Monday, August 31, 2009

Home Alone star is Jackson's father

Well that's if you believe outstanding reports today that Macaulay Culkin is Blanket Jackson's mystery father.

The Home Alone film star is said to have donated sperm to help Jacko create his seven-year-old offspring - real name Prince Michael II - with an unknown surrogate mum.

It's well known that Jackson and Culkin had been friends for a very long time, so it's not that surprising that it could be the case.

A source has said even Culkin thinks he may be the father.

"This isn't just chitter-chatter, even Culkin suspects he's Blanket's father."

"Deep down, I think he always wished Mack was his son. Creating Blanket was the next best thing."

I think this has to be one of the more crazier suggestions of who Blanket's father is, but I still think Michael Jackson is his biological dad... I mean he looks just like him!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Hot Shot #3 Jennifer Aniston

Thanks to Egotastic! for this week's Hot Shots. Jennifer Aniston looks just as good at 40 as she did during the 90's as Rachel in Friends. Brad Pitt must be jealous.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Ultimate Star Wars Poster

Last week there was a great reaction to the missing Revenge of the Jedi poster. Seems like there's a lot of Star Wars fans out there who enjoyed the story. So this week, as a special treat, I think I've found what can only be described as the ultimate Star Wars movie poster. A very clever image which includes characters and scenes from all six Star Wars movies released so far. It's an absolute beauty and my only question is, where can I buy one?? Enjoy!


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Fantastic Four 3 - Finally Given The Green Light!

It's been an 'on again, off again' project for Marvel and 2oth Century Fox over the last two years but finally strong word out of Hollywood suggests Fantastic Four will return for a third installment and be released in theatres by 2012.
Original Director Tim Story's involvement is not certain and after the critical failure of the first two movies, it wouldn't surprise me if he's replaced.
Another strong rumour making the rounds is that the entire original cast, which featured the gorgeous Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman, may not return, even though they all signed a three picture deal before the first Fantastic Four movie was even made.
It's possible the film will feature a whole new 'edgy'cast in a less family feel good movie, perhaps even with a higher rating.
The second movie subtitled 'Rise of the Silver Surfer' was critically panned and only a moderate box office success. I must admit, I didn't really like it as much as the first installment. The plot felt rushed and it focused far too much on the Silver Surfer character.
There's no doubt a third movie in the Fantastic Four franchise could work if done correctly as several super hero movies such as Superman and Batman have made successful returns with a different cast after they previously seemed dead and buried.
More news is expected on the movie before the end of the year. As always, we'll keep you up to date here at The Xtra Source.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Michael Jackson spotted...ALIVE?

We here at The Xtra Source like to bring you the weird and wonderful. And this one may fall under the category of weird.
Since Michael Jackson's death there has been speculation he is still alive. Most of the rumours have him hiding out with Elvis somewhere in Mexico. But a video has surfaced today on YouTube showing a man that looks just like Jackson jumping out of the back of a coroner’s van.
The person who uploaded the video said in a statement, "This video shows that Michael was still alive after his dead body was transported to the Los Angeles Dept. of Coroner I checked the license plate number and it looks like the King of Pop is jumping out of the same van, his dead body has been in. I got the original video tape from a trustworthy source. I know him for years. And I am sure it´s real and Michael is alive."
While I'm pretty much 100% certain this is a fake, it does make you laugh none the less. And I'm sure Jackson would've found it funny as well!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Hancock 2 - is underway.....

by Peter Lang
One of my favourite super hero movies of all time is Hancock.
So I was obviously pleased to find out that work on a sequel is finally underway in Hollywood with Columbia Pictures hiring screenwriters Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara to write Hancock 2.
Will Smith is expected to return once again in the title role.
Also returning to direct the sequel is original Hancock Director Peter Berg but it's still uncertain as to whether Charlize Theron will appear in the new movie.
The details of the final plot are being kept a top secret but writers Fierro and Mazzara are expected to show a little bit more of Hancock's back story and possibly even the world he came from.
For those of you who have never heard of either Fierro and Mazzara, apparently both worked together on the hit TV show "The Shield".
Personally, I can't wait. Hancock 2 is expected to hit our screens sometime in 2011.

