Tom Cruise says “Ciao” from Rome

It’s been so long since we’ve reported on upcoming films that I couldn’t resist the chance to remind our readers that the currently untitled seventh film in the “Mission: Impossible” series is currently filming in Rome.

Long time friend Fabio Mazzarella is a professional photographer in Italy and has graciously allowed us to share this image he took of Tom Cruise during a break in filming. According to Fabio “He (Cruise) saw me taking pictures and came close and waved “hi.” I didn’t expect it. He was cheerful with the fans a paparazzi and stopped to take selfies.”

Fingers crossed, “Mission: Impossible 7” will be in theatres November 19, 2021.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: ciao, cruise, rome, tom

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO SURPRISE DROPS THE SECOND SEASON OF ACTION-THRILLER TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN

The Second Season Of The Amazon Original Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Is Now Available Globally

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN 

Today Amazon Prime Video surprised fans by globally releasing the second season of action-thriller Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), one day early.   The announcement was made via Krasinski’s social channels in which immediately following his posting the series went live on Prime Video.  

In the second season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, after tracking a potentially suspicious shipment of illegal arms in the Venezuelan jungle, CIA Officer Jack Ryan, portrayed by Krasinski, heads down to South America to investigate. As Jack’s investigation threatens to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy, the President of Venezuela launches a counter-attack that hits home for Jack, leading him and his fellow operatives on a global mission spanning the United States, UK, Russia, and Venezuela to unravel the President’s nefarious plot and bring stability to a country on the brink of chaos. 

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season Two, is a co-production of Amazon Studios and Paramount Television and produced by Skydance Television, will premiere exclusively on Prime Video. 

In addition to Krasinski, the second season of the dramatic series also stars  Wendell Pierce (The Wire) as James Greer, Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) as Harriet ‘Harry’ Baumann and Michael Kelly (House of Cards) as Mike November. 

The series is executive produced by Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Michael Bay, Krasinski and Allyson Seeger, along with Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland, who created the series for television. Additionally, Andrew Bernstein, Vince Calandra, David Graziano, Tom Clancy, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Mace Neufeld, Lindsey Springer, Dennie Gordon and Phil Abraham also executive produce the second season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

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GROUNDBREAKING COMEDIAN TOM GREEN SHARES VIDEO FOR ‘I WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH DRAKE’

TAKEN FROM ‘THE TOM GREEN SHOW’ ALBUM 
OUT MAY 17TH ON VINYL ONLY VIA SHIP TO SHORE PHONOCO(DIGITAL VERSION TO BE RELEASED AT A LATER DATE) WATCH ‘I WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH DRAKE’ VIDEO DIRECTED BY TONY CORELLA 

PRE-ORDER ALBUM

ON TOUR NOW!

Tom Green – prankster, provocateur, pundit – has a lot on his mind, and this bracing, inventive album lays it all out. A dazzling pastiche of social and political commentary, autobiography, and general Tom-foolery, it mixes hip-hop, punk-rock, goth-rock, confessional folk, electronica, and signature novelty tunes into a heady stew, spiced with samples from the Green’s TV shows, movies, and stand-up comedy routines.

“Thank you for listening to my album. I made this record myself. And I had fun doing it. As a teenager, I became fascinated by rap and electronic music. I spent my summers mowing lawns and working shitty jobs just to scrape up enough money to buy a used drum machine and, eventually, an Akai s-950 sampler and an Atari 520st computer to sequence my beats. I began “digging in the crates” through the vast collection of vinyl at the community radio station where I volunteered. And I started sampling and looping old funk and R&B and jazz breaks from musical legends of the 1970s. I would take the looped beats and bass-lines and drop raps over them in my home studio. Most of my friends would come to my house and have no idea what the hell I was doing. 

Flash forward three decades. I never stopped making music, but a few years ago, I decided to start recording again on a more regular basis. This is my first release on vinyl since 1992. I would like you to know that every sound was carefully considered by me. I funneled the drums or bass or guitar noise through a mess of cables and compressors in my own recording studio that I built in Los Angeles. The album includes some audio clips from my recent stand-up comedy, some from the original “Tom Green Show,” and, of course, some funny songs and some sincere ones. I hope you enjoy it.

