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Bad Moms | Interview With Kathryn Hahn and Mila Kunis About Motherhood

July 26, 2016 By Eva Smith

Bad Moms will be counted as a funny, relatable, true-to life movie of the mom revolution. The summer movie is a comedy about moms who struggle to balance the perfect life, complete chaos and mommytime. The movie is written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who also wrote the Hangover. Lucas and Moore who are both fathers, looked to their wives lives when writing “Bad Moms”.

Bad Moms Movie

Amy has a seemingly perfect life – a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However her over-worked and over-committed schedule has her on the verge of exhaustion to the point that she’s about to snap. Amy is fed up and joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities.

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Clark Duke, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith and Christina Applegate star in Bad Moms. Mother’s everywhere will related to the comedy, bad mom moment experiences and life lessons. Bad Moms takes the shame out of motherhood and put things in perspective for mothers nationwide.

Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn Bad Mom Moments

Mila Kunis has only been a mom for 21 months and she already has several bad mom moments. Her child was seven to eight months old and she was driving to visit my husband at work when she realized she forgot to buckle up her sons car seat. ” I put her in the car. Like, I high five myself. I’m driving down the 101. And I was like oh, my God, I’m doing really good today. And he was being really quiet, and I was like, oh, let me look in the rearview mirror to make sure everything’s okay. And I look, and she’s happy as can be, but just not nearly strapped in.” She turned completely white, pulled up to her husband’s work and just burst out crying. She is not alone.

Kathryn Hahn has 2 children and thinks the movie has a great message of solidarity. She feels like, so often moms and mommies in movies are kind of painted with like a saintly glow around them. “And we know that that’s just not the truth. And we’ve got so much more complexity than anyone could–so, I was so excited to just to see mommyhood examined from like the way that we all know it, or at least would love to experience,” she said. When it comes to motherhood today, it’s not the same culture where your mom comes over to help you babysit. So, you depend on your pals or other amazing women that are going through it or have gone through it or can like–so, thank God. You can’t do it by yourself. And it takes a village. We’re all in it together. We can’t just lessen those expectations, Kathryn Hahn adds.

Both ladies have had bad mom moments with their kids during diaper changes and in the car seat. We laughed hysterically as they shared their experiences.

Bad Moms Fun Facts

The movie was filmed in New Orleans and set in Chicago.
The school exterior shots were filmed at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, the oldest girls school still operational in the United States.
They squeezed in 200 people into a small living room to film the mom party scene for three days during torrential rainstorms in New Orleans. Everything outside was flooded.
Christine Applegate’s (Gwendolynne) mother is played by her actual mother Nancy Priddy.
YouTube star Lilly Singh (iisuperwomanii) has a cameo.
No. They did not drink alcohol in all the scenes. They drank a lot of juice.
Check back again next week for additional FUN facts.

Tickets and Trailer

Bad Moms comes to theaters July 29th. Whether you are a working mom, single mom, soccer mom, fed up mom, fit mom, rock star mom or a mom in search of perfection, we are all Bad Moms. So make sure to plan your Bad Moms Night out and give yourself the Mother’s Day you deserve. Your girlfriends will thank you for it. Get tickets now: http://www.badmomstickets.com/

For additional information visit the Official Website!

Cheers!

Bad Mom,

Filed Under: Entertainment, Feature, Movie Reviews, Tech Tagged With: bad moms, kristen bell, mila kunis

The Jungle Book Movie Review And Fun Facts

April 14, 2016 By Eva Smith

The long awaited Disney’s Jungle Book in 3D is here! The 3D experience will immerse you and your family into the jungle with live animals and high tech. It’s an experience the whole family will love. Unlike the original movie, the new movie is not a musical. The new version is a live-action technology packed epic adventure with personable animals that are larger than life. The unique character qualities and personality pay homage to the original film and is a must see for all families!

The Jungle Book stars Neel Sethi as Mowgli, Bill Murray as Baloo, Sir Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Idris Elba as Shere Kahn, Christopher Walken as King Louie and Giancarlo Esposito as Akela. The film was directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Brigham Taylor.

“The Jungle Book,” was published in 1894 and features a collection of tales of the Indian subcontinent, many of them featuring Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves. “The Second Jungle Book” followed in 1895, which was the basis for the immensely popular and endearing 1967 Walt Disney animated film.

Disney’s Cast Share The Jungle Movie Secrets

Disney’s 1967 animated film, “The Jungle Book,” was the last film that Walt Disney oversaw. He passed away in 1966, the year before the film’s release. Director Jon Favreau was inspired by more than the 1967 movie. “When I think about Disney’s legacy, I relate to Walt’s original dream,” he says. “Walt Disney’s work has influenced my work. He was considered high tech for the time. He was the first person who locked soundtrack with picture, so the characters were perfectly choreographed to the musical score—something that absolutely blew people’s minds. Disney was on the cutting edge of technology.”

