Escape Velocity opens with Chief Tyrol given a poignant eulogy at Cally’s funeral and ends with Gaius Baltar in a [for him] most unusual position. In between, this is one of Galactica’s most intense episodes – even though there are no great Cylon battles or even much action at all.

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From writers/directors/producers Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, and producer Joel Silver comes the live-action, high-octane family adventure “Speed Racer.” Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel.  Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless.  His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5.  When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits.  If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game.  With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.

Slated for release on May 9, 2008, “Speed Racer” marks the Wachowski brothers’ first writing/directing collaboration since “The Matrix” movies.  Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowskis on “The Matrix” movies and “V For Vendetta,” is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner.  Grant Hill, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski are also producing, with David Lane Seltzer, Michael Lambert and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers.
The behind the scenes creative team includes director of photography David Tattersall, production designer Owen Paterson, editors Zach Staenberg and Roger Barton, and costume designer Kym Barrett.  The music is by Michael Giacchino. The screening will be held this Saturday at 10:30 AM in Tyson’s Corner, VA. If you want to go, click this link. For your chance to receive a complimentary pass to the SPEED RACER screening on Saturday, May 3, log on to www.gofobo.com/rsvp  and input the following code: ECLP2557 to download your ticket.

In Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, the pair’s craving for a specific kind of fast food was turned into an epic quest – call it the stoner version of Homer’s Odyssey. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay turns them into the mutant spawn of The Fugitive and Hope & Crosby’s “Road” movies.

When Harold [John Cho] and Kumar [Kal Penn] head for Amsterdam hours after the first movie’s conclusion, they are victimized by racial profiling and mistaken for terrorists when Kumar’s high tech bong is mistaken for a bomb. After being tossed into Guantanamo Bay, they escape – with idiot Homeland Security Agent Ron Fox [Rob Corddry] hot on their heels. Throughout, Kumar fills the Bob Hope role by getting the pair into further difficulties, while Harold is the sensible one.

While taking accurate shots at aspects of the current political situation, Escape From Guantanamo Bay’s funniest gag is that these absolutely normal American guys could be getting into all this trouble just because they want to smoke a bit o’ weed and find their One True Loves. Throw in Neil Patrick Harris – once again playing the Bizarro World version of himself – shattered and reinforced redneck stereotypes and a delightful take on Dubya [here, he may not speak real good English, but he’s slyer, smarter and mellower than we are expecting] and the result is a solidly funny movie that Says Something more by highlighting the characters of Harold and Kumar than by the political jokes.

Somehow, the crude, lewd and grotesque bits that are meant to be funny actually are funny – and the relationships [buddies Harold and Kumar; each of them and their OTLs] work because, at its heart, there is an innocent [yes, innocent] charm to these guys.

Final Grade: B

For better or worse, Eric Kripke, the creator, Executive Producer and writer of CW’s popular series Supernatural has made the fans an important part of his show, and not just as ratings numbers.  He has often stated that he has a roadmap for the series, a core story that he wants to tell, which he has never wavered from.  “It’s the saga of the Winchester clan — who the brothers really are, who their parents really are, why Demons are so closely intertwined with them, and what their destiny really is. It’s an epic, emotional, family story at its heart.”  Outside of that core story there are elements that come and go and his writing team is flexible enough to make those adjustments.  He states that a decision to keep or discard a storyline combines elements of writers’ opinion, the realities of actors’ schedules, and even opinions of the fans on occasion.  Fan response is valued such that when they overwhelmingly reject something across multiple online forums, it is given proper attention.  “There’s always room to make the show better, and that means trying new things, keeping the things that work, losing the things that don’t.”

This humble admission truly elevates Eric Kripke to a unique position among showrunners.  If the excellent writing, acting and directing were not enough to entice the viewer, then feeling like an integral part of the creative process certainly is.  That and the fact that Eric appears to be a fan’s best friend — someone to sit down with, share a cup of coffee, and have an open exchange of ideas for story elements that are past, present and future.