Please follow me on social media and at tomgreen.com, and we can discuss this recording together. Your support over the years means everything to me. I am always touring all over the world and will probably be performing in a city near you, so please come see me and say hello! And if you are reading this, YOU ROCK!” – Tom

TRACK LISTING:

SIDE A:

1. The Tom Green Show – Theme Song
2. Acoustic Intro
3. Philly Stand Up
4. Purple Whiskey Bag
5. Live With Dignity
6. You Painted The Car?
7. None Of Your Business
8. Hip Hop Woman
9. Crack Baby Don’t Come Back
10. Daddy Would You Like Some Sausage?
11. Far 2 Young 2 Die
12. Hot Rhymes
13. Cell Phone Addict
14. Away We Go
15. The Salmon Song

SIDE B:

1. Park Bench Old Lady
2. I Wanna Be Friends With Drake
3. The Mustard Inspector
4. It Takes Balls (to rule the world)
5. Testicular Cancer Speech
6. Hey Kids, Feel Your Balls
7. Another Lie
8. Plastic Bag
9. The Bum Bum Song (lonely Swedish) 


Tom Green exploded on MTV with the groundbreaking comedy show “The Tom Green Show.” Before reality TV, YouTube and social media existed, Tom Green’s man-on-the-street pranks changed television forever. He’s graced the cover of Rolling Stone, hosted Saturday Night Live, guest hosted Letterman, and appeared on Oprah, Jay Leno, Kimmel, Fallon, Conan, The Daily Show and more! The success of the Tom Green Show has landed him roles in mainstream Hollywood movies like Road Trip, Freddy Got Fingered, Stealing Harvard, Charlies Angels and more! Now Tom Green’s sold out Stand Up Comedy Tour is getting 5 star reviews worldwide. Don’t miss the insanely hilarious stand up comedy of Tom Green when he comes to your city. His brilliantly cracked view of the world around him makes for non-stop laughter every time.Ship to Shore PhonoCo are a Brooklyn-based boutique record company shining a light on new-to-the-format music, underappreciated classics and undiscovered gems. 

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Filed Under: Music, Music Headlines, TV, TV Headlines Tagged With: comedian, drake, friends, green, groundbreaking, shares, ...

Why Tom Brady’s Career Would Make The Perfect NFL Dynasty Movie

“Tom Brady” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Keith Allison

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots just get better and better. On February 5th 2017, the 39-year-old produced one of the greatest Super Bowl comebacks to lead New England to a shock victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Nobody ever doubted Brady’s ability to put pressure on Atlanta’s defence in the second half but overturning a 25-point margin took him to a league of his own.

Being completely honest, you could definitely make an entertaining and dramatic film based purely on Super Bowl 51. But when you look back over Brady’s illustrious career, you see the entire story from college to draft day, from his Patriots debut to his first Super Bowl and to the present day; a five-time NFL champion. And it’s the stuff of cinema for sure.

When he was drafted by New England with the 199th overall pick in 2000, nobody expected Brady to achieve much at all, let alone win nine AFC Championship titles and five Super Bowl rings – we’ve all seen Draft Day after all… Time and time again, Brady has overcome diversity to prove everybody wrong, and that certainly makes for a great Hollywood story. In true underdog fashion, 31 other franchises passed on Brady in the NFL Draft. Even the Patriots opted to look elsewhere in the first five rounds.

In a way, Brady has been the Adam Sandler of New England; controlling proceedings from quarterback just as Sandler does in The Longest Yard. And while some may claim that Bill Belichick, Brady’s long-time head coach at New England, holds many similarities to the warden in that particular movie, his influence at the top has been a key reason for Brady’s success at the position.

An interesting point to consider is the timing of a potential Brady movie. Do you start filming now whilst he is still playing or focus on developing an idea and then produce the movie when he’s retired? For now, Brady will remain focused on helping New England in their bid to win a sixth Super Bowl crown. According to some reports, the Patriots have already filed to trademark “Blitz for Six” and fans may be set for more “Belichickian” terms and phrases in the coming months.

The Patriots have dominated American football in the USA in recent years and a film focused on main man Brady may be well received should New England succeed in their “Blitz for Six”. One documentary, Year of the Quarterback: The Brady 6″ has emphasised on the respective careers of those quarterbacks selected before the New England man in the NFL Draft that year but it is time for a film-maker to turn attention to the greatest quarterback of all-time.

You won’t see another story quite like this in sport and if New England, +550 to win next year’s Super Bowl in bet365’s American football betting markets, can secure another title, every media platform in the United States would be looking to film and broadcast the documentary. Tom Brady is now bigger than a football player. He is a global icon and his sporting successes could very well plateau him onto the big screen in the coming years.

Whether you like him or not, Tom Brady’s achievements deserve plenty of respect and you have to admire his hunger to succeed on the big stage. The “Brady or Joe Montana” debate is subjective of course, but the New England man is certainly a bigger star than Montana ever was, and a movie based around his entire football career could potentially go down as one of the greatest sports films to hit the cinema.

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Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: bradys, career, dynasty, movie, nfl, perfect, ...

DVD Review “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz”

Actors: Jason Alexander, Frances Conroy, Grey Griffin, James Monroe Igelhart, Stephen Root
Directors: Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone
Studio: Warner Bros Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 21, 2016
Running Time: 81 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The fact that there are still new Tom and Jerry films made blows me away. Not to mention actually good films! “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz” is the sequel to the 2011 animated film, “Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz”, which was a great film in itself. The songs are great and I love that they incorporated the lost Jitterbug song into the film as well. In terms of voice cast, there is no shortage of talent here. Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) voices both Mr. Bibb / The Nome King, Rob Paulsen (“Animaniacs”) voiced The Tin Man / Hickory, Frances Conroy (“American Horror Story”) voiced Aunt Em / Glinda and Stephen Root (“Office Space”) voiced Uncle Henry. If you love “Wizard of Oz” and Tom and Jerry, this is a must see!