Disney’s 2016 animated 3D film takes the best of animation and the best of live action to create life like characters with unique qualities, personalities and emotions which pay homage to the original film. Baloo introduces Mowgli to the fun aspects of the jungle. King Louis is a gigantic gorilla who is the King of the Jungle. Kaa the snake is a storyteller and Raksha the eternal mother and protector. Akela is the Alpha wolf and Bagheera.

12 FUN FACTS To Share

At full stretch, Baloo can reach nearly 15 feet high. The free-spirited bear is so heavy and sports so much fur, he took nearly five hours per frame to render.
Mother wolf Raksha is aptly named. In Hindi, Raksha means protector.
Artists at WETA took some creative license when it came to King Louie, borrowing a legendary character—Gigantopithecus—and exaggerating his size. King Louie stands 12 feet tall.
Mowgli sports a red loincloth in the film, but costume designer Laura Jean Shannon had her work cut out for her. “Mowgli’s immersed in water and mud, he gets rained on, he runs,” says Shannon. “We even rigged a hidden safety harness into the costume because Mowgli hangs on tree limbs and cliffs. Each of the loincloths—we ended up with 16 or 17—had a very specific purpose.” • Shannon built a “suit of armor” from the leaves of an alocasia tree (known as elephant ear plant). The garment showcased how the intelligent man-cub would protect himself from angry bees before collecting honey for Baloo.
The team at Moving Picture Company (MPC) were responsible for animating more than 70 species, crafting 100 million leaves and simulating earth, fire and water. A team of more than 800 computer graphics artists spent more than a year on the project.
Artists digitally built most of the jungle environment that appears in the film, creating moss, bark, rock, water, grass, trees, leaves that were all inspired by their real-life counterparts in India. The virtual environment makes up 80 percent of the film frame 100 percent of the time.
Filmmakers utilized motion capture technology to help them visualize the entire film prior to live-action production kicking off. The process involves special body suits adorned with dots that translate into the computer. Even director Jon Favreau suited up for select scenes. 2
One of the challenges filmmakers faced by pairing a liveaction Mowgli with computer-generated animal counterparts was that the CG creatures were unable to cast shadows on real-life Mowgli. Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato developed a system that allowed filmmakers to project light and shadows onto Mowgli that represent the creatures that are moving near him.
Mowgli deals with a lot of honey in “The Jungle Book.” The sweet stuff proved challenging for filmmakers, who wanted it to look authentic—yet still appealing. Color and viscosity had to be considered, as well as how to make the honeycomb it comes in.
The iconic song “The Bare Necessities,” written by Terry Gilkyson, was nominated for an Academy Award® in 1968.
Composer John Debney, who wrote the score for the new, liveaction film “The Jungle Book,” is the son of Louis Debney, who worked for Walt Disney. “When I was a youngster, they were making this incredible magical film called ‘The Jungle Book,’ and I was sort of a studio brat,” says Debney. “I got to know the young man Bruce Reitherman who played Mowgli. We would go on adventures around the world with his family.”
According to actor Ben Kinglsey, author Rudyard Kipling’s characters are part of being young in the U.K. “Before a boy in the U.K. joins the Boy Scouts, he joins the Cubs,” says Kingsley. “And our Cub Chief was always called Akela. In fact, all the Scouts’ names come from Kipling’s writings.”

THE JUNGLE BOOK opens in theatres everywhere in 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D on April 15th! For additional information visit the official THE JUNGLE BOOK website.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Tech Tagged With: Bill Murray, jungle book, Mowgli, Neel Sethi

What You Need To Know Before Watching The Jungle Book

April 13, 2016 By Eva Smith

“The Jungle Book” is a live-action epic adventure about Mowgli, a man-cub raised by a family of wolves who is coming of age and trying to find his place in the world. Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when a fearsome tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. The Jungle is not a safe place for a kid.

The Jungle Book Cast, Technology and Jon Favreau and Brigham Taylors dedication brought this movie to life.

The Jungle Book Cast

The Jungle Book stars Neel Sethi as Mowgli, Bill Murray as Baloo, Sir Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Idris Elba as Shere Kahn, Christopher Walken as King Louie. and Giancarlo Esposito as Akela. The film was directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Brigham Taylor.

Newcomer Neel Sethi

Newcomer Neel Sethi stars as the film’s only human character, Mowgli. Sethi was selected from thousands who auditioned as part of an extensive worldwide search. He read with several actors before being selected as Mowgli.

Technology and Innovation Brings The Jungle Book To Life

Filmmakers employed CGI technology and real animal characters that artists stylized to tell the story in a contemporary and immersive way. “‘The Jungle Book’ is a universal coming-of-age story that everyone can relate to,” says producer Brigham Taylor. “Walt Disney told the story through traditional cell animation and we have the technology to bring these characters to life, make them photo-real and put a real kid into the environment in a seamless, believable way.” Favreau’s adaption of The Jungle Book uses CGI technology to tell the story the way that Kipling actually imagined it with a real kid in a real jungle living with actual performing animals that talk to him. The Jungle Book also draws inspiration from the Disney animated classics, while retaining the gravitas and mythology inherent in Rudyard Kipling’s original stories. Filmmakers decided to build an almost entirely digital jungle. The animals each have their own unique emotional language and are made larger than life to show the vulnerability of a child in the Jungle.

