Zappas Making Zappa Film

Although its been nearly twelve years since Frank Zappas death, his influence is heard in the music of artists ranging from System of a Down to Trey Anastasio. This fall, Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa will pay tribute to their late father by performing his music across Europe on the Zappa Plays Zappa tour. The Zappa family is also assembling the first full-length documentary about the legendary musical iconoclast, which they plan to release by early next year. They will debut a condensed version of the film on the tour.

The documentary spans the guitarist/bandleader/composers diverse career, from early performance footage of songs such as Inca Roads and Call Any Vegetable through sessions for his final project, 1993s The Yellow Shark. Zappa died of prostate cancer that same year.

The film shows the private side of one of rocks greatest satirists. He had a very cynical, sarcastic sense of humor, Dweezil says, so theres a lot of stuff talking about how difficult it is to get your music played and how expensive it is.

But the focus of the documentary will be Zappas role as a composer. It gives you a lot of insight into the way he worked, says Dweezil. He was always using classical themes in his music: Whenever he wrote a new part hed stick it into a song, and then youd hear it later as a whole other work of its own . . . And he was an amazing arranger, so his music was always evolving.

The Zappa Plays Zappa tour kicks off October 25th in Barcelona.

True Blood Behind-the-Scenes Promo: Jason and Sookie Face Off

There are still a few months left 'til True Blood makes its bloody, sexy return on June 16th and as its apt promotional hashtag goes, "Waiting Sucks." However, now you can check out a new behind-the-scenes teaser for the upcoming sixth season of the HBO vampire drama; it finds Jason Stackhouse about to put a bullet in the chest of Nora, Eric Northman's sister, before Sookie comes to her rescue.

Be sure to also watch another promo clip that features the sexy Alcide Herveaux attempting to keep his werewolf pack in order amidst growing turmoil.

Mister America Trailer: Tim Heidecker Runs for District Attorney in Mockumentary

We Have a Rat Problem thats Tim Heideckers slogan as he campaigns for San Bernardino, Californias District Attorney in the trailer for the upcoming political mockumentary, Mister America. The problem is, he himself is considered a scoundrel and his motives for running are questionable.

Written by Adult Swim series On Cinemas Heidecker, Gregg Turkington (aka Neil Hamburger) and director Eric Notarnicola, the satirical film follows Heidecker during his final month on the campaign trail. In the new trailer, hes seen knocking on doors and greeting skeptical voters on the streets and in restaurants. You want an outsider to shake things up, because San Bernardino has gotten to be so corrupt, he says. However, it seems its his own deeds that may do him in while fueling his run, which appears prompted by wanting revenge on incumbent DA Vincent Rosetti, who served as prosecutor in a murder case against Heidecker.

Besides the obvious voters distrust stemming from the murder charge, as Turkington points out, Heidecker is also not a lawyer and he doesnt live in San Bernardino. Coupled with Heideckers dubious motives and tactics, the candidate appears poised for an uphill battle that could prove insurmountable.

Mister America will debut in select theaters on October 9th via Magnolia Pictures.

Night School Review: Hart/Haddish Comedy Gets an F for Effort

Only a fool would say that Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish arent hilarious. But only a dumbass would argue that their new comedy, Night School, isnt the worst kind of lazy, laughless, paycheck-begging twaddle. What is it with stars who think that their responsibility to audiences stops at showing up?

Director Malcolm D. Lee, who showed Haddish in all her raunchy glory in Girls Trip, leaves her in the lurch with this PG-13 softball that nowhere near as foul-mouthed nasty as it needs to be. Has no one seen what these two comic firebrands do on stage? It took six writers to come up with a plot and dialogue that you know the two stars could have improvised better on the spot. Wait, Hart himself is one of the six writers so wed better take that back.

Hart plays Teddy Walker, a BBQ grill salesman whos keeping secrets from his rich fiance, Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke). Hes just been fired and he cant get a job because wait for it hes a high-school dropout. Walker might be able to snag a spot in finance with his best friend (Ben Schwartz), but for that he needs a GED and fast. So our man secretly enrolls at a night-school class taught by Haddishs Carrie Carter. This woman takes no shit, though shes a pussycat compared to Stuart (Taran Killam), the school principal who Teddy used to rag on back in the day when they were classmates. The Principal wants revenge. Also, Stuart is a white dude who likes talking black, so you know hes going down.

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There have been lamer hooks on which to hang a plot. You just figure Hart and Haddish will ignore the script and seize control. No such luck. After a promising start when Carrie calls Tiny Teddy a leprechaunand the two go at it in a verbal free-for-all, the movie starts piling on characters. On the first night of class, Carrie calls on the new classmates to introduce themselves: Theres Mary Lynn Rajskub as the overworked mom who insists her life is blessed: Romany Malco as some sort of mystic; Rob Riggle as the ultimate dork; Al Madrigal as a Mexican immigrant with dreams of a career as a dental hygienist; and Fat Joe as a jailed convict who Skypes into class. And so it goes, as Hart and Haddish disappear if they snuck off to moonlight other gigs its hard to blame them. That leaves the supporting cast to pad a movie that is already groaning from its comic deadweight.