Official Premise: With the Wicked Witch of the West now vanquished from Oz, Tom and Jerry along with Dorothy are back in Kansas! But not for long as an all-new villain has surfaced from beneath the magical land, the Gnome King! Having captured the Good Witch, the Gnome King and his army are wreaking havoc throughout Oz and need but one item to take control of The Emerald City, Dorothy’s ruby slippers! It’s up to our favorite cat and mouse duo to team up, go Back to Oz and save the land they love. Take to the skies, courtesy of the Wizard himself, with Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion as they make their magical journey. The laughs and adventure will roar as they encounter all-new frights and mischievous creatures down the Yellow Brick Road, ’cause “we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

Warner Bros Home Entertainment only released this sequel on DVD…but they did include a Digital HD copy, which is a huge bonus for me! In terms of special features, there is not a whole lot included but worth checking out if you enjoyed the film. There are four sing-along music videos from the films songs. There is also a neat alternate opening for the film with the feature “Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz: Classic Style”, which gives the film a fun sepia tone opening. Having watched this film 2 or 3 times already at the time of writing, this film gets better with each viewing as well. Just simple plain Tom and Jerry fun!

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“The Dukes of Hazard” star Tom Wopat talks about his new Christmas album with John Schneider

It’s been a “Dukes” kind of year here at Media Mikes. Earlier this summer I spoke to John Schneider about his feature film directorial debut, the tongue-in-cheek horror film “Smothered.” This week I got to speak with the other Duke boy, Tom Wopat, who recently teamed with Schneider for an album of Christmas music entitled “Home for Christmas.” Being familiar with Mr. Wopat’s work in musical theater, as well as on country radio, I was well aware of his pipes. When we chatted before the interview he was as proud as a new parent. Rolling Stone magazine recently named “Home for Christmas” one of the ten-best holiday albums released this year and the album DEBUTED in the top 10 on Billboard’s Traditional Jazz chart. It didn’t climb to #10…it opened there! In fact, as I write this the album is “sold out” on Amazon.com Don’t fret, though. They’ll make more!

Mr. Wopat recently took some time out to talk to me about the album, further collaborations with John Schneider and his musical future. You can read my interview with John Schneider HERE

Mike Smith: How did this project come about with you and John?
Tom Wopat: We’ve always enjoyed singing together and in the past 20 years or so we’ve done a few shows. We’ve talked a lot about recording together. I had started producing as well and this just made sense. We cut a couple of songs together last December and then we finished the rest this past August.

MS: Both you and John have been very successful in the theater and in country music. Was there a reason you decided to do a Christmas album?
TW: Well, for one thing it’s kind of a perennial. You’d like to think that it will sell for a while. Another part is that we can go out and do a series of concerts every year with that material so it just made sense to do that.

MS: You’ve done a few shows already this year haven’t you?
TW: We did several. We did a show in New York, then we did a show for about 500 people in John’s barn in Louisiana and we just did one in Atlanta.

MS: It’s obvious that you and John have a great rapport. I listened to you both this past week when you were hosting on Sirius Radio. Is there anything else you two want to collaborate on in the future?
TW: We’ve talked about doing a movie. John has a lot of projects he’s developing…he’s putting together a movie studio in Louisiana…so hopefully he’ll give me a call one of these days and I’ll go down there and do something with him. And I’ve got some ideas for future albums. We finance them ourselves so hopefully this one will do well so we can finance others.

MS: I actually spoke with John this summer to promote his horror film “Smothered.” If Catherine Bach sings I’ll be able to talk to all of the Duke cousins!
TW: (laughing) There you go!

MS: What do you have coming up? Are you going back on stage soon?
TW: Those things just come along suddenly…I very rarely get much lead time on that. The only thing I can plan on is some upcoming dates with my band. We’ll be on Long Island in April and in Indiana in August. But I’m sure between next Thanksgiving and Christmas we’ll have ten or fifteen appearances planned. I’m also getting ready to do another solo record and there’s talk of myself, two women and a little jazz group going out on tour and performing the music of Woody Allen films…pretty much some great standards.

MS: Really? That would be right in your wheelhouse.
TW: Yeah, that would be a good one.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: album, christmas, dukes, hazard, john, schneider, ...

