Summary: Bruno, an openly gay Austrian model, treks to the U.S. to be a star.

Review: Bruno is going to angry many people, just like Sacha Baron Cohen’s first effort, Borat, in 2006. However, this time Cohen lowered the bar even lower (I didn’t think it was possible after Borat!) to shameless comedy that makes John Waters‘ films seem like a Disney movie. Lewd, raunchy, offensive — and I loved every minute of it!

Even with all the extreme vulgarity (talking urethras, swinging penises, anal jokes, etc.), Bruno is still well written and  sharply executed. Whether you are able to digest Cohen’s brand of comedy, no one can deny the man has talent (his roles range from Ali G. to Borat and now Bruno — completely different characters). I cannot think of any comedian or actor who could pull a movie like this off and make it work. Cohen is the new mastermind of comedy.

Bruno is already taking some heavy hits from various communities claiming the flick enforces stereotypes, especially for the gay community. Yes, the character Bruno is in “gay face” if you will, but when going beyond the surface, the movie is magnifying these atrocious generalizations to show the audience how foolish they truly are. For example, in one scene Bruno tries to become an ex-gay. The language from the “pastors” about Bruno’s sexuality gives you a glimpse into people’s drastic prejudices. Another scene, Bruno is in Arkansas at a cage fight and the audience becomes at enraged at one of his antics – screaming, throwing chairs and trying to attack him. Bruno is clearly turning the mirror on us and saying, “Now, do you see how stupid these stereotypes are? Do you see how ignorant it makes us as human beings look?”

That said, Bruno is still a movie that doesn’t takes itself too seriously. From the “Mexican chair people” to meeting with terrorists groups to celebrity cameos. Speaking of cameos, there is a La Toya Jackson cameo where Bruno ask to speak to Michael Jackson and mocks their voices, which was hilarious. The scene was quickly cut due to the sudden death of the late-great Michael Jackson. Considering Bruno didn’t crack ninety minutes, which is my only complaint (too short!), who knows how they will make up for this chunk of film missing in the theatrical release.

Overall, Bruno is the best comedy of the year and one of the best movies of the year thus fear. Leave your moral judgments at the door and go see what will be one of the most talked about films in 2009.

Bruno is in theatres this Friday, July 10th.

Superhead is back and this time she is coming to DVD in Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump Off.  According to Amazon.com:

Go deep into the underworld of hip-hop groupies and video vixens where sex is the backstage pass and young ladies use their bodies as a way to promote themselves and further their own careers. Narrated by top talk radio personality Wendy Williams, Kiss and Tail: Hollwood Jump Off takes a provocative look at the seedy side of the music business where hip-hop groupies pay a high price to get a taste of the celebrity lifestyle. Hear the real, raw truth about the groupie lifestyle from the scene’s biggest stars, including Ja Rule, Big Boi, Akon, Juelz Santana, Twista and more, and get the inside story from one of hip-hop’s most notorious femmes, Karrine: Superhead Steffens. Reenactments show how Karrine sexed her way through the hip-hop world, climbing her way up the ladder before crashing to the bottom. Now a bestselling author, she’s still kissing and telling, but the huge stars she allegedly bedded are telling their side of the story.

Wendy Williams narrating?  Reenactments?  I wonder if the reenactments will be as realistic as the days of Rescue 911?   I digress.. Karrine “Superhead” Steffens is milking this gig for everything that it’s worth.  Well, if you didn’t get enough of the books, interviews, TV specials and more — you can pick up the DVD on Tuesday, July 14th.

The movie poster for Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself is on the Internet and it features Taraji’s face in a rose (see above).  Not sure how I feel about this image - it reminds me of something from Glamour Shots in the ’90’s!  Here is the plot summary:

Plot summary: When Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. Initially wanting nothing to do with the kids, April learns along the way that she can change her old ways and become a better person. But it takes a lot of work and the help of a handsome Mexican immigrant who moves in with April to push her to change.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself stars Taraji, Tyler Perry and Mary J. Blige in her first role since Prison Song.  The movie is in theatres September 11th, 2009.  I know you are looking forward to this movie but are you feeling this teaser image?

