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On Friday June 7 2024, truTV broadcasts an episode of the series The Steam Room With Ej and Chuck!

No Caller ID with The Guys Upstairs Season 1 Episode 19 Episode Summary

In the upcoming episode titled “No Caller ID with The Guys Upstairs” of “The Steam Room With Ej and Chuck” on truTV, viewers are in for an entertaining ride as Ernie and Charles find themselves in the midst of a comedic ambush by a motley crew of TNT characters. Together, they share uproarious stories from behind the scenes at Inside the NBA, providing a candid and humorous look at the inner workings of the popular sports show.

As the laughter ensues, Chuck takes the spotlight to regale viewers with the tale of how he acquired the nickname “Sir Charles” without seeking permission from the Queen of England. Chuck’s signature wit and charm shine through as he recounts the humorous circumstances that led to the moniker,...

Get ready to laugh out loud with the Season 1 Episode 19 of “The Steam Room With Ej and Chuck,” titled “No Caller ID with The Guys Upstairs,” airing on truTV at 8:00 Pm on Friday, June 7, 2024. In this hilarious installment, Ernie and Charles find themselves in the hot seat as they are ambushed by a motley crew of TNT characters, leading to uproarious sharing of stories from behind the scenes at Inside the NBA.

Viewers can expect a night filled with laughter as Ernie and Charles regale audiences with their tales of camaraderie and mischief, offering a glimpse into the off-camera antics that make Inside the NBA a fan favorite. From humorous anecdotes to behind-the-scenes revelations, “No Caller ID with The Guys Upstairs” promises to keep viewers entertained from start to finish.

Later in the episode, Chuck takes center stage as he explains how he earned the nickname “Sir Charles” without...

In a recent editorial, we highlighted “lifestyle” festivals as one type of event that is thriving in this challenging turning point for the music industry. If you consider that the industry itself is a lifestyle in its own right, the announcement of the new Elsewhere Festival and Conference makes perfect sense. Taking place in Wichita, Kansas on June 21st and 22nd, Elsewhere is designed to bolster opportunities for artists and music professionals in the community.

But that doesn’t mean it’s taking a strictly local approach to its lineup: Headliners include Killer Mike, Steve Aoki, Vince Staples, and Lane 8. Also on the bill are Badbadnotgood, TOKiMONSTA, Snow Tha Product, Le Youth, Blu DeTiger, Sunflower Bean, Pup, Sudan Archives, A Place to Bury Strangers, Oh He Dead, Thick, and more. As for Wichita-based talent, there’s Breeding Brainbow, Flake, Glass Age, Goaty the Kid, Paris Jane, Sir Charles, Apathy Unit.

It’s one of the year’s most awaited discs: the recent restored and remastered The War of the Worlds ’53 in a glorious 4K Ultra HD edition. A second Blu-ray disc of When Worlds Collide ’51 is too good to be called a bonus extra: this edition looks better than anything seen since original Technicolor prints. In one show we endure scurvy invaders from The Red Planet; in the other a rogue Astral Body threatens Earth with obliteration, necessitating escape on a space ship. Don’t bother checking online for tickets, the flight is sold out. CineSavant has the lowdown for collectors: how good does the new release look?

The War of the Worlds on 4K Ultra-hd

When Worlds Collide on Blu-ray

Digital HD Access for both titles.

Paramount Presents

George Pal Sci-fi Double Feature

Color / 1:37 Academy / Street Date September 27, 2022 / 167 minutes / Available from Amazon / 39.99

Starring: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, John Hoyt; Gene Barry,...

The always delightful Doctor Z hangs with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante while discussing a few of his favorite monkey movies.

Dr. Z – Tmtmm Pod Mentions

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Planet of the Apes (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Escape From The Planet of the Apes (1971)

Battle For The Planet of the Apes (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

Any Which Way You Can (1980)

The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

Schindler’s List (1993)

Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)

King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

King Kong (1933)

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Godzilla (1954) – Don Coscarelli’s trailer commentary

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Stalag 17 (1953)

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) – Michael Schlesinger’s trailer commentary

King Kong Escapes (1967)

Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)

The Sorrow And The Pity (1972)

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

It Came From Beneath The Sea...

“Another ‘Forbidden Fruit’ Exploitation Relic”

By Raymond Benson

Here’s another one, folks! Another entry in the “Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture” series, this time it’s Volume 8. Presented by Kino Lorber in association with Something Weird Video, we have for your pleasure the controversial “hoax” documentary, Ingagi (1930), a shocking example of racism and circus sideshow-style cinematic exhibition.