Two Billion Downloads and Feature Film Set For Wildly Popular “Talking Tom and Friends” Brand

 Outfit7 Limited & Mythology Entertainment Sign Exclusive Rights Deal Bringing World-Renowned App Franchise to the Big Screen

LONDON (October 7, 2014) – Outfit7 Limited, the multinational entertainment company behind the juggernaut franchise Talking Tom and Friends, marks its latest milestone event, a remarkable two billion downloads of its iconic suite of apps. The milestone coincides with the announcement that Outfit7 Limited and Mythology Entertainment have partnered in a deal to adapt the Talking Tom and Friends universe into a fully animated or hybrid live-action/animated motion picture franchise for family audiences.  The franchise will be produced by Mythology co-founders Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt, and William Sherak, with Outfit7 founder and CEO, Samo Login executive producing.

Talking Tom and Friends is a rare global brand that, in just four years, grew from an instant app success into a fully-fledged media entertainment franchise. With a CGI animated series about to debut, a global licensing and merchandising program and a chart-topping sensation on YouTube, the lovable 3D animated characters have skyrocketed in popularity with fans across the world and sit firmly at the forefront of the digital entertainment era.

“Two billion is an incredible triumph.  We’re beyond proud that our Talking Tom and Friends cast of characters has brought so much joy, laughter and smiles to people across the globe,” said Login.  “The new film we are producing with Mythology Entertainment adds a whole new level of excitement and momentum for our brands that will enable fans of all ages to connect with our characters in a whole new way!  We’re delighted Brad Fisher and his team recognize the fun, loveable and powerful force of Talking Tom and Friends.”

“We at Mythology are among the two billion fans of ‘Talking Tom and Friends,’ so we’re very excited to join Samo and Outfit7 in taking these characters from cell phone and tablet screens to big movie screens worldwide,” said Fischer. “Tom, Angela, Ginger, Ben, Pierre and Gina have been entertaining kids and their parents for years, and we look forward to giving these beloved friends their own story for families everywhere to enjoy.”

The brand has become a global entertainment phenomenon having infiltrated popular culture with its characters featured on ABC’s Modern Family, NBC’s Today Show and the 2013 White House Easter Roll to name a few.

 

More Info

Since the premiere of the first Talking Tom app in 2010 the wildly popular franchise has extended beyond second screen entertainment, and touts soaring numbers to match:

  • Two billion downloads of its portfolio this Fall 2014, with 14 apps launched within four years;
  • An accelerated download rate of 40%, since the company celebrated its one billionth download in June 2013;
  • Talking Tom and Friends exceeds 230 million monthly active users in over 230 territories worldwide;
  • Fans have uploaded 8 million independent interactions with their favorite characters to YouTube, creating more than 35 million views every month;
  • Combined subscribers to the Talking Tom and Friends YouTube channels exceed 1.7 million.

 

About Outfit7 Limited

Best known for its global phenomenon Talking Tom, Outfit7 is one of the fastest-growing media entertainment companies on the planet.

 

Outfit7 was founded by a group of entrepreneurs in 2009 whose mission is to bring fun and entertainment to all.  Its flagship app franchise Talking Tom and Friends has achieved over two billion downloads since its launch in 2010 and continues to grow with 230 million active users each month.

Talking Tom and Friends is a rare global brand that, in just four years, grew from an instant app success into a fully-fledged media entertainment franchise. With a movie in production and a CGI animated series soon to debut, a global licensing and merchandising program and a chart-topping sensation on YouTube, the lovable 3D animated characters have skyrocketed in popularity with fans across the world and sit firmly at the forefront of the digital entertainment era.

Outfit7 Limited is a UK multinational entertainment company headquartered in Cyprus.

For more information, please visit www.Outfit7.com and www.talkingtom.com or visit our Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

 

About Mythology Entertainment

Since the company’s launch three years ago, Mythology Entertainment is producing and has closed deals on a wide range of projects in film and television.  Partners Bradley Fischer (“Black Swan,” “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”) and James Vanderbilt (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Zodiac”) are currently in pre-production on “Truth,” Vanderbilt’s directorial debut based on his adaptation of a memoir by Dan Rather’s former news producer, Mary Mapes. The film stars Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford.

 

For feature film, Mythology is producing “The Overlook Hotel” for Warner Bros., a prequel to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” with Mark Romanek attached to direct a script written by Glen Mazzara; Richard Morgan’s Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel, Altered Carbon, adapted by Laeta Kalogridis and David H. Goodman; and “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” adapted by Eric Kripke. For television, Mythology is producing “Ashecliffe,” an HBO and Paramount Television series based on Martin Scorsese’s hit feature film, “Shutter Island.” Scorsese will direct the pilot based on a script by Shutter Island novelist, Dennis Lehane.

 

Mythology Entertainment is repped by attorneys McKuin, Frankel & Whitehead, and Tim Connors.

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Filed Under: Toys Tagged With: billion, brand, downloads, feature, film, friends, ...

