Film

Spinal Tap will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of worldwide Live Earth concerts on July 7th.

The touring line-up will include guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer).

Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be showing a new 15-minute film on the band's reunion at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York tonight.

The Tribeca/ASCAP Music Lounge will set up shop at the Canal Room (285 West Broadway) and host a slew of artists from May 1st to the 4th as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. These shows are open only to Tribeca Film Festival badge holders (but I'm sure you can figure out a way to sneak into them)...........

Tuesday, May 1
3:00 p.m.Kenna
3:40 p.m.Yerba Buena
4:20 p.m. Rhett Miller
5:00 p.m. Glen Hansard
5:40 p.m. Jimmy Webb

Wednesday, May 2
3:00 p.m. Alice Smith
3:40 p.m. Martha Wainwright
4:20 p.m. Mary Gauthier
5:00 p.m.Glen Hansard
5:40 p.m. Donovan

Thursday, May 3
3:00 p.m. Cass McCombs
3:40 p.m.Matt White
4:20 p.m.Jon Auer
5:00 p.m. Donovan

Friday, May 4
3:40 p.m. The Slip
4:20 p.m. Jon Auer
5:00 p.m. Adam Schlesinger & Mike Viola
5:40 p.m. John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls

The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off today and runs through May 7th.

In addition to the numerous premieres and panel discussions, the festival will once again host some free outdoor movies at the Tribeca Drive-In at the World Financial Center Plaza (Bet. South and Vesey Streets, and West Side Highway and Hudson River).

Tomorrow at 8pm, the Tribeca Drive-In will show the classic Dirty Dancing. It's free. It's outdoors. The weather is nice. Bring a date........

This is going to be the summer of Seth Rogen. He's starring in Judd Apatow's highly anticipated follow up to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and he's written and co-starring in Superbad, which stars Arrested Development's Michael Cera.

Check out the trailers (NSFW):

Knocked Up trailer after the jump...........

After the bombs of Grindhouse and The Ex, the failing Weinstein Co. desperately need a hit film. On June 29th, the highly anticipated new Michael Moore documentary about the U.S. healthcare system will be released.

The Weinstein Co. has pegged a June 29 rollout for Michael Moore's Cannes-bound docu "SiCKO" and brought in Lionsgate to partner on releasing the documaker's first pic since "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Division of labor will see Lionsgate booking theaters on "SiCKO" in the U.S. while TWC handles all marketing and publicity duties and puts up all P&A costs.

TWC is also handling international rights and is offering the doc -- a critical look at the U.S. health care system -- in Cannes after its world preem.

People close to the pic's domestic partnership said that TWC was attracted to Lionsgate because of Lionsgate's exclusive pay TV pact with Showtime for docus.

Pact reteams Bob and Harvey Weinstein with Lionsgate three years after the movie-mogul sibs picked the indie studio to help roll out "Fahrenheit 9/11."

"Lionsgate was very helpful the last time, and this time we're happy to have them involved again," Harvey Weinstein said. He added that he sees "SiCKO" as a less controversial film than "Fahrenheit."

"I've seen this movie with Republicans and Democrats, and this is one time Michael has sort of unified everyone," he said. "The health care industry might not have a very good July Fourth."

Lionsgate's Tom Ortenberg added that he sees the June 29 date as a prime pick for the docu.

"That will be six weeks from the film's Cannes presentation for us to open," he said. "With July 4 coming on a Wednesday, we see that entire week as virtually seven straight Saturdays."

"Fahrenheit" brought in $222.4 million in worldwide B.O. and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

June release date pits "SiCKO" against Disney's computer-animated "Ratatouille" and Fox actioner "Live Free or Die Hard," as well as specialty fare including Focus drama "Evening" and MGM's "Death at a Funeral."

On a related note, the Ann Arbor Film Festival's "Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary Film Award" went to OFF THE GRID: Life on the Mesa. The film, by Jeremy and Randy Stulberg, will premiere in New York City on August 16th at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Independents Night screening series.........

Michael Moore's SICKO is coming out June 29th and to promote the movie, he's launched his own YouTube channel and is asking for people submit their own healthcare stories. It's an intense site full of heartbreaking stories.....

We love just about everything Judd Apatow has done: Freaks & Geeks (Creator, Writer, Director), Undeclared (Creator, Writer, Director), 40 Year-Old Virgin (Producer, Writer, Director), Knocked Up (Producer, Writer, Director), The Critic (Producer), Larry Sanders Show (Writer, Director), and The Ben Stiller Show (Writer, Actor).

Depending on who you've talked to, he has missed a few times: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Producer), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (producer), and the horrific Celtic Pride (writer, executive producer) .

So now that no sane studio executive will say no to him or his amigos, Judd and his crew are ready roll out a ton of projects. Here's what you can expect in the next year:

THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS - Produced and Written by Judd and Seth Rogan, this flick stars Freaks & Geeks alumni like James Franco, Seth Rogan, Bill Hader. The film is about a stoner (Rogen) and his dealer (Franco) are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.

DRILLBIT TAYLOR - Judd produces this film written by Seth Rogan about two kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully.

