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Wednesday, December 31st, 2008Bolt
Thursday, December 18th, 2008Review
It’s refreshing to see that the Pixar team, who have literally taken control of the Animation department at Disney, are having a good influence. Bolt is one of the most refreshing, enjoyable, laugh out load movies Disney’s own studios have created in a long time. And the best news is it’s even better in 3D.
The movie follows BOLT, the star of an action, adventure television program where he has super powers. What he doesn’t know is that it’s all fake. After a tense scene where his beloved owner, Penny, is kidnapped Bolt takes off in search of her only to be accidentally shipped off from his Hollywoodhome to New York City. The movie follows his journey back across the country to save Penny. With two oddball travel buddies the movie is set for some hysterical moments, and it delivers.
The opening sequence to Bolt is mesmerising, showing that Disney’s studio is perfectly capable under the right leadership. His journey is familiar and not exactly original but what makes this movie shine is its unique and entertaining characters. With the voice talents of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Sussie Essman and Mark Walton the movie’s characters have a warmth and sparkle to them.
Bolt has now officially sold me on Disney Digital 3-D. Watching the movie in 3D takes your experience to a new level. Ster-Kinekor made a statement when they first released the 3-D movie houses, saying that this is as big a difference as black and white to colour. Although I wouldn’t go that far, it certainly makes any movie that much more enjoyable for both adults and kids. This isn’t 3-D that we’re used to. The picture is crystal clear, no more blurry movies that give you headaches, and the new technology allows for complete comfort. You will still have to wear 3-D glasses, but these are perfectly comfortable and plastic – not cardboard rubbish. In fact they are so comfortable I’ve seen people wearing them as a fashion statement. Needless to say that are definitely not sunglasses but it goes to show how comfortable they are.
Bolt is not the best animated movie ever, but it’s easy to recommend to anybody as a relaxing and entertaining holiday film for the whole family. Don’t miss this one.
8.5/10
Notes
Chris Williams and Byron Howard worked on Disney’s 36th animated feature “Mulan” – Williams was a member of the story team, and Howard was an animator.
The film marks Miley Cyrus’ feature-film debut as an animated character.
Before bringing any pet into your family be sure to learn about the breed and always consider adoption from a reputable shelter or rescue program.
Miley Cyrus Biography
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Destiny Hope Cyrus was born on the 23rd of November 1992. In January 2008 she officially changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus.
Miley become an overnight star thanks to Disney’s Hanna Montana which debuted in March of 2006. In October that year the shows soundtrack was released, eventually going triple platinum. Hannah Montana: The movie is due to be released in May 2009.
Miley was born in Franklin, Tennessee. She has two older half brothers, Christopher Cody and Trace. She also has a half sister, Brandi, a younger brother Braison, and a younger sister, Noah, who is also an actress. Apparently she was nicknamed Miley because she was always smiling.
Miley’s first acting role was at 9 years old. She was a guest star on her father, Billy Ray Cyrus’, television series Doc. In 2003 she played Young Ruthie in Tim Burton’s Big Fish. When Miley was twelve she auditioned for the lead role of Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in the new Disney Channel show but was told she was too small and too young. Disney finally signed her on. She then had the rare opertunity to audition her real father to play her on screen father. After trying to get rid of her Southern accent for seven years Disney told her to keep it.
In 2007 Miley had a few seconds air time in the Disney Channel movie hit High School Musical 2, seen dancing by the pool. She also guest starred as Yatta on the Emperor’s new school.
Her Best of Both Worlds Tour was extended due to high demand. Tour tickets sold out in record time, and even the 3D movie concert broke records. Miley’s second studio album, Breakout will be released in July 2008.
In 2007 Disney released a Hannah Montana clothing line with some of Miley’s designs. Miley said, “It’s not a costume. A tween girl isn’t doing dress-up, they want to look like they could be Hannah Montana’s friend. This is a fashion line.” Miley is also writing a book about her life and career. Disney has reportedly bought the rights to the book for seven figures. It’s scheduled for release in spring 2009.
Miley is good friends with Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso from the set of Hanna Montana. She is also said to be friends with other Disney Channel stars such as Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron, Brenda Song and Ashley Tisdale. She has told Oprah that Hilary Duff is her role model. Miley has many pets, these include, horses, dogs, cats, fish and chickens.