Enter to Win a Blu-ray of “Locke” starring Tom Hardy [ENDED]

To celebrate the Blu-ray release of “Locke” starring Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”), Media Mikes is excited to giveaway one (1) copy to our readers. If you would like to enter for your chance to win one of this prize, please leave us a comment below or send us an email with your favorite Tom Hardy film. This giveaway will remain open until August 29th at Noon, Eastern Time. This is open to all of our Media Mikes readers worldwide. One entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Media Mikes will randomly select winners. Winners will be alerted via email.

Ivan Locke (Hardy) is a man at the top of his game. A dedicated husband and father and a star employee at a high-powered construction firm, he’s the model of cool professionalism with a talent for managing complex situations. Driving home on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Locke makes a sudden choice to go confront the only situation in his life that can’t be neatly handled. He quickly learns that the cost of becoming a better man is high. Locke is a unique cinematic experience and gripping story of choices, consequences and a man who risks everything he holds dear in order to do the right thing.

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DVD Review “Tom Holland’s Twisted Tales”

Actors: Tom Holland, William Forsythe, Danielle Harris, AJ Bowen, Sarah Butler
Directors: Tom Holland
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
DVD Release Date: March 18, 2014
Run Time: 142 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

If you are not familiar with the name Tom Holland, he is the horror legend behind films like “Child’s Play”, “Fright Night”. We interviewed Tom back in 2010 and he mentioned this project to us then, so I have been following this project for a while. This series premiered on FEARNET as an anthology short series. It is consists of nine episodes and together add up to nearly 2.5 hours of tales. These vary from fun to clever to terrible. There is no scare factor behind these but it just comes down to what haven’t we seen already these days…but they are no question twisted. You can see if any of this fail it is due to budget, which looks to be virtually nothing on some of these. Nothing groundbreaking, we have some winners but mostly losers so make your own decision here. Hardcore Holland fans only.

“Fred and his GPS” was about a guy that has a chat with his GPS during his getaway after killing his wife. But find that his wife might not be through haunting him. It is a good way to kick off the film and AJ Bowen (“You’re Next”) is awesome as always. “To Hell With You” is your typical deal with the devil bit, which starts Danielle Harris (“Rob Zombie’s Halloween”) and William Forsythe (“Dick Tracy”) but a whole lot of fun. “Boom” stars Noah Hathaway (“The Neverending Story”) and puts him in a scheme to find out if his wife is cheating on him with his best friend…and he does it with a bomb. I liked this one quite a bit and it was quite clever. “Mongo’s Magick Mirror” is about a magician with a special trick. This one was not just bad, it was absolutely terrible. I love Ray Wise (“Twin Peaks”) but this one was almost impossible to watch.

“Bite” is about a drug that turns people into werewolves. Could have been awesome but relies too much on slow motion cuts. This one was also affected by terrible acting. “Shockwave” packs the best cast with Angelis Bettis (“May”), Amber Benson (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) and James Duval (“Donnie Darko”). It follows a group of people trying to survive after a nuclear blast hit the planet. Good twist but predictable. I think predictable is the key word for most of these. “Cached” is pretty cool about a guy that steals a dead man’s tablet and lives (or maybe doesn’t) to regret it. “Pizza Guy” is one of the better tales about a group that tries to summon of a demon. Lastly “Vampire Dance” is no question the most pointless entry and worst of them all, which ends this film on the worst possible note.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: dvd, hollands, review, tales, tom, twisted, ...

CD Review: Tom Keifer “The Way Life Goes”

Tom Keifer
“The Way Life Goes”
Merovee Records
Produced by: Chuck Turner, Tom Keifer, Savannah Keifer
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Tom Keifer is probably best known for his work as lead singer of the popular 1980’s blues/rock band Cinderella who’s hit song “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” is still being played on countless classic rock stations around the world. “The Way Life Goes” is Keifer’s first release as a solo artist and features 14 hook heavy blues/rock tracks that showcase Keifer’s gritty yet melodic voice.

Very rarely do you see artists venture out on a solo career some 20 years after their initial success. What’s even rarer is when the artist is able to pull it off. Tom Keifer has done that and more with the release of “The Way Life Goes”. Tracks like “It’s Not Enough” and “Cold Day in Hell” do a great job setting the tone of the album as they snake back and forth with driving, upbeat instrumentation which captures and holds the listeners attention.

Tracks like “Ask Me Yesterday” and “You Showed Me” are more ballad like numbers featuring piano and acoustic guitars. The icing on the cake is Keifer’s vocals. For a guy who at one time was unable to sing due to a paralyzed left vocal cord you would never be able to tell listening to this record. From low to high Keifer shows great range and strength making “The Way Life Goes” an enjoyable listen. Whether you a fan of Cinderella in the bands glory days or you’re just looking to check out some new music that covers a lot of territory then this is the album for you.