Monday, August 24, 2009

"This is International Idol"


by Nathan Taylor

Last night Australian Idol revealed its new judge to replace Kyle Sandilands, Sony Music talent scout Jay Dee Springbett. Something interesting about Jay Dee is he is actually British. Which brings me to think Marcia's originally from the US and the other judge Dicko is also a fellow Brit.

What's going on..? All our judges are ex-pats and while Marcia has been in the country for many decades now, she still has her American accent and Dicko and Jay Dee are fairly recent to our shores and both also hold a strong English accent.

So what's wrong with Aussie judges..? They dumped Mark Holden and now Kyle who were very Aussie... So why not rename the show 'International Idol'.

Bloody Hell...

(Pic: TV Tonight)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Hot Shot #2 Britney Spears

Egotastic! always comes through with some great shots of celebrities in bikinis and this is another one when Britney Spears made an appearance this week on Letterman! Nice one!
P.S. Cant wait for that concert!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Missing Poster 2 - Revenge of the Jedi








By Peter Lang

There's an interesting back story to this week's missing movie poster.
Back in 1983 when Star Wars Director George Lucas was about to launch the third movie in the original Star Wars trilogy, he went to the marketing department and saw the title "Revenge of the Jedi"on the proposed movie poster and realised that the emotion and act of 'revenge' is not in a Jedi Warrior's ideological make up.
In fact, a good 'Jedi Warrior' doesn't even feel the emotion of revenge.
So, despite it being suggested to him by producer Lawrence Kasdan, that 'Return of the Jedi' was a weaker title, he went with it anyway and the poster to your left became an instant collectors item and a classic.
The other mistake to note in the poster is the colour of the light sabres. Luke Skywalker is holding a red one, while Darth Vader is holding a blue one. This of course, should be the other way around.
So that's this week's missing poster, ahhh the memories it brings back.
Wait until next week.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Batman III - Is on its way!

by Peter Lang
What you see to your left is another 'fan-made' movie poster but again, it's so good, I just had to share it with you.
This story however is about the upcoming third installment of the re-born 'Chris Nolan inspired' Batman series.
Batman Begins & The Dark Knight were such visually and storywise, well constructed movies that pressure on producing a third installment of the same calibre is causing the film to be constantly put back on Warner Bros movie schedule.
Before his untimely death last year, Heath Ledger was all set to return as the Joker alongside new villain 'The Riddler'.
Now, all these plans have been shelved with producers not even contemplating going with another actor in the role of the Joker, especially after Ledger's Academy Award winning portrayal of that character.
Chris Nolan is also no certainty to return to the franchise in any capacity, be it as producer, writer or director, so affected is he reported to be by Ledger's unexpected death. Sources close to Nolan say it would be too painful for him to be involved in a third Batman movie.
Both Gary Oldman and Michael Caine are however expected to reprise their roles as Commissioner James Gordon and butler Alfred Pennyworth.
At this stage Warner Bros are adamant a third Batman movie with Christian Bale in the title role will be made but no one is willing to confirm when filming will begin. Industry experts are predicting a May 2011 release date at the earliest.
We here at 'The Xtra Source' will be sure to keep you posted.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Newsreaders' apologise to Kyle & Jackie O


by Nathan Taylor

YAY! Thank God there is something decent to listen to on the radio again.

Kyle and Jackie O returned this morning after their show took a recent break. I even woke up at 6am to listen to the show from start to finish, and I don't wake up that early unless I need to catch a flight.

They were back to their best and you couldn't even tell there was a 7-second delay. They first had their chance to explain and apologise again for the recent controversy, but then they settled back in to what they do best.

They laughed off the media about (the media) not getting their facts right on stories. Remember the old saying...'never let the truth get in the way of a good story'. Well Kyle & Jackie O even got the chance to mock themselves. They even said "Welcome back to the Vyle and Tacky Ho Show' (a headline widely used to describe the pair recently).