Miley says her faith is “the main thing” and the reason she works in Hollywood.
Miley Trivia
Birth Name: Destiny Hope Cyrus
Nickname: Smiley; Miley
Height: 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
Trivia
Daughter of singer/actor Billy Ray Cyrus and Leticia “Tish” Cyrus. Sister of Noah Lindsey Cyrus
Has five siblings: older paternal half-brother Christopher Cody, older maternal half-brother Trace, older maternal half-sister Brandi, and younger siblings Braison Chance and Noah Lindsey.
Her favorite sport is cheerleading.
Her favorite book is, “Don’t Die, My Love.”
Her favorite song by her Dad is “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Has written over a hundred songs and some of them have been used on her show, ”Hannah Montana” (2006).
Her favorite singers are Hilary Duff, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.
Her favorite album is Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway”.
Her favorite movie is Steel Magnolias (1989).
Likes to eat Chinese food.
Favourite hobby is going shopping.
She loves to watch High School Musical (2006) (TV) with her sisters.
She has three dogs, Loco (because “It’s crazy!”), Juicy (because of the clothing brand) and her newest dog, Minnie Pearl.
Miley was on the green team for 2 summers in a row in the Disney Channel Games.
She has never taken formal singing lessons (as of June 2007).
Started auditioning for Hannah Montana when she was 11 years old, She originally tried out for the part of Lilly Truscott.
Was ranked #17 on Forbes List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars.(2007).
Ranked #12 on interview magazines Hollywood faces to watch “future stars of tomorrow”.
In January 2008, she legally changed her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus. Ray is for her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Miley was her nickname, given because as a
baby, she always smiled. Smiley evolved into Miley in baby slang.
Released a 3D concert movie of her Best of Both Worlds Tour on February 1st, 2008. It became the highest grossing Super Bowl weekend release ever.
Was ranked #22 on Entertainment Weekly’s ’30 Under 30′ the actress list. (2008).
Was ranked #1 on TV Guide Top 10 Teen Star Countdown (2008).
Befriended her backup dancer, Mandy Jiroux, while on tour. The two have a Youtube channel that they regularly update with new videos.
Miley’s half-brother (Trace) and Hannah Montana co-star Mitchel Musso’s brother (Mason) are in the band Metro Station.
Godmother is Dolly Parton.
High School Musical 3
Monday, July 14th, 2008Review
High School Musical is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. Its third instalment is set to heighten that status to all new levels. High School Musical 3 takes the humble school of East High onto the big screen, and it does it in style.
This time around our stars are seniors struggling to come to grips with leaving high school and starting new lives. It’s a solute to the three years of HSM and a start to what may be a new breed of stars who will continue the legacy.
Because we are actually expected to pay to watch HSM3 the cast and crew kick every aspect into high gear. The songs are on a bigger scale, the dancing is on an entirely new level and the story telling, although still basic, is of a higher quality. Kenny Ortega deserves a solute to some awesome choreography, especially in the boy’s junk yard scene.
It can be appreciated that more screen time was given to characters who we didn’t see much of in previous movies but loved them anyway. Ms Darbus has some more time to shine as does Kelsi and Martha. But essentially this is still Tory and Gabriella’s story.
Two new stars have joined the cast namely Matt Prokop who plays Jimmy Zara and Justin Martin who plays Donny Dion. Donny doesn’t say much but he and Justin are great new characters who are rumoured to be the ones continuing the HSM legacy.
What seems to have made this series a success is its romanticised high school experience. We love it because as simple as the story is, it shows us what high school should really be about. It allows us to kick back and just pretend we are in a perfect world were the only problems are how far away our best friends are going to be and which school to go to. It breaks into that part of us that thinks it’s a star and allows that dream to sparkle again.
Take your big head out the way and go and enjoy some pure unadulterated fun with High School Musical 3 – Senior Year. 7/10
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
Friday, June 27th, 2008
Dylan Thomas Sprouse and Cole Mitchell Sprouse (born August 4, 1992) are Italian-born American identical twin brothers and actors. They are collectively referred to as Cole & Dylan, the Sprouse Bros, or the Sprouse Twins, and are known for their roles in the film Big Daddy, as Patrick Kelly in Grace Under Fire, Ross’s son Ben on Friends (played by Cole), and for portraying the title characters on the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. As a result of the series’ success, they have become “heartthrobs” and “overwhelming draws” among preteen and teen audiences.
