Paramount announced today that Martin Scorsese's Hugo will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on February 28. I’m looking forward to this and will definitely snap it up, but the date surprises me. The film has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. While I’m hoping for an upset and for Hugo to split the votes for The Descendants and The Artist and swoop in and win Best Picture, has Paramount already thrown in the towel?

The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday February 26, a mere two days before the dvd release date. The packages will all be in the stores just waiting to be put out on shelves by then.  Granted, they will get to boast that the film is a multiple nominee, indeed it has the most of any film this year, but why not wait to see if it’s an award WINNER?

I suppose nothing should surprise me about this FUBAR awards season. Oh well, here are the specs on the release direct from Paramount:

Renowned director Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking and original adventure HUGO makes its highly-anticipated debut on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD, all with UltraViolet™, On Demand and for Digital Download on February 28, 2012 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Recipient of more Academy Award nominations than any other film, HUGO was honored with 11 total—including Best Picture and Best Director—and has already won Martin Scorsese the Golden Globe for Best Director, was named the best film of 2011 by the National Board of Review, and was cited by more than 150 critics as one of the top 10 films of the year including writers for Associated Press, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Time, Entertainment Weekly, New Yorker, New York Daily News and The Hollywood Reporter, among others. Called "magical and enchanting" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times) and "one of the wonders of the world you need to see" (David Edelstein, New York Magazine), HUGO is bursting with dynamic action, sumptuous imagery and a heartwarming and magical story that audiences of all ages can enjoy.

HUGO will be available in a three-disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, as well as a two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, each of which boast nearly an hour of behind-the-scenes special features including an illuminating making-of featurette, a retrospective on the extraordinary genius of filmmaker Georges Melies, a look at the mechanical man at the heart of HUGO, plus interviews with the cast and crew and more. The film will also be available as a single-disc DVD. All Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

HUGO Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

The HUGO Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The combo pack includes access to a digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray
-Feature film in high definition
-Shoot the Moon (The Making of Hugo)
-The Cinemagician, Georges Melies
-The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo
-Big Effects, Small Scale
-Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime

DVD
-Feature film in standard definition

HUGO Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
The HUGO Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes all of the above, plus a Blu-ray 3D presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Blu-ray 3D includes the feature film presented in high definition and 3D.

HUGO Single-Disc DVD
The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition and Shoot The Moon (The Making of Hugo).

HUGO Synopsis
Welcome to a magical world of spectacular adventure! When wily and resourceful Hugo discovers a secret left by his father, he unlocks a mystery and embarks on a quest that will transform those around him and lead to a safe and loving place he can call home. Academy Award-winning** filmmaker Martin Scorsese invites you to experience a thrilling journey that critics are calling "the stuff dreams are made of." (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)

Paramount Pictures and GK Films present a GK Films/Infinitum Nihil Production of A Martin Scorsese Picture: "Hugo," directed by Martin Scorsese, with a screenplay by John Logan, based upon the book entitled The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is produced by Graham King, Tim Headington, Scorsese and Johnny Depp. The executive producers are Emma Tillinger Koskoff, David Crockett, Georgia Kacandes and Christi Dembrowski. The music supervisor is Randall Poster; casting is by Ellen Lewis.

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”I Understand the Way This Game is Played” 

HBO has released another teaser for season two of its hit series, Game of Thrones. It previewed last night while a lot of you were watching the SAG awards. (Hopefully you dvr’d the premiere of their new show Luck, which is going to be epic. More on that later.) Despite the fact that the new episodes will have 100% less Bean and Momoa than the first season, it is apparent that Benioff and Weiss have managed to up the ante. I haven’t read the series of books upon which the show is based so I don’t know how closely they are following (although I would imagine very, since the number of people who have read the books and who watch the show is legion) but I love the fact that Tyrion Lannister (Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage) is featured prominently in this teaser. (I also thank them for the shot of Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow.)

“A very small man can cast…a very large shadow.” Indeed.

In a little over one minute, they managed to give us a fleeting glimpse of just about all of the major players from last season, plus a couple we have yet to meet, with hints of events to come. If you’re new to the series, you’ll want to catch up before the April 1^st start date. The first season arrives on dvd March 6, but HBO is rerunning the entire series on Thursday nights (also available On Demand) in the run-up to season 2.

I cannot wait for this to start. I wish someone could guarantee me that Joffrey Barathion will end up with his head on a pike. Enjoy the preview:

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Yesterday American Idol's Adam Lambert turned 30 and wanted to mark that special birthday with a special birthday wish: he wanted his fans to give to Charitywater.org. And seeing that Adam has the most awesome fans ever, they gave to the tune of $30,000 by the end of Saturday!