Hands down — one of the funniest moments of Sunday night’s BET Awards was to see the return of Wanda and the legendary Sheneneh Jenkins.  Haven’t we all been waiting for over a decade to see these two divas on screen?

In case you don’t know, Wanda’s classic lines like “No, you didn’t,” her overly confident attitude and cockeyed look were huge in the nineties.  Then, there was the iconic Sheneneh Jenkins.  She was considered another character of the popular television series Martin.  Sheneneh was an independent woman, owned her own hair salon (Sho’ Nuff Hair Salon) and kept Pam and Gina in their place. Honestly, Sheneneh could’ve had her own television series and it would’ve been a hit!

Well, I know it was just a skit but someone needs to start an online petition for Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence to pull a script together and get this movie green lit as soon as possible.  I see a cross between B.A.P.S. and Beauty Shop — with a lil’ Set It Off. Hey, if Tyler Perry can do it — why not Foxx and Lawrence?  I know it would be a hit considering all the people who texted me asking, “When is that Sheneneh and Wanda movie coming out?”  Come on Jamie and Martin — the people want it!

In case you missed it, check out the video clip below.

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Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx present the "Skank Robbers" trailer.

A biopic about Michael Jackson is a Hollywood must.  The potential film has A-list and Oscar written all over it.  The story of the pop icon is full of highs, lows, success, drama and a climatic ending.  Well, of course we need a cast and here is what I propose for the MJ story — I am sure the movie is already in the works and Steven Spielberg is trying to buy the rights!

Young Michael Jackson: Tristan Wilds
Tristan has made a name for himself in movies like The Secret Life of Bees and his role on 90210. Wilds could capture the essence of an ethnic Michael on the rise, battling insecurities and achieving incredible success.

Older Michael Jackson: Evan RossWho else? Ross can act and he has personal experience with the King of Pop. Plus, there is an uncanny resemblance to Michael post the Bad era. Fans could trust Ross to not sensationalize Michael’s memory, but still be authentic.

Lisa Marie Presley: Megan Fox

The current Hollywood “it” girl, Fox has the look and sass to play the rock ‘n roll princess, Lisa Marie Presley. Presley was Jackson’s ex-wife and often talked about how she wanted to save Michael.

Janet Jackson: Zoe Saldana
Saldana is an excellent actress; give her a script and she can make it work. I’d love to see her as another iconic figure, Janet Jackson, who has made a name for herself outside of her brother’s name.  She has the look, sex appeal and compassion to play the youngest Jackson.

LeToya Jackson: Mariah Carey
Carey has proven herself as a good actress with the upcoming Precious and she is even doing drag in her new video. I could easily see Carey as the controversial LeToya, who always wanted to be a star but fell short of the glory.

Katherine Jackson: Oprah Winfrey

You might’ve forgot this but Oprah is an Oscar nominee and she can act. If you don’t believe me add The Color Purple or Women of Brewster Place to your Nextflix ASAP. Winfrey could wrap herself in the compassion that makes up Mother Jackson — although the Grand O would have to tone down that slave accent. You know she loves to do that in all her films!

Jermaine Jackson: Jamie Foxx
Jamie would need to be in this movie in some capacity and I see him as Jermaine, who has always stepped up in controversy. He has been the family spokesman in the hardest times and has battled the media when they have torn his family to pieces.

Joe Jackson: Ving Rhames
Like many people, Michael had a complex relationship with his father. The King of Pop revealed there was child abuse, but he would later resolve his relationship with his father and often talked about how much he loved him.  Rhames would give a respectable performance as Joe Jackson.

Debbie Rowe: Rosie O’Donnell
Michael’s baby mama should be played by none other than Rosie O’Donnell.  Slap a wig on Ro and you got Debbie Rowe!

Who would you like to see in a movie about Michael Jackson?