The Sprouses were born in Arezzo, Italy, to American parents Matthew Sprouse and Melanie Wright who at the time were teaching at an English language school in Italy. Dylan, named after poet Dylan Thomas, is 15 minutes older than Cole, who is named after jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole. The twins moved back to the United States, four months after their birth. They grew up in their parents’ native Long Beach, California. Their parents divorced in 1997.
After a suggestion by their grandmother, Jonine Booth Wright, who was a drama teacher and actress, the Sprouses began acting at the age of six months, starting with the twosome appearing in a commercial for toilet paper switching on-screen time every few seconds. As with many identical twin actors, the two have often played the same role, allowing more time for the character to be filmed. Starting when they were only six months old, the two starred on the ABC-TV series Grace Under Fire from 1993 to 1998, playing one character, Patrick Kelly.
In 1999, the twins appeared in their first major feature film, Big Daddy, in which they shared a role of a five-year old boy named ‘Julian’ who is adopted by Adam Sandler’s character ‘Sonny Koufax’. That year, the twins collaborated with Adam Sandler on the second and third versions of The Chanukah Song (Dylan and The Drei-Dels in Part 3 and Cole in Part 2), and the twins also had a minor role in the thriller The Astronaut’s Wife. The Sprouses have noted that after Big Daddy’s release, the two entered into a slow period in their careers and were not cast in any major roles for a time. During the early 2000s, the twins appeared in episodes of the The Nightmare Room and That ’70s Show, as well as in MADtv: Season Four (1998-1999) (episode #425) and the feature films The Master of Disguise and a voice-over role in Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights. In 2001, Cole started appearing in episodes of the television show Friends, as Ross Geller’s son Ben. Many people think it was a shared role, however their web site and other credible sources specify that Dylan did not appear in any episodes.
Between the years of 2002 and 2003, the two starred in I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Just for Kicks, both of which were family films that received a direct-to-video release. The Sprouses were subsequently cast in the Disney Channel original series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, where they play identical twins Zack (Dylan) and Cody (Cole) Martin . The series, which debuted in March 2005, has become a ratings success and the twins have become very well known among pre-teen and teen audiences. As part of their involvement with Disney, the brothers are now part of the 11-member group, the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, and sang the song A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes along with the members of the circle, for a video that was released as bonus material in the special edition version of the Disney film Cinderella.
The Sprouses played one character, Jeremiah, in the independent film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, which was produced in 2004 but not given a theatrical release until March 2006, when it played in a total of three theatres across the United States, ultimately grossing $29,000 domestically. In November 2006, the two began filming the Sony Pictures film The Prince and the Pauper, which also starred Sally Kellerman, Ed Lauter and Dedee Pfeiffer, in Palm Beach, Florida; filming had begun in October and ended by December. The Prince and the Pauper came out on dvd on February 5th, 2008. The two also lent their voices to a movie called Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn’t Happen, which also features the voices of fellow Disney Channel stars Brenda Song and Emily Osment. Dylan also played the voice of Shasta in Disney’s “Snow Buddies.” As of late November 2007, they are filming a new movie called Kings of Appletown which is based on Tom Sawyer. It is directed by Bobby Moresco and written by Amanda Moresco. Also starring in it is Victoria Justice from Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. It is being filmed in New Braunfels, TX and is estimated to be released around Christmas 2008.
In September 2005, the Sprouses signed a licensing agreement with Dualstar Entertainment to create a new commercial brand, entitled “Sprouse Bros”, which will include DVD movies, CDs, clothing, sports gear, video games, ring tones and deodorants targeted towards preteen and teen audiences. Dualstar has partnered with Leisure Publishing LLC to create a magazine called Sprouse Bros. Code, which will target boys ages 8-14 with a guide on recent trends favored by the Sprouses; Cole Sprouse has stated that the magazine will appeal to “people who are our age and boys. We don’t want anything too girlie”, while Dylan has said that it will have “something that will appeal to everybody”. The first issue became available on July 18, 2006.
