Recently I’ve been looking over my work from past years, and I decided that I’m going to start posting “throwback” clips every Friday, of some of my favorite stories and memorable interviews! To kick off this “series” I’ve decided to go back to August 2007 for the Rush Hour 3 (Miami Beach) Red Carpet Premiere, when I interviewed Brett Ratner LIVE on Deco Drive! He invited me to the after party, the after after party and earlier in the day he had said he’d put me in Rush Hour 4….I’m still waiting to be cast – if the 4th installment ever comes to fruition – but at least I have him on tape committing to me! ha
I did attend the “after” party at Forge, but not the after, AFTER party! Here’s a couple shots from the red carpet!
Loved rockin’ the Just Cavalli (by Roebrto Cavalli) dress, compliments of Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour
Photo credits goes to ImageMastersPhotography.net and ASPN.com
LIKED IT…a lot! Walt Disney’s Prince of Persia is an action-packed adventure that’s SO MUCH fun to watch. I definitely expected it to be good, and it surpassed my expectations. The film had great pictures, cinematography and special effects, while Jake Gyllenhaal did a fantastic job as the bronzed hero figure! I will say the story was nothing too new…it had that epic feel of “once up on a time, in a land far, far away” and at times it felt reminiscent of Gladiator, where only one man can save the day. During the film I found myself clenching down on my jaw and all tensed up as just when you thought it was going to be okay….something had to go wrong! Ha!! Nonetheless, it kept me on the edge of my seat and was interesting enough to keep me guessing which direction it’d turn to next. Not only is there action and adventure, but there’s quick wit and romance too (between a prince and a princess), all the ingredients of an epic fairytale. I tend to enjoy period pieces and films that fall in line with 300, Gladiator, Braveheart, etc… so now I can add another one to that list!
Sex and the City 2 opens this Friday and I was lucky enough to watch it ahead of time!! The movie is everything you expect it to be… The fashion, the shoes, the wit and of course its four leading ladies. This time around, they get a little bit of international adventure in there as well! When it comes to fashion, the film pulls out all the stops, and in watching it I couldn’t help but think I would never be bold enough to rock some of that stuff in my everyday life. First of all, the stiletto’s are to die for…some of the best footwear out, but these days, I can barely last a few hours in heels…much less walk the streets of NYC in them! And – while I love each character’s style, it’s just outrageous – BUT that’s the fun of it all. Anyway, I don’t want to say too much, or give specifics since it’s not out yet, but it IS fun. Grab your girlfriends and enjoy!
While I was in NYC last week, I took the opportunity to use Central Park as my backdrop for a new episode of On The Flipside! I’ve taken a 2 month break from producing new episodes, but I finally managed to crank one out…#22! And in the midst of losing my hard drive, I had to re-edit 2 of these segments which were already done, and re-upload all the graphics, etc.. to get this show done..BUT MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
This episode features Common who’s the leading man in new movie “Just Wright,” which opens up today. There are a bunch of NBA cameo’s in the film, including Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jalen Rose and ESPN personality Stuart Scott…so of course I had to post the interviews! Then I included a feature segment on the Orlando Magic’s Matt Barnes, another on the Buffalo Bills Aaron Maybin and this show’s sideline distraction is Tamae Ishii! Take 10 minutes to tune in!! http://ontheflipsidetv.com
My bad ass friend Mike Relm was “commissioned” to create an uber awesome TV trailer for Iron Man 2!!! Mike and I have that Bay connection (so, I knew him when…lol) and I am always impressed by his work…to think it all started with 2 turntables, a mixer and some crates full of records – has evolved into so much more. Last night this OFFICIAL TV Spot for Iron Man 2 aired during Adult Swim.
According to Mike:
Jon Favreau spotted my Iron Man 2 trailer remix, he liked it enough to have me do this 45 second spot for television!
This is the original trailer he did…
I don’t even know if there is a genre, category or niche to put Mike in, but I think it’s most important to note his work all stems from Hip Hop and he is nothing less than amazing at what he does…he has mastered mixing, scratching & creating with music AND video!!
…so, a couple years ago when he passed through Miami on tour with the Blue Man Group, I featured him on Deco Drive.