What a great way to start your 30's out, right? As of right now, Adam and his fans have raised over $31,299. His hope is to raise over $100,000 in the next two months. Last year for his 29th him and his fans raised $323,803!

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The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held tonight at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. One of the best things about this awards show is that it's short. Two hours and it's all over but the shouting. Considering that this year I was less interested in the outcome of most of the categories than I've ever been, that was a blessing. We have some pics of the pretty people on the red carpet after the list. Without further ado, the nominees and the winners:

MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture

Bridesmaids
The Artist
The Descendants
*The Help
Midnight in Paris

The cast of Hugo wasn’t nominated, they went with Bridesmaids instead. I don’t quite understand what “actors” see or don’t see in each other’s performances that is so different from the rest of us.

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role

George Clooney, The Descendants
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
*Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

It wasn’t Clooney, so I’ll take it. (It wasn’t Fassbender or even Oldman either since Bichir and DiCaprio got their spots. MIND BOGGLING!)

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
*Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

I wasn’t crazy about the movie but I love Viola Davis and she never gives anything but a stellar performance. It’s kind of fitting that Davis beat out one of her idols, Meryl Streep. It was Streep who praised Davis from the same podium when she won a SAG for Doubt (for which Davis was also nominated) with the words “someone find her a movie”.

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role

Nick Nolte, Warrior
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
*Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Armie Hammer over Albert Brooks makes about as much sense as anything else SAG did this year. I really really would have loved it if Nick Nolte had upset, but I was not surprised nor really disappointed in Plummer’s win.

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Supporting Role

*Octavia Spencer, The Help
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Janet McTeer got Shailene Woodley’s spot so Spencer's win was expected. Deserved and expected.

Outstanding Performance By A Stunt Ensemble In A Motion Picture

The Adjustment Bureau
Cowboys & Aliens
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men: First Class

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

*Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Breaking Bad(AMC) 

Dexter (Showtime) 

Game of Thrones (HBO)

The Good Wife (CBS)

I love Boardwalk Empire. I have not missed an episode, but Game of Thrones deserved this award. I think with all of the attention paid to the production values and the writing, the acting on that show is not shown the respect it has earned. That was evident in Sean Bean’s omission from the Emmy nominations and it has continued.

But having said that, Boardwalk Empire, won last year for its first season and most would agree it improved during its second.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 Rock (NBC)

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 

Glee (FOX)

*Modern Family(ABC) 

The Office (NBC)

Based on its enduring popularity, wins at the most recent Emmys and Golden Globes, and highly diverse cast, this was expected and earned.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Patrick J. Adams (Suits)

*Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)

Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Michael C. Hall (Dexter)

SAG chose to nominate Patrick J. Adams instead of Damian Lewis for Homeland or even Sean Bean, both exceptionally deserving. Another head scratcher. September’s surprise Emmy-winner Chandler (for his show’s last season) notwithstanding, I expected Buscemi, who is a true character actor, to repeat this year.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates (Harry's Law)

Glenn Close (Damages)

*Jessica Lange (American Horror Story)

Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)

Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Most probably thought Margulies would take it away from Golden Globe winner Lange (who won in a supporting category). SAG did not nominate Globe winner Claire Danes so I would have liked to have seen Kyra Sedgwick take it. Oh well.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

*Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Ty Burrell (Modern Family)

Steve Carell (The Office)

Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)

Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)

The smart money was on Baldwin, an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee this year who has won this SAG prize each of the past five years, despite the fact that Carell had never won it for The Office and this was his last year.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Julie Bowen (Modern Family)

Edie Falco (Nurse Falco)

Tina Fey (30 Rock)

Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

*Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)

I don’t get this, but then I don’t watch the show. I do know how truly good Fey, Bowen and Vergara are. Betty White has a lot of awards. She really doesn’t need to continue to receive them just because she’s still working. She’s 90. We’re impressed.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood)

*Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail)

Greg Kinnear (The Kennedys)

Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce)

James Woods (Too Big to Fail)

I love Paul Giamatti, and his win was deserved, but I was surprised by this. I expected SAG to go with Laurence Fishburne.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Diane Lane (Cinema Verite)

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult)

Betty White (The Lost Valentine)

*Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce)

I had no doubt about this one, but I wish she’d been there to accept. I love her acceptance speeches.

So what does all this mean? Viola Davis is all but a lock for a Best Actress Oscar, as is Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress. The Oscar for Best Actor may still be up in the air, and I'm sincerely hoping that since they chose to nominate him, the Academy has gone with Gary Oldman, but with Dujardin's SAG win, it does sort of put a capper on the race for Best Picture. (I'm still holding out hope for a Hugo upset.)