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Lauren Conrad, star of MTV’s highest-rated series “The Hills,” and an emerging talent in the world of fashion design, has partnered with College Tonight, Inc., an online community and networking platform for the college market, founded to promote social activity in the real world, away from the computer. Lauren Conrad’s popularity and influence are evidenced by the demand for her endorsements by companies like College Tonight and her work as spokesperson for mark., the youth-oriented cosmetics line from Avon. Conrad is excited to be a part of College Tonight’s directive to its student and young alumni members — “Get On, Get Up, Get Out” – and feels that it is a natural fit for her, both on screen and off.

On “The Hills,” Conrad knows that viewers follow her and her friends through their highly social lives. Off-camera, however Conrad is a student at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles and recently launched the The Lauren Conrad Collection for which she is head designer.

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Regardless of her character’s fate on Battlestar Galactica, sexy Cylon, Tricia Helfer [above left] will join USA Network’s acclaimed spy dramedy, Burn Notice, in its upcoming second season.

Previously heard only in vaguely threatening phone calls, Helfer will bring the mysterious Carla out of the shadows. The extremely intelligent and incredibly sexy Carla is Michael’s [Jeffrey Donovan] only contact with the shadowy group that got him burned.

According to a USA press release, Carla has “plans for him and various “assignments” for him to take care of, and she’s not taking no for an answer. Michael’s trapped in a deadly game with Carla where the only way he can keep his family safe, and find out more about her, is to play along and look for the opening he needs to take her on.”

Burn Notice returns to USA this summer.

Eric Kripke, the creator, Executive Producer, writer, and even one-time director of CW’s popular series Supernatural made an appearance at the Salute to Supernatural Convention sponsored by Creation Entertainment and held in Los Angeles a few weeks ago.

In Part 1 we heard about the classic rock music used on the show, his inspiration, difficulties created by budget problems, a possible future visit to the big screen, what we can expect in the DVDs, and what he thinks about the manner in which this show resonates with so many people.  (more…)

“The most challenging aspect for me in filming Ghostfacers was trying to keep a straight face!”

This coming Thursday, April 24^th at 9PM EST the hit Warner Bros/CW Network series Supernatural kicks their third season back into post writer’s strike first run action with an episode titled Ghostfacers, written by series creator Eric Kripke.

Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean Winchester: two sexy hot brothers who drive a kick-ass ‘67 Chevy Impala loaded with weapons for hunting down all manner of supernatural related creatures, ghosties and demons. (more…)

This coming Thursday, April 24th at 9PM EST the hit Warner Bros/CW Network series Supernatural kicks their third season back into post writer’s strike first run action with an episode titled Ghostfacers, written by series creator Eric Kripke. Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean Winchester: two sexy hot brothers who drive a kick-ass ‘67 Chevy Impala loaded with weapons for hunting down all manner of supernatural related creatures, ghosties and demons. Continuing on with my quest to help get Supernatural fans and viewers into the swing of things again, I caught up with Brittany Ishibashi one of the guest stars of Ghostfacers to chat about her role as Maggie Zeddmore, the Ghostfacers ‘go to girl’.  (more…)

In honor of this week’s return of new episodes of Supernatural following the extended hiatus caused by the writer’s strike, we hear from the showrunner himself answering fan questions.

Few people would remember the name of Oscar Levant from the 1930’s and 40’s but there is no doubt that many are familiar with one of his most famous quotes:  there is a fine line between genius and insanity. And these are the most widely used adjectives that fans have applied when referring to Eric Kripke, the creator, Executive Producer, writer, and even one-time director of CW’s popular series Supernatural. The show revolves around the adventures of the Winchester brothers as they strive to carry out their motto of Saving People, Hunting Things — the Family Business.  It features unique paranormal hunts based on widely accepted urban legends, playing alongside unexpected plot twists that fans have often labeled as <genius>.  Equally, some of those plot twists bringing changes to the successful formula of the show have been seriously questioned to the point of being labeled as <insanity>.  It appears Oscar may have been right… a fine line indeed!  (more…)