To create the iconic float-down-the-river scene, filmmakers built two tanks with jets and pumps. The larger tank had gigantic jets that created a current. Each set had to be constructed with an eye for the digital characters who would be added to the scene and allows viewers to be immersed in the movie.

The Jungle Book Made an Impression on Jon Favreau and Brigham Taylor

Jon Favreau and Brigham Taylor were very impressed with the characters of the Jungle Book. According to Favreau, story is king. “Every story needs humanity, emotion and 2 character development, as well as humor—presented in a way that doesn’t betray the stakes of the film. There are white-knuckle moments in the movie when you wonder, ‘what’s going to happen to this kid?’” The bond between Mowgli and Baloo made a very strong impression Favreau. According to Favreau, “The relationship between Baloo and Mowgli remineded him of his own relationship with his grandfather, who was a big part of his life. “I really like that Mowgli is rambunctious, always getting into trouble. He isn’t the standard well-behaved kid, but a bit precocious—a ‘Dennis the Menace’ type. He isn’t intimidated by these big wild animals, in fact, he’s completely at home among them. He’s a tough kid but also very vulnerable emotionally, especially with Baloo”, said Favreau.

THE JUNGLE BOOK opens in theatres everywhere in 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D on April 15th! For additional information visit the official THE JUNGLE BOOK website.

See you at the movies!

Filed Under: Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Tech Tagged With: Akela, Bagheera, Baloo, Bill Murray, Brigham Taylor, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Esposito, Idris Elba, Jon Favreau, King Louie, Lupita Nyong’o, Mowgli, Neel Sethi, Raksh, Shere Kahn, Sir Ben Kingsley, The Jungle Book

What You Need to Know Before Watching #EddieTheEagle

February 24, 2016 By Eva Smith

Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story inspired by the true story of Michael “Eddie” Edwards an unlikely but courageous British skier who became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie (Taron Egerton) takes on the ski-jumping establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world. The movie is Directed by Dexter Fletcher.

The original story, script and cast of characters is what makes this a powerful and authentic movie with life lessons for every member of the family.

Eddie The Eagle Director Interview – Dexter Fletcher

Dexter Fletcher (Photo Credit: Eva Smith)

Although the script for Eddie the Eagle had been floating around for many years, the story behind how Dexter Fletcher was drawn to the movie is a moment of serendipity.

Dexter Fletcher grew up in England knowing the story of Eddie from back in the day. “I’m old enough to remember when he was there”, recalls Dexter Fletcher. “When I was growing up in England ambition and congratulating someone was not something people would do. I think I must have been in my mid-20s or early 20s, and I was quite sort of mid-20s. I thought I knew it all anyway, which of course I did, and he was just sort of a joke, in England particularly. We don’t do congratulating people. We don’t do it, sort of. Ambition is almost a dirty word in England. Oh, he’s very ambitious. Although he was sort of celebrated certainly where he came from in his home town, which makes sense, the rest of the country was a bit like, oh, he’s a loser. And I suppose I was of that opinion as well. I didn’t really take much interest at that time.”

The script for Eddie the Eagle had been floating around for about 15 years. Dexter read the script and saw an interview of Eddie on a reality television program named Splash about five years ago and he had an epiphany. “Eddie was 25 years older than everyone on the show and did very well in the show because he approached it in this real Olympian kind of way”, recalls Dexter. “He was brilliant at it. He absolutely won it. I was like this guy’s amazing. He’s my age, and he’s got the right idea. He’s got the right attitude. He really goes for it, and he was great at it, and really humble.”, said Dexter. He really admired Eddie after that show and wanted to know who this guy was. “And then of course, there’s a story behind that young buffoon, as we understood him to be. But, he’s not that. He was a dedicated, determined young man who sacrificed a lot to achieve something that he’d always dreamed of. And I was like that’s really good. That’s good. Why not tell that story?”, recalls Dexter.

Director Dexter Fletcher did a wonderful and authentic job in directing the cast of Eddie the Eagle. He attributes the authenticity to the cast. “The more I spoke to Taron, I understood that he wanted to create something far away from Kingsman. And it’s a really kind of sensitive, human performance. It’s a very different kind of film. And so, I had seen him there and was very impressed by that and then started working with him and talking to him. And then, we did this screen test with Hugh, and what Taron has is this amazing ability to turn very quickly emotionally and because his eyes are the way they are, you’re kind of engaged with that. And it’s a real mercurial kind of quality, which is nothing more than a bit of magic in a film.”, said Fletcher.

It’s nice if you’re telling a story like Eddie to have that sort of magic in there, that allows you to go–because there’s a dreamy kind of aspirational quality about it. – Director, Dexter Fletcher

“And the other thing about it is for me the family’s important. The mother and the father, those relationships are important. I like those stories. The mum wants to back him, but can’t show that in front of dad. For me, that’s quite a funny dynamic, you know? And dad’s kind of scared for him. Don’t go out in the world. Don’t do anything above what you think you can because you’ll only get hurt.”, recalls Dexter. “But, the reality is, that dad’s just scared for him, and mum’s really backing him. And they’ve got that dynamic going on. “, said Dexter.