There have always existed what have been termed in the motion picture industry “exploitation films,” even back in the silent days. The 1930s and much of the 1940s, however, saw a deluge of cheap, not-even-“B” pictures made, usually independently of Hollywood and marketed in guerilla fashion as “educational” adult fare. You know the type. Reefer Madness. Child Bride. Mom and Dad (all previous titles released in the Forbidden Fruit series).

Kino Lorber and Something Weird have been doing a bang-up job on releasing some of the best...

Abbott & Costello perform at full strength in this very good, very silly jungle safari comedy. It’s definitely for kids and nostalgic fans — with equal parts slapstick, cornball repetitive vaudeville gags, and Lou Costello’s weirdly endearing infantile schtick. An impressively beautiful restoration has pulled it back from the pit of Public Domain ugliness. Plus ClassicFlix & the 3-D Archive appoint this 2-D movie with a tall stack of creative, relevant extras.

Africa Screams

Blu-ray

ClassicFlix

1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 79 min. / Special Limited Edition / Street Date June 30, 2020 /

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Clyde Beatty, Frank Buck, Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Hillary Brooke, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, Burt Wenland, Charles Gemora, Arthur Hecht, Bill Walker, Martin Wilkins.

Cinematography: Charles Van Enger

Film Editor: Frank Gross

Original Music: Walter Schumann

Written by Earl Baldwin

Produced by Edward Nassour

Directed by Charles Barton

I can’t say that I was one of the zillion...

MaltinFest is taking place this weekend at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and we have details on a special screening of Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. Taking place this Sunday at 8:30pm, the screening is an ultra-rare 35mm print that was donated to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by Bela Lugosi Jr. Here's what Leonard Maltin had to say about the under-seen film:

"Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla is one-of-a-kind… a patently terrible movie that I find utterly fascinating. It features the great Lugosi playing a mad scientist opposite a nightclub duo named Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, who were the poor man’s Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis—at a time when Martin and Lewis were the hottest act in show business! It was directed by B-movie specialist William Beaudine and features Charles Gemora in his world-famous gorilla suit. It will only cost...

Seven Footprints to Satan (1929) was the middle of three spooky house films made by Danish director Benjamin Christensen, who's best known for the satanic documentary Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages. The other films are lost, though the music and sound effects discs that once accompanied The Haunted House (1928) can be heard on YouTube: lots of whistling wind and hooting owls. You might want to imagine those sounds as you experience Seven Footprints, whose original score and FX are lost. Maybe you'd even like to play them together and see if they sync up, even though they're different films? Christensen came over at the same time as Garbo, and for a while looked to be making a go of it in Hollywood, directing successful films at MGM and Warner Bros. His very weird sensibility seems surreal now, but apparently fitted into the commercial cinema of the day. Seven Footprints is...

[[tmz:video id="0_9ks9q1sa"]] Charles Barkley ain't shy about what he'd do to Lonzo Ball if they played in the same era ... saying he'd try to take the kid's head clean off as punishment for his father's antics.  "I would've been goin' at his head, no question. Would've been talkin' to him the whole time about his daddy," Barkley told TMZ Sports. Chuck actually Really likes Lonzo ... but 100% agrees with Kenny Smith, who told us Lavar Ball has put...

“For an intellectual product of any value to exert an immediate influence which shall also be deep and lasting, it must rest on an inner harmony, yes, an affinity, between the personal destiny of its author and that of his contemporaries in general.”—Thomas Mann, Death in Venice Barry Lyndon. I can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t know that name. Barry Lyndon means an artwork both grand and glum. Sadness inconsolable. A cello bends out a lurid sound, staining the air before a piano droopingly follows in the third movement of Vivaldi's “Cello Concerto in E Minor.” This piece, which dominates the second half of the film, steers the hallowed half of my head to bask in the film’s high melancholic temperature. Why should I so often remember it? What did I have to do with this film? I only received it with...

Ric Flair has a new tag team partner as he pushes through physical therapy -- Charles Barkley!  The pair snapped a pic at a rehab center in Georgia on Thursday -- with The Nature Boy bragging, "Look who popped in today! Sir Charles."  Of course, Ric's on the road to recovery after undergoing emergency surgery to address organ problems ... and is looking great considering he was in critical condition last month. Unclear if Chuck just...