Track Listing:
1.) Solid Ground
2.) A Different Light
3.) It’s Not Enough
4.) Cold Day In Hell
5.) Thick and Thin
6.) Ask Me Yesterday
7.) Fools Paradise
8.) The Flower Song
9.) Mood Elevator
10.) Welcome to My Mind
11.) You Showed Me
12.) Ain’t That a Bitch
13.) The Way Life Goes
14.) Babylon

 

Related Content

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Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: cd, keifer, life, review, tom

Blu-ray Review “Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure”

Actors: Tom Wilson, Garrison Keillor, Paul Reubens, Grey DeLisle, Jacob Bertrand
Directors: Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Run Time: 57 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

Who doesn’t love Tom and Jerry? I recently just took a flight on JetBlue and I found myself watching Tom and Jerry marathon the whole trip and just laughing. Warner Bros. has done a good job of keeping this franchise alive and fresh with new original movies, even now and then. “Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure” is a new animated adaptation of classic story “Jack and the Beanstalk”. It features some great voice talents including Tom Wilson, Garrison Keillor, Paul Reubens, Grey Delisle and Jacob Bertran. If you are a fan of Tom and Jerry, this is a must purchase. It is clever, funny and great for the whole family!

Official Premise: In this all-new original movie, Tom and Jerry are among the last animals living in Storybook Town, a fairy tale-inspired theme park “where dreams come true, if you believe.” Young Jack is desperate to save the park from the hands of a greedy billionaire, setting out with his loyal cat and mouse friends to sell his prize cow for… some magic beans?! What follows is a journey up a beanstalk to a magical land ruled by a massively mean and hungry giant, and home to fun, fabled fellows like Droopy, Spike and even a golden goose! Will Tom and Jerry put an end to their furry feud long enough to save Storybook Town? You don’t need to wish upon a star. Join Tom and Jerry on their amazing adventure and find out.

Warner Bros. delivered this animated feature in a nice combo pack including a Blu-ray + DVD and Ultraviolet digital copy. The 1080p transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 looks fantastic, as it has with past Tom and Jerry feature film releases. The colors are very sharp and pop nicely. My daughter really enjoyed this film due to that and also the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which wraps up the complete package very well. One thing, I am a disappointed about in this release is the lack of special features. I would have even settled for some classic or even new cartoons to accompany this all-new feature film.

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Tom Green talks about working on TBS’ “Who Get’s the Last Laugh”

Tom Green first broke in to mainstream media with his wildly popular television show “The Tom Green Show” which aired on MTV in the late 1990’s. Tom has also appeared in a number of films such as “Charlie’s Angels” “Stealing Harvard” and “Road Trip”. On May 28th the TBS show “Who Get’s the Last Laugh” will feature a prank orchestrated by Tom as he competes against two other comedians in an effort to earn money for their prospective charities. Media Mikes had the pleasure to talk with Tom about the upcoming appearance and what he likes most about performing standup.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your upcoming appearance on “Who Get’s the Last Laugh”?
Tom Green: I had a lot of fun doing that show. I was a huge fan of “Punked” so when I was asked if I wanted to do it I was really excited. I thought it would be fun to be able to punk someone myself. Having done a lot of pranks when I was younger I felt like this would be a good opportunity to maybe win some money for the Cancer charity I was playing for. It was hilarious working on the skit and we had a really great time doing it.

AL: Can you give us any hints about the prank you set up?
TG: There are three comedians on the show and we each get to pull a prank. The show is set up very similar to “Punked” in that I was in a booth directing the actors. Our skit is based around needing a babysitter. When the babysitter shows up they realize that they are looking after a full grown adult who turns out to be a little bit nuts. I essentially direct the actor who is playing the adult. I talk to him over an ear piece telling him what I want him to do. The situation gets pretty crazy.

AL: How much of the prank was improvised?
TG: That was the fun part for me. We shot it several times with different people so there was quite a bit of room to improvise. We were cracking ourselves up in the control booth as the stuff was just hilarious. There was a lot of improv in there even though the situation and camera angles are all pre-determined. We just worked within the boundaries of that.

AL: How does this show stand out above other hidden camera shows?
TG: This show is fun in the sense that your bringing in three comedians that do comedy for a living to guest star. They get to compete for their various charities which that alone is quite a bit different. It’s interesting because I had never done a prank like that myself. I think it’s a fun thing to see people out of their elements.

AL: What do you prefer? Directing the prank or being park of the prank?
TG: I directed and performed all the pranks on my show so I have a lot of experience doing those things. This was sort of different because I was able to just come in and have fun with things. There was really no pressure which made the experience very enjoyable.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the other projects you have going on?
TG: I am currently out on tour performing stand up all over the country. Standup is something that I have really been throwing myself into within the past 4 or 5 years. I am really enjoying it. My first stand up special “Tom Green: Live” which was shot for Showtime is currently available on Netflix. I have a new podcast called “Tom Green Radio” that people can check out on iTunes and at www.tomgreen.com. I interview tons of hilarious comedians and interesting people. I also just started really getting into my new YouTube channel which is www.youtube/tomgreen. You are going to be able to go there and see a lot of my classic pranks. If people are in to that stuff they surely will want go and check that out.