WALK HARD - Judd wrote and produced this spoof of Walk The Line, in which singer Dewey Cox overcomes adversity to become a musical legend. John C. Reilly plays Dewey, The Office's Jenna Fischer also appears, as does Jack White as Elvis.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL - A big one for Judd's crew as he produces Jason Segel, who wrote and stars in this romantic comedy about a guy who takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, only to bump into her with her new boyfriend. The film also stars Paul Rudd and Bill Hader.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH ZOHAN - Judd shares writing and producing credits with Adam Sandler on this project. The film stars Sandler and Rob Schneider and is about a Mossad agent fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist.

STEP BROTHERS - Judd produces John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell in a comedy about adults who become stepbrothers later in life.

SUPERBAD - Produced by Judd, Written by Seth Rogan, and starring Knocked Up's Jonah Hill and Arrested Development's Michael Cera (George Michael). This looks hysterical.

FANBOYS - Seth Rogan costars in this brilliant concept film about a group of "Star Wars" fans who travel to Skywalker Ranch to see "The Phantom Menace" before it's released.

And finally, Rebecca Eckler, a Canadian journalist, is suing director Judd Apatow and Universal Studios for copyright infringement stating the similarities between the hit film and her book, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be. The book is about a reporter getting drunk and knocked up by a Jewish-Canadian. Woops...........

While Michael Moore's SiCKO isn't slated to open until June 29th, it will be showing in one theatre. The AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 (1998 Broadway) in New York City will start showing the documentary this Friday, June 22nd. You can get tickets here...

Tonight, Michael Moore is also holding a very special free screening of SiCKO for all registered healthcare lobbyists. I wonder how many show up.......

The Simpsons Movie drops on July 27th. It's time to put that publicity campaign into overdrive:

Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of "The Simpsons" fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art. Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.

Scary how similiar that man looks like Comic Book Guy.......

DOWNLOAD: Apu - "Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?"
DOWNLOAD: The Ramones - "Happy Birthday To You, Mr Burns"

Why was this taken out of the movie?!?! So freaking funny.

Take note that Brokeback Mountain's Anne Hathaway was originally cast in the lead role of as "Alison Scott," but dropped out due to creative reasons. In a production note, Judd Apatow wrote that “Hathaway dropped out of the film because she didn’t want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth.” This may explain why the producers decided to pull the clip, fearing that it would cause a bit of stir with agents, managers, etc.

Also, can I once again go on about how Loudon Wainwright's Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up is one of the best albums of the year! "Grey in L.A." is especially wonderful.........

DOWNLOAD: Loudon Wainwright III - "Grey In L.A."

Another deleted scene from Knocked Up after the jump. This one features Doctore Kuni.......

Dorks like me are savoring this month. First, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is released today in theatres across the country! Then on July 21st at 12:01AM, the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), will hit bookstores.

On Monday, I was lucky enough to catch a press screening of Order of the Phoenix.

First time feature film director David Yates had his hands full with Order of the Phoenix. Not only did he tackle the longest of the Potter books, but he also has to follow Alfonso Cuarón's Prisoner of Azkaban and Mike Newell's Goblet of Fire, both of whom brought a depth and darkness to the films that were absent from the first two Chris Columbus directed films.

Full review after the jump.........

David Wain's The Ten comes out on August 3rd. To celebrate its release, the director is hosting a big "The Night Before The Ten" party at the Blender Theatre in New York City on August 2nd. Tickets are $17 and on sale now. If you buy an advance ticket, you get a free subscription to Blender.

What you don't get is a free ticket to actually see the movie. You will still get a fun night that will feature comedy from Jeaneane Garofalo, Michael Showalter, A.D. Miles, and Seth Herzog. Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren, who did the films soundtrack, will be performing, along with Amy Miles, Rashida Jones, Peter Salett, David Yazbek, and Mr. Blue.

Also, David Wain was a guest on The Michael Showalter Showalter.......

David Wain's The Ten comes out on August 3rd. To celebrate its release, the director is hosting a big "The Night Before The Ten" party at the Blender Theatre in New York City on August 2nd. Tickets are $17 and on sale now. If you buy an advance ticket, you get a free subscription to Blender.

What you don't get is a free ticket to actually see the movie. You will still get a fun night that will feature comedy from Jeaneane Garofalo, Michael Showalter, A.D. Miles, and Seth Herzog. Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren, who did the films soundtrack, will be performing, along with Amy Miles, Rashida Jones, Peter Salett, David Yazbek, and Mr. Blue.

Also, David Wain was a guest on The Michael Showalter Showalter.......

Wes Anderson's new film, The Darjeeling Limited, comes out on September 29th and stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. It is written by Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman.

The film will open the 2007 New York Film Festival on September 28th.

How many people do you expect to dress like Owen Wilson this Halloween.......

DOWNLOAD: The Kinks - "This Time Tomorrow" (via GvB)

The Simpsons Movie was pretty freaking hysterical. I admit that my expectations were very, very low. Having put up with the last few seasons simply cause I'm a fan, I thought the movie would be funny, but nowhere near as hysterical as it was.