It’s 007 in the saddle! Sean Connery didn’t become a career cowboy but his one stint as a Louis L’Amour hero is a diverting change of pace. And we couldn’t resist the pairing of two of moviedom’s most attractive actors — Connery and Brigitte Bardot.

Shalako

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Sean Connery, Brigitte Bardot, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Peter van Eyck, Honor Blackman, Woody Strode, Eric Sykes, Alexander Knox, Valerie French, Julián Mateos, Don ‘Red’ Barry.

Cinematography: Ted Moore

Film Editor: Bill Blunden

Original Music: Robert Farnon

Written by J.J. Griffith, Hal Hopper, Scot Finch, Clarke Reynolds from the novel by Louis L’Amour

Produced by Euan Lloyd

Directed by Edward Dmytryk

It’s true, after five consecutive James Bond movies, we weren’t exactly ready to see Sean Connery as an American cowboy hero.

An admiring nod to ’60s dream siren Daliah Lavi! American-International leaps into an epic Jules Verne comedy about a trip to the moon, a good-looking but slow and unfunny farce that must squeak by on the goodwill of its cast of comedians. Burl Ives is excellent casting as P.T. Barnum, promoting a Greatest Show Off the Earth.

Blast-Off

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1967 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 119 99, 95 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / Those Fantastic Flying Fools; Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon / available through Olive Films / 29.95

Starring: Burl Ives, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Lionel Jeffries, Troy Donahue, Daliah Lavi, Dennis Price, Hermione Gingold, Jimmy Clitheroe, Graham Stark, Edward de Souza, Judy Cornwell, Allan Cuthbertson, Sinéd Cusack, Maurice Denham.

Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer

Film Editor: Ann Chegwidden

Original Music: John Scott

Written by Dave Freeman, Peter Welbeck (Harry Allan Towers) inspired by the writings of Jules Verne

Produced by Harry Allan Towers

Directed by Don Sharp...

Charles Barkley was legendary for his skills on the basketball court, but the former NBA great is also, suprisingly, a huge fan of another sport: hockey! In fact, Barkley visited Nashville on Monday as the special guest of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to attend Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. “Sir Charles” wasn’t content […]...

[[tmz:video id="0_67nut9nq"]] Charles Barkley's approval rating of Donald Trump is trending Down ... 'cause Sir Charles is mighty displeased at the Potus decision to diss a Presidential tradition ... the annual Ncaa tournament bracket. Barack Obama participated in the Madness of March every year by filling out a bracket like millions of other Americans ... but not Trump, who recently announced he planned to skip it. Barkley covers the tourney for Turner Sports, and when we got him out...

Shaquille O'Neal says Charles Barkley is lucky LeBron James didn't fly out to the "Inside the NBA" studio to Beat his ass after his recent criticism ... 'cause that's what he woulda done. Shaq confronted Sir Charles Thursday night about his critical LeBron comments -- saying, "What you said was that man doesn't wanna compete, that's what ticked him off." He added, "I woulda came up here and punched you in your face. That's what I woulda done.

With the arrival of Fall and Winter comes a return to more serious subject matter at movie theatres, and another look at events occurring during World War II. However, this new release really addresses the legacy of those events, a look back at history and those who document it. And the film is, in many ways, a courtroom thriller set in the British legal system, where the powdered wigs aren’t the only thing different from the Us legal proceedings. However, the person on trial there is from the states, a professor suddenly burdened with presenting proof of one of the past century’s greatest tragedies, all at the beginning of this relatively new century. Yes, this Ww II-themed docudrama take place less than twenty years ago, 50 years after the end of the war, when this woman accused must defend her belief that her accuser is in Denial.

The woman...

Kelsey Grammer delivers a convincing performance, and an excellent British accent, as Sir Charles Bunbury, the kindhearted but hopelessly out-of-his-depth chairman of 200-year-old family-owned private bank, Tuftons. Despite never having displayed any aptitude for it, Charles married into the empire and was promptly handed his position much to the chagrin of his frustrated (and far […]

The post Breaking the Bank Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.

It looks like Charles Barkley has called a timeout on aging! Here’s a 25-year-old version of the lean power forward during pre-game warm-ups in 1988 (left) and 28 years later ... the 53-year-old Hall of Famer and NBA analyst on the streets of New York City earlier this month (right). All hail Sir Charles. The question is... Read more...