AL: What do you like most about being out on the road and performing live?
TG: I have been going at it pretty hard in the last 4/5 years playing hundreds of shows. It’s something that I love to do. I started doing it when I was a kid and have done it intermittently over the years. It has been great being out on the road and seeing a lot of cool places. I have been all over from New Zealand to London and the shows have been getting great reviews. This has been a new chapter in my comedy career and it’s been nice being able to go out there night after night and get good responses. It’s a great feeling and something I want to keep doing for a long time.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: green, laugh, talks, tbs, tom, working, ...

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer talks about solo album “The Way Life Goes” and tour plans

Tom Keifer is best known as the charismatic front man for the popular 80’s rock band Cinderella. Tom still performs regularly with Cinderella who celebrated their 25 year anniversary in 2011. Tom’s newest project is a solo effort which has been in the making for quite some time. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Tom recently about working on the album and his upcoming tour plans.

Adam Lawton: What prompted you to decide that now was the time to release a solo album?
Tom Keifer: There never was a set time frame for me to do a solo album. I had first started thinking about doing one in the mid 90’s when Cinderella broke up for a bit. The album has been a work in progress for years. I started writing back then but never really recorded anything. I finally started recording in 2003. I did this independently as I didn’t want to deal with a label. From the time we actually started cutting tracks till now took almost 10 years. That was something I never intended. It is finished now and it’s a good window of opportunity because Cinderella decided to take a break from touring as we have toured hard the last 3 years. The timing worked out really well. Things just sort of happened as I didn’t have a plan 15 years ago that now would be the time to release this. (Laughs)

AL: With the album taking so long did you find yourself going back and making changes to some of the older material?
TK: It was a constant process. Once the songs were selected we would work on those and then go in and record a few more. Then we would go back and rework the older ones. There were quite a few periods of time where I wasn’t working on the record because of touring with Cinderella. Those breaks from the record were really great periods of objectivity. That’s not something you normally get. We made all of the Cinderella records in 6 month time frames where we worked 6 days a week. This album was much different because there was no label behind it. I could push save on Pro Tools and come back to it in a few months.

AL: Do you prefer working on an album like this that is more open ended as opposed to having that push to get it done by a certain time?
TK: I really like how this record came out and I left no stone unturned. I think everything came out real well. However I don’t think anyone is ever 100% happy with a record. There is always stuff you hear that bothers you. It was cool though to have the luxury of time but there are parts for me that I like more than others.

AL: Were the songs that made it on to the album more recent ideas or are they a collection of works from over time?
TK: Everything had been written prior to 2003. I picked about 14/15 tunes and usually from that point on I don’t write anymore for a record. I had a collection of songs dating back to the mid 90’s so there was a large body of work to choose from. I picked 14 that I thought were the best and fit together the best. I always seem to have a song somewhere. (Laughs)

AL: What led you to choose “The Flowering Song” as the album’s first single?
TK: It’s hard to pick singles sometimes because then you start thinking. (Laughs) For the first rock single that one was pretty unanimous between me and my wife who I co-wrote the song with. My friends and management all liked the feel of that track and eventually the label that picked up the album chose that song to be the first rock release. People really liked that track from first listen and we didn’t try to over think things.

AL: What are the tour plans for the release?
TK: We will be back out on the road starting in May. We will be working our way east after we hit the west coast. We are taking things one day at a time and how the record does will really dictate how long we are out for.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: cinderellas, keifer, plans, project, solo, talks, ...

DVD Review “Tom and Jerry Kids Show: The Complete Season 1”

Directed by: Carl Urbano, Don Lusk, Paul Sommer, Robert Alvarez, Jay Sarbry
Voices of: Charlie Adler, William Callaway, Teresa Ganzel, Dick Gautier, Phil Hartman, Don Messick, Frank Welker, Patric Zimmerman
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Running Time: 290 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I am not sure what it is about “Tom and Jerry” but they have always been one of my favorites. This popular cat and mouse duo has been around since 1940 and have never left the public eye for long. This animated series features the duo as kids, probably taking a page from “Muppets Babies”. “Tom and Jerry Kids Show” premiered in 1990 on Fox Kids and ran through 1994 for five seasons for a total of 65 episodes. This complete first season includes the first 13 episodes. So how does the the young Tom and Jerry rank against the older Tom and Jerry? Well it is fun and still had me laughing! So I give it a thumbs up…It was good as a kid for me and still good for me as an adult! I look forward to future seasons!