Star of Love Jones, Get on the Bus and former cast member of Grey’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington, has joined the No H8 campaign. Various celebrities have joined the cause saying No to Prop. 8, which bans gay marriage in California. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Washington said:

“I voted against Prop 8. I totally think civil liberties … should be honored for everyone, especially if you’re paying taxes in this country. I strongly and vocally believe it’s the right thing to do whether you understand the lifestyle or not … It’s the right thing to do.”

Back in 2006 Washington came under fire for using anti-gay term at his co-star T.R. Knight and then using it again at the Golden Globes in 2007. Many people believe this is why his popular character was cut from Grey’s Anatomy and why the public hasn’t seen much from him since. However, Washington has been a longtime supporters of gay rights. Did Washington join the NoH8 campaign to repair his relationship with the gay community?  Washington explained:

“What has been purported about me has nothing to do with who I am. I have been dealing with organizations like ACT UP for over 25 years. Right before Keith Haring passed away I was working with him. City kids of New York. Fighting for awareness of HIV/AIDS for 25 years of my life…”

Watch the interview below — Washington talks his lesbian mentor, HIV/AIDS activism and personal stories.

Life is Hot in Cracktown is in theaters today, which stars Evan Ross and Kerry Washington. We have an interview with Washington, here is an excerpt:

Were you concerned at all with getting any flack for playing a transsexual character?
I don’t really think my job as an actress is to be liked. I think my job as an actress is to tell stories about human beings; I felt like that is what was important. I went through similar things on “She Hate Me” — people are going to say what they are going to say, but I think my work is about honoring humanity. For me, as an artist, I don’t think it’s fair for me to say, “I’m going to tell honest stories about this segment of society and not this other segment.” I respect other people’s decisions to only tell certain stories and only portray certain characters. It might be different if I had kids, it might be different if I was just at a different point in my life but right now I try not to shy away from things because it might not make people like me — no matter what I do in life people are not going to like me for one reason or another. [Laughs]

There’s a perception that Black people are more homophobic than White people. What’s your reaction to that?
I think generalizations of any sort are dangerous. I’ll say, if that is the case — right now it’s an American issue. We’re dealing with Prop. 8 in California and it’s scary, it’s really scary. People don’t think about that fact that when Barack Obama’s parents had him — it was illegal for them to be married in several states in this country. So if we start making it okay that certain people can marry and other people can’t, it’s a slippery slop of civil rights. Who knows who is going to be allowed to marry or not marry next. I’m not interested in moving backward as a society. So whether it’s more prevalent or not in the Black community, I think as a whole American is dealing with the issue of homophobia. We got to be really honest about whether we believe in civil rights for all people or not. As Black people we need to remember the moment that we say it’s okay to disenfranchise one segment of society, we’re opening the door to move backward on ourselves.

Click here for the full interview!  Be sure to check in your city to see if Life is Hot in Cracktown is playing in your area.

It’s been a sad week in Hollywood. First, Ed McMahon and now the legendary Farrah Fawcett has passed.

Before Halle, Angelina Jolie, or Meagan Fox, Farrah Fawcett was the most beautiful and popular woman in the world, ruling the 70s and early 80s. Fawcett’s lean body and blond hair with the classic “Farrah” flip made her a pop culture phenomenon. She got her start on televison in 1976 with Charlie’s Angels but left after only one season. Her career would explode as a film star in movies like Extremities, which included Alfre Woodard and The Burning Bed, earning her an Emmy  nomination and proving to the critics she was more than a sex symbol — she could act.

Farrah Fawcett had a long battle with cancer that was documented in a NBC documentary, which aired May 15th, 2009 and brought in almost 9 million viewers.  Farrah, who was a Texas native and originally born Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett, succumbed to the disease today at 62 years old in Santa Monica, California.

Check out the clip below of an interview a healthy Farrah did with CNN.