The plot is fairly simple: Homer gets a pig and dooms Springfield, then tries to save Springfield. There is a whole lot about the envoirment, which is nothing new to this cartoon, and it gives Lisa plenty of screen time, but this is really Homer's show. Although, Ned Flanders steals almost every scene he's in, as does Ralph Wiggum.

Worth seeing on the big screen? Definitely.........

Batman Begins was a surprisingly enjoyable film. I've known seen it a couple times, thanks to constant airings on HBO, and I'm always entertained. The second installment of the Christian Bale starring series seems to be just as dark. And yes, I know this is one of the "fake" trailers, but it's much better than the real one that premiered before The Simpsons Movie. Thoughts....

Michel Gondry is a fantastic director and I will see anything he releases. His new film, Be Kind, Rewind, starring Jack Black and Mos Def, comes across as more of a straight-ahead comedy, but I have a feeling it's going to be a bit of a darker movies than this trailer depicts it to be........

Superbad was superawesome. And now the mofo's before Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, Superbad and Knocked Up are spoofing Walk The Line with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I'm digging the trailer and hope the film is just as funny as their past work. And ya got to love the Eddie Vedder, Lyle Lovett and Jack White cameos.......

Kamp Katrina follows New Orleans native Ms. Pearl, who spontaneously converts her backyard into a tent-village for displaced people for six months in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of her beloved city. Ms. Pearl, who is of Native American descent (but whose accent is pure New Orleans), explodes off the screen, one of those flamboyantly larger-than-life personalities who, were this a fictional film, would seem too outrageous to be real.

But this is indeed a documentary. Furthermore, it's not a fact-based exploration of the Katrina crisis and its mishandling by politicians. Instead, Kamp Katrina delivers a sometimes-shattering verité exploration of the very personal daily struggles imposed by this national tragedy on a small group of troubled survivors. Central to its story are Kamp Katrina residents Kelley and Doug Baker, lovers grappling with impending parenthood while nearly homeless.

Directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, whom previous made Mardi Gras: Made in China, will be at the MOMA screening and Friday & Saturday (24th & 25th) nights at the Pioneer screening for a post film Q&A/discussion.....

KAMP KATRINA SCREENINGS

Owen Wilson has apparently attempted suicide. I know he likes to party, but I didn't realize he was this out of control!

Actor Owen Wilson was hospitalized after attempting suicide, sources tell the NATIONAL ENQUIRER and Star magazine exclusively.

Wilson was transported to St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica , Calif. on Sunday, August 26, by ambulance. Sources tell the ENQUIRER and Star that he sliced his left wrists and took an indeterminate amount of pills.

He was discovered by a family member who summoned help.

Police and an ambulance responded to a 911 call from Owen’s house around noon on Sunday.

Owen was recently cast to star in Marley & Me (dog owners really should read this book) and will shortly star in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited and Drillbit Taylor, that was co-written by Seth Rogan and John Hughes.

I hope he gets the help he needs...........

In smart marketing move, Wes Anderson has posted "Hotel Chevalier," a 13 minute short film prequal to "The Darjeeling Limited," on iTunes for free. The short originally has been shown in theatres, before the actual film, but is now being spread around the internet to combat negative early reviews of the feature.

The entire short takes place in one hotel room with Jason Schwartman as Jack Whitman and Natalie Portman, credited simply as Jack's X-Girlfriend. The short features the break-up that leads Jack to meet his brothers Francis (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Adrien Brody) in India for the "Darjeeling' spiritual journey and adventure.

The song in the short is Peter Sarstedt's 1969 hit, "Where Do You Go My Lovely?" The song will also appear on the soundtrack and in the film "The Darjeeling Limited," which has its official premiere on the opening night of the New York Film Festival, this Friday, September 28th, at Lincoln Center.

You can click here to watch or download "Hotel Chevalier" from iTunes.......

DOWNLOAD: Peter Sarstedt - "Where Do You Go To My Lovely?"

The New York Times Sunday Magazine did a gigantic cover story on Todd Haynes' much hyped Dylan bio-pic, I'm No There. The movie, which sees Dylan portrayed by Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw; Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett, is getting so much advance press, that one must wonder, does this film has any chance of living up to the hype?

...the ’70s superstar Dylan, a kind of jerk Dylan, played by Heath Ledger...

The final Dylan to be filmed, the one dressed like Arthur Rimbaud, the Dylan that Haynes named Arthur, a teenage French symbolist poet, played by Ben Whishaw.

Richard Gere, who plays the Dylan of later years, a Billy the Kid Dylan who ran away to some other place, another time...

Marcus Carl Franklin, the African-American 13-year-old, will play Woody, Haynes’s version of the young Dylan, a kind of teenage hobo as Woody Guthrie...

Christian Bale will play Jack Rollins, Haynes’s folk Dylan, the truth-singing protest singer, who transforms into Pastor John, an evangelical preacher.

Cate Blanchett, playing Jude Quinn, will try to capture the 1966 suddenly rock-star Dylan who was Judas to his folk-loving f