More Cher, Less Christina

That's my advice if anyone decides to make Burlesque II.  OK, bottom line up front, it's not as bad as you've read.  I know that's faint praise, but the reviews were scathing and the movie is a fun bit of froth.  Sure, it's collection of cliches that were getting moldy when talkies were invented and sure, it borrows heavily from Chicago and Cabaret (with Alan Cumming in a glorified cameo just in case you don't get it), but it's Cher!  And Glitter!  And Sequins!  There were so many gays of a certain age in the theater that it was like a field trip from the Rainbow Acres rest home. 

The film opens in a fake small town in "Iowa" where we meet Ali (Christina Aguilera), the impossibly coiffed and perfectly made-up waitress at a dive bar.  The owner stiffs her so she grabs some cash from the till, throws on some hooker heels, walks across the Tallahatchie Bridge to the bus station and buys a one-way ticket to LA.  Once there, she happens upon the Burlesque Lounge on the Sunset Strip where she sees Velma Kelly performing All That Jazz Kristen Bell lip syncing to something or other and Christina/Ali is enthralled.  With the stage, not Kristen.  She meets bartender Cam Gigandet, who's obviously the man she's meant for, who tells her if she wants to be on stage, she has to convince Tess (Cher).  Tess pays her no mind, so she picks up a cocktail tray and starts working as a waitress because she's got spunk!  Before you can say bump and grind, she's on-stage, belting out her growling-through-the-scales routine and she's an instant hit.

My next husband Stanley Tucci is on-hand to reprise his role from The Devil Wears Prada, only with a nicer boss.  He even hooks up with a sexy male DJ from the wedding of some tangential characters nobody cares about.  We see him in bed with his beautiful hairy chest!  Worth the price of admission.  Tucci and Cher have great chemistry and seem to be having a blast.  They need to be paired up for a romantic comedy and soon. 

Hunky Eric Dane plays what passes for a heavy.  He's a business man who wants to buy the Burlesque Lounge and turn it into (gasp) a high-rise!  In LA!  It'll block the view!  He offers Cher and her business partner/ex-husband (Peter Gallagher in one of the more pointless rolls) a cool million for the place, although why he doesn't just wait for the imminent foreclosure is beyond me.  Along the way, he tries to seduce Christina in his fabulous Hollywood Hills mansion.  She ultimately chooses Cam, of course (this is not exactly a spoiler alert) because the pretty girl always chooses the poor bartender over the rich business man.  I don't make the rules.  Besides, once you see what Cam can do with a box of Famous Amos, you'd choose him over Eric Dane, too.  The cookie company scored the greatest product placement in the history of product placement. 

A brunette Kristen Bell is miscast as Christina's rival for the spotlight.  She's no Crystal Connors, but she tries harder than Dane to be a bitch.  She gets drunk, mouths off to Cher and drives off in a huff and who can blame her?  One song from Christina, and Cher sent Kristen to the chorus.  Kristen is supposed to be boozy, and she always has a drink in her hand, yet she never seems tipsy in the slightest.  One can't worry about the details in Burlesque.

Cher is Tess.  Tess is Cher.  She's basically playing herself, but so what?  She's Cher and she looks fabulous.  She has two numbers, including one of her signature power ballads.  The rest of the musical numbers, and there are many, belong to Christina.  What a waste.

The movie also features small parts for James Brolin and Glee's Diana Agron who, in 30 seconds makes you wonder why Cam choose nicey-nice Christina over her. This illustrates the biggest problem with the movie.  Christina's Ali is just too nice.  There is a complete lack of dramatic tension.  You know from the first moment that Ali will find love and stardom.  You know that Cher will save the club from the dastardly Eric Dane and you know that Kristen Bell will clean herself up and happily return to the chorus. Christina's acting is perfectly serviceable, but her character has no flaws.  She's friendly, perky, pretty, (very) blonde, and talented.  Who wants to root for that?  Give me Nomi Malone or Neely O'Hara any day.

Bottom line, totally worth a matinee price to see Cher, Stanley Tucci's chest, and Cam Gigandet's Famous Amos.       

Kristen Bell Long Flowing Blonde Hair

You would be hard pressed to find a picture of the "Veronica Mars" starlet while not having an absolutely fabulous hair day.

Kristen Bell was clearly blessed with tremendous hair quality and texture, and here we have the beauty while donning a gorgeous long flowing blonde hairstyle with cute curls on the end and a nice little half bangs style across the forehead.

Amazing women with amazing hair!

Sexy Beauty Model Actress Kristen Bell Interview Online

When one thinks of Astro Boy, gentle British actor Freddie Highmore does not necessarily leap out at you, but in this very contemporary take of the iconic Japanese character of the 60s, Highmore takes on the character set in futuristic Metro City.