Official Premise: A Rivalry for All Ages! Spend some time with the beloved animated duo in their furry, formative years in Tom & Jerry Kids Show: The Complete Season One. Available for the first time on DVD in this 2-Disc collection, these delightful adventures follow the kitten and baby mouse as they taunt each other and create mayhem like only young ones can. Joined by their pals Droopy, Dripple, Spike and Tyke, Tom and Jerry bring on the giggles and good times in episodes such as Toys Will Be Toys, Bat Mouse, Cosmic Chaos and The Maltese Poodle. So run wild with 13 episodes from the hit TV series that feature more than four hours of hi-jinks that will be sure to bring out the kid in all of us!

“Tom and Jerry Kids Show The Complete Season 1″ is animated fun for the whole family. I have a 10-month old daughter and she literally lit up when these cartoons came on. I love that. For a show that I watched growing up now I will be able to share with my own child. The 13 episodes are split over a two-disc set with over four hours of guaranteed laughs and of course many “Tom and Jerry” hi-jinks. Each episode of this show is about 7 minutes so it works out that there is more like 39 mini-episodes included. The colors on the episodes still look sharp for a show that was produced well over 20 years ago, feeling old now. The audio included on the DVD is a typical Dolby Digital Mono track, which works well for the show itself. There are no additional special features included on the DVDs.

Season 1 episodes list:
Disc 1
1: Flippin’ Fido, Dakota Droopy & the Lost Dutch Boy Mine, Dog Daze Afternoon
2: Toys Will Be Toys, Droopy Delivers, My Pal
3: Prehistoric Pals, Super Droop & Dripple Boy Meet the Yolker, Marvelous Marvin
4: Bat Mouse, Puss n’ Pups, Outer Space Rover
5: The Vermin, Aerobic Droopy, Mouse Scouts
6: Sugar Belle Loves Tom, Sometimes, Mall Mouse, Super Duper Spike
7: Cosmic Chaos, Droopy of the Opera, Beach Bummers

Disc 2
8: Gator Baiter, Hoodwinked Cat, Medieval Mouse
9: Clyde to the Rescue, Droopio & Juliet, Maze Monster Zap Men
10: Crash Condor, Yo Ho Ho…Bub, Scrub-a-Dub Tom
11: No Biz Like Snow Biz, The Maltese Poodle, Cast Away Tom
12: The Little Urfulls, Droopo – First Bloodhound, Indy Mouse 500
13: Exterminator Cometh, Foreign Legion Frenzy, Urfo Returns

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 1, complete, dvd, jerry, kids, review, ...

Sara Lindsey talks about working with Tom Cruise in “Jack Reacher”

Sara Lindsey is an up and coming Hollywood starlet who will be appearing in the new Tom Cruise action film “Jack Reacher” which is scheduled for release on December 21st. Media Mikes had the chance to talk recently with Lindsey about the film and what it was that got her in to acting.

Adam Lawton: How did you first get involved with acting?
Sara Lindsey: I have always been a performer. The first time I tried it was in a 1st grade play my teacher arranged. That was the bug that bit me. I have been performing since I was very young and I have always been very artistic and musical. As I got older I began to get more serious about things and when I started looking at colleges I decided acting was what I was most passionate about. I felt very connected to acting and that’s what I pursued in college.

AL: How did you get attached to the film “Jack Reacher”?
SL: I had gone to an audition for the film and after that I learned about the book franchise and all the other things associated with “Jack Reacher”. I think the film is going to be really cool as it is a fun film. The story is very easy to follow which is not always the case with some films with similar themes. Tom Cruise is just awesome as the Jack Reacher character. I am definitely looking forward to the film coming out.

AL: What was it like working on such a large production?
SL: It was crazy! I am super new to the business and have only done two or three movies up to this point. The audition process for this was pretty long and I had a few call backs. One call back was done over Skype between the directors, me and the person who was going to be playing my boyfriend. Christopher McQuarrie is such a brilliant writer and director. It was a pleasure to get to work with him. I had a great time during the process.

AL: Were you allowed to experiment with your character at all?
SL: We really did get some freedom within the structure of the film. My big scene is at the very end of the movie. Chris gave us the frame work and allowed us to do whatever we wanted within the boundaries of the scene. We talked over a few different ideas and went from there.  We sort of did things in the moment. To be allowed to do that on this caliber of a movie was very unique.

AL: Can you tell us about the film “Promise Land”?
SL: That was a dream project for me. I got to meet and work with an amazing group of people. I learned so much. The film is about identity and what makes us who we are. The story is set against a back ground that has to do with hydro fracking. There is that issue going on while some great characters with compelling stories are interwoven throughout the film. I think it’s going to be really great.

AL: What are the release plans for the film?
SL: I think they are doing a limited release in several cities starting on or around December 28th. The wide release is scheduled for January 4th.

AL: Can you tell us about some of your other projects you have coming out?
SL:  I am working on a screen play project right now that is not yet titled. We have been working on it for about a year now. It has been a lot of fun to work on something from the ground up. The things you can cultivate with peers and colleges are really great. We are hoping to start shooting that in the very near future.

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: cruise, jack, lindsey, reacher, role, sara, ...
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