[[tmz:video id="0_6zl7dfoq"]] The Westboro Baptist Church is just a bunch of "awful people" ... and Charles Barkley says he hopes they all get their asses kicked for boycotting an openly gay basketball player.   We asked Sir Charles how he felt about the church targeting Seton Hall's Derrick Gordon -- the first openly gay man to play in the Ncaa tournament ... and Chuck went off!!!  "I really hate them sumbitches," Barkley said ... "Hopefully, somebody will beat the hell out of those Westboro people.

Everybody sing!: An Italian boy from Napoli, got petrified by the scenery. Now his face is white and his arms are long. And he'd rather choke you than sing a song! Hey Ed Cahn! Do another cheapie for us Hey Ed Cahn! No more Volcano nonsense! --- A really stiff guy searches for the reincarnation of his Etruscan babe from 79 B.C.. This fave monster romp from '58 is no classic, but it's the spirit that counts. Curse of the Faceless Man Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 67 min. / Street Date February 16, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Richard Anderson, Elaine Edwards, Adele Mara, Luis Van Rooten, Gar Moore, Felix Locher, Jan Arvan, Bob Bryant. Cinematography Kenneth Peach Original Music Gerald Fried Written by Jerome Bixby Produced by Robert E. Kent Directed by Edward L. Cahn    

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Actually, 1958's Curse of the Faceless Man is...

Pretty funny moment on "Inside the NBA" Wednesday night ... when Charles Barkley and Shaq watched the TMZ Sports clip of NBA commish Adam Silver having to choose which star has the better bald head.  Of course, Silver picked Sir Charles ... and raved about how good looking of a man he is.  Barkley's reaction was hilarious.  And don't worry ... Shaq's ego didn't take too big of a hit ... in fact, he reminded America, "Once you go Shaq,...

In just a few weeks the multiplexes will give way to the big, brash Summer blockbusters. Too late for last year’s Oscars (in the Us at least) is this historical true-life romantic drama, which, oddly enough, shares several figures and settings from one of last year’s award nominees. Mr. Turner told the story of one of the nineteenth century’s most celebrated painters. Many of that film’s scenes were set at the prestigious Royal Academy of Art, where the merits of different works were vigorously debated. One of the strongest voices was that of John Ruskin, fellow artist, historian, and critic. Now comes the story that didn’t make it into the Timothy Spall biopic, a scandalous tale concerning the marriage of Mr. Ruskin and the much younger Effie Gray.

At the film opens, the narration tells us of the courtship of now nineteen year-old Effie (Dakota Fanning...

Charles Barkley is a lot of things, but delusional isn't one of them ... because the NBA legend seems to know exactly where he ranks in basketball supremacy ... and it's behind Kobe Bean Bryant. Sir Charles was at Lax the other day when we asked him if he was disappointed "Selma" didn't win Best Picture at the Oscars. No, not because of That ... but because Chuck is from Alabama and famously paid for a lot of...

There's a reason you've never seen an official Charles Barkley twitter handle ... or Instagram ... or Vine ... because Sir Charles tells us, "I don't want to talk to those idiots."Barkley says he is 100% Against joining any social media platform ... explaining, "I don't feel the need to talk to every idiot in America."The "Inside the NBA" star was in NYC when he made the proclamation ... after we asked about criticism he'd been taking for his...

There will be no Mega-fight between Charles Barkley and DeMarcus Cousins ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith ... who tells TMZ Sports the guys were "just playing" when they threatened to destroy each other. Here's the thing ... it didn't seem very playful when DeMarcus blasted Charles earlier this month -- when he said he has "no respect for Sir Charles because of the way Barkley criticized him when he was a high schooler. And it didn't...

Charles Barkley says Hell Will Freeze Over before he apologizes to the fat community for making fun of the large women of San Antonio ... claiming, "That's not gonna happen."Barkley came under fire from Multiple obesity organizations after he went on "Inside the NBA" and said S.A. is a "gold mine" for Weight Watchers because the women there are so huge. But last night, Sir Charles addressed the situation head on -- saying, "They want me to apologize?...

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Charles Barkley is one step closer to happening ... but it might cost you around $40 bucks -- 'cause Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney says he wants to put it on pay-per-view if they're serious.Rebney tells TMZ Sports ... if Superman and Sir Charles wanna trade blows in the ring for an Mma fight Bellator wants to host the event -- and Rebney says it would be a perfect fit for their May 17th PPV featuring Rampage Jackson.

