Shrek 2 and The Incredibles, which looks like a shoo-in in this category. The Incredibles, like the original Toy Story, is also nominated for best screenplay. (MSNBC -- Academy Awards)
Best song? More like most mediocre May 21, 2009
Accidentally in Love and Believe hail from animated movies, Shrek 2 and Polar Express respectively. And this year, there are two foreign-language contenders, Al Otro Lado Del Rio from The Motorcycle Diaries and Look to Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin) from The Chorus/Les Choristes. (MSNBC -- Academy Awards)
The Aviator picks up 11 Oscar nods May 21, 2009
The fairy-tale comedy Shrek 2 and the superhero adventure The Incredibles will duke it out for the animated feature film Oscar, along with the undersea romp Shark Tale. . (MSNBC -- Academy Awards)
Warner Bros. KOs Miramax in Oscar race May 21, 2009
Pixars win (its second in the four years of a best animated category), came at the expense of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale, both made by DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. All of the animated movies, however, have made more than any of the best picture nominees: $259 million for The Incredibles, $436 million for Shrek 2 and $160 million for Shark Tale. . (MSNBC -- Academy Awards)
DreamWorks Animation's 'Monsters vs. Aliens' Exceeds Initial Estimates to Gross $59.3 Million in First Weekend in 3D and 2D Theaters Apr 1, 2009
The film is directed by ROB LETTERMAN ("Shark Tale") and CONRAD VERNON ("Shrek 2") ... The Company has theatrically released a total of eighteen animated feature films, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Shrek the Third, Bee Movie, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Monsters vs. Aliens. (PR Newswire)
Changing Places Mar 30, 2009
The movie is co-directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman, who made Shrek 2 and Shark Tale, respectively. I was repelled by both those films, which took in-jokes to the verge of implosion, and by their grovelling nods to the actors behind the voice-overs the Will Smith fish had fins like protruding ears, the Martin Scorsese one had eyebrows, and so on. (New Yorker)
Review: 'Monsters' can't save itself Mar 28, 2009
(The talent pool for this one includes the directors of "Shrek 2" and "Shark Tale" and the writers of "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Rocker," incidentally. High concepts, top-notch voice talent and scattershot pop cultural references are no compensation for a coherent script. (CNN -- Showbiz)
Monsters vs. Aliens Early Review Mar 19, 2009
He praises co-director Conrad Vernon (who also co-directed Shrek 2), saying, "He knows where all the lines are drawn and exactly how far over them he can put his big toe. Sure the film is sweet and charming most of the time, but it's when things get a little ornery and mischievous that things really start to cook.". Monsters vs. Aliens opens March 27th. (Suite101.com)
Riding the recession the HP way Mar 15, 2009
" "Moved the needle" HP Labs was formed more than 40 years ago by company founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard to focus on the future and not be hidebound by day-to-day business concerns. While it is a company primarily known for making printers and photocopiers, the work done in the seven labs dotted around the world has been varied. Over the years, HP has been responsible for giving us the atomic clock, light-emitting diodes or LED's, DNA analysis and computational fluid dynamics.... (BBC News -- Technology)
Bay Area band update: Whatever happened to ... Mar 10, 2009
Led by faux-dreadlocked crooner Adam Duritz, this Berkeley roots rock group went multiplatinum with its 1993 debut, "August and Everything After," which featured the wistful single "Mr. Jones." Even though album sales dipped, the hits kept coming, up to 2004's Oscar-nominated "Accidentally in Love" from the film "Shrek 2." The band is on a world tour playing stadiums and arenas. Third Eye Blind. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Coming to a small screen near you: culture for adults Feb 27, 2009
These are the top-grossing films of this century: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the first Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Finding Nemo, Shrek 2, Star Wars 3, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Spider-Man 3, The Dark Knight. Female role models and political complexity seem irrelevant from this angle. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
SHOWTIME: Compare past Oscar shows Feb 23, 2009
The band Counting Crows (with Adam Duritz) gets to do its own hit, Accidentally in Love, from Shrek 2. Bonus: Jorge Drexler, who won for his Diaries ballad, uses his 45-second speech time to croon a couple of verses. (USA Today -- Life)
Stay in Touch Feb 8, 2009
Welcome to Sydney Morning Herald Online. Posted by SMH Online in at. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
"X-Men" boasts largest Memorial Day box office Feb 8, 2009
The three-day record for a film opening on a Friday is held by 2002's "Spider-Man" (115 million dollars), followed by 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith (108.4 million dollars) and 2004's "Shrek 2" (108 million dollars). Enditem (Agencies) Editor: Nie Peng Related Stories. (Xinhuanet, China -- Entertainment)