“There’s nothing wrong with not letting go of that dream or that drive or that thing that inspired you when you were young.” Dexter Fletcher said to me. “You can apply that to so many different things. That’s what’s lovely about Eddie’s story, is that he’s inspired, and he does keep moving forward. And you can apply that to so many different aspects of your life.”

Eddie The Eagle – Hugh Jackman Interview

Hugh Jackman (Photo Credit: Eva Smith )

Hugh Jackman always loved the story of Eddie the Eagle. “I always loved the story. I was 19 I think when Eddie jumped and in Australia we were captured by this guy.”, he recalls. ” He became a folk hero in Australia and I think this same reason I loved him there is why I love this movie. It taps into everybody’s desire to find the thing they love, to overcome whatever obstacles they are going to overcome to do it and as a parent now, I watch that movie and I am so thrilled my kids are seeing a movie that finally says you don’t actually have to win to be a winner. You have to give with your heart, you have to give it all you got, and you got to love it.”, said Hugh Jackman.

“I watched this with my 15 year-old and my 10 year-old and I’m praying these messages are sinking in. Like “Don’t worry what other people think of you, just do the thing you love, just keep going and keep that positive attitude for live, don’t necessarily focus on the result or winning, just keep trying.” – Hugh Jackman

Eddie The Eagle – Taron Egerton Interview

Taron Egerton (Photo Credit: Eva Smith)

In Eddie the Eagle, Taron Egerton plays an average Joe, which is completely different from other roles such as from Kingsman. “It was hard to find a reason not to do this movie. It presented a challenge in terms of the acting and I was a huge fan of Dexter [Fletcher], our director. His movies are brilliant. Matthew Vaughn [producer] who I did Kingsman with.

“It always felt very easy stepping into his shoes. It was in the script that he was a kind of, so kind of likeable on the page that it was someone that kind of, I just really wanted to connect with him and bring to life. It was inspiring reading the script”, recalls Taron. He also got to meet the real life Eddie on the set.

My mother is in the whole. My mother did, and my father, they have always, I mean, not to get soppy, my parents have always done everything for me. Everything that is good in me is my mother. She is an incredible, incredible, incredible force of nature, brilliant support. – Taron Egerton

Crazy stuntmen In Eddie The Eagle Movie

There is a lot of action on the slopes, especially the skiers. “There were some crazy German stuntmen who–because we filmed in Germany. And we had this amazing second unit director, who is a guy called Vic Armstrong, and he was a stuntman in the ’80s on films like Raiders of the Lost Ark. When you see Raiders of the Lost Ark, and there’s a big boulder chasing Harrison Ford, this is Vic Armstrong, or when you see a guy going underneath a truck on a whip, his name is Vic Armstrong. He came and did all our stunts”, recalls Dexter.

“He put together this team of German guys, all a bit crazy. They’re all a bit bonkers, you know? “Oh, yes, we’ll do it.” And they all just jumped off of this thing. I mean we were filming another bit where we could see them down, and they just kept jumping off and falling over. He came back with 90 hours of footage for me because he had lots of different cameras. And that was just on the 40-meter jump.”, said Dexter.

“We also had these two young jumpers, who were Romanian actually. And what we did, we strapped a camera to their back, and one guy went down the in-run, as it’s called. And another guy went after him with a camera.”

“But, because the guy who went down first was going very fast, the ice slightly heats up underneath his skis. So, the guy behind him starts going faster. So, they take off, and the guy behind is going faster. And he flies over his head. As they fly through the air, we got it all on film, and clips him on the shoulder with his ski, and then lands before him, and the other guy lands behind him. Like I said, part of it’s in the film.” recalls Dexter.

Movie Trailer

Filed Under: Entertainment, Movie Reviews Tagged With: Dexter Fletcher, Eddie The Eagle, Hugh Jackman, Targon Egerton

Alvin And The Chipmunks – Road Chip Movie Review

December 17, 2015 By Eva Smith

Alvin and The Chipmunk – Road Chip, the fourth movie in the series of live action CG movies bring together Dave, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Chipettes and a trip to Miami. Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother. Along the way they confront obstacles and an infamous air marshall. The movie is in theaters December 18!

The movie cast includes Jason Lee as Dave, Justin Long as voice of Alvin, Matthew Gray Gubler as voice of Simon, Jesse McCartney as voice of Theodore, Tony Hale as Agent Sugg, Bella Thorne as Ashley Grey, Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Samantha, Josh Green as Miles, , Kaley Cuoco as voice of Eleanor, Anna Faris as Jeanette and Christina Applegate as voice of Brittany and Stefan Kendal Gordy as RedFoo. The movie is directed by Walt Beck.