Michael Jordan is an absolute Cheapskate ... so says his Bff Charles Barkley who claims Mj is so chintzy, he actually Slaps Barkley when he tries to give money to homeless people. Sir Charles appeared on "Conan" last night and spilled all the dirt on his pals -- saying," There's nobody cheaper than Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan ... he's cheap.""I always give homeless people money and [Mj will] always slap my hand and says, 'If they can...

Charles Barkley is a Gladiator ... telling TMZ Sports he Hates reality TV with a passion -- but he's got a soft spot in his heart for "Scandal."Sir Charles was out in NYC today -- and even though we started off talking about President Barack Obama's Final Four picks (Chuck approves btw) ... we moved right into Barkley's TV habits. Charles Dislikes: "The Bachelor" and every other reality show ever created.  Charles Likes: "Scandal," "Person of Interest" and "Blue Bloods.

News flash, the Knicks are bad. How Bad? So bad that not even the brilliant mind of Phil Jackson can save them ... at least that’s what Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley tells TMZ Sports. Sir Charles was out in New York yesterday when our camera guy (who’s obviously a Knicks fan) asked if Jackson was the answer to the team's prayers -- and his reaction couldn't have been less reassuring if you bleed orange and blue.

Allegations of homophobia are running wild in the NFL ... with Torrey Smith dropping a gay slur, Chris Kluwe claiming he was fired for championing gay rights and Aaron Rodgers on the attack over gay rumors. Plus, Mike Tyson Stops a fight from breaking out? We've got the whole story and a crazy brawl in the stands at the Sugar Bowl. Buckle up ... Tell Us Whatyou Think Other Topics Adrian Peterson Hits Bourbon St. Sir Charles...

Where aren’t you Hugh? TNT has announced that its annual Christmas in Washington special will be hosted by Hugh Jackman. The holiday concert special will air on December 20th at 8:00 p.m. (Et/Pt), and will feature some very special performers, including: Anna Kendrick, Sheryl Crow, Backstreet Boys, and more.

This has long been one of my favorite holiday traditions, and has offered up some of the most entertaining performers, and all-around enjoyable evenings for years.

That tradition continues (well, quite frankly, I’m not a fan of Backstreet Boys) this year with not only some great performances, but you can’t go wrong with Hugh Jackman running your show, whatever it is. Right? I can’t wait for Sheryl Crow, Anna Kendrick is a surprisingly awesome singer, and you don’t want to miss Pat Monahan.

Catch all the info below, and let me know if you’ll be tuning in.

Only Charles Barkley could put Michael Jordan and Blake Griffin on blast ... and get away with it. We got Sir Charles ripping Mj for playing beer pong, and Blake -- just for being Blake. But here's the thing ... is Barkley wrong?Plus, just as the NY Giants start getting their act together on the field ... trouble for cornerback Terrell Thomas. He was involved in an alleged domestic dispute with his baby mama. Bad distraction for the team?...

The same daredevil spirit that has informed many an apparently insane film or TV version over the past decade has seen adaptations of literary novels

When the Cannes film festival starts next week, William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, adapted and directed by James Franco, will be in the lineup. The Spider-Man star is known for mixing bookish projects with acting in blockbusters, but has nevertheless raised eyebrows by selecting a novel with 15 narrators that tells the seemingly uncinegenic story of a southern matriarch's death and burial.

This month will also see Paul Thomas Anderson begin to shoot his version of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, the first of Pynchon's dauntingly complex works to be filmed; and Steven Soderbergh recently announced plans for a 12-hour TV dramatisation of John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor ("If it works, it'll be super-cool. And if it doesn't, you won't be able to...

Charlize Theron flips off some nosy photographers, producers from Dr. Phil’s show sue Gawker Media, and J.J. Abrams hops from one sci-fi franchise to another.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Charles Barkley commended basketball player Jason Collins for revealing his homosexuality. However, Sir Charles pointed out that Collins clearly isn’t alone in his preference. Barkley stated he definitely played with closeted gay teammates during his NBA run, but declined to name names. [The Hollywood Gossip] Deadspin, Gawker Media’s sports site, is the target of a lawsuit by producers of Dr. Phil’s syndicated show. Allegations stem from the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend ruse, when catfish mastermind Ronaiah Tuiasosopo appeared on Dr. Phil. Deadspin apparently posted exclusive clips ahead of the episode’s airing. [E!] Note to the paparazzi: Don’t piss off Charlize Theron. While on a lunch trip with her son, the Oscar-winner gave a couple...