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New Line has released a new trailer and whole gaggle of new pics for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Josh “Just Wait Until The Hunger Games” Hutcherson and Vanessa “I Used to Be Zac Efron’s Girlfriend” Hudgens.

I realize I’m probably not the target demographic for this movie but whenever I see Johnson riding on a giant bee, I’m immediately transported to the world of Sid and Marty Croft of H.R. Pufenstuff, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monster and The Bugaloos fame, but more importantly, the Land of the Lost fame. Not the dreadful theatrical film with Will Ferrell, the delightfully cheesy Saturday morning show that mixed live-action, rudimentary green screens and the lamest monsters ever, the Sleestax. I guarantee they spent a fraction on those special effects of what has been spent on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” begins when young Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist.  It’s a place of strange life forms,mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret.

Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest.  Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” is directed by Brad Peyton (“Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”).  It also stars Michael Caine as Sean’s grandfather, Alexander Anderson, and Kristin Davis as Sean’s mom, Liz Anderson.”

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island begins expeditions February 10th in the US, Canada and the UK. Hopefully it will answer the question, "Where exactly is 'the deadliest part of the ocean'?"

Enjoy the trailer and the bazillion new pics as well.

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Martin Scorsese has reminded me of yet another performance that has not gotten the recognition that it so richly deserved this awards season. While Uggie, that adorable Jack Russell terrier from The Artist has been garnering all sorts of attention (including a write-in campaing for the Academy Awards) for his scene-stealing role (indeed his scene stealing wherever he goes, ie: The Golden Globes and even The Graham Norton Show, to name but two appearances in support of the film), Blackie, the noble doberman from played Sasha Baron Cohen’s station master’s canine companion in Scorsese's Hugo, has gotten nary a mention, in particular from the Golden Collar Awards that honor animals in film and television. Scorsese felt so strongly about this oversight that he took to the pages of the LA Times with an op-ed piece that showcases Blackie, “for your consideration”.

Taking nothing away from Uggie, who as far as four legged actors go, is one of the greats, we should recognize Blackie’s contribution to film in 2011 as well. Blackie may not have saved his on-screen  master’s life, but he gave a brave and true performance in the role of a fierce and ruthless guard dog (tasked with the unpopular job of terrorizing children no less).

This is the inaugural year for the Golden Collar Awards and if they want to be around next year, they need to recognize ability, not just cuteness.  Scorsese used the bathtub scene from Hugo to illustrate this point, calling it a "a masterpiece of underplaying, with Blackie's wonderfully aquiline face accentuated by the 3-D." (I have to say that scene if priceless.)

The op-ed, though amusing (and it is, as well as well written. Consider the source, after all), is informative and meant to address an egregious error. Scorsese wants LA Times readers to submit write-in votes for Blackie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dog News Daily editor Alan Siskind is offering Blackie a chance at earning what's rightfully hers. If Blackie receives 500 write-in "NOMINATE HUGO'S BLACKIE" posts on Dog News Daily’s Facebook page by Monday, February 6th then the Golden Collar nominating committee will request that the panel of 14 judges add Hugo's Blackie as the 6th Nominee in the Best Dog in a Theatrical Film category.

Click on the link and affect change! If we all pull together we can right at least one wrong done to an actor this awards season! Power to the people! Nominate Hugo’s Blackie!

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I have to share this with you. I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve been a champion for Marc Forster’s Machine Gun Preacher for a very long time and I was more than a little disappointed in the way that the film’s domestic release was handled. Well, the good news is that it’s still being rolled out in other countries so that there are people on this planet who will get to see this haunting film.  (It’s not perfect, but it is effective and it features a game-changing performance by Gerard Butler. You can read more of my thoughts on the film here.)

This coming weekend, Machine Gun Preacher opens in Japan. This is good news on several fronts, not the least of which is that Japan loves Gerard Butler so they’ll probably go and see it. The film’s release is obviously being supported since they’ve got this incredible new trailer. THIS is the trailer we should have gotten in the US. It hits all of the right notes including the effective use of Asche and Spencer’s wonderfully evocative score.

The dvd for Machine Gun Preacher is currently available for pre-order in the UK. No word yet (other than vague rumors of “March”) for the US release (I’m shocked!) but in the meantime, the film is still opening around the world and the real Machine Gun Preacher, Sam Childers, is still traveling across this country, personally trying to give people the chance to see it.

Enjoy the trailer (It's NSWF since they don't edit the language from the film). More on the dvd release as it becomes available.

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