Alvin And The Chipmunks – Road Chip Movie Review

Alvin and the Chipmunks – Road Trip is a fun, music filled movie with lovable and endearing characters. It is a great movie for familes. No matter what age you are you will walk away from the movie with positive lessons and catchy songs in your heart. The movie is full of trendy music and dance routines which guarantees to have you dancing during and after the movie. The relationship between Dave, Alvin and the Chipmunks, live action and trendy music such as “Juicy Wiggle” by Redfoo, Iko Iko, Uptown Funk are a winning formula for this series.

Movie Trailer

For additional information follow Alvin and the Chipmunks – Road Chip movie on Twitter ,Facebook or on the Alvin Movie Official Website .

Filed Under: Entertainment, Heritage, Inland Empire, Latino Heritage, Lifestyle, Local, Los Angeles, Movie Reviews, Orange County, San Diego, Southern California Tagged With: Anna Faris, ashley grey, bella thorne, Christina Applegate, gray gubler, jason lee, jesse mccartney, justin long, Kaley Cuoco, kimberly williams, matthew gray, tony hale

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Premier Red Carpet – In Pictures

December 17, 2015 By Eva Smith

The stars came out for the World Premiere of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS at the Dolby, El Capitan and TCL Theatres in Hollywood, CA on December 14th. R2-D2, C3-P0, the First Order Storm Troopers and Captain Phasma in all of their glory, attended the red carpet premier with BB-8 and cast of characters. This was BB-8s first red carpet affair and destination trip across the universe. There was a major commotion at the beginning of the red carpet as tech savvy fans were requesting autographs, selfies, periscopes and snaps of the droid and his partners. A star was born at the red carpet! The energy at the red carpet world premier was electric.

The cast and crew took the stage to speak during the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with a standing ovation for BB-8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiers worldwide in theaters on December 18.

Here are the most memorable moments from the intergalactic premier:

Stormtroopers attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

R2-D2 (L) and C-3PO attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

BB-8 arrives as Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm’s presents “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” World Premiere in Hollywood, California

Sphero BB-8 attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's presents "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" World Premiere in Hollywood, California on Monday, December 14, 2015..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Captain Phasma arrives at “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” World Premier

Actress Daisy Ridley attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actor Adam Driver attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Director J.J. Abrams attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actress Lupita Nyong’o attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Actors Oscar Isaac (L) and Anthony Daniels attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens? at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Oscar Isaac;Anthony Daniels

Actors Oscar Isaac (L) and Anthony Daniels (R) attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actors Gwendoline Christie (L) and Andy Serkis attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been shot in black and white. Color version not available.) Actress Gwendoline Christie attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens? at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Gwendoline Christie

Actress Gwendoline Christie attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dreamworks Animation Mellody Hobson (L) and director George Lucas attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens? at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Mellody Hobson;George Lucas

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dreamworks Animation Mellody Hobson (L) and Director George Lucas attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

R2-D2 (L) and C-3PO attend the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actor Oscar Isaac attends the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actors Harrison Ford (L) and Calista Flockhart attend the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14: Actors John Boyega (L) and Carrie Fisher attend the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens? at the Dolby, El Capitan, and TCL Theatres on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** John Boyega;Carrie Fisher

Actors John Boyega (L) and attend the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actor John Boyega attends the World Premiere of ?Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The cast and crew speak onstage during the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Red Carpet World Premier LIVE

Filed Under: Entertainment, Star Wars, Tech Tagged With: Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, bb-8, c3-p0, Carrie Fisher, daisey ridley, George Lucas, Gwendoline Christie, Gwendoline Christie (“Captain Phasma, harrison ford, jj abrams, John Boyega, kylo ren, Lupita Nyong’o, Mellody Hobson, Oscar Isaac, r2-d2, rey, sphero, storm troopers

What You Need To Know About StarWars: The Force Awakens

December 16, 2015 By Eva Smith

As “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, the seventh film in the series, premiers, we explore movie influences, new character names and design of the costumes.

The Star Wars Force Awakens cast include Carrie Fisher as Leia, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma. The movie is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. JJ Abrams Directed and produced the film.

30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat rises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of Heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Movie Influences

All the movies of Akira Kurosawa have influenced The Force Awakens screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan throughout his career. According to Kasdan, “Akira was sort of the Shakespeare of cinema, he did comedies, he did action films, he did Shakespearean drama, and all of life is contained in each one of his films.” “Seven Samurai may be the greatest film ever made, it’s a personal drama, it’s an action picture.” he said. When JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan were preparing for the movie they also kept referring to great American movies that they loved and things that had influenced the first Star Wars which is Howard Hawks, John Ford and Flash Gordon. According to Lawrence Kasdan, “when George [Lucas] made A New Hope, he was influenced very much by Kurosawa, and by Flash Gordon, and by the Wizard of Oz and that all those movies, you can feel them in A New Hope, and everything that’s in A New Hope has come down through the movies, to this day.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens New Character Names

When it came to naming the new characters of the Force Awakens, the character names for Finn, Poe and Rey had the most iterations. According to JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, ” A lot of names came and went, and some names stuck. When we put down BB-8, it was a name that – it was the first and only name that droid ever had, but we called him BB-8 and we still do. Rey and Finn and Poe went through many [naming] iterations. Kylo Ren was Kylo Ren fairly early on, and there was a sort of backstory. Maz Kanata was always Maz Kanata.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Costumes

JJ Abrams and cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens shared a lot of insight into costumes designed by Michael Kaplan. Michael Kaplan has a long history of working on multiple films including Star Trek: Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Flashdance, Pearl Harbor and I am Legend. Michael Kaplan has won awards for his designs on Blade Runner and nominations for costume designs for Mr & Mrs. Smith and Fight Club.