Duchess Catherine is descended from Cambridge University academics. The British royal - who before her marriage to Prince William was known as Kate Middleton - has a great great-grandfather, Francis Martineau Lupton, and a great great grand-uncle, Sir Charles Lupton, who were both academics at Trinity College Cambridge. Both relatives came from a rich and successful family, with Sir Charles the founder of the world's largest law firm, Dla Piper. The link was made by Australian history teacher Michael Reed and his pupils during a class project in Melbourne, Australia. Michael was intrigued when he first discovered the Duchess' second cousin, thrice removed, is Newnham College, Cambridge, graduate Lady Barbara Bullock. He said: 'This all stems from a class...

Renowned critic, author and film historian Leonard Maltin will host the International 3-D Society's fourth annual 3-D Creative Arts Awards on February 6. Director Ang Lee will be honored with the society's Harold Lloyd Award for creative achievement on his Oscar-nominated film "Life of Pi." Additionally, DreamWorks Animation will receive the Sir Charles Wheatstone Award for education and creative achievement, while Panasonic Corporation will be honored with the Century Award for bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to millions of 3-D viewers around the world. International 3-D Society president Jim Chabin states, "Leonard Maltin is revered as one of our film industry's most trusted voices. He brings a keen eye, a love of movies, and a sense of history to our celebration of this year's best 3-D." Check out Maltin's Indiewire blog Movie Crazy here.

Hey everybody. Michael C here fresh from seeing one of the legends of the cinema sing and dance his way through his life story.

At one point during Chaplin, The Musical which opens tonight on Broadway, a troop of Little Tramps march on stage to perform a chorus line version of the classic dinner roll dance from Chaplin’s The Gold Rush. It was at this point that I began to suspect that the show had not quite licked the problem of how to adapt the life and times of the silent film genius to the Great White Way.

Trying to cram anybody’s life into a coherent story structure is always going to be a daunting task. Chaplin, The Musical attempts to compensate for the familiarity of their approach with heaping helpings of Broadway razzle-dazzle. And while there is an undeniable thrill to watching performers executing in real time...

News broke today that spies for Britain’s MI5 have been puzzling over the exact date of Charlie Chaplin’s birth. Despite Chaplin’s own claim that he was born in London on April 16, 1889, no proof exists to back up that claim. When all is said and done, it may go down as a mystery for the ages, but there’s no doubt about what the legendary comic did with the (presumed) 88 years that followed until his death on Dec. 25, 1977. Below, we run down some of the highlights of Chaplin’s 86-film career, which spanned five decades.

Decked out as his now-famous character,...

Charles Barkley has never claimed to be an actor, but the former NBA baller took a break from his TNT gig to host Saturday Night Live for the third time (and act in a few skits while he was at it). "It's great to be hosting Saturday Night Live again," Barkley said in his monologue. "This is my third trip hosting Saturday Night Live. I bet none of ya'll thought I'd do it three times, but that's okay, I did. I bet Scottie Pippen, and now he owes me $75,000." And while he was kicking off the show, Barkley addressed the elephant in the room: his super slimmed-down figure. "For those of you saying Sir Charles looks less gigantic, thank you very much," Barkley went on....

Charles Barkley didn’t exactly bring his A-game to last night’s forgettable episode of Saturday Night Live. Perhaps NBC had just worked him too hard all day long (before heading to Studio 8H, the basketball legend contributed as a football commentator) because despite having some passable moments and being an all-around gracious host (at the end of the episode he gave a nice shout-out to the hardworking SNL cast) something was still amiss last night.

It certainly didn’t help matters much that — thanks to the do-or-die game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions — the episode...

Charles Barkley hosted Saturday Night Live for the third time which could only mean one thing — Scottie Pippen now owes him $75,000! For his monologue, Barkley offered the real (and very simple) explanation behind five-month National Basketball Association lockout that just ended last month. "In a nutshell, the problem is — ever since I left — the NBA's been crap and everybody's broke. The end." Sir Charles also talked about looking "less gigantic" after losing 38 pounds on Weight Watchers. "Some of you might be saying, 'Charles, isn't Weight Watchers for ladies?' But I tell them, 'Shut up, Michael Jordan! ... And...