Yes, they admit they were affected by all the negative attention. But heck they are only human and you learn from your mistakes.

Something I did find interesting was newsreaders were actually calling Kyle to apologise for the stories that their (newsreaders) network put to air. As some of the newsreaders are friends with Kyle personally.

All I can say is that they are back and are still number 1! And to the haters out there NO ONE is forcing you to listen. Radio is a free service and there are plenty of other options out there to suit you.

But I know where I'll be listening.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Iron Man 2 - First look!








By Peter Lang

Pictured is the official IRON MAN 2 teaser trailer poster which has just been released at the 2009 Comic Convention.
Note this is not a fan-made fake like many making the rounds on the internet, it is the real deal.
The original IRON MAN went on to become a US and world wide box office sensation grossing over $582 million dollars world-wide.
The word out of Hollywood is that the second movie is going to be even better and bigger at the box-office.
All the original cast are back including Robert Downey Jnr as Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts while Samuel L. Jackson is believed to be simply superb in his role as Special S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Nick Fury.
The movie is due for release next May in both Australia and the US.
Stay tuned, we'll post an official trailer link when it comes out, any day now!
This one is going to be BIG!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Missing Movie Poster 1 - Blair Witch Project








by Peter Lang

Being a huge Blair Witch Project fan and not being able to establish after hours of research on the internet that a third Blair Witch movie is ever actually going to be made, I turned my attention to finding something interesting about one of the most innovative horror movies ever made.

What I came across was a couple of movie posters which were never used in the official marketing of the original movie a decade ago but have since appeared on the internet.

The picture to your left is one of those posters. Next week I'll feature another, 'missing poster' from a blockbuster movie.

It might not be ground breaking stuff I'm sharing with you here but if you're a fan of movie posters and how significant a role they play in marketing a movie, you'll find this new segment interesting nevertheless.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Thanks NRL, Finally a GOOD idea for a TV Show

by Nathan Taylor
The Daily Telegraph has revealed that a new reality show searching for Rugby League's next big superstar will be called NRL Dream and will air on Fox Sports next year.

A 14-part series has been given the greenlight and will give aspiring players aged from 17 to 25 a shot at the big-time.

Tryouts will be held around Australia and in PNG, with the last player standing winning a $100,000 contract with either the Cowboys, Dragons, Titans, Roosters or Knights.

Leading NRL coaches including Wayne Bennett are backing the project which will see contestants compete in a variety of challenges like boxing a round with Anthony Mundine.

More on this story can be found here.

I think this a top idea. I could never get into FOX 8's Football Superstar, as I wasn't a big fan of soccer. But bringing this format to the NRL gives all of us Rugby League fans something fun to follow.

It will be great seeing this player develop from some ordinary kid on the street to fulfilling his dream in the elite NRL competition.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Hot Shot #1 Snoop Dogg

Thanks to the guys at TMZ for this one... This is how rich people watch soccer in the rain. Priceless.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Will there be a Spider-man 4?

by Peter Lang

The picture on the left is a movie poster of the upcoming blockbuster 'Spider Man 4'- the only problem is, it's fake. It's damn good and very professional but it's a fan made fake.

The truth is no one really knows if a fourth Spider Man movie will ever be made. Not one of the original cast members has actually signed and there's still no word on a director. No one has given the green light for production to start, there isn't even a script.

Of course that hasn't stop thousands of fans from around the world taking their enthusiasm and passion for a fourth Spider Man film, into their own hands and creating hundreds of fake movie posters and video trailers promoting a fourth installment that, for the moment, exists only in their minds.

Who knows, maybe all this Internet hype will inspire the 'big wigs' at Sony Pictures to get their act together and start making a movie, millions of fans are waiting for.