JJ Abrams said, “The costumes are extraordinary and unlike anything we have seen for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The most difficult costume was Kylo Ren which has thousands of iterations before final costume.”

Kylo Ren Costume portrayed by Adam Driver (Photo Credit: Eva Smith)

When they finally saw the mask at the beginning of design it was clear it was the winner.

Captain Phasma costume (Photo credit: Eva Smith)

The Captain Phasma costume was originally pitched as a Kylo Ren costume, and turned out to be the greatest-looking costumes as well as JJ Abrams favorite costume. According to Abrams, the character for Captain Phasma was originally a role for a male, but turned out to become a role for a woman. The Helmet is made of Chrome vaccum- 3D printed nylon. The cape is made of Cotton Canvas coated and painted with binder. The armor was designed with Chrome vacuum-plated molded polyurethane. The Under suit is made of cotton lycra. The boots are made with chrome vacuum-platedpolyurethane over leather. The Gussets are made with molded rubber and cotton lycra and the gloves are made with rubber.

Costumes: Finn and Rey (Photo Credit: Eva Smith)

The amount of time to prepare for their roles varied by actor and the complexity of the costume. Daisy Riddle costume took about 20 minutes as the arms things on and wraps for Rey takes a while.

Costume: Rey (Photo Credit: Eva Smith)

When Adam Driver originally prepared for his role it took about an hour and a half to complete his costume for Kylo Ren. Eventually his team was able to take it down to 20 minutes.

Lupita Nyongo’o’s character Maz Kanata didn’t have a costume as her character is a motion capture character. To get suited up for the character it took about two and half hours, maybe three. And then by the end we had it down to about an hour or an hour 15. Lupita’s character had dots everywhere, including her teeth. She is still finding them in everything including her shoes. Motion capture, also referred to Mo-cap for short is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. In filmmaking and video game development it refers to recording actions of human actors and using the information to animate a digital character in 2D or 3D computer animation.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiers in theaters worldwide on December 18th. Follow the conversation at STAR WARS on Facebook or the STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS website.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Movie Trailer

Filed Under: Entertainment, Tech Tagged With: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Gwendoline Christie, Gwendoline Christie (“Captain Phasma, harrison ford, Kathleen Kennedy, kylo ren, Lawrence Kasdan, Lupita Nyong’o, Lupita Nyong’o (“Maz Kanata, rey, star wars, the force awakens

LA Phil Spectacular Upcoming Fall 2015-16 Season At Disney Hall

September 24, 2015 By Eva Smith

The creative arts are a great way to celebrate special occasions and inspire your senses with loved ones. As summer comes to a close it’s time to start planning entertainment for 2015-16 season. There are several upcoming events for Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 to choose from at the L.A. Phil Disney Hall, including classical music, arts, latin music & holiday performances. The LA Phil 2015/16 season Walt Disney Concert Hall has classical concerts, jazz, world music, holiday programs, and more, featuring performances by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as acclaimed artists from around the world. Great programming for daydreamers and thinkers.

This season’s highlights include:

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic joined the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela for the Immortal Beethoven festival, a highly anticipated taking place September thru October.

Exciting programs such as La Santa Cecilia • Buika, Eddie Palmieri • Chucho Valdés: Irakere 40, and a tribute to Mercedes Sosa. I’ve seen La Santa Cecilia in concert several time and she is an amazing artist. You don’t want to miss it.
Deck the Hall holiday concerts like the Holiday Sing-Along, Holiday Organ Spectacular, New Year’s Eve with Natalie Cole and more.

I’m looking forward to taking my family to Walt Disney Concert Hall LA Phil. There are too many great artists to choose from. Buy your tickets now and enjoy yet another season of incredible music at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

xoBesos!

Filed Under: California, Entertainment, Events, Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino Heritage, Lifestyle, Los Angeles, Travel Tagged With: BUIKA, CHUCHO VALDÉS, Disney Concert Hall, EDDIE PALMIERI, immortal beethoven, IRAKERE 40, LA Phil, la santa cecilia

Alex And Irina Bring Their Comedic Duo And 16 Poodles To Ringling Bros Circus XTREME

July 21, 2015 By Eva Smith

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus XTREME in Southern California. The circus is guided by Ringmaster David Shipman and pushes the limits of excitement to feature over 100 artists and performers who redefine the word extreme in everything they do.

The 145th edition has several unique acts including an Xtreme Sports display featuring Bungee Skydivers, BMX freestlyle riders, energetic parkour performers, trampoline acrobats and slack like gymnastic tricks, a Comedic Duo and mixed animal act and more.