Read More >...

While in the NBA, Charles Barkley earned a reputation as one of the league's funnier and more quotable players. He's taken this approach to his work on TNT's "Inside the NBA" and, on Saturday (Jan. 7), to "Saturday Night Live."

This is actually the third turn on the sketch comedy show for the slightly less "Round Mound of Rebound" (thanks to his highly publicized diet), and he's as charming as ever. But outside a few good sketches, it was a series of lost opportunities.

Here's best, worst and otherwise of what happened:

The Good

The Monologue: Barkley killed while making reference to his gambling problems, weight problems and all his other foibles. If only he hadn't had periodic difficulties with the teleprompter. But he's Sir Charles, so we forgive him.

Inside the NBA: "SNL" has a long history of taking guest stars and having them play a different character in the show they're well known for.

We could be settling in for a long evening, fellow Saturday Night Live fans. With the high stakes wild-card game between the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions — who are making their return to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years — kicking off at 8 p.m. Et, SNL could very well get an even later start.

But if you’re thinking of skipping SNL tonight because of the NFL, well, that would be quite turrible considering the always-amusing (be it intentional or otherwise) NBA commentator Charles Barkley, who is returning to host for his third time. Kelly Clarkson...

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Odds are good that even if you’ve never read any of the Holmes stories, you can name at least one: “The Hound of the Baskervilles”. It’s got a very evocative, memorable title, and is a very popular story, having been adapted many times. Now Big Finish, as part of their line of Holmes audios, have adapted the story. Does it work well in audio form?

The story begins with Holmes (Nicholas Briggs), and Watson (Richard Earl), chatting merrily away at Baker Street prior to the arrival of one Doctor James Mortimer (John Banks). He tells them the tale of Hugo Baskerville, a man of means who had died some time back, allegedly killed by a giant hound. Now one of his descendants, Sir Charles Baskerville, is dead, and the body was found with large dog prints nearby.

Holmes and Watson begin to look into the case,...

Jonathan Hastings: "Metropolis or Moonfleet?" Guy Maddin: "Hate to say it, but Moonraker." Happening once more tonight at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York: "A unique live cinematic and musical event, Tales from the Gimli Hospital: Reframed pairs acclaimed filmmaker Guy Maddin's classic first feature film with a live performance — directed by Maddin himself — of a new score created by composer Matthew Patton, a superstar group of Icelandic musicians, acclaimed Seattle-based musical collective Aono Jikken Ensemble, and live electronics engineer Paul Corley."

Los Angeles. Jen Yamato, taking notes for Movieline: "Part of the wave of initiatives in Elvis Mitchell's rebooted Film Independent at Lacma programming is a series of live script reads directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno), who kicked things off last month with a star-studded rendition of The Breakfast Club. [Thursday] night's second script read of the 1960 multiple Oscar-winner The Apartment,...

From The Red Shoes to Bond and Harry Potter, some of cinema's most iconic scenes were shot on its sound stages. As Pinewood marks 75 years in the business, we chart the studio's rise to the pinnacle of British film production

75 years after the first film started shooting at Pinewood - London Melody, starring Anna Neagle - we take a look back through the archive at other major events in the studio's history.

The studio opened on 30 September 1936, with owners Sir Charles Boot and J Arthur Rank inspired by Hollywood to create a thriving British film industry, a desire that led to a series of mergers with other studios over the years - the first in 1938, when Pinewood took over Alexander Korda's Denham Studios.

Pinewood quickly established itself as a location for great British films. The Red Shoes, starring Moira Sheaerer, was one of two Powell and Pressburger films to...

I’m not sure when Dakota Fanning will make the transition to being considered a serious actress, but this is a decent first step. As Deadline reports, she’ll be starring in the biopic Effie, which is being directed by Richard Laxton and written by Emma Thompson. The movie is focused on the marriage of Euphemia Gray and John Ruskin in 1850′s London, and how this marriage failed, eventually leading to her marrying a protege of Ruskin, John Everett Millais.

The film’s cast has been filled out pretty heavily, with Greg Wise set for Ruskin, Tom Sturridge playing Millais, and Thompson as Lady Eastlake, “who takes Effie under her wing when it was clear the union was destroying the young woman.” Additionally, the parents of Ruskin are being played by Derek Jacobi and Julie Walters, while Edward Fox has the part of Sir Charles Eastlake, the husband of Lady Eastlake.