In September 2006, the Sprouse brothers, represented by Dualstar Entertainment, signed a book deal with Simon Spotlight, a publishing company, to release a spy book series that will utilize the “Sprouse Bros.” brand. The book series, which was scheduled for release in the summer of 2007, has been described by the publisher as featuring the Sprouses as “young James Bonds or undercover agents”.
In June 2007, Simon & Schuster Inc. published the first two volumes of Sprouse Bros. 47 R.O.N.I.N. The series is about 15-year-old twin brothers Tom and Mitch (the Sprouses’ middle names) who learn that their father and live-in butler are members of a rogue crime-fighting organization, R.O.N.I.N., which dates back to feudal Japan; that their father is in danger; and that they have just been recruited to join their father’s clan.[
Dylan Sprouse has stated that the experience of coming to fame after the success of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is "kind of scary, how fast everything is moving. Just a year ago none of this was happening, it was just doing 'Suite Life,' and now I can't wait for what's in store..." While filming The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, the two received on-set tutoring for three hours each day, and claimed to be getting "straight As and honors".
Skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, basketball and motocrossing, as well as working on drawing a comic strip, The Adventures of Tibblebu and Thumbin, based on a stuffed animal of Cole's. Cole Sprouse's favorite school subjects are mathematics and science; he names The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as his favorite video game and Forrest Gump and Godzilla as the films he likes the most. Dylan prefers science, dislikes mathematics, and enjoys playing the video games Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl; his favorite film is Napoleon Dynamite. The twins have a dog named Bubba, and their favorite actor and co-star is Adam Sandler.
According to a May 2006 interview with Mad Kids magazine, the Sprouses do not speak Italian, despite incorrect reports to the contrary:
Cole says: "I can't say anything in Italian. "Pizza, per favore [sic]” maybe?”
Dylan says: “…I don’t really speak Italian except for “spaghetti”, “Italian ice” (Yum!) and “Ferrari”.
Full Name: Dylan Thomas Sprouse
Born: August 4, 1992 (He is 15 Minutes older then Cole)
Dylans Favorites:
Color: Orange
Dessert: Chocolate chip ice cream
Pizza Topping: Pepperoni
Arcade Game: Marvel vs. Capcom
Dylans offical Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/official_dylan_sprouse
Dylan Loves: Surfing , Snowboarding, Playing Video Games and Spending time with his Dog Bubba.
Quote from Dylan : “I’m not sure if you want to hear a funny story about Cole and me, but here’s one anyway. One morning, our school was planting new trees. I was playing on them when our principal told everyone in our school not to. I broke a limb off a tree and I said that Cole did it. The next morning at assembly when all the kids were sitting down, they announced his name and he got into really big trouble. I let him take the blame for a while, but then I told the principal it was really me. So, I was beaten with a stick. Just kidding!!!”
Full Name: Cole Mitchell Sprouse
Born: August 4, 1992 (He Is 15 minutes younger then Dylan)
Coles Favorites:
Color: Red
Dessert:Cold Stone Creamery Cake Batter ice cream
Pizza Topping:Bacon bits
Arcade Game:Marvel vs. Capcom
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/the_official_cole_sprouse
Message From Cole: “I was born in Arezzo, Italy – 15 minutes after Dylan – in a small hospital called Clinica Tanganeli. We were delivered by Senora Maggie, a midwife who had hand-delivered at least half the town since World War II.
I love animals. I’m really into superheroes. I love snowboarding. I’m very outgoing. I’m usually the hit of the parties. I like rock music. What I like in girls is a funny personality, not a crazy fan. I like a girl who is down-to-earth and doesn’t get worked up over anything – not the kind of girl who is so worried about how she looks that she has to put on pounds of makeup!”
Coles’ acting credits:
“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005- present) Cody Martin
“Friends” (2000-2002) Ben Geller
Dylan’s acting credits:
“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005- present) Zack Martin
“Piggybanks” (2004) Young John
Shared:
“Eight Crazy Nights” (2002) K-B Toys Soldier
“Master of Disguise” (2002) Young Pistachio
“The Astronaut’s Wife” (1999) Twin
“Big Daddy” (1999) Julian “Frankenstein” McGrath
“Grace Under Fire” (1993-1998) Patrick Kelly
Sources: Wikipedia and Sprousebros websites