Alex & Irina “Dogs of the City” Interview

I interviewed Irina of “Dogs of the City” Comedic Duo and Mixed Animal Act. Alex and Irina have spent several years creating acts never before seen. They are the first comedians to work with animals. Their performances are full of comedy, animals, magic, tap dancing and dynamic athleticism. Alex and Irina take the audience on an adventure to explore and discover the world of extreme circus through artistic acts and comedy.

Alex was born in Moscow in a working class family. His uncle was a circus clown and Alex was excited when he saw him make his actions. “It looked good and my eyes were open to the possibility of opportunities in the circus, “said Alex. Soon after, Alex traveled to Ukraine to attend an elite professional circus school which was hard and included several competitive students. He excelled and was invited to Nikulin Circus, where he impressed the director and was immediately hired as an artist.

Irina and her brother, were born in Moscow, are second-generation circus artists, and follow in the footsteps of their famous father and animal trainer. “As a child, I wanted to have my own act” reflects Irina. While touring she admits, “I can not remain in one place for long; I think there is nomad animal in my blood. ”

Alex and Irina met while acting in circuses. She was performing her act with monkeys and Alex was a clown. After several years traveling, Alex decided to pursue his own creative performance and was looking for an assistant. Alex and Irina have not been apart since then, 15 years ago. Alex and his partner have been recognized by fans and teammates with several awards.

Despite their success, Alex and Irina returned to Russia to create a new animal act. They spent several years training poodle puppies. Once the act was complete, they performed with his family working with the Moscow State Circus. During this time, Alex, who understood the importance of acquiring new skills, studied at the Russian Academy and ended graduating with a degree in Circus Production. The couple then decided to take their performance with 16 poodles to America. The comedic acts has traveled around the world including Germany, Japan, Korea, Norway, Sweden and France. Their passion for American culture and movies is so strong that they named their poodles after famous actors. The youngest poodle is 3 years and the oldest is 7.

International award winning entertainers, performers and artists, Alex and Irina have 2 daughters, Alexandra and Valentina. Their daughters are always with them and have a school and nursery that travels with them from city to city. They also give their children as much as a normal life as possible in between shows by spending time as a family touring the city. Her teenage daughter is 16 and wants to be a beauty and fashion blogger and Youtube channel sensation.

“This is my life. We love what we do. We consider our dogs part of our family and want everyone to walk away from our performance happy and with a smile. “, says Irina. Alex and Irina hope to have the same success in America as they have had in Russia. Their international success is evident by their talent, passion and hard work and the desire for their daughter to follow in their footsteps in the field of entertainment.

Plan Your Trip

Ringling Bro and Barnum & Baily Circus is coming to a town near you. Make sure to check out their website, Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus XTREME for locations near you. The circus is currently in California with shows in Los Angeles, Ontario, Anaheim and San Diego.

If you plan to attend the event, make sure to go to the Preview which starts about 1 hour before the event. At the preview you can meet the performers and artists before the event and get autographs from your favorite entertainers. Ringling Bros XTREME circus is unlike any circus performance you will ever see so make sure to get there early to enjoy the Pre Show festivities.

My favorite performers were Alex & Irina and their 16 poodles, Tabayara Maluenda a six-generation Chilean circus performer who knows how to build trust with tigers, the BMX bike riders, the Danguir Troupe and Mongolian Marvel.

Current Locations & Ticket Prices

A N A H E I M
WHEN: Friday, July 24 – Sunday, August 2
WHERE: Honda Center – 2695 E. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92806
**All Anaheim shows include both the Animal Open House and All Access Pre-Show

SAN DIEGO
WHEN: Thursday, August 6 – Sunday, August 9
WHERE: Valley View Casino – San Diego
**All Anaheim shows include both the Animal Open House and All Access Pre-Show

TICKETS: Prices range from $20, $25, $30, $42 (VIP), $70–$80 (Front Row)*
Opening Night tickets are only $15 each (not valid for VIP/Front Row seating)
*Prices vary between weekday & weekend performances

See You At The Circus XTREME!

Filed Under: Entertainment, Events, Lifestyle Tagged With: Alex and Irina, Barnum & Bailey, Ringling Bros, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

10 Things You Need To Know Before Watching Ant-Man & Movie Review

July 17, 2015 By Eva Smith

Ant-Man will be in theaters today, July 17. The movie is about a man who uses his strength and powerful suit to save the world. However, Ant-man is more than just a man. Ant-man has gone through a series of events that has brought him to a place where he needed to make a choice between continuing a life of crime and prison or a life of changing the world.

It’s a great family movie. It is full of adventure, action and not predictable. The characters make this movie one of the best Marvel movies ever. After watching Ant-Man you may realize that he is your favorite Marvel superhero yet!

10 FUN Facts You Need To Know Before Watching The Movie

1. How Does The Ant-Man suit work?

The suit encapsulates the Pym Particle technology that allows a person to shrink down to the size of an ant. When the wearer wants to change size, he uses a button on the suit that regulates the Pym Particles, which run through the suit and helmet like an intricate system of veins. The particles are volatile and change the distance between atoms, so the suit and helmet serve as protection for the wearer. Although Ant-Man does not technically have super powers, when he shrinks down in the suit, he actually exceeds the strength of a normal person because energy and mass compacted create a more powerful force.