Hart grabs a few giggles when his character takes as job a joint called Christian Chicken, and Haddish adds a dab of physical comedy when she beats up Teddy in a training session. But hardly anything in this movie makes sense. Night School reaches desperation level when Lee stages a break-in scene so the students can steal a midterm exam which wouldnt help a damn since the GED is the only test that counts. And just when you think the filmmakers couldnt stoop lower, they do, adding on unearned positive messages about learning abilities and why dont we just get along. No matter how much money this clunker makes, this is a movie that never should have happened. Save your pity for audiences who deserve better.

Box Office Report: Man of Steel Soars to Record June Opening

WINNERS OF THE WEEK: This weekends new movies. Yes, it was an overwhelmingly good weekend for Warner Bros. accountants, with the Super-sized debut ofMan of Steel, but opening opposite Superman was hardly the end of the world forThis Is the End, which debuted in second place and did just fine on its own terms, thank you very much.

Man of Steelset a June opening record with an estimated $113.1 million, surpassing the mark set in 2012 byToy Story 3($110.3 million). Add to that another $12 million fromThursdaynight screenings, and you have an impressive $125.1 million, far outstripping the debut ofSuperman Returnsseven Junes ago. (That 2006 reboot opened with $52.5 million fromFridaytoSundayand a five-day-weekend total of $84.6 million.)

The Superman We Deserve

Henry Cavills Superman was able to leap small estimates with a single bound. Even his own studio had lowballed his opening weekend prospects at $75-$80 million, while industry observers predictions ranged from $84 to $110 million. He also overcame mixed reviews, garnering positive word-of-mouth (evidenced by a strong A- from CinemaScore). Ticket surcharges certainly helped; the movie earned about 11 percent of its money from IMAX screenings and 41 percent from 3D shows. But most of the credit belongs toMan of Steelsubiquitous marketing, which included trailers emphasizing director Zack Snyders imaginative visuals, pre-release buzz centering on producer Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer (the team behind Warners smashBatmantrilogy), and $160 million worth of free marketing from more than 100 retail promotional partners. Its easier to escape from General Zods phantom zone prison than to escapeMan of Steelsrelentless hype.

None of that, including the likelihood that most of the potential young male audience was watching Superman, preventedThis Is the Endfrom opening at the high end of expectations. Debuting in second place, it earned an estimated $20.5 million over the weekend, for a five-day total of $32.8 million. It benefited from the novelty of its comic premise (real-life celebrities facing the apocalypse), solid word-of-mouth (it earned a B+ at CinemaScore), surprisingly strong reviews and general good will toward stars Seth Rogen and James Franco. Its not selling as strong as the pairsPineapple Expressdid five years ago (that 2008 stoner flick earned $23.3 million in its opening weekend and $41.3 million its first five days). Still, it cost just $32 million to make, so its profitability is assured. With no other raunchy comedies coming for a couple of weeks,Endsrun should continue for a while.

LOSERS OF THE WEEK: Last weekends new movies.The Purgeplunged 76 percent in sales from last week and fell from its Number One debut spot to Number Five on estimated earnings of $8.2 million. Not that anyone at Universal is weeping, since the sci-fi/horror film has grossed $51.8 million over two weekends and cost just $3 million to make.

Theyre probably less sanguine over at 20thCentury Fox, whose comedyThe Internshipfell from its fourth place debut to sixth place and lost 60 percent of its business. Its estimated $7.0 million this weekend brings its two-weekend total to just $31.0 million, or about half of the $58 million it cost to make, a figure the Vince Vaughn-Owen Wilson film appears unlikely to recoup.

By contrast, older holdoversNow You See MeandFast & Furious 6continued to show staying power.Nowsmen of steal held onto third place with an estimated $10.3 million, for a three-week total of $80.0 million.Fast 6dropped two slots to fourth place but picked up another estimated $9.4 million, for a four-week total of $219.6 million.

ALMOST FAMOUS: Among indie films, Sofia CoppolasThe Bling Ring, about a group of Los Angeles teens who became infamous for burglarizing the famous, opened strongly on five screens with an estimated $210,000, cracking the top 20 at Number 19. Its per-screen average of $42,000 is by far the biggest of any film this weekend. (Man of Steelearned $26,879 per screen.) Also opening big was20 Feet From Stardom, the documentary about classic back-up singers, with $52.200, or an average of $17,400 on three screens.

Meanwhile,Purgestar Ethan HawkesBeforeMidnightfinally expanded to a nationwide release. Now playing in 893 theaters, it earned an estimated $1.5 million this week, for a four-week total of $3.2 million. For an art-house romance, thats pretty super.

Celebrity Apprentice Recap: The Final Task

Final four, says Lil Jon, taking in the glory that is advancing to the final round of Donald Trumps oh-so-meaningful (and inexplicably long-running) reality competition, Celebrity Apprentice. With last weeks dismissal of Marilu Henner, the exclamation point of a rapper is now joined by Lisa Rinna, Penn Jillette and Trace Adkins as the sole remaining contestants.