Uh-oh, well, I mentioned it yesterday in my review of the film, which is currently in theaters.  In case you missed it, I stated, “Tyrese was great in the film, but his role is more like a cameo — he has no more than 20 minutes screen time. They also had some hip-hop talking twin robots that used bad grammar and words like ‘punk ass.’ Their slang was borderline offensive and they had more screen time than Tyrese. Is this the movie’s way of appealing to the African-American audience? I never knew that robots could shuck n’ jive…”

Looks like BET.com isn’t the only who thought this.  The Huffington Post stated:

Harmless comic characters or racist robots? The buzz over the summer blockbuster “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” only grew Wednesday as some said two jive-talking Chevy characters were racial caricatures.

Skids and Mudflap, twin robots disguised as compact hatchbacks, constantly brawl and bicker in rap-inspired street slang. They’re forced to acknowledge that they can’t read. One has a gold tooth.

Legendary New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis:

There’s a serious disconnect in the movie between the image of power that those GM brands are meant to convey and the bankrupt car industry they now signify. That disconnect only deepens with the introduction of two new Autobot characters, the illiterate, bickering twins Skids (Tom Kenny) and Mudflap (Reno Wilson), both of which take the shape of Chevrolet concept cars. The characters have been given conspicuously cartoonish, so-called black voices that indicate that minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well, Jar Jar Binks was set loose by George Lucas.

According to the Huffington  Post, the director, Michael Bay, responded with this:

“It’s done in fun,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s stereotypes — they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it.”

Bay said the twins’ parts “were kind of written but not really written, so the voice actors is when we started to really kind of come up with their characters.”

Well, we all know Hollywood has a poor history of proper representation of African Americans.  Jive talking twins, who can’t read and rock a gold tooth — Bay may not have realized that could be offensive, but it sure leaves an open door for criticism.

Are you offended by the voices of Skids and Mudflap?

Source 1, 2

Summary: A sequel to the 2007 Transformers, a college freshman is caught up in the battle of good robots (Autobots) versus bad robots (Decepticons). The bad robots want to destroy the human race and only the freshman can save the day.

Review: Let’s start with the length — a whopping 147 minutes! Isn’t that reserved for Oscar-worthy films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — not a popcorn action fluff like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? This movie definitely gets Worst Editing of the Year; a nice hour could’ve been shaved off the epic junkyard film and it would’ve improved the entire film-going experience by 100 percent. By the two hour mark, folks were walking out of the theater.

That’s the first blow with Transformers and while the movie has its redeemable moments, it’s really two movies — one, a horny teen flick and the other a solid action flick. The two conflict, slowly chipping away the good. There is Megan Fox, who is cast as the hot girlfriend. Her opening scene is sitting on a motorcycle with her back arched and ass sticking out — looking like a scene from VH1’s Rock of Love. Shia LaBeouf, who reprises his role, is just a goofy teen who can save the day, which is obviously playing to the senses of their target audience. By the way, Tyrese was great in the film, but his role is more like a cameo — he has no more than 20 minutes screen time. They also had some hip-hop talking twin robots that used bad grammar and words like “punk ass.” Their slang was borderline offensive and they had more screen time than Tyrese. Is this the movie’s way of appealing to the African-American audience? I never knew that robots could shuck n’ jive…

The special effects are probably the flick’s strongest element, but even that at times gets messy. When the robot titans are fighting, you can’t tell who is fighting who. It’s just metal crashing and tumbling, but once you get over the motion sickness the action is exciting enough… and loud. Yes, loud. I felt like I was on a battlefield in Iraq, thinking, “Is this what soldiers in Iraq hear?” I know it’s an odd critique but even a poor child next to me did his best to scream over the movie and cried to his father, “Daddy it’s too loud!” I felt his pain; I needed an Advil as soon as I walked out of the theater.

Plot wise, I only wish Transformers could transform into a good storyline. The script was generic; felt overcrowded when it didn’t need to be and took itself too seriously for 147 minutes — for example, the movie begins in 17,000 B.C.!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen might perform well at the box office due to the media hype. But, without a doubt, this action sequel is the worst action movie of the year (so far).

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is in theatres today.