In the new film, Astro Boy tells of a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, with sexy model experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him.

Stars Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell talked to Paul Fischer at Comic Con.

Question: How are you interpreting Astro Boy, and what is your take on Astro Boy?

Highmore: I think he's a fantastic character to be able to play. I think that - he's been around for ages in Japan. You know, he's almost - he's their Mickey Mouse. You know, he's their sort of national icon, in terms of animation. And it's an amazing opportunity to be able to play him, and just to show to America and other countries that haven't heard of him so much, what he's all about.

Question: Did you have a lot of action scenes in that film? What are that cool things you get to do?

Highmore: Well, Astro Boy's a pretty cool guy. But I think that the film is, in general, a great -

Bell: Just tell them about your sexy model butt, in this movie. Cut right to the chase.

Highmore: I do have machine guns in my butt, yeah. Which is good.

Bell: Well? And there you go.

Highmore: They come in handy.

Question: Kristen, who are you in this? What's your role?

Bell: I play Cora, who is a girl that lives on the surface of the Earth. Because all the people now live in Metro City, which is floating above, because we've destroyed the surface of the Earth. And when Astro is rejected by his father and falls down to the surface of the earth, he meets Cora. And my the super model who endorsed many beauty product says character is sort of the maternal ringleader for this group of runaway kids. So, she keeps them together like a little family, and they accept Astro wholeheartedly. And there is a little bit of a rift when they find out he's a robot.

Question: Is there a green message to it?

Bell: There is. Not one that's shoved down your throat. It's just an undertone. But there are a lot of different messages present in this movie that were not shoved down your throat by any means, which Kristen Bell really, really respect. The fact that we destroy the surface of the Earth - it's just there. They don't really go into it. Also, about being accepted, and people who feel rejected, and not judging a book by its cover. And - I deal with the robots being everyone's servants and second class citizens, and be careful how close you get to them - they're not human beings, they're not real. And then when you meet Astro, how he's got all these emotions, and you're sort of faced with, how do you judge him? Do you accept him for who he is, or do you just tell him, "No, you're a robot. You're not allowed to feel."

Question: So, is Astro like the devil because you set it up that everybody's living in the sky, and he falls to Earth?

Highmore: No, there are a lot of deep levels there. He reminds me of Pinocchio, because - I mean, Dr. Tenma loses his son, and wants to recreate him, and so he creates Astro Boy, who's programmed with the memories of his son, and has human emotions. And to me, it's sort of a bit like Pinocchio, in that Pinocchio's a boy, but he can never be accepted, because he's made of wood. And I think that's similar - definitely at the start of the movie - with Astro Boy. Because he's a robot. There's still a barrier between him and the human world. And yeah, as actress who endorsed many beauty product Kristen was saying, he just wants to be accepted.

Question: What kind of personality traits does a robot like Astro Boy have? I mean, what did you feel like you brought out in a non-human character?

Highmore: I think he's a human character, to be honest. His brain is totally human. And it's just his body that's robotic. Yeah. I mean, it's - it's a tricky question.


Question: What's his personality like?

Highmore: He's a nice guy. I think that he wants to solve everything by being nice to people. And sometimes it doesn't - you know, that's not the best means to solve things. Sometimes you've got to be a little bit nasty, I think. You know, sometimes violence is necessary. But I think Astro Boy - you know, throughout the film, he stays true to his ideal of a world with non-violence, and everyone -

Bell: He's a lover, not a fighter, but he might be forced to fight.

Question: But he's got a lot of guns.

Bell: In his butt.

Question: Were you kind of surprised, Freddie, that they came to you with this? Because - I mean, the Japanese Astro Boy - I can't quite see the similarity.

Highmore: Yeah. I mean, all the other actors were fantastic, so I guess I'm lucky to be a part of it.

Question: Was it difficult for you to put your own spin on the character?

Highmore: No, not particularly. I think I made it my own. I didn't refer too much to previous versions. There's a ‘60s TV program in America, and - yeah, I think you've just got to make it your own. And I think it's a good film.

Question: Kristen, you're emerging as one of the funniest women in film. Why do we see so few beautiful women who are funny as well?

Bell: I think it's one of the hardest things, to be a woman and be funny, and not be completely and utterly self-deprecating. And for a long time, people have been at odds with accepting that. And I think now, with all the amazing, beautiful, kind, wonderful comediennes, like KristinWiig, or from model search Amy Poehler, Tina Fey - they're creating a new character that we can all sort of open up to, which is funny, and a great role model.

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source::moviehole.net