But hold up! In a now-yearly move that makes no particular sense, Trump calls the four (pseudo) celebs back into the board room at the outset of this weeks episode. Youre the best of the best, says Trump, but were far from over. Yes, as The Donald explains to them, he will now proceed to grill the foursome on their merits and dispatch one from each team. Either Adkins or Lil Jon will be fired from Team Power, and either Jillette or Rinna will leave Team Plan B.

Each of the celebs lays out their case. Adkins says he has lots of big-money donors left; Lil Jon says he should definitely remain in the room despite his losing track record this season as a project manager; Rinna points out shes the second-highest earner for her charity behind Adkins; and Jillette contends that no one handle pressure better than he does.

The Many Business Failures of Donald Trump

But there are inexplicable firings to be had. Trump tells Rinna shes the comeback player of the year, but its Jillette, not she, who will be advancing to the finals. It was a win-win-win-win situation in so many ways, Rinna says of her time on the show, her puffed-out lips looking extra pouty. For the other twosome of Jon and Adkins, Trump says he cant look past the fact that Adkins has raised the most money for his charity and never lost as project manager. Naturally then, Lil Jon is fired. I wanna go in there and kick the board room table, says the rapper, annoyed by his dismissal. You can tweet Mr. Trump now and tell [him] I was supposed to be in the Final Two, he instructs any and all of those actually watching the show.

And so now begins this seasons Celebrity Apprentice finals. The contenders: husky magician Penn Jillette and ogre-sized country singer Trace Adkins. The final task, both men learn, is to promote Walgreens new ice cream. Specifically, each man must come up with a new flavor, create packaging for it, produce a 60-second promotional video and host a 50-person VIP event in its honor. Per usual, a handful of past contestants are brought back to assist both men. Rinna, La Toya Jackson and Dennis Rodman join Jillettes team; Lil Jon, Gary Busey and Henner link up with Adkins.

Both teams head to the Walgreens ice cream laboratory where theyre tasked with narrowing down their choices of flavors to two; afterwards, theyll bring both to a store and have the public perform a taste test to determine which is more popular. Jillettes squad is deciding between Butter Pecan and Vegas Magic Swirtle (a.k.a. chocolate-and-vanilla swirl and turtle candies). Adkinss team is choosing between Red Velvet and Maple Macadamia Mashup.

Previous Celebrity Apprentice winner Joan Rivers, Trumps advisor on the task, visits both teams. Jillettes team, she surmises, (unsurprisingly) going with a Vegas theme for their presentation and party, are right on track. Adkins team, she worries, may have trouble getting big-name celebrities to come to their VIP event. Half of Marilus friends are dead, says Rivers.

Post-public taste test, Jillettes team settles on the Magic Swirtle flavor; Adkins goes with the Maple Mashup. Jillette is nothing if not supremely confident in his choice of flavor. People will be sucking it down like its black tar heroin, he says.

But the task, as Rivers mentioned, is likely to come down to which team can bring in high-powered (and deep-pocketed) celebrities to attend its respective VIP event. Jillette is hoping Wayne Newton comes by; Adkins is desperately hoping some of his Nashville connections come through. Vegas vs. Nashville, Jillette says, analyzing the situation. At just about anything Vegas wins.

For his teams promotional video, Jillette again enlists his longtime silent partner, Teller, as well as scantily clad Vegas showgirls. Adkins opts for a video in which Busey dances around like a moron. I feel real good. We came up with an entertaining piece, says Adkins, perhaps hiding his fear of losing. This is either gonna be crazy good or just crazy, teammate Henner adds of their Busey-centric offering.

But just when Jillettes team appears to be the clear front-runners to take the Apprentice crown, theyve now hit a bump in the road: Their video is much too long. No edits, we learn, can trim it down to the appropriate length. Were sunk, Jillette says. Were in big big trouble.

And thats where were left in the Part One of this two-part season finale of Celebrity Apprentice. Do your best to contain your excitement until next week, we say, as difficult as that might be.

Last Week: The Battle at Barclays

Tangled

Disneys spirited re-telling of Rapunzel in 3D animation turns out to be a dazzler. You know the drill from the brothers Grimm Princess Rapunzel (voiced by a sassy Mandy Moore) is kidnapped from her royal parents by an old crone who traps her in a tower and uses her long golden hair to stay young and badass. Donna Murphys vocal performance as the adopted parent from hell is to die for, and her singing of the Alan Menken/Glenn Slater anthem Mother Knows Best is comic bliss with a sting in its tail. Zachary Levi does a nice job as the thief who rescues the princess, and, call me a sucker, but I fell hard for Maximus the horse and Pascal the frog. Still, its Rapunzel growing up to out-diva her mommie dearest that kept me glued. Directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno dont reinvent the animation wheel in the Pixar manner, but they get the job done with style and wit to spare.

Peter Travers Holiday Movie Preview: Ten Movies for Escapism This Season