Happy Birthday George Clooney!
On this day 50 years ago, the good people of Lexington, Kentucky celebrated the birth of George Clooney, son of local TV news broadcaster Nick Clooney, brother of singers and actresses Rosemary and Betty Clooney.
George Clooney, arguably one of the most handsome and productive actors in Hollywood, surely has acting in his blood. In addition to being the nephew of the Clooney sisters, he's also a first cousin to actors Miguel, Monsita, and Rafael Ferrer, and artist Gabriel Ferrer, all children of the world famous actor, José Ferrer.
In his early life, Clooney was keen on becoming a professional baseball player, but failed to make the roster of the nearby Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Instead, cousin and now veteran actor Miguel got him a bit part in a feature film, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In 1982 Clooney headed to Tinsel Town to get his next big role. It didn't happen overnight, but it obviously did happen. His first real break came a starring role as the very popular and hunky George Burnett on TV's The Facts of Life.
Clooney has since gone on to star in some of the popular and successful films, including From Dusk Till Dawn, Intolerable Cruelty, Syriana, and Up in the Air. He's undoubtedly best known for his role as Danny Ocean in the very popular Ocean franchise with such other Hollywood heavyweights as Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Elliot Gould.
Happy birthday, George Clooney. Here's to 50 more (and at least 3 more Ocean's films)!
DISH Now Offering HBO and Cinemax Titles on DISH Online
Recently DISH Network announced that customers can now have instant, unlimited access to HBO and Cinemax titles that are currently not even available on Netflix. Customers who subscribe to these channels can now instantly watch more than 1,800 HBO and Cinemax titles at DISH Online. These titles include popular movies such as Avatar and hit television shows such as Boardwalk Empire and True Blood.
Customers who subscribe to qualifying packages can enjoy this bevy of online content from anywhere in the U.S. where they have a broadband Internet connection. Customers simply need to log onto DISH at DISHOnline.com, or HBO GO or Max GO. Most of the HBO and Cinemax titles that are available on DISHOnline.com are available in standard definition as well as in high-definition. Content will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
DISHOnline is the only online video portal of its kind. It gives customers the ability to integrate recorded and live TV with a library of more than 150,000 movies, trailers and TV shows.
Watch 'Passion Play' The Same Day it Hits Theaters on May 6th
DISH Network announced today that they will be offering 'Passion Play' On-Demand to their customers beginning on May 6th, the same day the movie is released in theaters. Customers will be able to rent 'Passion Play' in standard definition for $4.99 or in HD for $5.99.
'Passion Play' stars Academy Award Nominees Bill Murray and Mickey Rourke and 'Transformers' star Megan Fox. The movie features Nate (Rourke), a struggling jazz musician who falls for Lily (Fox), a carnival cast member who curiously sports a pair of real angel wings. They fall in love, but things go sour when brutal gangster Happy Shannon (Murray) begins pursuing Fox's affections--and will go as far as it takes to steal her for himself.
The offering of 'Passion Play' is another effort by DISH to expand their On-Demand services and movie content. They usually offer movies the same day that they are released on DVD, but they have also recently started to offer movies such as 'Passion Play' the same day they are released in theaters. They also offer a huge library of movies up to 28 days before they are available at Redbox or on Netflix.
DISH realizes that many people want to enjoy movies in their own living room rather than going to the theatre, and that is why they are so intent on expanding their movie availability. In the future, you can expect to see continued efforts on DISH's part to expand their movie offerings and the process in which they are made available to the customer.
DISH Granted 90-Day Blockbuster Decision Extension
DISH Network completed its acquisition of bankrupt video rental company Blockbuster a couple of weeks ago. DISH beat out several other bidders--including big-time invest Carl Icahn--to purchase Blockbuster. They ended up paying about $320 million for the bankrupt company. They also agreed to pay more than 75% of Blockbuster's outstanding studio liabilities, totaling more than $107 million, in 3 separate payments beginning at the end of May.
As part of the deal, DISH gained control of the still-open Blockbuster retail locations. At the height of their profitability, there were tens of thousands of Blockbuster locations all over the nation. Today, there are just 1,500 open. DISH was originally suppose to announce which retail locations they were going to keep open last Thursday. However, DISH is still in talks over which stores to keep open and how they will best benefit from the acquisition of the video rental giant.
Yesterday, a judge granted DISH a 90-day extension to come to a final decision regarding which, if any, stores they wish to keep open. The extension will expire on July 21, meaning that DISH will need to make a final decision or file for another extension, which is not likely to be granted.
Top 4 Things I'm Looking Forward to In the Last Episodes of Smallville
Smallville, the epic story of Clark Kent's journey from small-town boy to Superman, is coming to a close on May 13th after nearly a decade and 10 seasons. And with the end of an era (an era in superhero years at least) comes a lot of predictions for what the last few episodes will mean for our favorite characters. Because I am not a die-hard Smallville fan, I don't think I am as invested in some of the characters and the storylines as some other people are. However, that does not mean that I don't enjoy me some good ole' Smallville drama. I do, oh yes, I do. And I am very excited to see just what will happen to Clark Kent and his band of followers (even though if you have seen any of the previous Superman movies, you already know). Nonetheless, it is still fun to make predictions and to think that Smallville producers just might throw the Superman rule book out the window and surprise us a bit.
Here is my list of the top 4 things I am looking forward to in the last few episodes of Smallville:
#1--Getting Some More Tom Welling Face Time
Lets face it, the attractiveness of Tom Welling is the only reason that most women actually put up with all of this superhero stuff right? Welling plays the definitive superhero on television and has the tall, dark and handsome looks to go with it. And because I am no longer going to be able to get my weekly Tom Welling fix once the show ends, I might as well take advantage of it while I still can. Tom, you and your pecs wills surely be missed (by myself and every other woman in America).
#2--Michael Rosenbaum's Return as Lex Luthor
Other than the romance between Lois and Clark, the long-standing rivalry between Lex Luthor and Clark is the main premise of the show. That is why I am so excited for his return after a long hiatus and am thrilled that Michael Rosenbaum will once again be adding a dramatic dimension to the show. And what form Lex Luthor will come back in has got me really intrigued. Will he show up as his usual bald-headed self or will he appear as an older, future Lex from an alternative universe? I can barely contain my excitement.
#3- The Demise of Chloe Sullivan
Simply put, Chloe Sullivan has no place in Superman mythology. Therefore, it is fairly certain that she will be killed off in the last couple of episodes. And I will not be too sad to see her go. While I like the actress that plays Chloe (Allison Mack), I have never particularly cared for the Chloe Sullivan character. She was made up by the producers of Smallville, and consequently I believe that she has no real place in Clark's world. I expect her to get killed off, only to reemerge a few months later to star in her own WB spinoff.
#4-Finally Seeing Welling Become the Man of Steel
I don’t know about you, but I am sick of Welling ignoring his superhero destiny and going out on patrol simply as the Blur. The Blur is a copout and I am ready to see to don the red and blue suit and become the man that we have been waiting for him to become for nearly a decade. Tom, we have been sitting around for ten long seasons, please just put on the suit and get it over with. We beg of you.