2. How was the Ant-man costume made? How many Ant-Man costumes are there?

Costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ and head suit designer Ivo Coveney, along with their talented team of artists, constructed 13 Ant-Man suits, 17 helmets, 17 belts, 8 pairs of gloves, 15 backpacks, 6 pairs of shoes, 15 balaclavas and 14 necklaces that go on the balaclava.

The Ant-Man suit is made of leather and resembles a vintage motorcycle suit. It has a worn look and is battle-scarred to harken back to when Hank Pym was AntMan and wore the suit on missions.

Each Ant-Man helmet has 54 different pieces to it as well as 10 LED lights. If you add in the nuts and bolts and the helmet lining, it’s over 60 individual components just for each helmet.

In each Ant-Man suit there are over 159 LED lights, which are controlled remotely. All the circuitry and batteries for the lights are in a very small backpack. The whole suit can light up, including the gloves and belt.

3. Is the Yellowjacket costume suit as elaborate as Ant-Man’s suit?

In the movie, the villain’s heavily armored Yellowjacket suit can withstand bullets and has articulating arms that can shoot plasma rays, plus it incorporates sensors and infrared vision. Like the Ant-Man suit, the Yellowjacket suit has the shrinking technology built in.

4. How did they make scaled-down Ant-Man scenes.

For the scaled-down Ant-Man sequences, the filmmakers used a combination of motion-picture macro photography, still macro photography, motion capture with the actors, motion capture with the stunt people, and for every set they built miniature sets, called macro sets. Macro photography is extreme close-up photography that produces photographs of small items larger than life-size.

In the spirit of shooting everything in miniature, the macro photography team built a mini clapperboard, the device filmmakers use to help synchronize picture and sound. Originally made of wood and handwritten on with chalk, clapperboards now have digital features, but the one for the macro sets was of the old-fashioned variety.

5. How did Marvel know how ants behave?

Marvel did a lot of research into ant behaviors and what the different species of ants could bring to the movie in terms of what filmmakers needed for the heist. For instance, the Paraponera clavata or bullet ants have a very painful sting and resemble dinosaurs in the movie; the Solenopsis or fire ants are like architects as they can link together and form bridges and rafts to help Ant-Man; and the male Camponotus carpenter ants can fly, providing Ant-Man with a helpful mode of transportation.

Director Peyton Reed also got into ant research and was helped out by his mother who sent him a book he had as a kid titled “World of Insects,” which featured an ant on the cover. Reed enjoyed catching up with his inner child as he leafed through the old book.

6. Was the entire movie filmed in San Francisco?

Marvel’s “Ant-Man” is set in San Francisco and many exterior shots were done there, including shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tenderloin District and the exterior of a Victorian home used to portray Hank Pym’s house. Following San Francisco, the production settled into Pinewood Studios’ newly built facilities in Atlanta and Marvel’s “Ant-Man” became the very first movie to film there. The interiors of Hank Pym’s house where the first sets that the production design team constructed on the new soundstages.

7. Where did they come up with the van?

In the film, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has a best friend Luis (Michael Peña) who owns an old brown van that has seen better days. The van keeps changing its appearance through the course of the story, and the different versions were dubbed the Mark 1, the Mark 2 and the Mark 3, in a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Iron Man suits. The Mark 1 is the old brown van that Luis is really proud of, but in reality it is a “beater.” The Mark 2 is accessorized for a job by the thieves and boasts things like bigger mirrors, so they can see who is coming and going, and side boards for fast ins and outs. The Mark 3 is geared up for the Pym Tech heist and is painted and accessorized to look like a Water & Power utility vehicle.

8. Does the Pym home have a safe room, little furniture and everyday items?

When you watch Marvel’s “Ant-Man,” look closely at some of the set dressing in Hank Pym’s house. You’ll see a little chair or a tiny weapon or other miniature everyday items. There are items placed all around the house that hint at the adventures Pym had when he was Ant-Man and suggest the experiments that he made shrinking inorganic objects before he made the breakthrough to shrinking organic objects.

The Basement set in the movie features a safe room where Pym conducts his experiments. It was built like a corrugated metal tube to resemble a bomb shelter and contains an old vault that secures the Ant-Man suit.

9. Was there a live Ant farm on set?

The Basement set is also home to a vertical ant farm that the production design team created. It actually houses live ants that went happily about their daily tasks oblivious to the filming around them.

10. Was the Director, Peyton Reed an ardent Marvel Fanboy?

Growing up, director Peyton Reed was an ardent Marvel fanboy. When he was in high school, Reed made a pencil drawing of the punk band he was in, in which he depicted the band as a recreation of “The Avengers #1” cover, where each of the band members was a different Avenger. Perhaps it was a flash of precognition, but Reed drew himself as Ant-Man.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Movie Reviews Tagged With: ant man

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