In today's headlines — Rihanna opens up for the first time to Rolling Stone magazine about all the Chris Brown controversy, Barbra Streisand will perform at this year's Academy Awards, the new Muppets movie staring Tina Fey has started filming in London, and more!
What do Channing Tatum, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and Miss Piggy all have in common with Taylor Swift and Harry Styles? They're all members of the Dirty Dancing re-enactment club. The two were spotted on the dance floor after a One Direction concert re-creating the classic dance scene. We have all the details in this PopSugar Rush.
In addition to the following releases, The Sitter and Carnage are also now available on DVD.
Jason Segel co-wrote and stars in this sequel worthy of Jim Henson's epic franchise. He and Amy Adams play Gary and Mary, a couple who travel to LA only to find that a beloved theater that was once home to the Muppets is being torn down. The two, along with Gary's brother (who happens to be a Muppet), embark on a quest to track down the old Muppet gang in a film that appeals to both adults who grew up with the characters and a new generation of fans. DVD and Blu-ray features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, spoof trailers, and blooper reels.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher directed the first American adaptation of Stieg Larsson's hugely popular Millennium Trilogy. Starring Rooney Mara in the Oscar-nominated title role of Lisbeth Salander, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is an enthralling (if slightly disturbing) film that introduces audiences to punk hacker Lisbeth and disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist, (Daniel Craig) as they team up to solve a murder in the twisted Vanger family. DVD and Blu-ray come packed with four hours of features including commentary by Fincher and behind-the-scenes footage.
One more new release when you read more
The finance world is abuzz over Greg Smith's New York Times op-ed article, in which he explains his reasons for leaving Goldman Sachs. Having worked at the investment bank for 12 years and being the former head of Goldman's equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Smith's allegations definitely have more weight than a former disgruntled intern.
One sentence that caught my eye was when Smith revealed that he had witnessed five managing directors call their clients "Muppets." The term was meant as an insult, but I really think that these MDs aren't give our favorite TV puppets enough credit. Read on to find out what these wise Muppets can teach us.
Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret — who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords — also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:
PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians — tunesmiths — in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.
PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy — they can't win these awards — and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.
For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just read more
It was an incredibly lackluster showing at the movies this weekend, with New Year's Eve taking the crown, but only pulling a meager $13.7 million in the weakest box office weekend since 2008. It did manage to beat Jonah Hill's new comedy, The Sitter, which followed in second with $10 million. Breaking Dawn Part 1 was finally knocked out of the top spot, and settled for third with $7.9 million. The Muppets took fourth place with $7.1 million, and Arthur Christmas rounded out the top five with $6.6 million.
Photo courtesy of New Line
With no new major releases this weekend, the box office suffered, but Twilight didn't. Breaking Dawn Part 1 landed at the top of the box office for the third weekend in a row with $16.9 million, in what was the second-lowest grossing weekend of 2011. The Muppets came in second place with $11.2 million, and was followed by a series of family-friendly flicks. Hugo nabbed the No. 3 spot with $7.6 million, while Arthur Christmas came in fourth with $7.4 million, and Happy Feet Two rounded out the top five with $6 million. In limited release, Shame earned $361,000 — not bad considering the NC-17 flick featuring Michael Fassbender as a sex addict only opened in 10 theaters.
Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment
There was no stopping The Twilight Saga at the box office over Thanksgiving weekend; Breaking Dawn Part 1 earned the most money again, taking in $62.3 million for the five-day weekend. The Muppets settled for second but opened strong with $42 million. Happy Feet 2 finished third with $18.3 million, while new animated film Arthur Christmas came in fourth with $17 million. Martin Scorsese's children's movie Hugo had a nice debut with $15.3 million and rounded out the top five.
Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment
Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the whole gang have officially hit the silver screen in The Muppets. However, it has been a while since the Muppets were hanging out in the spotlight; they made their last big feature flick in 1999. Maybe you grew up on these guys, or maybe you're a brand-new fan. Either way, do you think you can match the plushy part to the Muppet it belongs to? Test your knowledge and prepare for Muppet mayhem.
