The Happening

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my selections below you can add M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening and Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park to your queue today. Oh, and maybe there are folks out there excited to bring home You Don't Mess With the Zohan? Maybe?

Very Funny TV-to-DVD
Yee-haw! This week brings us more TV-to-DVD with two favorites headed to a home theater near you:

• 30 Rock: Season Two
  Tina Fey has been on a roll with her frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live but come Oct. 30 she'll return to her day job, 30 Rock. Is there anything this woman can't do? I for one will be adding this DVD of the show's second season to my collection. Special features include commentary by Fey, deleted scenes, a peek at the table read for the episode titled "Cooter," and a featurette called, "The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Presents: An Evening With 30 Rock."
• How I Met Your Mother: Season Three
  Another adorable television comedy I would love to own (hint, hint parents). Special features include Lily and Marshall's honeymoon videos, additional scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, an unrated gag reel and, of course, music videos!




One more after the jump, so read more

• The Incredible Hulk had a successful opening weekend, topping the box office at $54.5 million. Kung Fu Panda came in at second place, with M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening opening third. — BuzzSugar
• Kid Rock was rushed to the hospital for dehydration minutes before he was scheduled to perform at the Download Festival in England. — E! Online
• Country singer Sara Evans married Jay Barker on Saturday in a small ceremony only their children attended. — People
• Snoop Dogg's wife, Shante Broadus, was arrested early Saturday morning in Fullerton, CA, for driving under the influence of alcohol. — TMZ
• Kanye West didn't start his Bonnaroo performance until 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, more than two hours past his scheduled start time, prompting upset fans to throw glow sticks on stage chanting "Kanye sucks." — AP
• Oprah Winfrey delivered the inspirational commencement address at Stanford on Saturday, speaking to the graduates, including her goddaughter, about how to find happiness. — Stanford Report
• Amy Winehouse arrived intoxicated at an art gallery performance in Moscow, where she was being paid $2 million an hour to perform. — Rush & Molloy
• Tim Russert's son, Luke Russert, went on The Today Show this morning to speak about, share memories of, and honor his father. — The Today Show

Source

It looks like fans can't get enough of Marvel superheroes on the big screen as the company scored another hit this summer with The Incredible Hulk. Despite average reviews and the fact that Ed Norton's conflict with the studio over the final cut of the film became widely known, The Incredible Hulk pulled in an estimated $54.5 million over the weekend.

Kung Fu Panda held strong in second place while M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening exceeded many expectations by landing in the third spot with about $30.5 million.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan was No. 4 followed by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at No. 5 and Sex and the City at No. 6.

Source

The best part of going to see The Happening was getting to watch the X-Files movie trailer — which is way more chilling on the big screen than it is on YouTube. Can't wait for that one! As for M. Night Shyamalan's latest spookfest, well, as Alec Baldwin's character Bob Barrenger remarks after a car crash in State and Main, "So. . . That happened."

The movie has been getting poor reviews, and even Shyamalan himself is calling it "the best B-movie you'll see," so I didn't go into the screening with the assumption that The Happening would be a masterpiece. And it's not that bad; it's no Jumper, say. It just gives us nothing whatsoever to care about. At all. It's empty and kinda silly and the acting is not good. There's a mystery to solve, which is interesting for a short time, but when it gets solved, the explanation for the mystery is pretty freaking lame. For more on this, read more

Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel were out in New York City last night for the premiere of their new movie, M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Of course, Mark Wahlberg looked smoking hot all snazzed up in his suit, while Zooey was picture-perfect adorable as usual in her pink dress. So bubblegum girly! Mischa made the trip out for the premiere, and considering her big break was as a little girl in Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, it only fits. This scary movie is too scary for me (eek!) but we'll see this weekend if you're all ready for another fright fest with that M. Night twist.

To see more from the premiere including Abigail Breslin, John Leguizamo, Judah Friedlander, M. Night Shyamalan, and others, just read more

• OMG, Cinematical has video of a real-life Wall-E, spotted in L.A.! It may just be the cutest thing you've ever seen.
• The L.A. Times' Show Tracker blog warns us that this season's Lost finale looks like a major tearjerker.
• Pop Candy points us to an early review of M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming movie The Happening which explains that the movie is terrifying. . .ly awful.
• TV Squad has news from the TNT and TBS upfronts, and it looks like a lot more original content.
• MTV Movies Blog has exclusive information on the possibility of a live-action Beavis and Butt-head movie and wonders: who should be cast as the Beav and the Butt?
• Many thanks to Stereogum for turning us onto the super catchy new Wolf Parade release, "Language City."
• Give Me My Remote has hilarious video of Dwight Schrute officially accepting John McCain's vice presidential nomination, through his spokesperson, Rainn Wilson.
• Popwatch hobnobbed with the beautiful TV stars attending the EW's upfronts party, including Heroes' Zachary Quinto who said (as a joke?!) that the Star Trek movie in which he plays Spock will "probably skip a theatrical release and 'go straight to DVD.'" Yikes.

The last bit of info we got about M. Night Shyamalan's next project, The Happening, was a spooky and vague teaser trailer that has since been taken down. In its place we now have the full-length trailer for the movie, which opens June 13, and it's even creepier than the first one was.

"There appears to be an event happening." This is basically all we learn about the plague that hits the US in The Happening, but it's also all we need to know. In fact, the mystery surrounding the event makes whatever's "happening" that much more frightening. To see what I mean, and to catch more of a glimpse of Zooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg in the trailer, read more

Admittedly, I've mostly been interested in M. Night Shyamalan's next project The Happening because Zooey Deschanel is in it, and I'll pay attention to most anything Zooey does. Shyamalan, on the other hand, is sometimes great and sometimes one of my least favorite filmmakers in the world. Thus, I've been awaiting more information on The Happening with some degree of wariness.

Today we've gotten a first glimpse at The Happening and it's pretty creepy, though not too descriptive. We find out that something is plaguing the citizens of New York, making them suddenly kill themselves. From the plot description we learn that one family goes on the run from this "natural crisis."

The Happening opens June 13. To watch the teaser trailer, read more

• Danny Glover will play a love interest for Sally Field's character on "Brothers & Sisters" next season, says Hollywood Reporter.
• Variety reports that John Leguizamo has been cast in M. Night Shyamalan's next project, The Happening, also starring Zooey Deschanel.
• TV Guide reports that news from the CBS presentations at the TCA press tour includes an episode of "Cold Case" with an all-Nirvana soundtrack and a lot of remarks about Mandy Patinkin quitting "Criminal Minds."
• ComingSoon says Ron Howard is on board to direct The Emperor's Children, a kind of Cruel Intentions-type story for 30-somethings.




• Never fear, Starbuck fans: Despite her conspicuous absence from a "Bionic Woman" event on Tuesday, "Battlestar Galactica" star Katee Sackhoff has signed a deal to continue appearing on "Bionic."

• According to Zap2It, there will be a third Ace Ventura movie, this time focusing on the pet detective's son who will be played by Josh Flitter.
• Victoria Beckham will "host" NBC's Thursday comedy lineup this week, promoting a 10 p.m. re-airing of her "Coming to America" special, the Futon Critic reports.
• Universal has canceled the release of Evan Almighty in Japan on account of the movie's meager draw so far and the fact that "there aren't that many Christians in Japan," says Variety.

Source