Meanwhile, while we all wait for the actual movie to be made, I'm going to leave you with a cool link to click on. Here is the best fake 'fan made' Spider Man 4 trailer on YouTube. Now it may not be the real thing but it's pretty damn good nevertheless. ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC1aEGGxRS4

Coming to Theaters: This Is It! The Michael Jackson Concert


by Nathan Taylor

Very exciting news for fans of Michael Jackson, Sony Pictures has announced the rehearsal concert footage from his This Is It tour will be released as a movie in theatres worldwide on October 30.

The announcement came after Sony struck a court-approved multi-million-dollar deal with the managers of the singer's estate to release footage of Jackson rehearsing ahead of his London shows.

Only a snippet of rehearsal footage was released to the world days after he died, so it'll be very fulfilling to see the full show.

The feature "will be drawn from hundreds of hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, captured in high definition with state-of-the-art digital sounds", Sony said.

I think this is a brilliant idea and a fantastic way for fans to see Jackson performing for the last time and to play it on the big screen is stroke of genius. Not only will it be very popular, but it also will help Jackson's family pay off some of his debts.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Steady start for Australian Idol


by Nathan Taylor

Last night the Australian public tuned into the seventh series of Australian Idol, but not all of us knew it was on.

Only 1.3 million viewers switched on to see the first stage of auditions and witnessed the brief return of Kyle Sandilands.

Critics have been saying today that people have deliberately missed the auditions because Kyle appears in them and with the recent controversy surrounding him families have decided to wait until he's gone for good before they start watching.

'The slide appears a protest vote against Sandilands, who was last week dumped by Channel 10 in the wake of The Kyle and Jackie O Show radio rape scandal'. (Daily Telegraph)

And that's fine if your going down that path, but last night Kyle provided some great moments, especially when he and good mate and guest judge Brian McFadden were taking the piss out of contestants. I reckon Kyle lightens up the judging panel (compared with the rather serious Dicko and Marcia) with his remarks and he always says what us at home are thinking.

It's a shame the producers of Idol are so weak and had to bow down to the pressure of the media and the public.

In terms of the less than impressive ratings, I'd like to put it down to:

1) The new 6:30pm time slot
2) The lack of promotion, usually we have a countdown in how many days to go
3) We are over auditions and just want to rip straight to the live shows
4) Dancing with the Stars and other programming

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Back on air next week!

by Peter Lang
It's been widely reported today that The Kyle and Jackie O Show will be back on air Monday week on 2Day FM.
The pair's sabbatical or suspension or break or whatever you want to call it will soon be over and the terrible twosome will be back to their old tricks in no time. Or will they?
I actually think for a short time at least, Kyle and Jackie O will behave themselves in the hope of getting back into the good books of the Sydney public and media alike. They certainly can't afford another negative media storm like the one they've just been through. I know there's a saying, any publicity is good publicity but not in this case.
Personally, I don't have anything against either of them. They are extremely talented on-air personalities who run a super slick and entertaining breaksfast show however their recent run of constantly highlighting people's misery was getting a bit tacky.
Let's hope they return to what made them enormously popular in the first place.
Oh and one more thing, Austero, never, ever let Geoff 'the newsreader' Field try and run a program on his own.
His attempt at trying to be a co-host last week with Chris Page was an unmitigated disaster. He was simply hopeless. He bumbled, stumbled and fumbled his way through three hours of excruciatingly painful radio.
Stick to reading the news Geoff and the occasional quip and skit with Kyle and Jackie O and leave the rest up to the professionals.

Friday, August 7, 2009

This sucks, John Hughes has died


by Nathan Taylor

News has come through today that well known film writer, producer and director John Hughes has died after suffering a heart attack whilst strolling through Manhattan.

Hughes was the man that shot Macaulay Culkin into super-stardom at an early age and was also responsible for those teen movies of the 80's and 90's.

In the last decade, Hughes had largely turned his back on Hollywood to run a farm in northern Illinois. But he will be most remembered for his hand in these great classics:
Home Alone series
Uncle Buck
National Lampoons Vacation series
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Sixteen Candles
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
The Breakfast Club
Weird Science
Pretty in Pink
Beethoven series

For a full list visit IMDB.COM or click here .