First of all, I don’t know what I was thinking catching an early screening of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Nevermind the fact that when I was younger the original flick freaked me out, or that I went to see this new version by myself…the problem is I happen to be a big SCAREDY CAT, even though I like watching these scary movies! I’ve always been exposed to horror films and scary movies, because growing up, my Mom loved to watch them…but that doesn’t make you immune. Anyway, if I was to rate this newer version, I’d say it sticks to the classic Freddy formula, nothing changed there, they do make use of some ok special effects and there is no shortage of suspense, startling or “make you jump” moments. Every time there was a pause or when you just know something is gonna pop up, I tried to remind myself it’s a movie and to expect it! So, if you want to see a gory, slasher type flick, I’d say go watch it, but not alone. Now, as far as the storyline and acting go…uh, kinda forced, kinda choppy and really dramatic and cheesy. It sort of would just go straight into things with no build up or natural explanation. And — as far as Freddy goes, I preferred the original version. This one is pretty much the same, but his burnt up face looks more alien to me than scary! Ha! BTW, I don’t know what it is about that glove with knives for fingers, but it still is one of the scariest things… *side note – my Dad always had his Freddy Krueger glove he’d use to pass out Halloween candy, he thought he was super scary! lol I guess all in all, the first version back in the day was “better,” and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was younger and it (getting killed in your dreams) was a new concept!
I watched an advance screening of AFTER.LIFE last night and the whole time I sat there, I couldn’t help but think…can I have my life back!? lol Seriously this movie was “killing” me, not only because it’s weird, but because the story tried too hard to make connections with all the characters. Basically, Christina Ricci plays a school-teacher who is killed in a car accident after running out on her boyfriend because she thought he was breaking up with her, when he was really trying to propose. Her boyfriend is played by Justin Long (I will forever see him as the “Mac” guy from the PC vs. Mac commercials). So anyway, then the story transitions to focus on that place in-between life and death… Liam Neeson is the mortician/funeral home director who acts very creepy and has a special gift to be able to communicate with the dead as he prepares them to be buried. Then, throw in a little boy who was in Ricci’s class, whose mother looks like she may be dead, and he somehow has the same “gift” as Neeson, which is discovered when he starts visiting the funeral home to see about his now deceased teacher. Whew! So, the bulk of the movie centers around Ricci’s character fighting Neeson about if she’s really dead or not because she still can breathe and has tears… Meanwhile, her bf is guilt-ridden since he was the last person to see her alive and she left him in the middle of an argument!
I just want to know if someone can explain to me how they decided that Christina Ricci would wear a red silk dress for most of the film, as if that’s what she should be wearing as he prepares her body! I guess my issue is that it’s not really believable, but then again I haven’t ever experienced the “after life.” To be honest, I contemplated walking out on this movie just because it was super strange and didn’t make much sense to me. It was HORRIBLE, but I won’t be running out to see it again…EVER!
I had the pleasure of traveling to the Bahamas for the Bahamian red carpet and first international premiere of “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?” I shared some of my photos and talked about the trip in an earlier blog Eleuthera and in this post I’m sharing my red carpet interviews with Tyler Perry, Sharon Leal and Michael Jai White. I didn’t go all out with these edits, but I still wanted to share what they had to say about filming in Eleuthera and the movie itself.
First up, Tyler Perry explains why he chose Eleuthera as a location…
And Michael Jai White talks about what it was like to film in the Bahamas and what it’s like to play Tasha Smith’s husband!
Finally, Sharon Leal shares how she feels about the Bahamas premiere and her experience shooting there.
Following the red carpet at Atlantis on Paradise Island, we all got to sit down for the Bahamian premiere of the film. The black tie event was well-attended and the theater was packed! Unfortunately for me though, it was a little on the cold side and the seating they had for media was uncomfortable..so not sure if that weighed on my feelings for the movie or not. Obviously the scenery in the film where the tropical beaches are the backdrop are gorgeous and tranquil, and it’s a little more exciting that I can say I’ve visited the actual place where it was shot! On the other hand, I think I liked the first one better, this one just seemed abrupt at times and the characters had changed so much from the previous movie…it just didn’t flow as well as I’d have liked! That being said, I’ll have to watch it again when I’m not in my dress and can focus better. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good story with lessons to be learned…I mean let’s be real, relationship topics can go on and on! The film does have great moments and Tasha Smith pretty much steals every scene she’s in! I found myself thinking..I’m not that bad, am I!?!? haha
