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Action

VOD Spotlight: “The Adjustment Bureau”

Many couples will say that there are people conspiring to keep them apart. But in The Adjustment Bureau, rising politician David Norris (Matt Damon) glimpses a much darker conspiracy — agents of the Bureau, who not only want to keep him from pursuing a relationship with a ballerina (Emily Blunt), but also control the rest of the world as well. In the short story “Adjustment Team” by science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick, the protagonist was an insurance salesman. The film creators made him a politician because, says producer Michael Hackett, “Picking a politician allowed us a character whose decisions can […]

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Action

VOD Spotlight: “The Eagle”

The Eagle has its story in fact — that the Ninth Legion of Roman soldiers vanished into what is now Scotland. Furious at what was likely a defeat by barbarians, the Roman emperor Hadrian built a wall to seal off the edge of the known world. Known as Hadrian’s Wall, the ruins of it exist to this day. The story was the basis for the novel The Eagle of the Ninth, an epic tale of heroism by Rosemary Sutcliff, one of the favorite novels of The Eagle producer Duncan Kenworthy. “It’s a wonderfully resonant and exciting story, with characters, issues, […]

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Politics

Keith Olbermann re-enters cable news fray tonight

By Jeff Pfeiffer Like him or loathe him — and there seem to be few who fall in between — you can’t deny that Keith Olbermann has gotten attention throughout his career, whether as a sportscaster or as a political commentator. The fiery Olbermann’s passion and intellect cannot be questioned, though his strong independent streak (some would say bordering on anti-authority) has helped lead to his departures from several gigs over the years, most recently from MSNBC in January. In his last few months at the network, Olbermann seemed frustrated by the confinement he appeared to feel at not being […]

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Music

“American Idol” Season 11 auditions to kick off soon

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP The seemingly never-ending American Idol juggernaut is seeking its next round of contestants for Season 11. The nationwide search begins June 28 in St. Louis, at the Scottrade Center (1401 Clark Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103). Producers are seeking men and women 15-28 years old (as of June 26, 2011), who are eligible to work in the United States. Wristbands will be distributed from approximately 7am on June 26 until approximately 8am on June 28. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out. Once auditioners obtain their wristbands, they will be asked to return to […]

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Drama

VOD Spotlight: “Red Riding Hood”

The story of Little Red Riding Hood has its origins in 14th-century European folk tales. In a time when dangerous and dark forests were a way of life, stories such as this kept children safely close to home at night. The story and others like it also served as warnings to young women to be careful of men — the term “wolf” surviving to this day to describe a predatory male. Moving from the wolf to the werewolf, as the film Red Riding Hood does, we have a monster that can be destroyed if it falls in love with a […]

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Comedy

VOD Spotlight: “Hall Pass”

There are plenty of date movies that will leave couples talking, but for many, Hall Pass may generate the most intense conversations. In this romantic comedy, two wives become fed up with their husbands’ constant rubbernecking of beautiful women, So they give the men, Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis), a two-week “hall pass” in which they can do whatever they like with no questions asked.

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Reality TV

Discovery seeks a “One Man Army”

By Jeff Pfeiffer We’ve had many readers mourn the discontinuation of Military Channel’s Special Ops Mission series. While there are as yet no plans to bring that series back, fans of that show may enjoy the upcoming series One Man Army, airing on Military Channel’s parent network, Discovery Channel. Premiering July 13 at 10pm ET/PT, One Man Army pits elite military, extreme sports and law enforcement operatives against one another in various events that are way beyond what your average Joe goes through on something like Wipeout. In each episode, host Mykel Hawke, himself a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran […]

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Action

VOD Spotlight: “Sanctum”

Given the number of films he’s made with underwater scenes — such as the dramas The Abyss and Titanic,  as well as underwater documentaries — it’s clear that James Cameron has an affinity for the dangers of water and the claustrophobic pressures of the deep, even after a near drowning on the set of The Abyss. Like Titanic, the underwater adventure Sanctum is based on an actual event. In 1988, film producer and caver Andrew Wight led an expedition into a remote cave in Australia. An intense storm caused the cave entrance to collapse, leaving 15 people trapped underground. A […]

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Comedy

VOD Spotlight: “Just Go With It”

Brooklyn Decker makes a seamless move from modeling to acting in her first major motion picture Just Go With It. Decker’s character Palmer becomes the object of affection of Danny (Adam Sandler), who avoids commitment by telling women he is married. But when he falls for Palmer, instead of telling her the truth about his marital status, he compounds the lie, with hilarious consequences, using his long-suffering assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to play his soon-to-be-ex-wife.