John Hughes was definitely an icon in film making in my eyes having grown up with all of these classics, please go through the list, its amazing to see how many successful films this great man has brought us. I think everyone should whack in an old John Hughes classic tonight.

He was 59 and will be missed.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

What about Jackie O?


by Peter Lang

While her on-air 2Day FM radio partner in crime Kyle Sandilands continues to be persecuted in the metropolitan media over what's becoming known as the 'failed Lie Detector stunt', his blonde beauty co-host has seemingly escaped most of the criticism.
Reports have Jackie O at her million dollar hobby farm in the Kangaroo Valley with her husband Lee, while Sandilands continues to cop the brunt of the media circus that surrounds him (literally).
Just why she and the producers of their top rating morning show on 2Day FM continue to escape criticism is beyond me. As far as I'm concerned they are just as culpable as Kyle was in this whole debacle.
Please, don't even get me started on the mother of the 14 year-old child who shouldn't have put her daughter in the situation in the first place....but that's another story.
I'm not suggesting for a second that Sandilands is the victim in this whole convoluted mess. He's unfortunately reaping what he sowed by over the years repeatedly abusing numerous sections (and people) in the media. They were just waiting for their chance to nail him in return and you can't blame them for their retribution. For as the saying goes, 'if you can't can't take it, don't dish it out'.
In saying that he shouldn't be hung out to dry on his own either.
It appears at this stage at least....he is.

Another day, Another Idol judge GONE


by Nathan Taylor

This time American Idol has lost a judge for its next series. Paula Abdul would have to be the most well-known female judge in the Idol franchise, but after months of speculation about her future she has decided not to return to the ninth series of American Idol.

Abdul announced her departure to the world via Twitter saying "With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol …I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from Day 1 become an international phenomenon."

Last season producers brought in a second female judge Kara DioGuardi to the panel to work alongside Paula, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. She only this week resigned on.

In Abdul's case it looks like money and contracts once again is the most likely cause of her exit.

While Abdul was a lot of the time quirky and sometimes looked like she was off her face, alot of fans will miss her standing up and dancing during performances and also her flirtatious disagreements with Simon were always funny to watch.

So Idol in the US wont be the same again and neither will Australian Idol with the recent sacking of Kyle Sandilands. (And NO, Abdul will NOT be joining Australian Idol)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Channel 7 dishes up its Masterchef

by Nathan Taylor
In a silly programming idea Channel Seven are set to cash in on the success of Masterchef Australia by dishing up its own version of the show.

Seven will launch a nationwide search for this country's best cook for its upcoming programme My Kitchen Rules. The new series will travel the country with the aim of finding Australia's best home-cooking team.

The teams-of-two in My Kitchen Rules will do battle from their own kitchens in each state. The aspiring chefs will have to impress judges with unique culinary tricks and use local ingredients in their dishes.
The contestants will also have to transform their home into an instant restaurant for one pressure-cooker night, working against the clock to deliver a winning dining experience.

Sound familiar...well similar challenges and ideas were seen this year in Masterchef and I think a cooking show overload could in turn ruin Masterchef's popularity next year because people will be over it.

This isn't the first time Seven have copied other shows. The early success of Australian Idol saw Seven re-work Popstars Live. Australia's Next Top Model has been a big hit for FOX 8 and last year Seven gave us Make Me A Supermodel. Both shows failed dismally, so odds are My Kitchen Rules will too.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Sandilands axed from Idol

by Peter Lang

It seems that Kyle Sandilands has paid the ultimate price for last week's 'Lie Detector Test' debacle with Network Ten dumping him as the third Australian Idol host for 2009.
The controversial shock jock will still appear in all the audition episodes as they've already been filmed but once the live audience Top 30 shows begin, his place will be taken by as yet undetermined guest judges.
Channel 10 says they made the decision because Idol is seen as very much a family focused show and they didn't want anyone on it, especially a judge, tarnishing that image.
I think this is a total over-reaction by the show's producers who tolerated Sandilands numerous contestant insults and barbs for years because they knew it helped draw ratings points for the show.
Now that Sandilands is on the nose with the mainstream media and getting too much negative attention, he has been unceremoniously dumped.
Unfortunately Sandilands is in this unenviable position because over the years he has p**ed off far too many journalists and media moguls. I hate to say it but I think Sandilands thought he was untouchable and could say whatever he wanted, about whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without consequence.
He has just learned, he can't, no one can!
Meanwhile the Kyle and Jackie O media circus continued today with reports that the top rating twosome were on some self imposed exile rather than an official suspension by Austereo.
Of course the cynical amongst us wonders if this is actually true or just some publicity stunt aimed at drawing more attention to the talented twosome in the hope that once they're back on air their ratings points will double.
If it is a stunt, I just hope it doesn't backfire on them, like it did to the once popular Chasers.
Time will tell I guess.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

A win for the media, Kyle & Jac suspended


In a win for the Australian media, Austereo (the owners of 2Day FM) have suspended the Kyle & Jackie O Show indefinitely.

This week the media have savaged Kyle and Jackie O for their lie detector SEGMENT (not stunt as other media outlets have reported) that went wrong.

In a statement this evening, Austereo publicity manager Kate Whitby said: "Kyle Sandilands' management has advised Austereo that he is unable to perform his duties on-air at this time.

"Further, following a great deal of consideration and having consulted Jackie O and all stakeholders, Austereo has formed the view that it is in the interest of all parties, for the Kyle and Jackie O Show to go into recess until we have completed an across-the-networks review of the principals (sic) and protocols of our interaction with our audience. This review commenced last Wednesday, July 29."

I think this is an absolute joke and something that been taken way too far, Kyle and Jackie O have copped all the backlash from this disaster, whilst the mother of the young girl involved hasn't felt as much criticism as she should deserve.

Tall poppy syndrome rears its ugly head again, lets hope they make a comeback very soon.

Hmmm memories of the Matthew Johns sex scandal brings back alot of memories at the moment with the media also winning his suspension as well.

More on this story can be found here...

Would appreciate comments if you wish to speak your mind about this one.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Matthew Johns is back


By Nathan Taylor

Well it looks like it anyways. Matthew Johns who was everyone's favourite Johns brother until earlier this year when his television career went into meltdown after the infamous Cronulla Sharks sex scandal emerged is due to resurrect his media career but this time in radio.

It has been widely reported recently that Johns was to co-host the new Triple M breakfast show following the axing of Ugly Phil and Sami Lukas a few weeks back.

It's believed he will be joined by cricket legend Michael Slater who's also becoming a rising sports media star on radio and television.

It's likely the show wont launch until next January, but in the meantime Triple M have signed up Gus Worland (Aussie Goes Bolly, Barmy, Calypso Fox 8 series host), Mark Geyer and Stuart MacGill to fill the breakfast slot for the rest of the year.

I can't wait until Matty comes back, alot of people were really upset about his suspension from commentary commitments on Channel 9 and as star of The Footy Show, so it will be great to see him back in this way and hopefully he can make it back onto our screens in time for the 2010 NRL season.

Matty's a great talent and his contributions to Rugby League shouldn't be wasted.

Internet Radio is taking off


by Peter Lang

Internet radio, what's it all about I hear you ask. Well, it's basically a radio station which operates only on the internet.
One of the biggest and fastest growing online radio networks is GOOM Radio and it currently has two sites where you can access it from.
Also connected with the GOOM Radio Network is a facebook page and even a blogger. I tell you, when it comes to digital media, these guys have got it all figured out and they utilise every online social networking outlet available to them.
They're also growing fast and every day, thousands and thousands of new listeners tune in and select from literally dozens of different radio stations, all with their own specific format. Hits, pop, dance, house, it's all there and the sound is HD quality.
It really is an evolution in internet radio and the websites look slick and very well designed plus easy to navigate around.
I love it but I won't ramble on any further, click on the links below and check it out for yourself.
http://www.alpha.goomradio.us/ and http://www.goomradio.com/